Uncorked

I went to Uncorked, which is in Midtown East at 322 E 59^th St. The bar is a little difficult to find being amidst some current construction and it’s also right by the Queensboro Bridge. It’s in an unlikely location, but it’s a nice little wine bar!

Being a little outside of the craziness of Midtown, Uncorked is quiet, cute, and filled with friendly locals. Yes, believe it or not we New Yorkers can be friendly! My friend and I actually had conversations with the other customers seated around the bar and with the bartender. We talked about wine, living in various neighborhoods of New York, and one of the customers was even showing videos of his grandkids. It really felt more like I was at someone’s dinner party than a wine bar. Uncorked is probably the most social wine bar I’ve been to. If you’re in the mood for wine and conversation, you should definitely come here.

Not only do the staff and other customers make you feel like you’re in someone’s home, but the place is also decorated very home-like. The window seat in the front of the bar is piled high with throw pillows, there are a bunch of wall mounted tealight candleholders, and also a huge vase full of corks, which also makes a similar appearance in my own living room.

The wine list is actually pretty large, with a good selection of wines from France, Italy, Germany, Spain, New Zealand, Australia, and California. Glasses were priced between $9 and $15 and bottles of these same wines were no more than $58. There was a separate bottle list with a wines that were much older and more expensive - around $200.

First of all, the wines are served in a mini carafe and poured into giant wine glasses. Plenty of room for swirling in these glasses! I ordered the 2009 Macon-Villages White Burgundy from France. I really love white wines from Burgundy because they’re very unique compared to most other whites - they’re not as sweet or high in acidity and also feel a little more medium bodied. This one was very good. It smelled like peach and maybe a little pear as well. It was a little tart and tasted like peach and apricot. It was complex and delicious with a nice long finish.

I really liked Uncorked and will come here again when I’m in the area. I hope the friendly experience I had is typical of this wine bar because it really made it very comfortable and welcoming. I give Uncorked a rating of 4 out of 5 glasses.

Entrance to Uncorked

The homey interior of Uncorked

Oversized wine glasses FTW

I don't know what Wine & Wit Night is, but it sounds fun!