Roots of the Cellar

The Wine Cellar creates such a unique eating experience with its late night dining, award-winning wine list and live Jazz and Blues played nightly by local artists. It truly has become a special fixture in downtown Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. Have you ever wondered how the Wine Cellar came to be? We wanted to share the story of the ‘Roots of the Cellar’ from the wine legend himself, Jim Duncan, founder of the Wine Cellar.

“During the fall of 1988, while on my second trip to Italy, I spent a few days in Ventimiglia in Liguria, a town on the Mediterranean just below Monte Carlo. One afternoon for a ristorante to have dinner, I came upon a local pizzeria on the hillside overlooking the town. The old men were dressed in suites playing their domino game and some young children were playing bocce ball in the courtyard. It was a very old structure with stonewalls that were at least a foot thick with big arched doorways and windows.

I was quite taken with it, had a pizza and a glass of vino rosso and enjoyed the time. From that little pizzeria came the archeological impetus for the Cellar. In 1989, I moved Jimmy D’s from midtown to its location on Sherman Avenue across from the Cellar. The café was a smashing success, and with that came a problem: a place for people to wait instead of standing outside. During that time, I was frequently asked three questions. 1) Where can we go after dinner and listen to some good music and have a glass of wine? 2) Where can I purchase a few bottles of that wine we had for dinner tonight? 3) Do you have a place for larger parties for special occasions and holidays?

After doing some legwork and talking to people, I decided that the space the Cellar is in now would be a great complement to the café. After negotiating with Jean Oliver, the building owner and the existing tenant, I began demolition and construction in January of 1992. It took six months of working seven days a week and frequently 12-14 hours a day. The Cellar opened on July 2, 1992.

We opened as a place for appetizers, wine, dessert and music with the retail shop and a venue for events. After running both places for two years, I made the decision to sell Jimmy D’s Café, slow down and put my energy into the Cellar with a full dinner menu and open only six days a week.”