The quintessential wine bar

So many folks have opened a wine bar in this country right before going bust that it has become the gastronomic version of the Japanese self-gutting suicide tradition of Seppuku!

The fortunes of restaurateurs who have otherwise enjoyed success seem to nose-dive from the time they inaugurate their take on a ‘wine bar’. What baffles me is that how can something so simple remain so elusive?

Here are a few things that do NOT constitute a wine bar:

1. A traditional wine bar focuses on wines. A solitary spirit and a few brews may be splashed on for non-oenophiles who accompany wine lovers to the bar but such people are discouraged to visit. Bigger discouragement to wine lovers is when beers and blended malts are priced cheaper than a glass of an average wine.

2. Formal dining is not needed and a wine bar is all about the sip, and tasting. Food is there to provide a palate refresher, something to accompany the wine, not vice versa. A wine bar is not a restaurant. What most establishments missed in India was that they were restaurants trying to brand themselves as wine bars.

3. Regular glassware and equipment: If it is a true wine bar, they will have a separate washing machine for glasses, special detergent, service decanters, storage equipment, et al. A visit to the cellar or the area behind the bar should be as much of a turn on a BMW. Anything to everything that can valorise a wine should be stocked, and utilised.

4.Standardised menu: While the best restaurants pride themselves on a menu that hasn’t change since it was first conceived, such can spell doom for a wine bar. To identify consumer likings and trends and then to adapt the wine list accordingly with options aplenty by-the-glass is the only way to bestow longevity upon a wine bar.

Abroad many wine bars easily meet these criteria. In India, the only place I have seen so far that is getting it as-close-to-right-as-possible is the Vinoteca in Mumbai, run by Sula. The wine list appears a tad restrictive but it has enough options for a casual evening of non-ponderous sipping, the tapas-like snacks are good accompaniments, the ambience is tasteful and non-intrusive but the best part is the absolutely superb pricing!

The music is fairly hip (they had Eminem on) and I didn’t mind that although my company seemed to find it too non-wine-friendly (and then they call me a wine snob!)

Magandeep Singh is a sommelier