WINE IT UP. 2 Roots Art and Wine Gallery has quickly become an area favorite, the Barstow St. spot boasting 88 varieties of wine.

Barely six months after opening, 2 Roots Art & Wine Gallery in downtown Eau Claire has become a popular spot for those eager to enjoy wine, spirits, food, art, and music – sometimes all at once.

It’s also quietly come to offer one of the biggest by-the-glass wine selections in the United States.

Yes, you read that correctly: At any given time, 2 Roots offers up 88 varieties of wine – cabernet sauvignons, pinot noirs, chardonnays, rosés, sakes, and much more – from around the globe (not to mention 14 whiskeys, bourbons, and brandies).

“It’s a way for people to travel the world without leaving Eau Claire,” says proprietor Sean Chambers, who opened his doors at 216 S. Barstow St. last October. The business evolved from 200 Main Art & Wine Gallery, which Chambers purchased in 2021.

The profusion of wines is served from automated self-service dispensers, which allow patrons to scan a card, select a button, and get one of three different pours of a particular wine: 1 ounce (“TINY taste”), 3 ounces (“Stand and Sip”), and 5 ounces (“Regular Glass”).

“A sauvignon blanc from California is going to be completely different from a Sauvignon blanc from New Zealand.”

Chambers says the technology is typically used “back of house” in restaurants and wine bars to preserve wine and ensure precise pours. However, it is unusual to have so many dispensers in one establishment. While exact figures are hard to confirm, Chambers is confident that 2 Roots has one of the biggest by-the-glass wine selections in the United States.

“A sauvignon blanc from California is going to be completely different from a Sauvignon blanc from New Zealand,” he explains.

The technology allows patrons to create their own customized flights. With 1-ounce pours usually costing $2 or $3 each, they can sample 10 wines for just $20 or $30, he explains.

A typical wine bar, Chambers estimates, may only have 10 or 20 varieties on its entire wine list. A bottle of wine starts to go bad after it’s been open a day or two because of oxygen exposure, so it doesn’t pay for most bars or restaurants to have too many bottles open at a particular time. The wine dispensers at 2 Roots avoid this spoilage by using food-grade argon gas. Argon is inert (meaning it doesn’t react with the wine) and heavier than air (which means it displaces oxygen, forming a barrier that protects the liquid).

BY THE BOTTLE

In addition to 102 options in self-serve dispensers (including wine and spirit options), the establishment also carries about 1,400 varieties of wine in bottles, representing almost every wine region and sub-region of the globe. Naturally, there are vintages from well-known wine regions such as France, Australia, Italy, and California, but 2 Roots also has bottles from Ukraine, Croatia, the Republic of Georgia, Switzerland, South Africa, New Zealand, Washington State, Oregon, and Wisconsin.

Such a broad selection can be intimidating for the uninitiated, so Chambers and his staff are happy to guide patrons through the process. Do they favor whites or reds? Dry wines or sweet? A few questions like these can connect you with a glass (or two) that suits your taste.

And if you’d like to pair your beverage with something to eat, 2 Roots can help as well. Their kitchen offers build-your-own charcuterie boards, allowing diners to choose among a variety of meats, cheeses, fruits, and more, as well as gourmet 10-inch pizzas.

Despite the profusion of wines, non-wine drinkers can find beverages to enjoy as well, from 50 beer and bourbon options to non-alcoholic wines and beers.

Chambers says he works with about a dozen different liquor distributors. “If it’s available in the state of Wisconsin, we can usually source it,” he said. He encourages patrons to text special orders to him at (715) 214-9277. Chambers says he takes joy in assembling special selections of wine, especially for travelers who want to sample the vintages of a place they are planning to visit.

2 ROOTS TIMES 3

Before relocating to Eau Claire a few years ago, Chambers ran an online art gallery and worked at a wine shop in New Jersey.

“I’ve always been passionate about wine and artwork,” he said. “I saw how the concept worked at the old space … and I thought, 'How cool would it be to have eight different cabernets from around the world?'”

The name 2 Roots has multiple meanings, he explains: His own family’s roots are in Eau Claire (his mother grew up here) and grape vines have roots; the business has two components, wine and art; and it’s housed in a space that straddles two buildings (which previously housed The Purple Petunia and The Calico Shoppe, owned by Lynn and Daniel Goelzer).

“The biggest commonality between the two is the sheer variety and styles,” Chambers says when asked about the connection between his dual passions. “There’s so many characteristics of art, and the same can be said of wine.”

It took Chambers about a year to renovate the historic space, which dates back to the 1880s. Among other things, 216 South Barstow originally was a saloon on the ground floor with a harness shop above. These days, upstairs you’ll find a mezzanine area that can be reserved for free, which is spacious enough to accommodate everything from book groups to baby showers. The main floor is filled with tables and wine racks and the walls are covered with art. The gallery features works by 25 artists, most of them from the Chippewa Valley, including notables such as Terry Meyer (who co-owned 200 Main with Jo Burke), Barbara Shafer, Anders Shafer, Aubrey Hogan, and many more. “The focus is one-of-a-kind works of art by local artists,” he said.

Bottle varieties for sale inside 2 Roots. (Photo by Sawyer Hoff)

The wide variety of vibrant art means 2 Roots is undoubtedly one of the bigger art galleries in the Chippewa Valley. It’s also one of the busiest entertainment venues, hosting events almost daily, including a wide variety of local musicians as well as readings by local writers and game nights.
From 11am to 11pm Tuesday through Saturday, the art and wine are flowing – and that’s the way Chambers prefers it.

“The biggest commonality between the two is the sheer variety and styles,” he says when asked about the connection between his dual passions. “There are so many characteristics of art, and the same can be said of wine.”

2 Roots Art & Wine Gallery • 216 S. Barstow St., Eau Claire • 2rootsgallery.com • (715) 214-9277 • @2RootsGallery on Facebook