Enotap is a business located in the waterfront district and received permitting through the East Providence Waterfront Commission in 2018. The East Providence Waterfront Commission is the permitting authority for 300 acres of the East Providence Waterfront. The goal of the commission is to support the revitalization of vacant derelict structures and buildings and underutilized land to attract new businesses, jobs, housing, recreation, civic and cultural opportunities.
What is Enotap? Why did you start this business?
Enotap is a small business located in the Phillipsdale District of the East Providence Waterfront making wine by the keg, bottle, and can for restaurants and retail consumers. The business was founded by James Davids and Marissa Stashenko in 2018 which also provides winemaking and packaging services to help independent vineyards bring their wine to market. James and Marissa make their own wine under their label Anchor & Hope.
“We make delicious, natural wines grown on small farms by our friends. We focus on sustainability on the farm, but also in our process and how we package the wines. Innovative packaging such as stainless steel kegs for restaurants and single serving aluminum cans for retail are two examples of how wine packaging is evolving to be better for the environment and more practical for the consumer. Most importantly, the wine inside the package tastes great and is affordable!”
New England is home to many craft breweries and distilleries, but James and Marissa saw an opportunity to make and sell craft wine in the area. Their business has proved successful, as their wine is sold in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Maine, New York, Connecticut and California. In fact, if you’ve ever dined at Tavolo’s Wine Bar & Tuscan Grille, their house wine is made by Enotap.
What makes Enotap different from other wine makers?
Working as a winemaker in California and Europe, James developed relationships with multiple farmers from whom he now partners with to make wine. What’s unique about Enotap is that when you buy their products, you are buying from a specific grower and can find the name and location of the vineyard your drink was sourced from on each bottle and can. As a craft wine maker, Enotap works with small scale farmers using sustainable farming practices. While large commercial wine makers use massive blends of grapes, Anchor & Hope wines are from identifiable locations and from a farmer with a personal connection to James and Marissa.
James developed these relationships with small famers while working as a winemaker for the past 20 years on the west coast and in Europe. He operated a winery in San Francisco for 10 years before he and Marissa moved to the east coast and founded Enotap.
Why wine by Keg?
Enotap’s distribution of wine by keg to be served on tap is especially unique. Wine on tap stays fresh longer, and utilizing a keg is more sustainable than canning, labelling, and bottling individual wine products. Once a keg is kicked by a restaurant, it’s returned to Enotap to be refilled and reused.
In addition to environmental benefits, wine on tap reduces costs throughout the supply chain by eliminating the need for cans, packaging, and labeling.
What is Anchor & Hope?
Anchor & Hope is the wine label produced by James and Marissa. Aged and packaged in Rumford, a variety of wines are available including Sauvignon Blanc, Dry Riesling, Riesling Feinherb, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Rosé, Pinot Rosé, and Pinot Noir. The label enjoys telling the story of where their wines come from and the people involved in the process.
The wines are made from small family farms in California, Oregon, and Germany and packaged in Rumford into 5 gallon kegs, 250mL cans, 375mL and 750mL bottles to be used in restaurants and sold in retail liquor stores.
Why locate on the East Providence Waterfront?
When moving to the east coast from California, James and Marissa found East Providence provided a better price per square foot than neighboring Massachusetts locations. In addition to affordability, Phillipsdale Landing, a former industrial building, provided the space necessary for their aging, bottling, and packaging operations. East Providence is also a midpoint between the family farms Enotap works with from the west coast and Europe.
“The Waterfront Commission has always been very courteous, diligent, professional, and supportive of our business. They have been easy to work with, and timely and thorough in their communication. We truly enjoy the beautiful scenery at our location on the Seekonk River, and feel that the values of the Commission align well with our own mission/values.”
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