Wine Tap bar will be turned on in downtown Belleville this weekend

Allison Babcock and Dave Nagle hoped to have the wine bar at 223. E. Main St. in Belleville ready more than a year ago but more ambitious plans and construction work got in the way.

Back in October 2006 they said they were hoping for a Christmas time opening in a story in the News-Democrat. But they didn't say which Christmas.

"We started going in one direction and then some ideas changed," Nagle said. "What you see is hundreds and hundreds of hours of work."

They ended up renovating the entire building, even tearing down part in the back to expand the patio area.

"It just kept getting bigger and bigger," Babcock said. "But I'm glad we didn't cut any corners."

The Wine Tap will be open only on Saturdays and Sundays for a few weeks to introduce the new place to the area. During the week they will continue to do some finish work and get everything just as they want it.

The bar will serve a wide variety of wines and beers, some mixed drinks and some specialty Rt. 66 sodas along with cheese and some breads.

"We'll have a wall of wines on tap, hence the name," Babcock said. "There should be 20 or so."

When the chimney is complete on the outdoor brick oven on the patio, they will be able to offer other baked items, Babcock said.

Nagle did almost all the woodworking himself, putting in new ceilings, fashioning wooden moldings, building the bars and creating a new staircase down to the cellar of the building.

The building features some bits and pieces from other buildings in Belleville and other towns. There is a tin ceiling in one room that came from the Seven Restaurant and Lounge, formerly Good Times and other tin pieces salvaged from the remodel of Keil's Antiques. The leather work on the bars comes from the Leather Shop in downtown Belleville.

Part of the decor is two pairs of bank vault doors that originally were in a bank in Carlyle.

The Wine Tap held an open house during the Wine, Dine and Jazz Weekend last week and drew nice crowds, Babcock said.

"All our friends have been waiting impatiently for us to open," she said. "We wanted to do something different that would fit in with everything going on downtown now."

Babcock and Nagle are experienced entrepreneurs who also own and run Allison's Common Scents Shoppe and Dave's Homebrewing Supplies at 122 E. Main St.

They have proved doubters wrong before and plan to do it again.

"People thought we were crazy but I think it is going to do fine," Babcock said.

The Wine Tap will be open Saturdays and Sundays from 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. for a few weeks and then will add regular weekday hours.

Wally Spiers' column runs five days a week. Have a column idea? Call Wally at 239-2506 or (800) 642-3878; or e-mail: wspiers@bnd.com