The Wine Cellar
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information about hosting your event, dinner, or special occasion
today.
The
Wine Cellar Experience
The Jordan Collection
Making
a Reservation
The Angus Barn Wine List
Browse
our wine by the glass list.
Upon descending the winding staircase, you will experience not
only the rare Bordeauxs of France and the signed, over-sized bottles
from California's greatest wine makers, but also the antiques, the
artwork, and the other unique appointments that make our cellar
the finest dining room in the Research Triangle.
You will dine surrounded by nearly 25,000 bottles of wine. Offering
over 1,700 selections, The Angus Barn is recognized as having one
of the top 100 wine lists in the world.
Our classically trained Chef will spend days preparing the menu
of your choice, and the Cellar Coordinator will match a wine with each
course.
A Champagne gathering while your party arrives is always a nice
option. Our staff provides traditional, continental service as the
Cellar Coordinator announces each course and selected wines.
Come and experience the luxury!
The
Wine Cellar Experience
 THE
WINE CELLAR stands as it is today because of our customers’
interest and love for our wine list. The late Thad Eure, Jr., co-founder
of the Angus Barn, began insightfully compiling an impressive array
of wines in the early 1980’s. It was his dream to bring North
Carolina a wine list comparable to those in esteemed restaurants
in California.
At the time, this was quite a venture for a man owning a restaurant
in a state where “liquor by the drink” had just become
legal in the last ten years. His investment in the wine program
allowed us to become a benchmark by which many wonderful wine lists
are measured.
After winning the prestigious Wine Spectator Grand Award for the
first time in 1989 we had endless requests to see the cellar. At
that time, our wine storage area was a dusty room underneath the
restaurant with a rickety staircase leading down to it. Because
the Angus Barn has always been willing to open any part of the establishment
to their guests, we decided not only to give our award-winning wine
collection a home worthy of its distinction, but make it presentable
for tours.
After months of construction, an elaborate setting for one of the
world’s greatest wine lists was finished. Much of the specialized
wood work and cabinetry was done by the Angus Barn’s own maintenance
staff. It was complete with a richly appointed formal dining room,
almost an afterthought, which was added when extra space appeared
on the original blueprints.
Each following year, since 1989, we have won the Wine Spectator
Grand Award. This has continued to push the Angus Barn to new heights
in the eyes of wine lovers worldwide. The entrance to the cellar
features a winding staircase lined with many of our prestigious
international awards.
During the remodeling phase of the cellar, this staircase had to
be dug out of the ground by hand shovels. Van Eure, Thad Eure’s
daughter and current owner of the Angus Barn, insisted on a curved
stairway leading down to the new wine room. You can see why, as
you descend the stairs for the first time, the anticipation of what
lies ahead builds with each step taken. The Wine Cellar Dining Room
has evolved into one of the most unique dining experiences in the
southeast, offering 5 or 6 course gourmet dinners with a specific
wine paired with each part of the meal by the Cellar Coordinator. The
service staff is carefully chosen from our own wait staff. Clad
in tuxedos, they offer the guests silent white glove service and
cater to their every need.
The first dinner in the new Wine Cellar Dining Room was served to
the construction crew in celebration of all their hard work. The
dining room is not only a forum to show how wine can marry with
food, but a center for business dinners, birthdays, anniversaries,
weddings, lunches, and brunches. Prominent wineries showing off
their current vintages with our innovative gourmet cuisine, or the
recreation of the last dinner served on the Titanic are just a few
examples of special events that take place in the Wine Cellar Dining
Room on a monthly basis.
As this beautiful dining room continues to make memories for our
guests in the cellar, our wine list does the same for thousands
of diners every week. The collection boasts well over 25,000 total
bottles that ring in with a lofty retail value in between one and
two million dollars. There are close to 1,200 different selections
to choose from. These wines hail from 29 distinct growing regions
from around the world.
A state-of-the-art temperature and humidity-controlled environment
protects the Angus Barn’s wine investment. Whether it’s
the amazement of how many wine selections we have or the price of
an exclusive import, our wide range of wine always leaves a fond,
lasting impression.
Our future plans call for an additional “sister” dining
room to the ever-evolving Wine Cellar. This will enable us to serve
two private wine dinners simultaneously. We invite each of our guests
to tour our international award-winning wine cellar and Wine Cellar
Dining Rooms, to see firsthand why we have one of the top wine collections
in the world…and why we call Wine Cellar dining the “ultimate
dining experience.”
The
Jordan Collection
The Angus Barn in Raleigh, North Carolina, winner of the Wine Spectator
Grand Award in 1989, counted as their most valuable collection of
wine, the vertical series of twelve imperial-sized bottles of Jordan
Cabernet Sauvignon. The first bottle was purchased over a decade
ago at the Monterey Wine Festival in Monterey, California. Thad
Eure, Jr. and his daughter, Van, attended the prestigious wine auction
which was created to benefit the Andre Tchelistcheff Scholarship.
This scholarship is granted annually to a student who is studying
viticulture.
Many of Thad’s restaurant friends, who had famous wine cellars,
were at the auction. As the bidding for the 1977 imperial bottle
of Jordan proceeded, all of these friends found themselves bidding
against each other. As a result, the price of this bottle was driven
upward. It became a challenge to see who would spend the most money
and, in the end, Mr. Eure placed the winning bid of $1,500.
The following year in Monterey at the auction, when the sequel (the
1978 imperial bottle) was offered for sale, the same group of friends
decided to try to bid against Thad as a joke so they could force
him to keep bidding higher and higher. They knew that his first
bottle would be much more valuable with the addition of the second
in the series.
The third year, when the 1979 bottle of Jordan went up for bid,
the group treated Thad even worse than before. By then it had become
standard procedure, “Let’s get Thad to pay top dollar.”
And so, once again, the Angus Barn walked away with another bottle
of Jordan.
By the next year (1989), when the wine festival took place, Thad
had passed away. Still, Van Eure attended, and to keep up the tradition
her father had begun, she bid on the 1980 bottle of Jordan. As the
bidding got underway, Van held up her bidding paddle. Then a calm
silence fell about the room. As a confused auctioneer looked around
the room, he could not find other bidders. The same group of friends,
who for years had driven up the price of the bottles that Thad wanted
for the Angus Barn, now wanted Van to have it at her first offer.
This was their tribute to Thad.
The wines were on display in the Angus Barn wine cellar. Thad had
always said, “The bottles will never be sold separately. I’ll
open these bottles someday, perhaps at Van’s wedding.”
Unfortunately, during the construction of the new wine cellar, disaster
struck and four of the five bottles were destroyed when an air conditioning
unit overheated. The bottle that was saved was luckily the last
vertical purchased. Van decided to not look at this as “disaster,”
but instead a “minor setback” and at the 1991 Monterey
Wine Festival started the collection again.
When Tom and Judy Jordan, the father and daughter team who own and
operate the Jordan Winery, became aware of the tragic loss and sentimental
value of these Imperials, they began a search of replacement bottles.
Because only twenty-five imperial bottles are made each year, this
was a very difficult task. However, after two years they were able
to locate the four missing bottles.
Judy Jordan flew to North Carolina to personally present the four
replacement Imperials at a surprise reception in the Angus Barn
wine cellar on April 29th, 1992. Van and Alice were overwhelmed
by this unexpected and gracious gift. Jordan’s gesture truly
exemplifies the “Legendary Service” that the entire company
extends to their customers and benefactors. It is organizations
such as Jordan Winery with their unselfish attributes, willingness
and striving to “go that extra mile” which illustrates
true concern for their customers. It’s no wonder they are so
successful. The entire collection is now back on display at the
Angus Barn.
Making
a Reservation
Dinner
Selections
Innovative Gourmet Cuisine
Six courses of food / five different wines: $145.00
Five courses of food / four different wines: $125.00
Four courses of food / three different wines: $100.00
Prices do not reflect the 7.75% Wake Co. sales tax and gratuity.
There is traditionally one server per five guests. Guests have the
opportunity to select courses from our cellar menu. The dinner is
a "fixed menu", meaning all guests have the same item
for each course, but hosts may pick their menu with confidence,
knowing that we can handle any special dietary needs that will suit
their guests. Final menu selections must be called or faxed in at
least 10 days prior to your party date. Please be aware that selected
accompaniments may change at the chef's discretion, without notice,
to ensure freshness and availability.
Wine
Selections
The Cellar Coordinator pairs wines to match each course perfectly. Hosts
are quite welcome to assist in the wine selections. There is a per
bottle surcharge if the host selects a wine that exceeds the wine
allowance.
Pre-dinner
Social
A private bar in the wine cellar dining room is available with your
choice of full spirits, beer & wine. The host may also choose
to offer guests champagne only. There is no additional charge for
the bar or bartender, and the orders will be added to the check.
Final
Arrangements
All menus must be submitted to the Cellar Master at least ten days
prior to the party date. The final count is required at least 48
hours prior to the party.
Payment
methods
We accept all major credit cards and cash.
Special
arrangements
We can assist the host with many final details: fresh flowers,
Audio / Video equipment, transportation recommendations,
live music, seating, and name tags.
Wine
Cellar Tours
The Angus Barn owner may choose to bring a few guests to the cellar
for a private tour. These tours will be done discreetly and are
not available to the general public.
Luncheons
& Brunches
We also offer 3 & 4 course French Cuisine luncheons & business
brunches.
Booking Your Event
Request information about hosting your
event, dinner, or special occasion today or call our Cellar
Coordinator, Kelly Joslin, at 919.787.3505 or voicemail 919.571.7943
ext. 279 for reservations and further information.
Please visit
our events page to view special event wine cellar dinners. These
events are open to the public and feature gourmet themed dinners
such as the last dinner served on the Titanic.
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