Photography by Kevin A. Roberts
Winnie’s Wine Bar, located in the same building as Hamilton’s Urban Steakhouse & Bourbon Bar (2101 Chouteau), assumed the space vacated by Charleville Brewing Company, which elected not to renew its lease on the heels of a sale.
“Wendy and I have always wanted to open a wine bar but never did,” says Hamilton Hospitality restaurateur Paul Hamilton, who founded six other restaurant concepts (Vin de Set, PW Pizza, Eleven Eleven Mississippi, 21st Street Brewers Bar, Rhone Rum Bar, Hamilton’s Urban Steakhouse & Bourbon Bar) and several event spaces (Moulin and The Malt House Cellar) with his wife, Wendy. “Winnie was Wendy’s nickname growing up. We joked that if we ever opened a wine bar that would be the name." Jason Arnold, Hamilton Hospitality's director of operations, is a partner in the project.
On the side of the building, a garage door opens onto a patio bedecked with tall shocks of pampas grass. Also under the same roof just to the north is Pop’s Garage, a two-level banquet space named after Wendy Hamilton’s father.
Photography by Kevin A. Roberts
The Space
The 70-seat space has a retro aviation feel that pays homage to the couple’s love of wine and time they spent in the travel business. There's a mix of high-top cocktail tables, comfy leather chairs and couches, and tables cobbled from old suitcases. On one wall is a wooden 3-D map of the world. Photos and cameras are on another. An expanse of up-to-date maps shows the globes' myriad wine districts. “They are all made by De Long,” Paul says, “which I’m told are the best in the business at what they do.” Above the bar are clocks showing different wine time zones, instead of cities. (“I had no idea that all of Europe’s wine regions are located within the same time zone, but I found out,” Hamilton notes.) One clock, off to the side, indicates it’s 5 o’clock. (Cue the Alan Jackson/Jimmy Buffet song.)
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Two ancillary rooms can be used for everyday seating or private parties. The Bourbon Room (which is technically part of Hamilton’s Urban Steakhouse & Bourbon Bar) seats 30. A smaller area behind the bar, which previously housed Charleville’s beer tanks, seats up to 20 guests.
If Paul wasn’t a restaurateur, he might be a crackerjack handyman. He refinished the existing bar, installed the Edison lights above it, fashioned more lights from wooden riddling racks, strung others across the space, and created a wall of votive lights evoking a starry night in some faraway locale. (“I made the hangers from heavy-gauge electrical grounding wire," he says, "which saved me a fortune.”)
Overall, the travel theme is subdued, tasteful, a long distance flight from kitschy.
The Beverages
Photography by Kevin A. Roberts
Keeping with the theme, the wine program focuses on wine flights: three white and three red, plus a sparkling and a rosé. There are also wines by the glass and bottle-only offerings, with 80 choices in all.
Wine flights are presented in compact, wrought-iron caddies, with three servings in 3-ounce pours. A handful of higher-end reds are dispensed using a Coravin (such as 2018 Duckhorn Cab at $30 per glass). And if a guest wants a special bottle from the steakhouse list, that's “no problem,” Paul says. “Hamilton’s is right there.”
Photography by Kevin A. Roberts
Tuscan Spritz - prosecco, aperol, pomegranate juice, orange juice, splash of soda
Behind the 15-seat bar are more than a dozen draft beer taps, featuring “beers of the world” (for instance, Guinness, Le Fin Du Monde, Ayinger’s Celebrator, Sapporo, Modela, Stella Artois), as well as a few local and regional options (Goose Island’s Sofie, Weston’s Old World Pilsner, Mich Ultra—and another local classic, Fitz’s Root Beer).
A limited number of cocktails featuring top-shelf pours will be offered as well, including two frozen options, as well as the option to order from the ample bourbon and Scotch selection next door.
“Winnie’s is a wine bar," Paul says, "but our goal was to have a legit beverage for everybody.”
The Food
The menu consists of two dozen small to medium dishes, both existing items from Hamilton’s appetizer list and signature dishes designed to pair well with wine. Many of them are sharable, and the majority are priced under $20, which “these days is an affordable and approachable number,” Paul notes.
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Prime Rib Sliders - white cheddar, sauteed onions, bourbon-peppercorn sauce, horseradish crema
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Cold Cured Salmon - lemon, red onion, capers, creme fraiche, house crostini
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Charcuterie - three cured meats, grilled-marinated vegetables, olive tapenade, house made crostini
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Sesame Encrusted Seared Ahi Tuna - red onion-carrot slaw, housemade pickles, aioli, crispy wontons
Bacon-dusted popcorn and French fries with chipotle remoulade are $5.99 or less. A trio of prime rib sliders is $13.99. Seared scallops are $20.99. Four desserts are priced at $9.99 or less.
Photography by Kevin A. Roberts
Flourless chocolate torte/espresso mousse with caramel drizzle, carrot cake with coconut pecan filling
Service & Details
Courtesy of Winnie's Wine Bar
Printed menus are presented on a narrow board. “No QR codes here,” says Paul. “We wanted this to be more tactile, more airport lounge-y, more experiential. Plus, I’m a full-service guy at heart, which is why we have three sommeliers working the floor.”
Paul says delays have pushed the opening from spring to summer to now. (“Equipment delays, parts delays, hiring delays, liquor license delays,” he says. “It’s gotten so crazy that I’m now purchasing backup equipment, like ranges and A/C compressors, just because parts aren’t available and a place can’t do without.”) Current hours are from 3–9 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and 3–10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
Cross-promotions involving the other Hamilton Hospitality restaurants are being planned, ranging from restaurant-sponsored wine events to progressive dinners.
