A Houston wine bar built on the idea that no two pours should taste alike is opening its doors this weekend. Infuse Wine Bar will debut at 2103 Lyons Ave. on Halloween, Saturday, Oct. 31, after a soft launch and media night the night before. The bar lets guests customize their wine with a rotating lineup of infusion flavors, from fruity to herbal to downright exotic.
According to Click2Houston, the bar offers more than 20 infusion flavors, including fruity flavors, herbs and exotic ingredients, with the goal that customers never have the same wine twice. The outlet also tags Infuse as a woman-owned business. An earlier description of the brand, published by WhatNow Houston, promoted “15+ FLAVORS to mix & match,” so the menu appears to have grown since that earlier pitch.
A Three-Day Launch Weekend
The festivities start Friday, Oct. 30, with “The First Pour,” a soft launch and media night running from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. The official grand opening, “Halloween Sips and Sweets,” follows on Saturday, Oct. 31, from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. The Click2Houston report adds that the weekend wraps up Sunday, Nov. 1, with a California Love Wine Tasting with DJ from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.
The concept is built around the pour itself. As described by Community Impact, it starts with a bottle with wine options such as Chardonnay, Sauvignon blanc, rosé or merlot, and guests add flavors from there. The publication also reports that Infuse will offer food to pair with the wines and plans to offer a wine club.
From Living Rooms to Lyons Avenue
This is a brick-and-mortar debut for a brand that began without one. Click2Houston reports the concept grew from a virtual winery and mobile wine infusion business that hosted wine parties in customers’ homes. WhatNow Houston notes the company initially operated as a mobile pop-up and online wine brand before launching its first permanent location.
WhatNow Houston also reports that founder Krystal Spencer started the business in 2021 with no lines of credit or bank loans, relying on personal savings and income from part-time jobs. The site says the space is planned for Suite 4101 on the Moncrief Lenoir campus, also known as the DEALco Property, in Houston’s Historic Fifth Ward. Per the same account, the concept lets guests customize wine on the spot while highlighting small-batch and minority-owned wine brands.
Spencer’s pitch is simple, according to a Canvas Rebel profile, where the tagline “have fun with your wine” and the idea of never having the same wine twice came up. The business model also leans on events, with WhatNow Houston describing programming that frequently features art, music and guided infusion tasting labs. For Halloween weekend, at least, the only trick is how many flavors one glass can hold.
