Corkbuzz Wine Studio

I had the pleasure of visiting Corkbuzz at 13 E 13^th St. It just opened in November of 2011 after several months of “buzz”, if you will, surrounding the bar. Needless to say, I’d been looking forward to going there for a while.

I experienced a new wine bar first – the hubby and I had to put our name on the waiting list for a table! On a Tuesday! This place certainly is popular, especially for having opened only a couple months ago. The interior is just lovely, so I didn’t mind waiting in the lounge area at the front of the bar with a menu to keep me occupied. The lounge is essentially a living room with a cushy sectional couch and two tall wingback chairs around a unique coffee table. Corkbuzz has a cozy, homey, yet sophisticated feel to it. The music even sets the mood to make it feel like you’re about to open up a bottle of wine in your own home. I was almost compelled to curl up on the couch. It’s richly decorated and there are beautiful textures all over the place. Portions of the walls were covered with a birch tree patterned fabric, mismatched fabric furniture gave it a cozy charm, the surface of the bar is made of lacquered blocks of wood, and behind the bar is a huge wall of various shaped wine glasses. Awesome, awesome space. I already really liked this place and I hadn’t even checked out the wine list yet!

Speaking of which, the wines are quite pricey, even by the glass. There are only two wines (one white and one red) that are $9 a glass, then the rest are between $11 and $52, with the average being $14. Yes, a glass of 1989 Chateau Prieure-Lichine will set you back 52 bones. While it is really cool to see a vintage like this available by the glass, it was a major “ooph” opening the menu. They have a vast selection of bottles that are priced anywhere between $34 and $2295. After I recovered from the initial sticker shock, I decided to order the 2009 Domaine Marcillet Hautes Cotes de Nuits from the Burgundy region of France for $15. If the prices are any indication of how great the wines are, I shouldn’t do Corkbuzz a disservice and order the cheapest glass. When in Rome, right?

As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, French wines can be a bit mysterious because they are named for the village that the vineyard is located in. So, you need to know which regions produce which grapes in order to know what you’re drinking. In Burgundy, Pinot Noir is the dominant grape variety. And oh my…this was a fabulous wine. It was a crisp, bright ruby color and it smelled like herbs, berries and was smokey. It tasted briefly of baking spices, like nutmeg and cinnamon, then developed into a floral palate while still maintaining that great smokey character. Later on, (yes, I savored that baby) it developed into a cherry aroma. It was beautiful.

The service was impeccable with a very prompt, friendly, and attentive staff. As I would have expected from this place, the waitress poured a small amount of the wine into my glass for me to try. What sent the service above and beyond my expectations is that she brought out the bottle on a tray and when our table was ready she took my glass and carried it on a tray to our seats as well. Top notch.

If you don’t mind spending a lot a little extra for some truly wonderful wines, you definitely have to come to Corkbuzz. I’m officially obsessed with this place and I will be back, but probably just for special occasions. It’s a very wine-centric bar, service is superb, and the wines are incredible. I give Corkbuzz my highest rating so far: 4.9 out of 5 glasses. You have my heart, Corkbuzz.

Cozy Corkbuzz

My lovely glass of smokin' Cotes de Nuits

The cool lacquered wood bar

Stecchino

Last night I went to Stecchino, which is located at 765 9^th Ave in Hell’s Kitchen. While their website says that they are a wine bar and bistro, the place only advertises that it’s a bistro on its awning. It was also pretty empty when I arrived, so maybe it’s not even a great bistro. But I’m not here to review the food now, am I? Unless it’s cheese

The bar smells like an old building – the old wood scent reminded me of the house my grandparents used to live in. The space was decorated in an understated, masculine way. If the place was a little smaller and they served only scotch, it could pass for a cigar lounge. The brick wall, tin ceiling, and beige puckered leather benches and dark mahogany wood of the booths gave it a refined cozy feel.

Wines at Stecchino are priced between $9 and $15 and bottles were priced up to $95. Not too shabby. They also have a happy hour from 4 to 7 and another one from 11pm to 1am. Select wines are $5, although I didn’t see a list showing which wines these were. I ordered the 2007 Tinto Portuguese because I don’t often see Portuguese wines on a menu and decided to take advantage of the opportunity. However, the waitress came back and told me that they were out of the wine and suggested that I order the 2009 Bagordi Cosecha Rioja. Being a Rioja fan, I agreed, although I wanted to write about something new for my dear readers. One thing that stood out to me on the menu was that they had a 2010 Cotes du Rhone that was labeled “Grand Reserve”. For us wine nerds, this is cringe worthy. Each country has its own labeling laws that require wine producers to meet certain standards. For example, in order for a wine from Spain to have the term “Gran Reserva” on its label, the wine needs to be aged for two years in oak barrels, and three years in the bottle before it is released. In France, the labeling terms for quality wine are as follows: Villages, Premier Cru, and Grand Cru with slight variations depending on the region of the vineyard. There is no such thing as a “Grand Reserve” French wine and that kind of labeling is somehow slapped onto a wine in order for it to sound more special and therefore generate more sales. I would never, ever, ever select this wine to serve in a wine bar.

Most of the wines were from Europe and there were a couple from California and Oregon. The menu briefly describes the flavors of each wine, which is helpful if you’re uncertain of the style of the wine. My glass of Rioja was described as medium bodied, bramble fruits, hints of oak, and a smooth finish. Sounds decent. It was quite oaky on the nose and smelled of chocolate and cedar. It was a little harsh on the acidity, but the tannins were smooth and it tasted like bramble fruits. Just kidding, I have no idea what a bramble fruit is! What I can tell you though is that it had a slightly tart character to it and it tasted like cranberry or an under ripe black cherry. It actually wasn’t as bad as I was expecting, given the offensive labeling of that French wine. Sorry, I know I’m a wine nerd.

Stecchino was kind of what I was expecting from a wine bar in the heart of Hell’s Kitchen. It wasn’t very wine-focused and it could use a little more life from the staff. The service was good, but not very outgoing, which I always like because it makes you more comfortable asking for suggestions. It wasn’t a bad experience, but it wasn’t anything I would rave about either. In other words….meh! I give Stecchino a rating of 3 out of 5 glasses.

"Hell's Kitchen Bistro" It's a little blurry, but noooooo you're a wine bar too!

Take away the weird Christmas lights and it's a cool looking place

My camera really couldn't do the place justice, so I pulled this from Stecchino's website

My glass of Rioja