“If something isn’t moving on the list, I have the option to open it up to all these other pairings and introduce people to it that way. “I get to have creative freedom,” says Flaherty. Try one of Vicia’s chef-curated menus, which include the farmer’s feast and an option for two wine pairings, or a more extensive tasting menu, available with a Missouri-sourced beverage pairing. “I like making sure that the people that we deal with are taking care of the earth and being responsible,” says Flaherty, also beverage director of Vicia’s new sister restaurant, Winslow’s Table. They pair with Vicia’s 100-plus label wine list, which includes by-the-glass options that range from French Domaine Sérol Turbullent Sparkling Rosé to a Domaine Glinavos Paleokerisio from Ioannina, Greece. His seasonal dishes, like kohlrabi shell tacos, use ingredients sourced primarily from around Missouri. The following year, it was a semifinalist for the James Beard Foundation’s Best New Restaurant award, while in 2019, Executive Chef Michael Gallina was nominated for Beard’s Best Chef: Midwest. With an intimate bar and bustling open kitchen, Vicia has received plenty of praise since its debut in 2017. Modern rustic at Vicia / Photo by Tara Gallina Restaurants with Great Wine Lists Vicia Vajra to enjoy alongside a classic margherita pizza, or an Antica Terra Botanica Pinot Noir to go with the World Tour cheese plate.
Look for bottles like a Barbera d’Alba from G.D. It also serves craft beers and cocktails alongside its menu of low-key, Italian dishes. Open for more than a decade, the bar features wines from around the world, with a focus on Italian bottlings. “I think 10 years ago, people were just a lot more comfortable with California, and I think now they’re more comfortable branching out.” Sasha’s on ShawĪs you enter through the year-round patio at Sasha’s on Shaw, a striking brick-and-wood wall displays the bottles offered. “ always been an educational bar,” says Smallwood, who insists on using proper stemware and climate control.
The proprietor, James Smallwood, offers classes on everything from the regional wines of Tuscany and the Rhône Valley to specific varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon. A welcoming back patio is open from spring to fall. The narrow, intimate wine bar leads guests toward a climate-controlled room where a portion of the collection is stored, in addition to a basement cellar. Guests can drink in-house or take their selections home. 33 Wine Shop & Tasting Barīe prepared to take your time to peruse 33 Wine Shop & Tasting Bar’s selection of around 700 labels from all over the world. Try the baked Camembert with Moniker La Ribera Vineyard Chardonnay, or a chicken confit with Anne Amie Two Estates Pinot Noir. With a mission to make wine and food pairing more approachable, Robust Wine Bar’s menu is bolstered by 40 by-the-glass options and an extended bottle list with categories like “bubbles,” “soft hearted,” and, of course, “robust.” It was opened by Stanley Brown, a certified sommelier with a passion for French wine, and his partner and wife, Arlene.Ĭhef Zachary Dale looks to wine-centric regions of the world to inform his “simple, approachable” food. Flight of wine at Robust Wine Bar / Photo courtesy Robust Wine Bars Robust Wine Bar Here are a few of the spots wine lovers should get to know. Thank You! We've received your email address, and soon you will start getting exclusive offers and news from Wine Enthusiast. “That’s probably why there’s so many young people in St. “If anything, these people who have propelled their career and gone elsewhere have left behind a general interest,” says Bess Kretsinger Heffernan, general manager of Sardella. Some locals credit wine professionals like Andrey Ivanov MS and Alisha Blackwell-Calvert CSW, both formerly of now-shuttered Reeds American Table and Wine Enthusiast 40 Under 40 honorees, with shaping the city’s wine culture and piquing the interest of a younger generation. It’s fun to see these things popping up really old, classic restaurants like Bar Italia, whose wine list is deep. “They only have organic, biodynamic, little to no intervention. “ Little Fox is a new restaurant that just opened up, and it’s all natural ,” says Kara Flaherty, certified sommelier and beverage director of Vicia. This encouraging environment and the city’s lower cost of living compared to other Midwestern metropoles has helped foster a number of forward-thinking concepts in food and drink. Here, there’s room for experimentation and there’s room for play.” “They get excited about small, innovative businesses and actively seek them out.
Louis seems to really support smaller businesses,” says Jon Parker, owner of Parker’s Table, a wine, dry goods and sandwich shop.