Proprietor Jim Luttgens has been in the wine business full-time since 2001, working as a wine steward and bartender at a country club for a few years in the Chicagoland area before relocating to the far northern suburbs of Atlanta in 2004. After relocating, Jim worked for a few years as the wine consultant for a national chain that sells wine, gourmet foods, and home decor items. In 2007-2008, Jim worked as the wine consultant for a large package store in Suwanee, Georgia.
In late 2008, Jim was presented with the opportunity to start Venus Wine. Having total control of the vision of the store, the stock selection, and everything else, Jim has helped many customers explore new facets of wine enjoyment.
"I like meeting new people, and helping them enjoy wine more. As I get to know each of my customers better, the easier it is to recommend new wines. The more variety they try, the more adventurous they get. It really is fun to get the reports back from customers who are really enjoying a wide variety of wines after having had very restricted tastes for a long time."
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| Jean-Pascal Lacaze of Domus Aurea |
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| Lauren joined Jim as a part-time assistant in the very beginning. She is now in the store at least three days a week. Lauren converted from Rum drinks to enjoying fine wine and amazing beer while still only 21. At that time, she also worked for a large liquor store in Suwanee, where she assisted with wine tasting events, and worked in many areas of the store. Aside from her brief exile in upstate New York, Lauren has been a consistent presence at Venus Wine. In just a few years, she has cultivated quite an astute palate and vocabulary to describe what she is tasting. Typically, Jim and Lauren find that they enjoy the same wines, when at the various trade tastings that we attend. The wines that we choose to sell after these events are the ones that blow us both away. The ones we share with you are those that blow us away and are priced to deliver the most value.
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