A mother-daughter sommelier duo soon will pair its wine expertise with a retail shop and lounge in Spokane Valley.

Justine Recor and her mother, Cathy Hand, plan to open Cellar & Scholar this month in a 2,700-square-foot space in the Sullivan Square Shopping Center, at 15412 E. Sprague.

“Our hope is that people come in and have flights and try as many things as they’re willing to and branch out as much as they’re comfortable, and then maybe take wine home with them,” says Recor, who also has a diploma from London-based Wine & Spirit Education Trust, or WSET.

Hand and Recor, who are both certified sommeliers through the Court of Master Sommeliers, will work full time at the shop and lounge, which will have three other employees, including Recor's husband and mother-in-law.

“It’s very much a family affair in the beginning,” Recor says.

Recor and Hand started Cellar & Scholar Corp. in February, offering consultations and operating a wine club before finding the right location for their shop and lounge.

The multifaceted business also will bring wine education opportunities to the Inland Northwest.

“We’re going to be a WSET class provider,” Hand says.

WSET is a global organization that offers courses and qualifications in the fields of wine, spirits, beer, and sake. Recor says Cellar & Scholar will be the only approved program provider in the Spokane-Coeur d’Alene area.

“We think that raising everybody’s knowledge of wine helps the entire area, helps the industry,” says Hand.

Sourcing wine from around the world, Recor and Hand hope to provide the region with an elevated alternative to bulk wine.

“Large chain grocery stores and markets can’t buy two cases of something. They can’t by six bottles of something,” Hand explains. “They have to buy a large quantity.”

Hand says there’s a need for more specialty wine shops in the area.

“We’re really passionate about good wine,” Hand says. “Good, sustainably farmed wine is like eating that tomato at the farmer’s market that you just cry over.”

Cellar & Scholar’s lounge area will feature a wine bar and a cozy seating area with couches and oversized chairs.

“I think it’s really important to give people a comfortable place to have a glass of wine. We won’t talk about wine at all if they don’t want us to,” Hand says. “We’re here to give people extraordinary service. That’s what being a sommelier is all about.”

The food menu will consist of small plates intended to complement the wine.

In addition to reds and whites, the company will also focus on champagne, specifically grower champagne, Recor says.

“It’s my favorite,” she says.

Grower champagne is produced and bottled by the same farmer who grew the grapes used in the champagne.

Cellar & Scholar’s customized wine club will offer three membership levels, each involving three bottles a month with different average per-bottle price points of $75, $50, and $30. 

Hand’s background is in technical data management, and she’s able to apply her skills from that experience to the wine club.

“We can take in what your preferences are, what kind of wine you like,” Hand says. “It’s our job to learn what you like and then put that in our catalog of knowledge and go, 'OK, you’re going to also like these, but you probably won’t like these.’”

Each month, members receive their personalized allocations that are determined by their preferences.

“No one’s is the same,” Recor says.

“Pick-up parties” will be hosted for wine club members at the new location.

Cellar & Scholar also provides consulting services to restaurants and for private events.

Recor, who previously was the sommelier at Luna Restaurant on Spokane’s South Hill, has worked with various restaurants in the past and will continue to do so through Cellar & Scholar. 

For example, she can help restaurant owners design a wine list that matches their food menus and fits within their budgets.

“A lot of times, people who own restaurants maybe don’t know as much about wine as they do about the food side of it,” Recor says.

Cellar & Scholar also offers staff training for restaurants.

“I really enjoy giving your servers the knowledge to feel empowered to give recommendations and feel confident with that,” she says.

Consulting services are also available for those hosting private events, such as weddings, dinner parties, or corporate gatherings.

By including multiple offerings—the wine shop and lounge, wine club, WSET classes, and consulting services—Cellar & Scholar is able to give customers and members the sommelier experience without the marked up prices that a restaurant may have.

“We’ve dedicated way too much of our lives with this stuff because we love it,” Hand says. “We don’t expect customers to do that. All they have to know is their own taste buds.”

Cellar & Scholar will be open 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday through Tuesday, and 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday.