Wine Curiosity Takes Flight at our Wine Bar in Denver

One of the best ways to increase your wine knowledge is to taste and sample as many wines as possible. Even better is to sample two or more similar wines at the same time, side-by-side, to highlight the subtle differences between them.

That of course is the main concept of Uncorked Kitchen’s series of wine tasting classes, where participants can sample three rounds of side-by-side tastings along a common theme.

But you don’t need to wait for the next class to explore your wine curiosity. Uncorked Kitchen’s wine bar was designed from day one to offer a similar experience, any day of the week.

The centerpiece of the Uncorked Kitchen wine bar menu is a collection of wine flights — six themed wine collections, each consisting of tasting portions of three different wines. These three-wine tasting flights are available for the price of what you’d typically pay for a single glass of high-end wine.

Wines by the glass are all well and good when you know what you want. But if you’re looking to explore different wines, or try something new, the cost of a full-pour glass (let alone bottle) can be prohibitive to such experimentation. That’s why you tend to see the same wines over and over again at most restaurants.

Approachable and Fun Wine Education

Not at Uncorked Kitchen. With a full schedule of both wine and cooking classes, education is the core of Uncorked Kitchen’s DNA, and that extends to the wine bar experience as well.

“The flights came out of wanting people to explore wine and have fun with it and try new things. Because you don’t get that a lot,” says Uncorked Kitchen co-owner and Executive Chef Eric Robbins. “The idea behind it is to be approachable and fun.”

This concept closely mirrors the “enoteca” wine experience that’s a common practice in Italy. Enotecas, or “wine libraries,” are designed to give visitors the ability to sample a wide variety of wines at a reasonable price before buying in larger quantities (typically by the bottle). The low cost of sampling encourages experimentation and discovery, which ultimately results in more informed drinkers and buyers.

Yet this isn’t a beginners-only experience. The wine flights are designed for everyone — those new to wine to the experienced aficionado and everyone in between. The common thread is curiosity. No matter how much or little you know about wine, the sheer vast variety of all the wines in the world guarantee that there’s always something new to discover.

The themes of the Uncorked Kitchen wine flights run from straightforward collections by varietal or region (“Majestic Malbecs” or “Pacific Northwest”) to the more fanciful (“Whimsical Whites” and “Blends With Benefits”). Each typically features an approachable, familiar “anchor” wine, surrounded by something out of the ordinary. “Whimsical Whites” for instance includes a California Chardonnay, surrounded by a French Cotes du Gascogne and a German Weissburgunder.

Fresh Themes and Flexible Flights

And while it’s not featured on the menu, there is the option to build your own flight of any three wines on the entire menu, dubbed the “Somm Flight.” Of course, every wine available can be ordered individually in both half or full-glass options as well.

It’s all very flexible. If education is the fabric of Uncorked Kitchen, variety is the color. That’s why Eric updates the wine flight themes and options every three months, just like the menu. That extends to the wine pairing suggestions listed for each item on the food menu as well. And of course, much of the wine sampled during the wine classes are available at the wine bar for participants to re-experience in a new environment.

The result is a wine experience unlike anything else available in the cookie-cutter landscape of chain restaurants in Denver’s south suburbs — a highly curated wine list of quality, variety, and flexibility that’s regularly updated and… interesting.

“There’s always something on our list I think you’ll find intriguing,” Eric says. “Enjoy it and start a conversation about it with whoever you came in with. Have fun.”

Antony Bruno is a Colorado-based veteran storyteller, writer and editor. After 30 years of writing about the intersection of technology and culture, he’s spending the next 30 writing about food, wine, travel, and adventure.

Ready to experience a wine tasting? Uncorked-style? Make a reservation at the Wine Bar, or check out our calendar of upcoming wine tastings today.