Bob Culley didn’t have enough to do as an ER physician, so he looked for a side hustle. He found it in wine. With a supportive family and an ace team in place, he opened Act XII Wine & Provisions in Tappahannock, winning legions of fans the minute the doors opened in September. “This area has traditionally been somewhat of a desert in terms of what’s available” he says, noting that other than a handful of ABC stores and the occasional trip further afield to Kilmarnock and Irvington, the choices in his hometown were slim. If you wanted a bottle of wine, a wedge of good Brie, and something other than Triscuits, you were out of luck.
“I started out wanting to make wine accessible to everyone,” Culley says. “About 90 percent of our wine is priced below $30 a bottle, so I was really going for wines that outperform their price points—varieties that give a real bang for your buck.” Act XII’s scope also includes gourmet foods and craft beer.
Culley enjoys combing farmers markets to identify and cultivate the makers and creators whose products are typically not found on grocery store shelves, especially those from local producers. So in addition to wine, Act XII, which gets its name from the 1619 House of Burgesses edict encouraging the colonists to grow grapes, also sells cheeses, gourmet salts, spreads, cocktail mixes, and charcuterie. The store also stocks Momofuku noodles, which sell out in a flash. [Editor’s note: They’re worth a trip alone.]
“The community has been so supportive,” Culley tells me, after pulling three consecutive overnight shifts at his primary gig. And community is what he’s going for. Plans are in the works to schedule wine- and craft beer-centric events throughout the year; for now, wine tastings are every Friday. ActXIIWineAndProvisions.com
