When Waterford Wine & Spirits moved from its beloved Brady Street shop to its current location at 2120 N. Farwell Ave. back in 2019, regulars weren’t sure what to expect.
“Everyone loved the Brady Street location and the character of it,” says founder Ben Christiansen. “But we knew they didn’t like hunting for parking and hauling their cases of wine three blocks. We were busting out of that space and selling more than we could really handle. So we knew we needed to expand.”
The Farwell Avenue building, once a car wash in the 1990s, sat vacant for years before Christiansen finally secured it in 2018. At 3,000 square feet, the shop dwarfs its former 600-square-foot Brady Street home. And, as of July 18, it’s also home to something new: a wine bar.
A neighborhood wine bar
The idea of offering guests a space to sip isn’t entirely new for Waterford. Their Delafield location, which opened years earlier, introduced customers to the concept of enjoying a glass while shopping or chatting with staff.
“Many people see Delafield as their neighborhood bar,” says General Manager Jason Wedl. “They slow down, have a glass, talk wine with our staff. That’s the feel we want to recreate here.”
To support that, the East Side bar was outfitted with a Perlick cooler to keep wines at the perfect serving temperature, and every staff member is trained to pour and serve.
“This is really a spot for people to pop in and have a glass of wine,” adds Marketing Manager Natasha Wedl. “We want to bring that hospitality feel into the store.”
Classes, tastings & more
Waterford has always been known for its wine seminars, but the new Farwell Wine Bar has allowed them to expand programming in fresh ways. Weekly wine seminars and tastings anchor the calendar, while quarterly hands-on workshops, from floral design and candle making to paint-and-sip nights and knitting socials, bring new energy to the space.
“We’ve started to partner with other small businesses to offer a variety of classes,” says Natasha. “It brings people into the store who might not otherwise drop in, and it also helps shine a light on other local entrepreneurs.”
And starting this fall, East Siders can look forward to a monthly oyster night: six oysters and a glass of wine for $20 on the second Friday of each month, beginning Oct. 10 at 5 p.m. (Waterford’s Delafield location will continue hosting its oyster night on first Fridays.)
Unprecedented tasting events
“Mark my words - there has never been a tasting like this, anywhere in the entire world,” says Christiansen as he describes Bordeaux Fest, an annual event he kicked off in 2023. “And I am serious, not even in Bordeaux do they put on a tasting like this. This is unique and special, and anyone who has an inkling about wine needs to attend.”
In 2025, this unprecedented tasting event will feature over 50 Grand Cru Classés all of which are over a decade old and from the same year (2015).
The event will take place at Waterford on Farwell on Saturday, Oct. 4 from noon to 4 p.m. Tickets are $125 per person for a tasting of 2nd to 5th growth wines and $275 per person for ALL wines (including prestigious first growths) All tickets include the tasting, plus an opportunity to purchase any of the featured wines directly from the chateaux in Bordeaux.
A full listing of the featured wines, as well as a link to purchase tickets, can be found on the Waterford website.
A philosophy of value
For Christiansen, the expansion isn’t just about more space or trendier offerings. It’s about cultivating a sense of joy and discovery.
“Collectively, I’d like to have the idea of joie de vivre carry through,” he says. “What is the value in the products we share and the products we sell? Because we have the retail here, we can offer wines for an exceptional value.”
That same spirit carries over to Waterford’s Terroir Club, which gives members perks like a complimentary glass of wine at the wine bar each month, discounts, free corkage, and exclusive tastings at pick-up events on the first Tuesday of each month. Sign up online.
“I love restaurants, and I’ve partnered on a number of them,” Christiansen adds. “So, this is really fun for me — and it’s important to me that we do it as a really great value.”
With its new East Side wine bar, Waterford Wine & Spirits is making good on that promise: more space, more experiences, and plenty of opportunities to raise a glass.
Mark your calendars
Upcoming events at the Farwell Avenue location include:
- Tuesday, Sept. 2: Open House Folk Machine Wine Co. ($15)
- Thursday, Sept. 9: Seminar with Domaine Faiveley ($50)
- Friday, Sept. 26: “One of France’s foremost vignerons and winemakers today": Thibaud Boudignon ($30)
- Saturday, Oct. 4: Annual Bordeaux Festival ($125+)
- Friday, Oct. 10: Oysters at the Wine Bar ($20)
Check out the full list online and sign up for Waterford Wine & Spirits mailing list to keep up with what’s new.
As a passionate champion of the local dining scene, Lori has reimagined the restaurant critic's role into that of a trusted dining concierge, guiding food lovers to delightful culinary discoveries and memorable experiences.
Lori is an avid cook whose accrual of condiments and spices is rivaled only by her cookbook collection. Her passion for the culinary industry was birthed while balancing A&W root beer mugs as a teenage carhop, fed by insatiable curiosity and fueled by the people whose stories entwine with every dish. Lori is the author of two books: the "Wisconsin Field to Fork" cookbook and "Milwaukee Food". Her work has garnered journalism awards from entities including the Milwaukee Press Club. In 2024, Lori was honored with a "Top 20 Women in Hospitality to Watch" award by the Wisconsin Restaurant Association.
When she’s not eating, photographing food, writing or planning for TV and radio spots, you’ll find Lori seeking out adventures with her husband Paul, traveling, cooking, reading, learning, snuggling with her cats and looking for ways to make a difference.
.jpeg)
.jpeg)