What began as an idea between neighbors has quickly grown into one of Arizona’s hottest emerging franchise concepts. Turquoise Wine Bar, which opened a flagship in 2022 and began its franchising journey last year, is progressing fast but staying true to the values that inspired it from the beginning.
Jen Sinconis and Laura and Dan Hernandez, the ownership team, came up with the concept idea after recognizing a need in their community. They saw a hole in the market for an intimate, social space.
“We are a community gathering space. It is all about connection,” Sinconis explains. “You come as strangers and leave as friends. People come in here, and their entire social network is now focused around Turquoise and the people they have met. It’s pretty special.”
The concept was intentionally designed as a place where people gather to engage. There are no TVs, and it runs a wine club that facilitates several types of educational and immersive opportunities, from wine classes and events to international travel to destinations like France and Italy.
“It’s really giving people an opportunity to do more than just having a bottle of wine,” she added. “It’s really the full experience of everything that goes into it.”
Turquoise resonated with local Arizonians immediately. Its first location, which debuted in Glendale nearly four years ago, had people joining the wine club before doors even opened. Now, the business has nearly 500 active wine club members.
With offerings of boutique, small-lot wines, Turquoise aims to share the stories of the farmer and of the winemaker behind the bottle. The business also serves simple but elevated small plates to pair with tasting, including charcuterie boards, flatbreads, pizzas, salads, smoked salmon dip, fire-roasted corn dip, and meatballs.
Its reception has been so successful that the venture has expanded, too. Customers repeatedly encouraged the founders to bring the concept to additional cities. Last year, it was announced that Turquoise Wine Bar would be pursuing franchising opportunities, and a Roosevelt Row location in downtown Phoenix opened last summer.
“We kept having people say, ‘We need one of these in my area; please open one in my neighborhood’,” Jen said.
Currently, the business has signed 11 franchise deals. Seven new venues will be opening across Arizona and Texas in the next few months, with upcoming locations in Tucson, Surprise, North Scottsdale, The Woodlands, Austin, and Cypress.
Each franchise owner also receives extensive support through training, real estate assistance, construction partnerships, and brand infrastructure designed to maintain consistency across every location.
“We’re very selective on who we let join Turquoise because it is so much about community,” Jen said. “We really look for people that are able to deliver the same sort of customer experience and community that we’re doing at our corporate location.”
Looking ahead, the team plans to continue expanding and growing to new cities and states, while preserving the culture that has made the concept successful. They hope to develop around 10 locations per year, growing steadily but keeping the integrity of the brand.
