Maybe it’s the red awning advertising “fine wines and cheese.” Or perhaps it’s the West End address near Grove and Libbie, the assumed clientele.
“We’ve always had a reputation of selling higher-end wines,” says J. Emerson Inc. co-owner James Compton. “And we do have that. But really, we’re more comprehensive.”
Since Bastille Day 1985, J. Emerson has been pushing the boundaries of what a wine shop can be for a mid-sized city.
Shop founder James Emerson Tashjian-Brown saw an opportunity in the market to bring more quality vino to Virginia, says Compton, recounting the shop’s festive beginnings. In November 1985, Tashjian-Brown had a case of Georges DuBouef 1985 Beaujolais Nouveau flown in on the Concorde then driven to Richmond for a private party to celebrate the wine world’s beloved holiday, Beaujolais Nouveau Day, marking the arrival of the first bottles of this light, easy-to-drink wine.
“Frenchmen will drink it in the cafes of Paris on the 21st, and now you can drink the same 1985 Beaujolais Nouveau in Richmond on the 21st,” read the circa ’85 newsletter.
Compton has been helping out at the shop for the past eight years, but has taken on a full-time role for the past two as his father, Jim, eases into retirement. The Compton family took over the shop in 2006; James is technically VP and Jim, president, while a talented and close-knit shop crew continues with the ethos of celebration and storytelling.
Not only is the staff happy to provide valuable knowledge to customers, but J. Emerson also hosts weekly free tastings; monthly themed classes taught by wine pros; bus trips to Virginia vineyards and, on the horizon, an enticing May 2026 getaway to Italy.
Fortieth annual Bastille Day fete
While their 40th anniversary is technically July 14, they’ll be hosting their 40th annual Bastille Day fete Sunday, Aug. 10 from 1:30-4:30 p.m. at the shop. Tickets are $15 and will include around 15 wines to taste from stations spanning French regions like the Loire Valley, Southern France, Bordeaux and Champagne. Highly lauded French chef Guy Reuge will be making small dishes that represent each region.
“He’s a charming French guy who lives in the neighborhood,” explains Compton about the connection to Reuge. “He had a restaurant in New York for over 30 years and was also awarded La Toque d’Argent [by the Master Chefs of France] which is one of the highest honors the French state gives,” says Compton. “When he came into the shop one day and saw the selection he said, ‘It’s the only place to buy wine in Richmond.’”
With more than 2,000 different wines available at the 5716 Grove Ave. shop — organized by country and further delineated geographically within each country — there is something for everyone at J. Emerson, from top toques to young couples.
Compton and his father agree that while not all the wines they carry are necessarily ones they drink themselves — some of the bottles have been sitting on the shelves for 10, 15, 20 years — they are all important to the history of wine. But “that’s kind of our signature,” says Compton. “We’re very deep dive and information dense.”
Affordable wine, encyclopedic knowledge
J. Emerson is the shop other wine stores will send customers to when they’re on the hunt for a rare vintage, but it’s also the shop where, if you’re looking for a steal, “You can come in every day, never buy a bottle over $20 and never have to drink the same thing twice,” says Compton.
A recent visit took a Style editor to the “case of the month” section of the store. Of the eight bottles on sale, which can be purchased individually or as a case, we went for The Santa Venere 2022 Ciro Classico Rosso Superiore hailing from Calabria, Italy with a ticket price of $14.99 (instead of the usual $18.99).
We don’t typically reach for a bottle of red during a heat wave, but Compton easily convinced us otherwise. The wine’s almost-sweet, fruit-forward punch, followed by an instantaneous bone-dry finish, will make you do a double taste. Plus, there’s the lore.
The wine from the southern region of Calabria is also the heartland of Italy’s most powerful mafia group, the ‘Ndrangheta. Every bottle has a story, and Compton, a former English teacher, knows just about all of them.
J. Emerson’s syllabus is always robust, and if you’re looking for something special they more than likely can find it: “We deal with over 40 importers and distributors,” says Compton. “Even if there are only a couple of bottles we want, we can make it work.”
His first task when he came on was to renovate the storage room in the back, giving it more of a “classroom vibe.” He launched a monthly educational wine series that quickly evolved into three to four classes a month.
While Compton acted as solo instructor to start, the roster of teachers now includes winemakers; shop employees Ellen Simpson and Jeff Cox; former employee and current wine sales rep Tucker Flythe; and Sam Stronach, the wine director at Buckhead’s Chop House.
The classes, ranging from the white wines of Alsace to a German/Austrian series with Flythe (a “German wine geek”), run about an hour and a half and include eight wines to taste. Food pairings range from heavy cheese and charcuterie to bites from Reuge. All bottles from the tasting are available to buy in the shop.
“Because we have that unique ability to focus on wine [all day every day] plus the collective knowledge of 40 years…I do feel like with both pricing and value, we’re best in class out of anything right now,” says Compton.
On top of the classes, Compton also has seasonal bus trips to Virginia vineyards on the docket and that May 2026 trip to Italy. “In terms of price, order of magnitude and comfort level I thought, ‘OK you spend the evening with us, and then the whole day, and then a week,” says Compton.
Achieving that comfort level seems to be working — Compton says he’s seen friend groups form in the classroom that hang out outside of the shop. “You meet a lot of cool people,” he says. “Wine and food tend to attract interesting people in general.”
Lincoln, the friendly shop dog
No matter the insouciance of today’s wine pro — “Don’t worry, we’ll talk you through it” — it can still be intimidating to walk into a shop, tasting, or class armed with nothing but a few personal tastes: white, dry, not $100.
Nothing soothes the nervous soul like a friendly shop dog, though.
The moment you walk into J. Emerson, you’ll either hear (click clack) or see the sweet white face and sky-blue eyes of Lincoln, the 13-year-old pit mix and shop greeter/head honcho.
Lincoln not only puts the customers at ease, he also supports his owner.
“Lincoln and I work as a team,” says Compton, gesturing to the white mass nestled beneath his feet. No awkward icebreakers here — Lincoln helps Compton make an immediate connection with potentially wary shoppers, shoppers who often come back time and again for tastings, classes and those monthly discounted cases.
“We started our classes to build a community of wine lovers who share a passion, and it’s worked pretty well so far,” says Compton. “I’ve had more fun with it than I thought I would. I kind of miss teaching, so this scratches that itch.”
Sales associate Ellen Simpson began working at J. Emerson Inc. a few years ago, after relocating from New York, and says she can’t imagine a better wine store.
“There’s a real neighborhood vibe, an impressive depth and range of wines, and the most perfect shop dog,” she says. “[Before] whenever I visited Richmond from Brooklyn, I made a point of stopping by J Emerson’s because it blew the wine stores in my neighborhood out of the park. I can’t wait to see what the next 40 years bring.”
But first, Compton hopes regulars and folks new to the shop will join him on his Italian sojourn next spring.
“We’ll do wine stuff, but other things, too, like go to authentic and undiscovered markets. We’ll have two drivers, so no one has to worry about that. I just want to get a group of cool people together who I can eat and drink around Italy with and make it awesome for them.”
The 40th anniversary celebration takes place Sunday, Aug. 10 from 1:30 – 4:30 p.m. at J. Emerson, Inc. shop (5716 Grove Ave.) UPDATED: Tickets are $15 at the door; you do not need to purchase them in advance.
July events
Winemaker tasting with Osvaldo Amado (“Great wine from Portugal”). Tuesday, July 15. Two seatings, 5:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. $10
Big Trouble in Little Iberia presents Galicia—Rias Baixas: An Albarino Story. Thursday, July 24, 6-7:30 p.m. $65
Jumpin’ Jura with Ellen Simpson. Thursday, July 31, 6-7:30 p.m. $65.
Free tastings every Saturday from 2-5 p.m.
Follow J. Emerson Inc. on Instagram @jemersonfinewine for the latest updates.
