A Philadelphia native is returning to his home city and bringing superior wine with him. Tom Caruso is opening an Olde Kensington location of his concept Pray Tell Wines this summer, reports the Philadelphia Business Journal .
Pray Tell, which started life in Oregon, will be moving into 1615 North Hancock Street, an area Caruso knows well and is enthusiastic to serve. He tells What Now Philadelphia: “My mom has been running a family business in Old Kensington for over thirty years. I worked every summer in this neighborhood and have been amazed to see the growth of small businesses in the area.”
Caruso has a long history with both the City of Brotherly Love and wine. While his return to Philly has been a bit of a long walk, Caruso’s homecoming is a full return to his roots. He explains “I grew up on South 9th Street and Oregon Avenue, where I made sidewalk wine with my Italian immigrant grandfather and his friends in the neighborhood. There was so much camaraderie and community around that tradition when the grapes were picked each fall. I always loved the way it brought everyone together. It wasn’t until I worked at a winery in the middle of Brooklyn in my early twenties that I started to dream about doing something similar in Philadelphia as a profession. I went out west to learn as much as possible in California and Oregon. After twelve years, I feel ready and hopeful to make world class wines in my own home town near family and friends.”
Caruso is hoping Pray Tell will help make the wine-making process more accessible to future customers. He states “It can sometimes feel like there is a barrier to entry when it comes to wine–be it price points, review scores, or pretention. My hope was that by moving the winery to the city, we might have a better opportunity to share the wines and allow guests a space to be up close to the winemaking process. The new winery is a little over three thousand square feet. With a temperature controlled barrel hall and an open concept production/hospitality space. This allows us to pour our wines right next to where they are being made and showcase the amazing process from grape to bottle.”
Philly wine enthusiasts won’t have to wait much longer to enjoy Caruso’s creations. He says “We’re planning to open our doors to the public starting Saturday, August 3rd. Regular hours will be Friday through Monday from 2pm-7pm as well as by appointment. We’ll offer tasting flights, wines by the glass and bottle service, as well as retail bottles to go.”
Caruso intends to make Pray Tell more than just a place to enjoy a great glass of wine. The tasting room will enrich the experience by offering information and education. Caruso describes it, saying “One of the things I’m most excited about is an educational experience we’re calling, The Saturday Table . This tasting offers seating for up to eight guests around a particularly special table–my grandparents’ 50 year old dining table that we sanded down to raw wood and refinished with natural oils. It will feature a flight of six to eight wines from Pray Tell’s library as well as my personal cellar of global producers that inspire us and what we do. All paired alongside charcuterie from the lovely folks over at DiBruno’s.”
Pray Tell will offer the community plenty of events to look forward to. Caruso states “We’ll have a number of events throughout the fall and winter months that will be announced on our website and instagram (@praytellwines) as well as offer space for private events as well!”
Pray Tell is certain to become a neighborhood favorite. Caruso wants to be more than just a business; he is hoping to become woven into the fabric of the city. He sums up his goal for the area, stating “I hope to contribute to the amazing community of creators as well as to Philadelphia as a whole.”
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