[Spotlight] Lula Drake

Lula Drake

For our Spotlight this month, we have Mary Lane Sloan sitting with Tim Gardner, owner + head sommelier of Lula Drake.

They started in 2016, built around biodynamic, organic and sustainable wines. 

What Mary Lane loves about Lula Drake is they let you try anything and all of the employees are great listeners in helping pin point the best wine for you. Tim carefully spends time exposing everyone to wines they aren't familiar with (finally time to take a break from the Chardonnay and Pinot Gris).

Finding the right building was the key to the business. Once they came across this  long narrow space with three floors, they found a trap door to a basement with Lula Drake's sea trunk. "The name was in the building" per Tim's wife. In the trunk they even found Lula's calling card with the gold symbols. After adding a stem to resemble a wine glass, the well-known logo we see on Main Street was born.

They boast an impressive upstair event space that holds 100+ people. "It has it's own personality, but very much tied to the downstair space" says Tim.

Lula Drake was created to open the eyes (and palettes) of people in Columbia to things that are different. They're here to help this great district stay local. 

There is a variety of this wine list that you don't typically fine in Columbia. It's a place to stretch your imagination with wines that don't have big marketing, but great roots and stories from all over the world.

What's new and fresh for Lula Drake? 

Fortified wines; very special spirits that took them a long time to find. 

It's a wonderful place to grab a small plate and enjoy a relaxing beverage. They provide a great craft beer selection and amazing grower champagne list for non-wine drinkers. 

Lula Drake is open from Tuesday to Saturday at 4 pm and closes at 10 PM on Tuesdays-Wednesdays and 12 AM on Thursday-Saturdays.

For more information, check out www.luladrake.com