Wine Experience Dana Point has been holding a soft opening for about a week, offering the first pours to wine club members and other invited guests. Seeing the hybrid wine retail shop and tasting room full of wine lovers over the last few days has been a dream come true for owner Michael Davis.

"I still get choked up, because I didn't know if this was going happen or not," Davis said.

Before opening the new business, the level three sommelier spent a decade running A Hidden Vine on the Lake in Mission Viejo, a wine shop and tasting room, as its co-owner. The lakeside wine bar was home to an active wine club and a tightly-knit community. Davis and his business partners dreamed of opening a second location that offered a different vista for guests -- an ocean view.

"We looked for a year and half to find a great beach or coastal location, looking at probably 40 different spots," Davis said.

After an unsuccessful search, interests for the partners fell elsewhere and Davis continued the search on his own. Just when it seemed he would never find a place for his seaside wine shop, he got a call from his real estate broker.

"He said, 'I have the perfect location for you, it is a brand new building in Dana Point with an ocean view,' " recalls Davis. "I signed the letter of intent on a whim, not knowing if I could ever do it."

Then he remembered Hidden Vine wine club members Stephen Hines and Karla Clarke. The couple always expressed interest in opening a wine spot with Davis, so he reached out to them about starting a partnership.

"Stephen and Karla approached me years ago and said 'If you ever open up a second location, just let us know,'" Davis said.

And so, Hines and Clarke teamed up with Davis to create Wine Experience Dana Point, which is part wine bar, part wine retail and part restaurant, with a staff of highly-trained wine stewards ready to offer advice and knowledge.

"Everyone who is front-of-house is a sommelier at a high level," said Davis. "Even our cheesemonger is a sommelier."

The shop carries both well-known and rare varietals for everyone from the wine curious to the connoisseur. A customer can buy any bottle in the store to open up and enjoy on site.

There are also are several wine stations set up along one wall. There are wine-by-the-glass dispensers that use innovative technology from Wineemotion to preserve the wine, even after the bottle is uncorked.

For still wines, the machine uses food grade argon that replaces the oxygen lost when a bottle is opened. For sparkling wine, a preservation system made by London-based company Bermar injects bottles of Champagne or other sparkling varietals with food grade carbon dioxide, which can keep the bottles pressurized for up to three weeks.

Guest access the wine using a card that can be loaded with any dollar amount and never expires. The card activates the wine dispensers when it's placed in front of the machine, and guest select a size to be poured into their wine glass. There are 28 wines available by the glass and drinkers can choose a 1-ounce pour to taste, a half glass that amounts to a 3-ounce pour, or a full 5-ounce pour.

The wine preservation system also allows guest to enjoy some of the more expensive bottles by the glass, a practice that is unheard of in most restaurants settings. For example, the premium wine station offers a Bordeaux that's been aged for 45 years.

"We do about 60% domestic and 40% imports, but we don't bring anything in unless we have tasted it ourselves," said Davis. "So it is all high quality stuff, not stuff that you would find at the grocery store."

There is a section devoted to sauvignon blanc, while nearby another section of white wine features more international whites that people might not be as familiar with.

"We wanted to make sure to have a really big range of regions and areas," sai dWendy Jimenez-Robbd wine director. "But there are comfort wines, too."

Jimenez-Robb is a level three sommelier who is preparing for level four, the highest level of certification for wine professionals focused on restaurant service.

Adding to the experience is a menu of cheese boards and charcuterie to pair with wine as well as more substantial plates with recommended wine pairings listed on the menu.

"We have added some great small bites like meatballs with stachatella," said Davis. "But if you want a full meal, we have the best deal on a big portion of braised short ribs with mashed potatoes."

The three owners spent the summer selecting their inventory and building out the new space, which Clarke documented on Wine Experience's social media accounts. Now, Wine Experience Dana Point is preparing to open to the public on Sept. 5 with a ribbon-cutting and a live virtual DJ set beginning at golden hour.

During a recent evening, Davis, Hines and Clarke greeted guests and poured wine in the new space as the sun set over the ocean. Many guests sipped wine the patio, enjoying the view, just as Davis had imagined.