America’s Best Franchises (ABF) Brand Insight —
Turquoise sells wine you cannot buy at a chain store — small-lot bottles from craft winemakers — and builds a neighborhood gathering place around them. Five revenue lines run through one room: tastings, the bottle shop, wine club memberships, winemaker dinners and events, and guided travel to wine regions. Both founders are WSET-certified, so the wine education franchisees get is real rather than branded. The first franchise was awarded in Phoenix, and territories are open nationally.
At a Glance
- Liquid Capital Required: $100,000 (readily available cash or cash-equivalent assets — not from borrowing, selling a primary residence, or relying on future income)
- Ownership Model: Owner-operator
- Location Type: Wine bar with bottle shop
- Time Commitment: Full-time
- Experience Required: None; no wine expertise needed
Turquoise Wine Bar Franchise Opportunity
Jen Sinconis and Laura Hernandez founded Turquoise in Glendale, Arizona, as a place where neighbors gather rather than a bar people pass through. Laura’s background is retail and sales development, Jen’s is brand expansion and marketing. Both hold WSET certification.
The wine list is built from boutique winemakers producing in small lots, which is what a chain retailer cannot stock. Around that sit the bottle shop, wine club memberships, tastings, winemaker dinners and festivals, and Turquoise Travel trips to wine regions abroad.
Why Franchise With Turquoise?
- Five revenue streams in one location: tastings, bottle shop retail, wine club memberships, events and winemaker dinners, and guided travel.
- Wine club members get VIP parties, free monthly tastings, double-discount sales, and priority on travel — what turns visitors into regulars.
- Turquoise Travel takes groups to wine regions worldwide, and owners can recruit travelers and join at discounted or complimentary rates.
- Small-lot wines from craft producers are not available at chain retailers, so the inventory itself is the differentiator.
- Both founders hold WSET certification, so wine education comes from people formally trained in it.
- The brand is woman-owned and awarded its first franchise in Phoenix, with territories open nationally.
Why This Opportunity, Why Now
ABF Market Analysis —
Neighborhood gathering places thinned out during the pandemic years and have not fully come back. People still want somewhere to go that is not a restaurant and not a bar — a room where the staff knows them and the conversation is the point. The experience is also one that cannot be ordered online. Wine suits that better than most categories, because discovering something new is part of the experience rather than incidental to it. Consumers have also moved toward drinking less but better, which favors small-lot bottles over volume.
ABF Timing Insight —
Turquoise awarded its first franchise in Phoenix and is only now opening nationally, which means the map is essentially untouched. The founders are running the original location and training franchisees personally rather than through a development department. That is the trade at this stage — direct access to the people who built it, against a system with no long franchisee track record to validate.
Training & Support
- Dual-phase initial training covers wine selection, culinary pairings, daily operations, and customer engagement before opening.
- Wine education covers boutique producers and small-lot winemakers, so owners can curate a portfolio rather than order from a list.
- Operational training covers profit and loss analysis, hiring, inventory control, POS setup, and administrative procedures.
- Marketing support includes consumer marketing plans, ready-to-use materials, website design, social media, paid advertising, and print assets for the local market.
- Ongoing development continues in unit operations, customer service, product ordering, and pricing guidelines.
Who Are We Looking For
- Hospitality and relationship people who enjoy a room full of guests
- Comfortable with sales and local marketing
- Strong work ethic, discipline, and integrity
- Existing business owners, restaurant professionals, or wine enthusiasts
- No wine expertise required
Who Is Not A Good Fit
- Candidates who cannot meet the liquid capital requirement without borrowing
- Anyone seeking passive or absentee ownership
- Owners uncomfortable hosting, scheduling, and managing staff
- People who want a home-based business with no lease
- Candidates who want an established system with many owners to reference
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Do I need wine expertise?
A: No. Both founders hold WSET certification and provide wine education as part of training. Passion for wine and for community matters more than prior knowledge.
Q: What are the revenue streams?
A: Tastings, bottle shop retail, wine club memberships, curated events and winemaker dinners, and Turquoise Travel excursions to wine regions.
Q: What is Turquoise Travel?
A: Guided trips to wine regions worldwide. Owners can recruit travelers from their membership and join at discounted or complimentary rates.
Q: How many employees will I need?
A: A mix of full-time and part-time staff, sized so the workload stays manageable for an owner-operator.
Q: How important is the leadership team when choosing a franchise?
A: Very important. A proven model matters, but the people leading the brand matter too. During due diligence, spend time with leadership and operations—not just franchise development—and ask how they prioritize franchisee profitability, support, and long-term brand health.
Next Steps
If you are drawn to a room people come back to, wine nobody else in your market can stock, five ways to earn from the same guests, and founders who will train you themselves, Turquoise Wine Bar is worth a direct conversation. Complete the form below to request a qualification review and discuss territory availability for Turquoise Wine Bar.
This profile represents general franchise information. Individual results may vary. Refer to the Franchise Disclosure Document for complete details.