Following a year of record-breaking wine sales throughout the pandemic, Doug and Susan Zucker, owners of Bridgewater Wines in Leland, are putting the finishing touches on their new Porters Neck location, with hopes of opening to the public by mid-July.
 
Located next to the Holiday Inn Express, the store at 178 Porters Neck Road will feature a full restaurant kitchen and about twice the retail space they have currently in Leland.

The store recently rebranded as Bridgewater Wines + Dines because food has become such an integral part of the business.

“We didn’t initially expect to be doing so much food in Leland,” Susan Zucker said. “But it really just exploded within the first six months.”

Now the Zuckers are looking forward to being able to offer a similar menu of sandwiches, salads, flatbreads, charcuterie boards and small plates in Porters Neck. They are already booking private and semi-private parties at the new location for all types of occasions.

“We can accommodate anything from wine tastings to big parties – personal or corporate,” Susan Zucker said. “We also host a lot of fundraisers.”

The Porters Neck location will feature 800 to 900 wines and offer both indoor and outdoor seating.

The Zuckers and their staff will hold weekly events as they do in Leland, including four days a week of free tastings featuring five different wines.

“We’re really looking forward to having more space and to building a community similar to the one we’ve built in Leland,” Doug Zucker said.

The Zuckers plan to hire approximately 25 new employees over the next month.

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