Our Sommelier, David Soper

I grew up on a vineyard in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. My parents owned a wine and cheese shop in a small town called New Market. My uncle came to Virginia to try his hand at making wine on my grandparents’ land there. We did not market our own label but sold the juice to a local winery who bottled and sold it. My uncle left the farm to start another business and my grandmother took over the wine making responsibilities. The whole Soper family banded together every weekend to help her prune, pick, crush, and rack the wine. As she got older and my Grandfather passed away, the wine making ceased and my family has lived in South West Virginia ever since.

I later discovered that cooking was what I wanted to do. I went to Johnson & Wales to become a Chef and quickly realized that although I love to cook, it wasn’t for me. Instead, I pursued a career in Restaurant Management. While studying abroad all over Europe, and traveling to many countries including, Germany, France, Switzerland, Austria, Luxembourg, and Italy, I refreshed my wine “roots” and caught the “wine bug”.  I came back in pursuit of a career in wine and started studying to become a Sommelier.

I got my certified sommelier diploma from the Court of Master Sommeliers in April of 2009 and worked as the Sommelier at the Charlotte City Club for two years after graduation. My family and I then purchased the Wooden Vine Wine Bar & Bistro in February of 2011.

I liked the name, I liked the concept, I just wanted to improve the overall experience. The Wooden Vine Wine Bar & Bistro is a family owned business with Chef Nicolas Daniels at the helm. We create a one of a kind culinary experience and an atmosphere of food friendly wine and wine friendly food. At the Wooden Vine Wine Bar & Bistro, we serve as many local ingredients as possible and support the community. We are passionate about what we do and we guarantee that energy will always be on display in the wine list, tastings, dinners, and culinary endeavors we produce.