American billionaire Leslie Alexander, an avid wine collector and owner of the Houston Rockets basketball team, is opening a new wine club and storage space in the Hamptons with a US$50,000 (£32,000) membership fee.
A place for the mature wine lover… Société du Vin
Located in Bridgehampton, some 160km east of New York City, Société du Vin is set to open on 25 May.
The space features a 630-square-meter storage facility in addition to club lounge areas. Designed by Hollywood set designer Elvis Restaino, who also designed actor Gerard Butler’s Manhattan loft, the project cost US$5m to complete.
‘Most wine storage facilities don’t offer immediate access to the wines,’ said a spokeswoman for the club. ‘Leslie wanted to create a place where people can store their wine, but also share it with friends.’
High-end wine storage facilities with private clubs attached exist elsewhere in the US – namely, California and Texas – but the concept is a first for the east coast. Membership is expected to be limited to approximately 75 people, who will be charged additional fees for storing their wines.
The space has no restaurant, but includes a catering kitchen so that members may bring in personal chefs.
‘There is a growing community of big wine collectors in the Hamptons, so it was the ideal place to do something like this at such an elite level,’ the spokeswoman said.
‘Leslie felt that there was a lack of things to do for his age group. Now, more mature wine lovers have a place to go out after dinner.’
[pic: Durston Saylor]
Written by Chantal Martineau in New York
