May 14, 2021

The wine is stocked, and the doors are open at downtown’s new wine shop.

Gist Wine Shop is inside the Boyce-Greeley building at 11th Street and Phillips Avenue.

“I think it has great energy. It’s comfy, and I have room to grow,” said owner Mel Guse, who grew up in Sioux Falls and recently returned from the Twin Cities.

Along the way, she learned from a James Beard Award-winning chef in California, achieved the highest-level international sommelier certification, worked with a Michelin-starred chef at a specialty grocery and opened a nationally recognized fermentation bar with her sister in the Twin Cities.

With Gist, she’s bringing a unique selection of wines to the Sioux Falls market.

“I have room to build on the inventory, but I want to see what’s going to sell,” she said. “My plan is to build out a little more European international selection. We have a great California and Oregon selection now, but there’s room to play.”

She also offers personalized subscription services where she will curate three to six bottles each month, starting in June. She’ll start pouring wine by the glass by the end of next week.

“A lot of these are wines that have never been in the state,” she said of the overall selection. “It’s getting to know you because a lot of these will be labels you don’t recognize but have flavor profiles that would be similar (to wines you know), so it’s our job to help you find that.”

Most bottles range from $20 to $45. There also are packaged foods, including “everything you need for a Spanish tapas night” with the plan to add more charcuterie, cheese and pickles, Guse said.

She plans to start classes, tastings and events in July.

Hours are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday. Guse also will open by appointment.

“I’m always around if you want to pop in and talk and grab a bottle or two,” she said. “I’m more than happy to accommodate.”