GRAND RAPIDS, Michigan (WOOD) — A wine store in Grand Rapids East Hills has reopened under a new name.

Ritual wines opened last weekend at 972 Cherry St. near Diamond Ave., in the same space formerly occupied by Leon & Sons wine shop. The shop, owned by former Leon & Sons CEO Ben VanderWaal and his wife, offers wines from small producers and winemakers.

“We are talking about organic farming, biodynamic farming, about wines that can be traced back to real people and not to big corporations,” said VanderWaal.

He compared it to people paying attention to where their food comes from and what farming methods are used in connection with its use.

“The wine industry is in a really critical situation,” he said. “People are really interested in where things come from and they’re asking all these questions, they want to know the history and they want to be able to trace things back to their actual roots. So I’m excited to see where the industry goes.”

He said wine is becoming “less sophisticated” and more accessible.

In the now renovated wine shop, says VanderWaal, “everything will be running at full speed”.

“Things like wine clubs, things like more community engagement events, more events here, tastings, things like that,” he said. “We value education and wanting to demystify the wine purchasing process. It’s complicated enough as it is, so we need to find ways to make wine more accessible to a wider audience.”

Just three weeks after Leon & Sons closed, Ritual Wines had a “nonstop opening week,” he said, with many customers expressing how happy they were about the opening.

“I have an overwhelming feeling that our mission here, representing small producers, is close to the hearts of many people in this area,” he said. “So they were excited to be back here and be able to buy the wines that are so dear to their hearts.”

VanderWaal’s top priority is to serve as a neighborhood wine shop, he said. The name is a nod to the “ritual” of gathering as a community to enjoy a bottle of wine, and he wants Ritual Wines to provide a community space.

VanderWaal has worked in the hospitality industry for years, in everything from bars and restaurants to hotels. He grew up in Berrien Springs but moved to Grand Rapids about eight years ago, following his then-girlfriend and now-wife to a city that offered him several opportunities in the hospitality industry.

Although wine has always been his passion, he believes it is the people who drive his work.

“In the years I’ve lived in Grand Rapids, I’ve met so many wonderful people,” he said, adding that without those relationships, it would be difficult to do his job. “It just energizes me that people care about me as much as I do. … I encounter the same passion, and that’s what excites me and brings me here every day.”

He invited people to Instagram page for updates to the shop.

“Stay tuned,” he said. “It only gets bigger and better from here.”

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