It’s official. You are now free to cancel that long-awaited wine tour of Europe.
And there’s a bonus. Tax Day just got less taxing.

Cooper’s Wine Bar & Shop opens April 15 in the Hoodland Shopping Center,
next door to McKenzie Dental.

Shannon and John Thompson dipped into the wine business in New York,
working as servers, the building of a tasting room and the agricultural side.
But got serious with a more recent tour of the wine regions of France and
Germany.

“We will also source from some smaller regions such as Georgia, Lebanon and
Slovakia, for example, and we have been researching some more great
obscure wines,” Shannon Thompson told The Mountain Times. “Of course, we
will be featuring many great Pacific Northwest and West Coast wines.”

Shannon added that Cooper’s will also have two beers on tap from new local
brewers along with a good collection of European beers – stuff you can’t get
locally.

“We will also provide a small menu of charcuterie, cheeses and
accompaniments,” she said.

The immediate goal of the wife-husband team is to bring community together
and provide a wine experience to the local community, and “to reach further
out and bring in surrounding communities to enjoy wine along with other
events such as first read of the season for playhouses, poetry night, book
clubs and a place for locals to just gather in a quiet cozy atmosphere.”

Minor renovations to the space were required with the biggest project being
the wine bar. John also built wine storage and wine displays. The shop will be
designed to provide intimate space and cozy seating.

“We will also have a wine cellar for special tasting,” Shannon said. “This will
be the room where our wine will be stored (and include) a big farmhouse table
for special tasting and private events.”

The name was derived from the Thompson’s beloved dog, Cooper, who died
last year and was raised from a pup to 16 years. The Thompson twins said
they should name the bar after Cooper.

“I said that doesn’t make sense,” Shannon said. Then John countered:
“Actually it does. A cooper is a barrel maker.”

In that sense, Cooper was born again.

April 15 is a soft opening for the wine bar with a gala planned for some time
in May.

Cooper’s will operate Thursday through Monday, noon to 6 p.m. Sunday, noon
to 9 p.m. Monday and Thursday, and noon to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

“But the weekend (hours) are not a hard close,” Shannon said. “If we are
busy, we will stay open. We are very excited for this new adventure and hope
that the community will enjoy exploring wines of the world with us. We look
forward to sharing a glass.”

And think of all the travel costs that will be avoided.