Thelma Carol Hosting Spanish Wine Tasting

Site of Thelma Carol Wine Merchants, 605 W. Virginia St. Photo taken July 27, 2023 by Sophie Bolich.

Fresh off of celebrating its first anniversary, Thelma Carol Wine Merchants is preparing to keep the good times rolling with an upcoming wine tasting.

The event, set for Saturday, July 29, will usher in languid summer days the Spanish way, with a variety of sparkling wines, whites, reds, sangrias and ciders — all highlighting unique regions in Spain.

A Summer For Spain is the latest of several large-scale tastings that take place quarterly at the Walker’s Point wine shop, 605 W. Virginia St. The business also hosts smaller tastings twice monthly.

“On the whole, Spanish wine holds a nice place in my heart,” said Jerel Hall, who co-owns the shop with his wife, Rebecca Button.

Hall, a certified sommelier, has more than 15 years of experience in the beverage industry. The couple has traveled to every corner of the world in pursuit of good wine, and particularly enjoyed their trips to Spain, he said.

“The wines are very unique,” he said, noting that many regions in Spain produce distinct products due to growing their own varieties of grapes. The country’s west coast, for example, produces whites made with the albariño variety. These wines, said Hall, cover a wide range of flavor profiles from simple to “very, very elegant.”

Northern Spain, namely La Rioja, is known for its aged reds from tempranillo grapes. The wines tend to be “some of the oldest” available at a relatively low price point,” Hall said.

Sparkling wines abound in eastern Spain, outside of Barcelona. Known as cava, the effervescent drink is Spain’s answer to champagne. In fact, growers there have created their own designation. Hall plans to share more on that at the tasting.

All of those varieties and more will be available for tasting at A Summer For Spain, along with pours of sangria in flavors like strawberry basil, watermelon and dark cherry.

A full list of featured wines is available online.

In addition to 20 wine pours, a small assortment of snacks is included in the tasting experience. Marcona almonds, green olives, charcuterie boards and other bites will be available.

Hall and Button will be on-site to talk wine, along with two guest professionals.

The tasting will take place at the wine shop, which sports an elegant-yet-cozy vibe, outfitted with dark wood shelving, decorative carpets and a luxurious antique chaise lounge. The overall effect is that of walking into a used bookstore, said Hall. “It’s very striking.”

“The look was very, very purposeful and kind of meant to create an environment where it feels less like you’re shopping for wine and more like you’re hanging out in a really cool space that you feel comfortable in.”

The ambience is also meant to honor Hall’s grandmother, Thelma June, and Button’s grandmother, Carol. The women, who also inspired the store’s name, were career librarians.

Hall himself once dabbled in the literary world, having secured a master’s degree in library science and worked at The Lilly Library, specializing in rare books, at Indiana University, in Bloomington, before submerging himself in the industry world.

A Summer For Spain will run from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tickets, available for purchase online, are $50 per person, before tax and fees.

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