Red or White Wine Shop 11 e1600968479309 Sneak peek: Red or White, the new wine shop inside the old V. Richards in Forest Park — Red or White’s Todd Edmondson and owner Randy Williams. Photo by Matthew Niblett for Bham Now

Birmingham, according to many of my friends from Mobile and Fairhope, the best and classiest place to secure wine and light gourmet meals is Red or White.

Well, guess who just set up shop this week in the old V Richards/Whistling Table building in Forest Park… Red or White.

Meet the Owner – Look Inside

On their second day of business, Bham Now’s videographer Matthew Niblett and I dropped by to meet Red or White’s owner Randy Williams and get a sneak peek.

Tag along on our tour:

Like Old Friends

Red or White Wine Shop 13 Sneak peek: Red or White, the new wine shop inside the old V. Richards in Forest Park — Red or White’s general manager Todd Edmondson and owner Randy Williams. Photo by Matthew Niblett for Bham Now

Williams welcomed us like we were old friends. He proceeded to tell us about Red or White and their mission.

Sixteen years ago, Williams and his wife Sherri opened up the first Red or White in downtown Fairhope. In his words: “we put everything into the place.”

If you have ever visited and walked the streets of downtown Fairhope, you know why they made that choice. The place is filled with authentic and quaint local shops and eateries. In fact, Fairhope’s downtown is as much a destination as the bay, which is just blocks away.

Building on their success in Fairhope, over the years, additional Red or White locations have been added to their portfolio. They include stores/wine bars in historic Midtown Mobile on Dauphin Street and in Orange Beach. The Forest Park location is their fourth establishment.

About the Forest Park Location

9F2424A0 C750 42A6 8801 D02BA4B9ABC7 Sneak peek: Red or White, the new wine shop inside the old V. Richards in Forest Park — View of the outside of the former Whistling Table/V. Richards building with parking on the left.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Red or Wine is starting out with its wine shop. Williams told us what to expect.

“We really like to play up the smaller wineries. We don’t carry a lot of stuff you see at a grocery store-type setting. We go for the smaller producers. People who deserve it. If you have a nice price value ratio and they (wineries) are doing something unique, we like to give a voice to those people.

Red or White Wine Shop 6 Sneak peek: Red or White, the new wine shop inside the old V. Richards in Forest Park

Right now our retail is open. Obviously, we have fine wines, magnums, a lot of champagne, French, Italian and Spanish wines.”

Beyond the Retail Shop

Red or White Wine Shop 9 Sneak peek: Red or White, the new wine shop inside the old V. Richards in Forest Park — Red or White in Forest Park. Photo by Matthew Niblett for Bham Now

Williams revealed to us that the secret to Red or White’s success is “to be really personable, to have people you can talk to” about wine.

From everyone I’ve talked to in Mobile and Fairhope, customers are very loyal to Red or White. They are also known to support the local community.

As we all know, there is lots of space at the old V Richards location. According to Williams, they will be aiming to serve food at Red or White in the Spring of 2021.

When they do, expect wood burning pizzas, chicken boards, roasted vegetables, brisket, seafood specials, cheese plates and antipasto boards.