By Mark Woolsey

A high-end wine-tasting experience has come to downtown Austell.

Divinely Elegant Vines at 2730 Broad St. opened for business on March 15. Cozy in a 1,000 square foot space, it features brick walls, a grass wall and (appropriately enough) hanging vines.

It’s the product of a journey from proprietors and husband-and-wife team Michael and Jessena Waldo.

“It started with an awareness and then love of wine,” says Jessena Waldo. Husband Michael adds that “numerous visits to Napa Valley helped to shape that love.”

The Waldos also became fascinated by the history and science behind wines, taking classes at Total Wine.

Then came their first venture, selling wines online direct-to-consumer and doing tastings at various festivals. But under Georgia law, they were unable to sell their product at the festivals themselves, so they decided to go brick-and-mortar.

As Austell residents themselves, “We set about finding something close to home,” says Jessena Waldo. ”The right size where we could have an intimate experience with our customers.”

And a high-quality one as well.

The Waldos currently offer a dozen sustainably-sourced varietals out of California, including four different Cabernet Sauvignons, a gold-medal-winning pinot noir, pinot grigio, two chardonnays and a red wine blend. They plan to add additional wines to that roster next month.

The majority come from Napa Valley, but spots such as the Russian River Valley and the Central Coast are represented as well. They sell the various wines under their own brand, with a bottle shop on site.

Also offered are locally sourced meats, cheeses and charcuterie boards.

The Waldos say that in addition to the tastings and indoor and outdoor patio space to enjoy their product (and watch trains roll by), they love to educate those who come in on the ins-and-outs of wine.

Even more true to that notion are their plans to bring in two sommeliers who will conduct informational tastings.

“We have been very well received,” says Michael Waldo. “And we find that a lot of our customers are (pleased) that we would consider this area to bring our business to.”

The area they landed in is dubbed Cincinnati Junction, a historic spot in the downtown Austell area that Michael Waldo says he found by accident one day after a roadblock forced him to detour on his way home.

A perfect location, they think, paired with an elegant experience equal to what one would find driving into Atlanta or up to the North Georgia mountains.

Jessena Waldo says they’d like to expand in the future, possibly into growing their own grapes.

The tasting room is open Wednesday and Thursday from 1 p.m. to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday from noon until 10 p.m. and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m.