Auburndale

Obscure Wine Company Opening Third Location in Auburndale

Expect biodynamic wines, curated charcuterie boards, sustainable caviar, and a whimsical wine bar atmosphere.

AUBURNDALE, FL — Obscure Wine Company is targeting a mid-June opening for its third location at 117 East Lake Ave. Suite F, Auburndale, FL 33823, founder and co-owner Wellie Liao told Business Debut.

Liao owns the business with her husband, Stephen Vallette. The Auburndale wine bar will be the third Obscure Wine Company location and the couple’s fourth restaurant or bar concept overall, Liao told Business Debut.

What to Expect

Obscure Wine Company is a sommelier-owned and operated wine bar focused on biodynamic, sustainable, organic and regenerative organic wines from small, family-owned wineries, Liao told Business Debut.

The Auburndale space will be about 1,000 square feet and seat about 35 guests, including about 15 seats at the bar, Liao told Business Debut. Guests will see a retail wine wall when they enter, with bottles available to take home.

Liao said the space will also include greenery, amber and candle lighting, a cork bar top, seating suited for daytime mahjong players and a swing, something she has wanted in an Obscure space from the beginning.

“I just love the thought and the playfulness and the whimsicalness of a swing,” Liao told Business Debut.

The wine list will avoid conventional producers and grocery-store labels, focusing instead on smaller producers and lesser-known varietals, Liao told Business Debut.

Food offerings will include curated charcuterie boards with nitrate- and nitrite-free meats, cheeses from chosen purveyors and seasonal accompaniments. The company is also seed oil free, Liao told Business Debut.

Obscure will also serve caviar from Calvisius Caviar in Northern Italy, with accompaniments and crisps, giving guests a chance to try sustainable caviar in a relaxed setting, Liao told Business Debut.

Liao said the wine bar’s slogan, “Drink for yourself,” reflects a larger philosophy.

“I truly want people to drink what they enjoy and what they love and also what connects with their ethics,” Liao told Business Debut.

Backstory

Liao said she grew up around restaurants and has spent her life in hospitality. Her parents and family owned restaurants, though they encouraged her to pursue another career.

She chose engineering, and later found that her chemistry background connected closely with gastronomy, winemaking and wine education, Liao told Business Debut. She later earned sommelier credentials and worked for Benjamin de Rothschild, connected to one of the world’s major Bordeaux houses.

During COVID, Liao said her travel and overseas teaching plans stopped, leading her to open a food truck to help other bars stay open. After selling that business, she opened the first Obscure Wine Company in downtown Winter Haven.

Other Concepts

The original Obscure Wine Company opened four years ago at 276 W. Central Ave. in downtown Winter Haven, across from the Ritz Theatre, Liao told Business Debut.

The couple also owns Savage, a full-service restaurant and bar in downtown Winter Haven. Liao described it as a “jungle pub” with additive-free spirits, a craft cocktail program, seed oil-free food and ancestral fats such as beef tallow.

A second Obscure Wine Company opened in December 2025 at 30Avenue near Inlet Beach and Rosemary Beach. Liao said the Auburndale location will have a similar style to the Inlet Beach space.

Community Focus

Liao said she wants Obscure Wine Company to be a safe place for people to explore wine and a comfortable place for women to visit alone.

Her staff is trained on human trafficking awareness and service etiquette, including how to handle situations when one guest buys a drink for another, Liao told Business Debut.

The Auburndale location will also include a small gelato station for children, since the business is located across from a park. Liao said she wants mothers and families to feel comfortable stopping in.

“We’re very family oriented,” Liao told Business Debut.

Opening Timeline

The team is targeting a mid-June opening in Auburndale, Liao told Business Debut.

The space was previously part of a small office and dining room connected to Crave & Copper, giving local guests a familiar reference point for where Obscure Wine Company will open.