Today we’d like to introduce you to Leonor Brennen
Leonor , we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I’ve always had a bit of an entrepreneurial spirit and when I realized I wanted to go back to work, I knew that my motherhood lifestyle maybe didn’t fit a 9-5 career anymore. I had an idea of what type of business I was going to open, but that all took a big pivot after a day in Fredericksburg. My family had such a great time, and my husband and I both agreed it would be so nice to have something like this but closer to us. So, he turns and says to me, why not a wine bar instead and I thought why not! I’ve always had a large interest in wine. Wine has always fascinated me the way it makes people feel, the way it brings people together and opens worlds of conversations. We set out looking for a perfect spot and after some searching and coming up short. A beautiful little space in bulverde popped up! It was exactly what we were looking for, as first timers in this industry.
We had the space! It was time to write the plan, first and first most we knew the wine had to be different, we had to set ourselves apart! A global wine bar, our wines come from all over the world except the United States. No hate toward U.S. wine they produce amazing wine, But we wanted to showcase what the rest of the world is doing, and how they’re doing it. We landed on a revolving menu, unless you come in everyday, every time you come in there will be a new wine list.
Fast forward to a year, and we have had success with bringing in new wines, holding wine classes and lots of events. We’re still new and have to lots more to learn and tweak to make it a place people will want to enjoy a glass of wine at!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Coming up with a business plan and executing it was smooth sailing, then the location fell into our laps and we were ecstatic! Of course in the back of my head I was always wondering, am I doing the right thing, will we have the crowd to enjoy what we’re brining to the wine industry in San Antonio. We had positive reviews after our grand opening, but no one prepared us for the lonely days after that. I would say our biggest struggle was bringing customers in. As a small business, we didn’t always have money to promote ourselves, or run ads on social threads. As we struggled to bring in a crowd, we started getting creative, hosting more events, and some were a huge success and others made me run the other way. I’m grateful for the struggles, it had definitely pulled me out of a comfort zone and into a place of not giving up.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Daniel Lane Vineyard or DLV for short is a global wine bar, we specialize in wines from across the globe, we bring in rare wines or wines from regions where they aren’t know for a certain varietal, or blend. Of course our main goal is to bring in wine that our consumers will enjoy. So we pride ourself on being a place of learning as well. When you come in for a tasting we don’t just give you 4 glasses of wine, we walk you through the tasting giving you a back ground and what you will come across notes wise when you taste it.
We’re different because when selecting wine we try ( we don’t always succeed) to carry wines you can’t find in grocery stores, or liquor stores. There are so many wine makers and vineyards around the world they all deserve a chance to be discovered.
When you come see us, know we offer tastings, all wines are available by the glass and bottle purchase, our customers are also able to purchase bottle to take home. We offer light bites, We can be reserved for private parties, bachelorettes, birthdays. we are family friendly.
Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
Growing up I was always a social butterfly, I like to be around people and meet new people this hold true as an adult. I’d say I was life of the party. I was also very much family oriented. I grew up with a very close relationship to my parents and siblings. My cousins were my best friends. I hold family very near and dear to my heart. I had a slight interest in sport I ran cross country, played volleyball and basketball but my sports career ended in early high school. In college when I kept switching my major my advisor finally asked what do you love, I said shopping! He suggested marketing and I feel that’s when I finally felt like I knew what I was doing.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.daniellanevineyard.com
- Instagram: Daniel_Lane_VineyardSA
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61554402032480&mibextid=wwXIfr&rdid=4MZU0C7elrwdwLKB&share_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fshare%2F15wYbqC3MG%2F%3Fmibextid%3DwwXIfr
