Clo Wine Gallery opened recently in downtown Delaware and offers wine, beer, and more for every occasion.

The gallery is located at 27 N. Sandusky St. and is owned by Nicole Vanderdoes, who said she was looking for a change of pace a year-and-a-half ago while pondering her idea of opening a new wine shop.

“I was working in wine sales and traveling a lot, looking for an opportunity to be closer to home as my son started preschool last year,” Vanderdoes said “There wasn’t a wine shop in Delaware, and I thought it would be great timing for staying close to home and getting into retail.”

The name, “Clo Wine Gallery,” comes from the French word, “Clos,” explained Vanderdoes.

“In France, particularly in Burgundy, there’s a word spelled C-L-O-S that’s used to mean ‘A Walden vineyard,’” Vanderdoes said, adding if anyone sees the name of something that’s “clos de” something, it usually means it’s from this particular Walden vineyard. “It can really take on its own character because the terre (earth) doesn’t change the same as it does outside of the walls, so any wines coming from within that particular vineyard take on a character of their own.”

Clo Wine Gallery is run by Vanderdoes, along with two other employees, and offers more than wine.

“We are trying to facilitate many different opportunities,” Vanderdoes said. “We have wine for sale for retail, whether that’s shopping for your house, a gathering, or for your cellar, and we have on-premise consumption, which is wine by the glass. We don’t just have wine. We have beer, cocktails, as well, and we have snacks. Those are things that can be experienced anytime we are open.”

The shop is also home to many events such as wine tastings held by winemakers or people who work with importers. Wine tastings occur once a month and can be attended by purchasing a ticket. Along with these tastings, the shop has also recently hosted two guest chef dinners and looks to do more periodic events, Vanderdoes said.

Clo Wine Gallery is located in Delaware’s downtown area, and its hours of operation can be found at https://www.clo-wine.com/.

Lauren Gulden is an intern for The Delaware Gazette.