The Charlottesville 29

817 West Main is one of the most storied locations in Charlottesville food. It has been home to places like l’étoile, The Cotton Exchange, Parallel 38, and, most recently, Guajiros. Now two women – Tiffany Nguyen and Kylie Britt – are writing the next chapter of what a City of Charlottesville Architectural Survey once called a “very small building” with “the shape of a right angle trapezoid.” Ethos Wine & Tea is now open, serving wine, tea, sandwiches and snacks.

A one-time lab technician monitoring quality for Michael Shaps Wineworks, Britt spent five years in The Wool Factory’s wine program and has her own wine consulting and education business, Teacher’s Pet Nat. Co-owner Tiffany Nguyen meanwhile has had a longtime passion for Charlottesville food and drink. When she once won a reader drawing to do Five Finds on Friday she knocked it out of the park.

Their new place is the product of two dreams. Britt has long dreamed of her own wine bar. Nguyen’s dream, meanwhile, was to run a community gathering space – a dream deferred by a pandemic and mothering four children. Early this year, they realized that combining their two dreams could create a unique addition to the Charlottesville food community.

Women-owned, Asian-owned, and LGBTQ+-owned, Ethos’s founding value is community, with the aim to build a gathering space where everyone feels welcome. That’s part of the reason for tea, which invites guests who choose not to drink alcohol, with a beverage that has similar complexities to wine.

Wines draw on Britt’s expertise, experience, and connections, with a focus on youthful, natural and local wines. She has a particular fondness for wines of the up-and-coming Shenandoah Valley region.

A local focus extends to the food menu, too — snacks chosen to pair with the wines and paninis on Cou Cou Rachou’s English muffins. Desserts meanwhile come from PK Ross of Splendora’s, including not just her world-class gelatos but also her baked goods that have earned a following around town, like Vegan and gluten-free cupcakes and an exclusive calamansi tart filled with cream flavored with the Philippine citrus fruit.

During the current soft opening, hours are Thursday through Sunday, 5 – 10 pm. “People have been able to experience and enjoy the space already,” said Nguyen. “And we’re excited to see more people.” Follow along on Instagram and Facebook.

Photos by Kori Price Photography.