Kingston has a new spot to relax, unwind, enjoy great food and wine and yes, spirits too. Cellar 8, the brainchild of entrepreneur Wendy Facey and JN Finance’s GM Aditi Dhiman is further bolstered by marketing consultant Nasma Chin and Hillel Academy Prep nurse Jenny Pragnell to round out the foursome that has brought this chic space to the market.

Neatly tucked away in the ‘Upper Manor Park’ plaza, the multi-level Cellar 8 is a three-in-one location offering patrons a bistro, a premium spirits bar and a wine bar. The current drink menu offers seven wines by the glass (four whites and reds) and the Spirits by the Q list offers Tanqueray, Absolut, Glenfiddich, White Overproof, Appleton V/X, Johnny Walker and Hennessey. The menu selections, courtesy of UTech/Culinary Institute of America/Johnson & Wales trained Chef Ramesh Maragh, include a variety of salads, pasta, pizza, sliders and a developing suite of entrees.

Feedback has been generally positive, especially from patrons living in and around the Stony Hill, Manor Park, Norbrook and Constant Spring areas. Here is what I was told this week: “… Finally, somewhere to chill out close to home” ; “liking it so far, hope they iron out the kinks quickly”; “… was hoping to see a better wine selection, I also hope they train and bring the staff up to speed quickly ..”; “… I don’t think they should have opened until they were absolutely ready; I am tired of lame excuses about opening in order to iron out the kinks”, “….love the decor, it’s comfy, but service needs to step up fast, fast”, “.. the place looks fabulous, but if it’s a wine bar, they are very lacking in wine selections”.

Wine-centric locations in Jamaica are growing, probably led by Kingston’s increasing wine appreciation. The city that consumes the most wine in the world is Paris. In a recent study by France’s INSEEC Business School it was determined that Parisians consume 697 million bottles of wine each year, or 51.7 litres per capita. That roughly translates to a glass of wine five nights a week per person; that’s doable. Additional research from the Wine Institute has revealed that 14 of the globe’s top 15 nations for wine consumption are in Europe, along with Uruguay. Vatican City is at the very top of the wine-drinking league, with an average resident consuming an impressive 54.26 litres a year.

The Kingston Metropolitan Area (technically comprises Kingston and the suburban section of St Andrew) is approximately 155 sq km (60 sq miles) with just about one million people compared to Paris proper, which is only 105 sq km (40 sq miles) with 2.3 million people, Vatican City is 0.44 sq km (0.17 sq miles) with 1,000 people, so I think we have an amazing opportunity, don’t you?

Christopher Reckord – Information Technology Entrepreneur & Wine Enthusiast. Send your questions and comments to creckord@gmail.com. You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Periscope @chrisreckord and on Twitter: @Reckord