LouElla Wine, Beer & Beverage

I stopped by to scope things out for my wife. Finally a wine store that's got more of a bar vibe than store vibe that also has some great choices by the glass. I had 2 tastings and enjoyed the gamay the most, though I certainly would knock down the white bordeaux for awhile in this heat--great prices and real wine in a nice atmosphere. The servers behind the bar were very nice and quick to help everyone. 5 stars.

A great spot to hang out with some friends, as well as grab some wine. It's a great way to spend a Saturday evening.

I've popped in once or twice to peruse but actually purchased a nice sparkling rose on my last visit. The selection is good and has plenty of written descriptions to help. I'm sure the staff is helpful as well. You can sit and drink a glass or take a bottle home. They also have snacks for sale. It's in a cool neighborhood near other food and drink businesses, and a tattoo parlor. It seemed like a nice, unpretentious place to enjoy wine or beer. Very Durham.

Have you ever walked into a place and felt like it's a place you would make for yourself? That's the way I felt walking into LouElla's After a long day at work and some evening errands, Jack and I were making our way home, when I decided to check out wine stores that were still open on my route. Louella's came up as one of the few still open after 9 PM. I checked the website, and found that they have not, one, not two, but an entire page of fortified wines and Vermouth! As a cocktail nerd, this place checked boxes I didn't even realize I had! There's half a rack of bitters and other premixes. The atmosphere on this blissfully warm night in September was dimly lit, quietly elegant ambiance music (Think Brian Eno, Volcano Choir, or Bon Iver) From outside, with two large TVs above a bar, you may think it's a typical sports bar. But no one here is drinking beer, they have pizza from down at Hutchin's Garage and various wines out on the tables out front. With real glasses. Like adults. Here in the south in a semi-pandemic semi-lock-down. After picking out three different sweet vermouth to try, I bought a glass of Dolcetto and a pre-boxed cheese/meat tray. Although the cheese was from the cooler, as it set out, it was evidently fairly fresh, because it warmed up testily. Sadly, they close at 10, so I'll have to wrap this up later. Suffice it to say, if you're looking for a place to grab a special bottle to upscale your Negroni, or just can't seem to find Pechaud's bitters anywhere, now you have a place to check out. There is an entire 85% more of the store to explore for me, since I had arrived with a narrow purpose and found it immediately. But you can bet, I'll be back. It's within walking distance of FullSteam, MotorCo, Hutchin's, Cocoa Cinnamon's Old North Durham location. They've only been open for six months, when you don't count COVID time, so give 'em some love, folks! They are the type folks we need to support!

This wine bar was fun. We stopped in to grab a drink, it was a moscato for me and a pinot grigio for my husband. The seating available inside is slim so we stood around since it was too hot to sit outside in the front of the store. If you want to do a wine tasting, there is a small bar area in the back. Now that you've enjoyed your experience it's time to browse the selection to take home. They have a great selection of wine along with a small selection of beer. LouElla is worth checking out if you are in downtown Durham.

A new wine, beer and bottle shop for Durham's warehouse district, Louella sits in a small plaza next to the popular Accordion club! Louella has a nice location with a lot of space inside so things are still filling up here. Up front is the main bar for vino and cervezas while in the back they've got a smaller tasting bar for events. Overall I like the space and it will need some time to fill out the retail shelves and get things rolling. So I plan on keeping an eye on Louella to see how it evolves in the months after it opens.

Friendly wine shop with an interesting selection of wines by the glass. Tried a reasonably priced flight of reds that were all true to their varietal and region (burgundy pinot, S. African pinotage, Sonoma cab). 2021 Pinotage was drinking very well. Helpful bar staff all looked to be having a good time. Well worth a visit.

Bottom line: LouElla Wine Beer and Beverages is starting out to be a great addition to the downtown Durham scene. Nice spacious venue with plenty of beverages both to sell to take home as a bottle shop and at the large front serving bar by the glass. You can tell the folks at LouElla are excited and passionate about their place. I am a fan, I'd say 4.5 stars.The Deets:After Saturday brunch this past weekend, we were wandering from Hutchins Garage to the Accordion Club for a post brunch libation and stopped at the new LouElla Wine Beer and Beverages. A very open and inviting space, modern but not crowding or overwhelming, we sat down at the main front bar (very spacious bar at that) and got a drink. Owner Cam came over to engage in friendly conversation and filled us in on their low-down. Brand new, and ready to serve, they have a main front bar for serving while Cam explained he hoped to host special tasting events and other items at the smaller back corner bar we saw. They already had a great large selection of wine and beverages on display to sell on their floor and looks like they have plenty of room to fill in more. Cam also filled us in on hopes to have a customer "databank" available soon where you can find your past purchases, beverage preference, etc. and can help them help you in your next purchase at their bottle shop. Very cool idea. The menu at the bar was great, a nice various selection of wine and beverages where I even found a hibiscus cider to enjoy (delicious). I had a wonderful beverage break here, and I think they will be a great addition to the downtown Durham scene, I'm going with 4.5 stars.

Great local business! We are so excited to have this wine bar/bottle shop in the Durham "Central Park" motorsteam neighborhood. The prices are more than fair and the selection is unbeatable. It's a nice change of pace from all the breweries nearby.

Louella is the new, but not-so-new bottle shop/ bar in Durham, nested up next to Accordion/ Hutchin's Garage. I came with a mission to learn about wine, and every time I left I was satisfied. You could tell that the folks here are passionate about wine, and a small thing - but very important to me - is that they are always kind and make a wine noob like me feel comfortable. I've bought probably 20 bottles from there, liked the majority of them, learned a ton about wine, and started to develop a list of favorites. They do have a few outdoor tables too, but I've mostly just bought bottles to go. This is such a hidden gem of Durham!