Lincoln Square's Provenance Is Now Augusta Food And Wine

By Anthony Todd in Food on Feb 9, 2016 3:46PM

Lincoln Square residents who have been paying attention during their walk to the Western Brown Line stop noticed something different last week—a new business on Leland. Augusta Food and Wine, the successor to Provenance Food and Wine, is now open for business.

The story is slightly bittersweet to fans of Provenance. Last fall, after losing the lease for the Provenance location in Logan Square, Owner Tracy Kellner decided to leave the retail business entirely. Luckily, now-Augusta Owner Shad Martin was right there.

"Around March of last year I had come to the decision that I wanted to open my own wine shop," explains Martin. "I came in to talk to Tracy about the process in regards to licenses, red tape and the obstacles that would come in to play in trying to open my own place. She basically said, 'Why don’t you just buy this one?'

Long-time Provenance loyalists might have noticed the shift in September of 2015. Instead of Kellner sitting behind the counter, Martin took over the reins. But not much changed initially. "We wanted to remain Provenance through the holidays as it would give me time to get to know the regular customer base before we just came in as the new people and started changing things."

Now, the re-branding is (mostly) complete. The new design is a little cleaner and a bit more modern, with blues and greys replacing the burgundy colors of Provenance. The mix of products has changed too, with a much larger wine selection replacing some of the gourmet foods - a welcome addition, especially now that nearby Fine Wine Brokers has closed. "The first thing I wanted to do was expand the wine selection as my initial intention was to open a wine shop," explains Martin.

What's with the new name? Turns out that Augusta, Missouri, was the very first region to be designated an official American Vinicultural Area in 1980—it beat Napa Valley by six months. Martin is from Missouri.

"I love this fact and find it somewhat hilarious," says Martin. "[I] wanted to pay homage to my home state of Missouri and this tiny wine producing region that not many people are aware of, but holds something that can never be taken away from them."

Augusta's website isn't complete yet, and the product mix will continue to be tweaked, but if you're looking for a great bottle of wine in Lincoln Square, be sure to stop in and visit.

Augusta Food and Wine is located at 2312 W. Leland Ave.