Kaia Wine Bar

Wine Spectator’s latest issue features South Africa and I felt inspired to go to a South African wine bar last weekend. Most wine bars will have at least a couple of wines from this region on their list, but it’s been a while since I’ve reviewed one that focuses solely on these wines, so I paid a visit to Kaia Wine Bar on the Upper East Side, located at 1614 3^rd Ave.

Kaia’s website advertised summer happy hour every day from 5 to 7pm and selected wines are $6 a glass with proceeds going to a good cause, although there weren’t any details of this week’s cause. Sweet! All wines on their menu were available both by the glass and bottle and the selection was large. All but a few wines were from South Africa, with just a couple from Argentina and the US. Glasses were $10 to $15 and bottles started at $40 and were no more than $90. There were plenty of well priced wines to choose from, but I was very tempted to get a good deal on the weekend from this “every day” happy hour. I asked the waitress what the happy hour specials were and she said that happy hour was actually just during the week, but offered to give us the happy hour deal anyway. She must have been aware of this mistake on their website (which has now been changed). That’s what I call customer service! We could choose from a Chenin Blanc or a Syrah. I chose the Syrah and she brought out the bottle and poured a small taste of the wine for approval before pouring a full glass, which is an gesture that I always appreciate even when I order just a glass. The wine smelled like cedar and dark ripe berries and tasted like wild berries, plum, and nutmeg. It was surprisingly satisfying for a happy hour wine!

South Africa’s production and export of wine has increased rapidly since the end of apartheid, so it’s a relatively young wine region compared to others, with the majority of vineyards being 15 years old or less. I incorrectly assumed that Pinotage was the most widely grown red grape variety in South Africa, since it was created in South Africa and is nearly exclusive to that country. However, it ranks third to Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. You learn something new every day! When it comes to wine, the country is also making a shift from focusing on quality rather than quantity and winegrowers are beginning to introduce Rhone grape varietals like Grenache and Viognier. With South Africa’s diverse soils and topography, I’m sure they will make delicious styles of these wines.

The décor of Kaia has an industrial feel and uses lots of gray tones for their color scheme. The floors were concrete and all of the low tables had a metal tabletop, which felt nice and cool on a hot summer day. The large lights hanging over bar area looked like they belonged in a warehouse, but they totally worked with the rest of the space. There was also a fun little seating area in the back corner that was composed of benches with brightly colored pillows and surrounded by stacks of books, which would definitely encourage me to linger and order a couple more glasses of wine. Overall, this place has a cool look, but a warm vibe. I like Kaia a lot!

Kaia is a cute, friendly wine bar that offers a very large and well thought out selection of wines in all price ranges. It’s a very pleasant place with great service a great wines and I have to say that it’s currently my favorite South African wine bar in the city. I give this place a rating of 4.2 out of 5 glasses.

The cool, industrial interior of Kaia

Tasty Syrah!

K & D By the Glass

Hurricane Sandy kept me out of Manhattan for a while, but I’m back and ready to continue reviewing wine bars! My first post-Sandy stop was K & D By the Glass, located in the Upper East Side at 1374 Madison Ave. Next door is K & D Wine & Spirits where I’m sure you can buy some, if not all of the wines that are served at the bar.

The space is very small, the walls are covered with book wallpaper and wood paneling, and it’s quiet. It’s almost as if someone turned their library or office into a wine bar. The bar has an upscale and masculine feel to it with lots of wood and leather accents. The only thing missing was a humidor filled with exotic cigars. However, it maintains a slightly casual air by playing some low-volume classic rock and 80s music and a tv in one corner. Shelves behind the bar were stocked with nice wines and there was a wooden wine rack so high on the wall that it could only be reached by a ladder. There wasn’t much seating; just one high table for two, leather stools along one wall, and chairs around the bar. Once more people started to show up, it was tightly packed.

Wines here are moderately expensive and even excessively so. Glasses of wine were priced $8 to $24 with the vast majority of them being more than $14. Bottles were $31 to $375. Two flight options were available, but the menu was confusing – only one wine was listed for each flight. I couldn’t tell which, or even how many, wines were included and there was both a glass and bottle price for each flight. Huh?

I ordered a glass of the 2009 Vaza Crianza Rioja. It smelled like strawberry and tasted like cedar at first sip, but then quickly developed into a dried red fruit and cocoa flavor with a hint of an herbal character. It was pretty good, but honestly, I’ve had better Rioja at the same price at other wine bars.

The service was great. I never felt that I was wanting for attention or bothered by too much. I overheard the bartender helping other customers decide what to order based on what kind of body or flavors they enjoy in a wine. She spoke about the different characteristics of the wines she was suggesting and I could tell that she was well versed on the subject of wine. I was impressed.

The place started to fill up around 5 and the crowd was middle-aged. I would have expected a slightly younger group on a Friday evening, but considering the setting and the higher price points, that’s probably their usual clientele. For example, one guy wanted a wine that was only available by the bottle and apparently he didn’t mind paying whatever the glass price would be. I looked it up in the menu figured out that one pour would have been around $40. Yikes!

Although pricey, K & D By the Glass has a very nice selection of fine wines. The knowledgeable staff certainly adds to the experience as well. While it’s kind of casual, the atmosphere is still a little too stodgy for my taste. Great wine bars should be approachable by all and I think K & D is the kind that intimidates people who don’t know much about wine. I give this place a rating of 3.5 out of 5 glasses.

K & D By the Glass next door to the wine store

The tiny library-like interior of K & D