Trova to Pop its Last Cork
Trova, the charming, award-winning Preston Center wine shop and restaurant will close its doors for good January 18. Michelle Bonds, who opened the restaurant in July 2020, announced the impending closure on January 4.
“Since opening in 2020, we’ve loved seeing Trova grow into a happy place for wine lovers to sit and relax. We are incredibly grateful for the love and support you’ve shown us over the years,” Bonds said in a social media announcement. “It is no secret,” she added, “that small business ownership is tough and while this was a nearly impossible decision, I know it is for the best.”
As I’ve written, Trova is a special place. It’s quaint but energetic, sophisticated but neighborhood-y. I will miss it very much and can’t think of another place in Preston Hollow or the Park Cities that is like it.
Trova had to swim upstream in a challenging market from Day 1 but that Bonds and her team suvived for five years speaks to Trova’s location, service, selection, and menu.
Though national wine sales increased by 4.33% in 2020, they’ve trended downward since. According to the trade group Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America, wine sales dropped 8% from August 2023 to August 2024. The wine industry isn’t making progress with younger drinkers who are reaching for Ready-to-Drink canned cocktails which saw a sales increase of 104% over the past two years.
Michelle Bond saw the writing on the wall and, in my opinion, we lost a gem. If you want to pop in for one last dish of marinated olives and a glass of wine, go soon. If you want to stock your cellar, Trova is discounting its bottle inventory by 20% until its final day January 18.
