109 Cheese and Wine

What 109 Cheese and Wine does

109 Cheese and Wine is a privately held, family-owned specialty food and wine retail business operating as Vines XV LLC, founded in 2009 by Monica and Todd Brown in Ridgefield, Connecticut. The business curates and sells artisanal cheeses, natural and Slow Food-awarded charcuterie, and a portfolio of 100+ food-friendly boutique wines, alongside European-style sandwiches, grilled cheese, platters, catering, and a rotating assortment of specialty foods and kitchen goods. The company operates two physical storefronts — a flagship at 109 Danbury Road in Ridgefield (Fairfield County) that includes a 26-seat classroom for tastings and events, and a 400 sq ft satellite at 6 Kent Green Blvd in Kent (Litchfield County) that also houses the WKNDDRVR automotive gallery.

The business monetizes through one-time retail purchases (in-store and via ToastTab and Menu Mavin online ordering for pickup and local delivery), plus ticketed educational and experiential programming. Classes are priced around $55-$65 per person and multi-course wine dinners held at partner venue Bernard's restaurant run $90-$125 per person. Distribution is regional, limited to Connecticut, with no wholesale, e-commerce shipping, or third-party marketplace presence. The competitive positioning rests on expert curation (Monica Brown holds both sommelier and cheesemonger credentials), New York Times and World Cheese Awards recognition, and a content-marketing engine built on a long-running blog and active social channels across Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest. The technology stack is intentionally minimal: no proprietary platform, no API, and no AI capabilities — third-party commerce (ToastTab, Menu Mavin) handles online ordering, while email marketing runs through Constant Contact. The business has remained bootstrapped throughout, with no outside investment and no parent company.

Name

109 Cheese and Wine

Legal name

Vines XV LLC

Website

https://109cheeseandwine.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

109 Cheese and Wine is a family-owned specialty retailer operating two Connecticut storefronts in Ridgefield and Kent, curating artisanal cheeses, charcuterie, and boutique wines for consumers, supplemented by ticketed classes, wine dinners, and a co-located automotive gallery.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Food and Wine Retail

NAICS

Other Specialty Food Retailers (44529), Beer, Wine, and Liquor Retailers (4453)

SIC

Retail-Food Stores (5400)

akta.pro primary industry

Cheese Shops & Fromageries (CRAHAGAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Alcohol Subscription & Wine Clubs (Retail) (CRANABAF), Wine Bars (CRANACAE)

Keywords

• Artisanal cheese retail
• Specialty wine shop
• Charcuterie and cheese
• Wine and cheese classes
• Gourmet food retail

Headquarters

HQ city

Ridgefield

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Retail Cheese Sales: In-store sales of artisanal and specialty cheeses, including domestic and imported varieties. Products are presented as fresh off the farm and from caves.
2. Retail Wine Sales: Curated selection of 100+ wines specifically selected to pair well with food. Includes boutique wines from small-production wineries.
3. Charcuterie and Specialty Foods: Sales of natural, nitrates-free, Slow Food awarded, and humanely raised charcuterie products. Also includes specialty foods and kitchen goods.
4. Prepared Foods: European-style sandwiches, grilled cheese, platters, and catering options. Made with the shop's premium cheese and meat ingredients.
5. Classes and Events: Wine and cheese education classes held in the classroom above the Ridgefield shop, plus winemaker dinners and special tasting events at Bernard's restaurant. Events include Burgundy tastings, Italian wine dinners, and cooking classes.
6. Online Ordering and Delivery: Online ordering platform through ToastTab for pickup at both Ridgefield and Kent locations, as well as delivery service.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

109 Cheese & Wine is a specialty food and wine retailer offering a curated assortment of artisanal cheeses, charcuterie, and 100+ boutique wines selected for food pairing, sold through two Connecticut storefronts and online ordering. The company complements retail with European-style sandwiches, grilled cheese, custom platters, catering, and an event program of cheese classes and winemaker dinners held in an upstairs classroom and at partner restaurant Bernard's.

Product overview

109 Cheese and Wine is a specialty food retail business offering a curated portfolio of artisanal products centered on cheese, charcuterie, and wine. The core offerings include Cheese, Charcuterie, Wine, Platters, Sandwiches, and Grilled Cheese, all available for purchase in-store and online. Additional services include Classes held in their dedicated Classroom space, the WKNDDRVR Gallery celebrating automotive culture at their Kent location, Specialty Foods, Curated Gift Baskets, and Wine Cellar Consulting. The company operates two retail locations in Ridgefield and Kent, Connecticut, with online ordering available through Toasttab and Menu Mavin platforms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Loyal customer following developed quickly after 2009 opening

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Bernard's RestaurantcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 16 July 2011Long-standing partnership with Bernard's restaurant in Ridgefield for joint wine dinners and special tasting events. Bernard's provides venue and culinary execution while 109 provides wine curation, cheese selections, and expertise. Events include Bastille Day celebrations, Italian wine dinners with winemakers, birthday dinners, and Spanish paella dinners. The partnership has been active since at least 2011.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Sur La Table: Specialty kitchen and food retailer with in-store cooking classes. Overlaps with 109 on the experiential/education component and specialty food adjacency (cookware, gourmet gifts) rather than core cheese-and-wine retail.
• Cowgirl Creamery: Artisanal cheese producer with its own retail locations in the Bay Area. Comparable on cheese curation expertise and retail experience, though anchored in production rather than pure retail curation like 109.

Broad incumbents

• Dean & DeLuca: Multi-category specialty gourmet food retailer with broader assortment (cheese, wine, prepared foods, gifts). Overlaps with 109 on artisanal cheese, wine, and gift basket offerings but operates at significantly larger scale and brand recognition.
• Whole Foods Market: National specialty/gourmet grocer with deep cheese and wine counters plus prepared foods. Competes with 109 on artisanal cheese and curated wine selection but lacks the boutique, education-driven, single-store experience.

Direct peers

• Murray's Cheese: Iconic New York City cheese shop with a similar model of curated artisanal cheeses, charcuterie, and wine pairings, plus a robust in-store education program of classes and tastings. Directly comparable as a cheese-led specialty retailer that pairs retail with experiential revenue.
• Astor Wines & Spirits: NYC wine retailer with deep curated selection and regular in-store tasting events. Comparable in wine curation philosophy and event-driven customer engagement, though operates at much larger scale.
• Formaggio Kitchen: Cambridge, MA specialty food retailer offering artisanal cheese, charcuterie, wine, and pantry items with deep producer curation. Closely mirrors 109's combination of curated cheese + wine + prepared foods with an emphasis on provenance and expertise.
• Bedford Cheese Shop: Specialty cheese and gourmet food retailer with multiple NYC locations offering curated cheese, charcuterie, wine pairings, and in-store events. Comparable footprint and product mix to 109 Cheese & Wine's cheese-and-wine specialty retail model.
• Sherry-Lehmann: Long-established New York wine retailer with curated selection, tastings, and wine education programming. Comparable as a wine-led specialty retailer that complements curation with classes and in-store experiences.
• Zingerman's: Ann Arbor-based specialty food business operating a deli, creamery, and bakery with a heavy emphasis on tasting events, classes, and curated gift baskets. Comparable in the way it combines specialty retail with education, events, and mail-order as multi-channel revenue.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/109cheese
• Facebookfacebook.com/109cheeseandwine
• Instagraminstagram.com/109cheese
• Pinterestpinterest.com/109cheese
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/109-cheese-and-wine

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about 109 Cheese and Wine