LOVELAND — What would you drink while reading a Jack Kerouac novel?

Sean Johnson might recommend a good port. And he’d sell you the wine and lend you the book.

Johnson is merging his love for books and wine in a new downtown business venture: Mrs. Torrelli’s Wine Flat.

He plans to open the specialty wine shop at 534 N. Cleveland Ave. in part of the space formerly occupied by City News. He’s shooting for a Valentine’s Day opening but admits that might be too ambitious.

“We want to make it a downtown neighborhood wine store,” Johnson said, and sell “affordable wines that are really good.”

Johnson, who earned an English degree with a minor in writing from the University of Northern Colorado, is putting literary fingerprints all over the shop.

Start with the name: Mrs. Torrelli is a character in the John Steinbeck novel “Tortilla Flat” who provides wine for the young men in the story.

Wine-and-book Pairings

In the same way that wineries and restaurants “pair” wines with specific foods, Johnson plans to pair his wines to books.

For example, he suggested putting “a nice, cheap Chianti” together with works by “wino poet” Charles Bukowski.

As a nod to the building’s decadeslong use by the City News bookstore and newsstand, Johnson plans to have shelves of books that visitors can check out.

And he’ll have tables and chairs in a lounge area where City News had seating.

“This is basically where I taught my daughter to read,” he said. “I want to keep a little bit of that essence … that cosmic sort of feel this building has.”

Johnson lives with his 14-year-old daughter, Isabelle, in an old house just five blocks west of the shop. He said he walks everywhere, and he revels in the sense of community he feels in Loveland.

A ‘Steinbeckian’ Community

He loves the diversity here and describes Loveland as “a Steinbeckian community.”

He gives the example of two of his neighbors with very different levels of professional accomplishment. And yet, “They both tell rollicking good stories.

“That’s what makes this a Steinbeck community,” he said.

Mrs. Torrelli’s Wine Flat will focus on local wines, with at least half coming from Colorado and the region, Johnson said. He hopes to keep prices below $20 a bottle – also “part of the Steinbeck thing.”

He also plans to explore good, affordable wines from countries such as Chile, Argentina and Mexico.

Johnson’s awareness of local wines comes in part from the years he spent working for Loveland’s Valley of the Wind Winery.

He said wine shouldn’t be intimidating. “The best wine is what you like,” and people shouldn’t be embarrassed to buy something they enjoy, he said.

In his effort to keep the shop local, he plans to have “shelf talker” notes describing his wines that are written by restaurant owners such as Clay Caldwell of Mo’ Betta Gumbo and Rod Brubacher of The Inglenook, not by an expert in New York.

The message: “This is what your neighbors are drinking.”

Johnson said Mrs. Torrelli’s Wine Flat likely will be open about 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday, with tastings every Friday night.

Craig Young can be reached at 970-635-3634 or cyoung@reporter-herald.com. Follow him on Twitter: @CraigYoungRH.