About Cibon

Cibon is a neighborhood destination built around thoughtful selection and genuine hospitality. We exist to serve our community with care — offering quality wine, cheese, and specialty provisions alongside an experience that feels welcoming, approachable, and worth returning to.

We believe good things shouldn’t feel complicated.

Wine, spirits, and specialty foods are meant to be enjoyed — not decoded. At Cibon, our focus is on thoughtful curation, approachability, and creating a space where people feel comfortable asking questions, trying something new, and taking their time.

Our role is simple: to guide without pressure, share what we’re excited about, and make it easy to enjoy something genuinely good.

A wall of horizontally stacked wine bottles stored necks inwards in a wine cellar.

Our Approach

Everything at Cibon is chosen with intention. From small-production wines and rare spirits to carefully selected cheeses and provisions, our focus is on discovery — not volume.

We believe great food and drink are best enjoyed with a little guidance. Our team is here to help guests feel confident in their choices, whether they’re planning a gathering, choosing a gift, or simply enjoying a glass in good company.

What to Expect

Cibon is a neighborhood wine and cheese shop with a relaxed wine lounge, curated retail offerings, and regular tastings, classes, and gatherings.

We’re here for:

  • Thoughtful curation

  • A welcoming, unpretentious atmosphere

  • Discovery without pressure

We’re not focused on trends, hype, or telling you what you should like — just sharing good things and creating a place people want to come back to.

The Space

Cibon is designed to be easy to settle into — a place to linger over a glass, ask questions, browse the shelves, or gather around the table for an event.

It’s meant to feel comfortable and familiar, whether it’s your first visit or your fifth.

A person holding a glass of red wine, with a plate of bread and olives on a dark table surrounded by other glasses in a dining setting.

Our Team

A man with short gray hair and a gray beard wearing a black polo shirt, standing in front of a row of wine bottles on a wooden shelf.

Brian Farrel

Brian brings more than 20 years of experience in the food service industry. A graduate of the Arizona Culinary Institute, he holds a diploma in Culinary Arts, Baking, and Restaurant Management, and has worked as an Executive Chef, consultant, personal chef, and specialty retail buyer.

A Lexington native and lifelong student of food and drink, Brian is passionate about the full culinary process, from sourcing and production to preparation and preservation. He spent 12 years managing deli departments at Good Foods Co-op, working closely with local farmers and producers through 2023.

Assistant Manager & Spirits Buyer
A man smiling while holding a bottle of wine or champagne in a wine shop, with shelves of bottles on his right and another person partially visible on the left.

James King

James has spent more than three decades immersed in the world of wine and spirits. A graduate of Edinburgh University, he earned his WSET Level 4 Diploma in 1996 and has built a career as an entrepreneur, educator, and industry leader.

He has founded multiple wine businesses, including King James Wine in Los Angeles, a fine wine shop in Bentonville, and Art of Cellaring, along with three successful wine education programs. A nationally recognized instructor, James holds advanced credentials from Burgundy, Bordeaux, Rioja, and beyond, and previously served as Beverage Arts Director at Brightwater Culinary School.

Wine Buyer
A woman with curly hair that is brown at the roots and purple towards the ends, wearing purple glasses and a light green top, smiling at the camera.

Alison Kerr

Guest Experience Initiator

Alison is Cibon’s resident francophone. She came to Lexington from Pittsburgh by way of La Rochelle, France, where she raised a bicultural family, taught English, and fully embraced la belle vie. By day, Alison works as a medical interpreter; by night, she supports Cibon both front and back of house.

You may recognize her from Morris Book Shop, Brier Books, Lucia’s World Emporium, or Wine+Market. Alison is also a founding board member of the Lexington Writer’s Room and is currently revising her first novel. Her favorite wine changes with the season, but she has a deep fondness for minerally rosés from southern France.

A smiling man wearing glasses and a yellow plaid shirt, standing outdoors near a window. 
Mixologist

Tim Johnson

Tim is Cibon’s resident mixologist with more than seven years of experience crafting cocktails and creating welcoming guest experiences. His passion for hospitality brought him to Cibon, where he enjoys deepening his knowledge of wine, spirits, and cheese alongside his coworkers.

Outside of Cibon, Tim works as a technical writer and spends his free time cooking, entertaining friends, and exploring the outdoors. His current favorite on the shelf is R.L. Seale 12-Year Rum from Foursquare Distillery in Barbados—an excellent choice for an old fashioned.

At its core, Cibon is about creating a place where people feel acknowledged, comfortable, and well taken care of. Good food, good wine, and good neighbors — that’s what we aim to offer every day.