Fine Wine and Fine People

By: Candice Crutchfield

 Eclipse Coffee and Books is a unique place. They host beer tastings, trivia nights, poetry slams, and concerts. The wine tasting is an event that Cheryl Patton, the owner of Eclipse, loves to host. It is a more relaxing event and probably her favorite, she says.

Eclipse has been in business for 12 and ½ years, Patton says. For the last 8 years Eclipse has been hosting wine tastings by Sundown Wines, located in Arab (AY-RAB), AL. Jerrie Patterson is the sales representative for the company. The first time Patterson came to Eclipse as a representative was because she was filling in for someone else. “Now I do the wine events almost exclusively,” she says. Patterson loves the people of Montevallo. “It’s a great venue,” she says.

Many of the customers attend the wine tasting regularly. Phil Hurst, the owner of Blue Frog art gallery, is one of those people. “We enjoy different wines,” Hurst says. Hurst and his wife even carry wines with them in their motor home when they travel.

Another frequent customer and wine taster is Alesha Dawson. The wine tastings are different every time, she says. Dawson loves the porch life of Eclipse. “I’m here most of the time in general,” says Dawson. She even takes care of the Eclipse cats when the owner leaves town.

6 unique wines Starting with bubbly and ending with dark

Patterson arranges all the wine in a specific order to bring out the best of each flavor. “It’s a magic trick I do,” she says. From bubbly, to dry, to dark, Patterson has them all.

The only thing missing was sweet, but these wine tasters did not mind. Many of the customers even had a beer or two. Patterson, herself, had a PBR.

Patton and Patterson are not just business acquaintances. “Cheryl and I have an incredible friendship,” Patterson says.