From his cool, windowless office tucked wine cave-like underneath his store’s rows of Bordeaux and Pinot Grigio, Dustin Demos imagines a future in which Papou’s moves beyond retail to become a winery.

Demos already has set his plan into motion. He’s planted an acre of Cabernet Franc grapes on farmland near Balsam. In spring, another 300 Cabernet Sauvignon vines will go in the ground. The two varietals each make their own wines but also blend well to make a Bordeaux style wine. If it all goes well, Demos would like to grow Sangiovese grapes as well, opening the door for a Tuscan wine.

Demos’ grandfather once had a wine shop in Asheville, though the store was sold upon his grandfather being drafted. When Demos was little he would go to his grandfather’s house and be given a small glass of wine and an olive. His reaction as a child was predictable.

“I thought ‘This stuff tastes awful,’” Demos says with a laugh.

As an adult Demos, who also works as a real estate agent, grew his knowledge of wine from time spent living in downtown Asheville and sampling many a bottle from local wine retailer, The Weinhaus. The store’s owners gave Demos advice about owning such a business — namely keeping him from thinking he was going to get rich.

Demos wound up buying an old gas station in Sylva as an investment property. The amount of parking the business offered was appealing, as storefront parking in downtown is at a premium. He spent a year de-junking the place, cleaning and remodeling — an experience that has left him never wanting to do it again.

But his efforts have paid off. The once derelict building now houses three successful businesses. Papou’s — named after Demos’ grandfather — and the Carolina Cigar Co. are on one side, and Mean Machines Tattoo is on the other.

Demos says that the response to his business has been good. The store’s mailing list is more than 1,000 names long and is created solely by customers’ decisions to put their own names on. The majority of sales come from wines right around the $12 mark with California Cabernets being the most popular. The store has wines from around the world and several from North Carolina.

“We sell a lot of North Carolina wine,” Demos said.

Demos also enjoys making his own recommendations. For everyday occasions, he points to a Ripasso, a red, full-bodied, smooth wine that’s not too heavy on tannin — the combined molecules that give wine a bitter, astringent flavor. On special occasions, Demos selects an Amarone, a red, lush, full-bodied wine he also describes as having less tannin, but being bigger flavored than a Chianti. Both the Ripasso and Amarone are Italian reds from Valpolicella, an agricultural area near Verona.

Papou’s was a part-time operation for Demos up until 2008. After the real estate market hit a sharp downturn, he decided it was time to switch up his profession making the wine store a full-time job and selling real estate on the side. It’s something he’d planned to do, but not for another five years.

As a result, Demos is looking to expand Papou’s offerings. He has gotten the permit required to open a wine bar inside the store and plans to bring wine by the glass to customers by spring. The hope also is to offer small bites such as cheese plates and antipasto.