James Davids and Marissa Stashenko have started a new business in Rhode Island with old roots. As a negociant, Enotap LLC works with small family winegrowers in multiple wine-growing regions. The business takes raw wine into a production facility in East Providence, where it is packaged for distribution.
Long active in the wine industry, Davids and Stashenko are also on an environmental mission, moving restaurants and Rhode Islanders toward more-sustainable containers. For restaurants, that means kegs.
Their work is available under the brands Anchor & Hope and nico & laura. The latter is sold in cans, the former in bottles. Their selections include a smooth, red table wine, Mendo, which is produced at a small family winery in Sonoma, Calif., and a crisp, dry riesling from the Rheinhessen region in Germany.
After running their own California-based winery for 10 years, Davids said they reached a conclusion that the future means wine in more-responsible packaging.
“You can put better wine in more-responsible packaging, like [a] lighter-weight glass that’s from a higher percentage of recycled materials,” Davids said. “Alternative packaging, [such as] cans, and kegs for restaurants, leave a lighter footprint on the environment and also cost less for the consumer.”
Mary MacDonald is a PBN staff writer. Contact her at Macdonald@PBN.com.