I often tell people that once you get a taste of Reno, it’s hard not to want that full bottle.
Among the people who exemplify this are the owners of Reno’s newest wine bar, bottle shop and tasting room, Lacie and Doug Flannery. Their Mt. Rose Wine Co. is located at the Summit Reno mall, nestled sweetly at the base of Mount Rose like a beacon of après-ski. I sat down with the new owners on their opening day to discuss why they chose Reno as their new home—and the inspiration for their new business.
“Once we sold our wine bar in Chicago, we knew we wanted to move out West,” said Lacie.
The couple wanted to find a new home between California and Oregon’s wine countries. “We had been coming here for years, and we could not believe this perfect little pocket of a community exists,” said Lacie. But it wasn’t just the proximity to some of the world’s finest vines that brought them here.
“We want to ski in the morning and have our business in the afternoon,” Doug said.
The Flannerys have leaned into Reno’s laid-back vibe and love of nature, attributing to our community a European style of work-life-leisure balance in comparison to many places in the U.S. But Lacie and Doug are driven by more than just a desire to live that sweet West Coast lifestyle; a true passion for wine is the light behind their eyes. They’re especially interested in sharing their love for small-production wines.
“We built trust with our previous wine shop by having unique and fun things by the glass, but also not just taking our tastes into account,” Doug explained as he walked me through their vision for their eight rotating wines by the glass. “We are the staff; you will get to know our faces.”
I often am skeptical of new folks coming to town and opening a bar right away. I want to make sure new business owners understand the values and tastes of our community. But Lacie said something that made me have a bit more faith in their vision: “We are in no hurry. We want to be here; want to be a part of our community, not just feed off of it.”
One example: Doug served in the U.S. Navy for 31 years, and when approached to support the Northern Nevada Veterans Alliance, he and Lacey jumped at the opportunity.
“We are at the point in our lives that we want to have those ties and to give back to our community,” he said.
With plans for wine-tasting events, and an arm of their business that takes people on curated wine adventures, the Flannerys are diving into the Northern Nevada wine scene head-first.
“We are transplants who should have lived in Reno all along,” Lacie said with a smile.
Learn more at mtrosewineco.com.