BY JENNIFER PRIMROSE | PHOTOS COURTESY OF FOXCROFT WINE CO.
As a wine lover, I enjoy places where wine is friendly and easy to understand. These settings help build real connections with others and create lasting memories. Within the heart of Raleigh’s North Hills is a hidden gem for wine lovers and enthusiasts. When you walk into Foxcroft Wine Co. you feel wine is respected here, but the atmosphere isn’t trying too hard to impress. There is a genuine quality that stands out. Foxcroft blends a neighborhood wine shop with the ambience of a cozy wine bar, which is perfect for discovering a new favorite wine paired with a carefully curated dinner menu.
Shawn Paul’s Journey into the Wine World
I arrived just before 10 a.m. on a Wednesday for my interview with Foxcroft’s wine operations director, Shawn Paul. The space was calm with quiet energy as the staff prepared for the lunch crowd. Paul meets me by the bar with a firm handshake and an easy smile, clearly comfortable in his element. It’s evident we’re about to talk about more than just Foxcroft’s wine menu—this conversation will be about wine, hospitality, and what makes Foxcroft stand out from the typical wine bar experience.
But first, how does someone with no formal wine background end up running a top-tier wine program in the Carolinas? Paul’s journey into the wine world started far from the vineyards of California or the cellars of France. Originally from central Maine, he attended college in Massachusetts and spent an academic year in France before settling in New York City for several years.
There, he began to explore wine. “I had no acquired knowledge and no experience with wine before, so I just started learning as much as I possibly could, learning from a lot of really great teachers in New York and then gradually got specialized in it and said that this is what I’m going to do,” Paul shares. His previous experience in France enhanced his wine education geographically and linguistically when he eventually started running wine programs in New York City and working as a sommelier. But his path didn’t stop there. Paul’s role evolved into a wine auction position with Christie’s in New York. In 2014, he eventually moved to Charlotte.
Foxcroft’s Approach: Wine for Everyone
By 2017, he was fortunate to join Conrad Hunter, Foxcroft’s CEO, as the company expanded across the Carolinas. For Paul, this was the perfect opportunity to focus on wine differently. It was no longer just about the restaurants, but about creating an experience—precisely what Foxcroft does so well. “We wanted to create a space where wine was approachable, whether you’re a seasoned expert or someone new to wine.”
Foxcroft Wine Company began in 2004 as The Wine Shop in Charlotte’s Foxcroft neighborhood. This retail wine store has since evolved into a full dining and wine experience. “The original store, still open today, started as a simple retail space,” Paul explains. “Now, we have six locations—one in Greenville, South Carolina, and five in North Carolina.” Early on, the owner recognized that food was essential to the wine experience. Hunter eventually bought out his partner, and has been the driving force behind Foxcroft’s growth ever since.
This new vision led to the company’s first significant expansion in 2016, with a second Charlotte location in Dilworth featuring an extensive patio and wine selection, much like the original. Foxcroft continued to grow steadily, adding locations in Greenville, South Carolina, south Charlotte, Huntersville, and most recently, Raleigh’s North Hills.
But expansion isn’t just about adding new locations—it’s about finding the right fit. “This location in North Hills checked all the boxes for us—who lives here, who shops here, the rhythm of people’s commutes and work life,” Paul explains. “Since it’s always an outgrowth of the neighborhood it’s in, people bring their curiosity and energy to everything we do,” he adds. “We want to provide a venue where no matter your experience with wine, you can come here, expand on it and not feel intimidated by what you don’t know.”
Exclusive Wines and Unforgettable Connections
One of Foxcroft’s core values is openness. “There are no bottles behind locked doors. There is no reserved wine list. There is no different glassware for different kinds of wine,” Paul says. Wine already comes with enough challenges—foreign languages, strict regulations, fragility and perishability. “For us, the vibe is about discovery. It’s about enjoying and removing any barriers to having just pure enjoyment of wine.” That philosophy extends to pricing, too—no corkage fees, upcharges or minimums. The price you see is the price you pay.
Foxcroft also curates a selection of exclusive labels featuring about seven wines unavailable elsewhere in North Carolina or created specifically for them. “Going back to the first year I started with Foxcroft, in 2017, we started creating a Willamette Valley Pinot Noir and Rosé. That was the Correspondence Wine Co.”
The label’s origin is deeply personal to Paul and Hunter. “I came up with the name. Conrad took the picture on a trip to Scotland with his son,” Paul says. “It’s a valley in the Scottish Highlands called Glencoe, with a famous formation of three large hills called the Three Sisters. He was proud of the shot, and while researching for the wine we discovered a ghost town in Oregon called Glencoe.”
Foxcroft’s latest exclusive, Mulray Pinot Noir, comes from Gold Coast Vineyard in Santa Barbara’s Santa Maria Valley, crafted by winemaker Joshua Klapper of Timbre Winery. Beyond the wine itself, its label is a work of art designed by Celine DeMaesschalck of Modern Hobbyist. “She did an amazing job,” Paul says of the talented artist, known for blending watercolor and design to create custom wine maps. The label captures Santa Barbara’s coastline, pinpoints the vineyard’s exact location, and features contour lines marking the AVA, with shading based on the harvest date.
Paul’s approach to wine is as much about the experience as it is about the bottle in front of you. He doesn’t have a single favorite—how could he? With so many regions, varietals and expressions of a grape, narrowing it down seems impossible. That said, he does have a deep appreciation for the world of champagne. “It’s a style that’s ever-evolving,” he says with a thoughtful smile, “and it’s going through a whole new version of itself in the 21st century. What I love most is how it’s more deeply connected to a place than most people realize.” Beyond champagne, Paul’s wine tastes take him worldwide, but Burgundy always feels like home. He’s drawn to its timeless elegance, but recently he’s found a new passion for the regions of Oregon and Washington.
“Oregon isn’t just Willamette Valley anymore,” he says. “There are other areas now that are exciting to drink from—places you wouldn’t expect.” And then there’s southern Italy, with wines from places like Sicily and Basilicata. “There’s so much to explore there,” he adds, his enthusiasm palpable. But then he stops, chuckling at himself. “Sorry, I’m rambling. It’s hard to pick just one. It’s like asking someone to choose their favorite painting.”
He also sees this love for diversity and discovery in how people enjoy wine at Foxcroft. When asked what wine represents the Foxcroft name, Paul doesn’t hesitate. “I think it would probably be Pinot Noir in the sense that it is a lot of different things at the same time. It appears one way, but it can have a lot more depth behind it,” he says. “It’s very open, very generous and a grape that is open to all. It’s very easy and accessible, yet it has great nuance and a great story the deeper you get into it.”
Paul doesn’t just love drinking wine; he loves the way it brings people together, which defines his approach to wine at Foxcroft. He remembers a particular evening recently when he had the chance to cohost a dinner with Michael Honig, the winemaker and owner of Honig Vineyard & Winery in Napa Valley. “It was funny, actually,” he recalls with a smile. “As I was preparing to introduce Michael, I looked back at one of the photos I had from our last tasting together. I checked the date—it was March 16, exactly nine years to the day from when we’d tasted together before.” He pauses, almost as if still marveling at the coincidence. “It was the same wines, too. Different vintages, of course, but the same wines. It was like a full circle moment, and I hadn’t even realized it until that very second. I mean, it’s a small thing, but it’s funny how wine brings people back together when you least expect it.”
His eyes light up as he continues his story. “It’s not just about the wine … It’s about the connections. You meet people through wine in the most unexpected ways. I’ve run into people years later who I’d met a decade ago in the most random places. And that’s what I love about this whole business.”
From creating exclusive wines for Correspondence Wine Co. to crafting flights that let you explore grapes from around the globe, Foxcroft is where discovery never stops. It’s about finding something new, connecting over a glass, and enjoying the journey.
Executive Chef Stephanie Klos brings over 30 years of culinary experience to Foxcroft Wine Co. Hailing from Florida, she moved to the Tar Heel State two years ago, leaving behind the hotel restaurant scene to embrace a more innovative and independent position with Foxcroft. “When this opportunity came up, I jumped on it,” she says. “They let me go crazy and have free rein, and I love that.”
Klos takes inspiration from wine pairings and the broader cultural influences of winemaking regions. “For our Burgundy dinner, I pulled from France’s colonial history, incorporating Vietnamese and Moroccan elements,” she explains. This innovative approach is reflected throughout Foxcroft’s menu, where char-grilled oysters, duck confit spring rolls and house-made pappardelle with braised short rib pair beautifully with an extensive wine selection.
One of the restaurant’s most exciting features is its Spanish charcoal oven, imported from Barcelona. “It’s amazing—the char-grilled oysters on that thing are incredible,” Klos says. Her passion for fierce flavors extends to seafood and tropical dishes, a nod to her time in the Sunshine State. “I love working with seafood, spices and unexpected pairings,” she says, adding that she isn’t afraid to break traditional wine rules. “Why not try a red wine with sea bass?”
Foxcroft, which now serves lunch, continues to thrive, and Klos is eager to introduce more guests to the kitchen’s range. Whether it’s a casual wine pairing or an elaborate chef’s dinner, one thing is clear: She’s making her mark on Raleigh’s culinary scene, one plate at a time.
Head over to Foxcroft Wine Co. in North Hills and experience it for yourself.
— Dathan Kazsuk
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