Austintoxicants: Uncorked Tasting Room

After moving to San Francisco from his hometown of Houston in 2000, Wight and DiCuffa became seasoned Napa travelers. Wight sat through his fair share of business wine and dines – but the couple wanted to bring wine into their home without the pretense. They hosted themed wine parties and used their vacation days to tour the world's best wine countries – from Italy to South Africa. His job paid well, but Wight started to feel like something was missing. The great salary and vacations just made him wonder what else was out there.

"I had one of those epiphanies where you wake up and see yourself in 20 years," Wight says. "I didn't like who I thought I was becoming … I needed something to enliven the passion again."

A casual wine bar seemed like the perfect way to bring Wight's stress levels down a few notches, but the San Francisco market was over-saturated with people who knew everything about wine, and Wight was concerned it would be hard for another player in the market to stand out. DiCuffa, an Austin native, introduced the idea of returning to Texas. They explored wine bars in Dallas and Houston first, assuming those would be the state's wine cities, but didn't find what they had hoped. "The wine market is crazy in Dallas and Houston," says Wight, "but not our kind of wine market." His impression of a Dallas/Houston wine bar goes something like this, "Ooooh, we're a wine bar. We have white tablecloths, we have the Silver Oak '97, so we're somebody … which is crap, really."

That haughty approach is what has kept Americans from embracing wine to the extent of Europeans, Wight notes. People are less adventurous, less willing to enjoy something if they feel they don't know enough about it. Wight and DiCuffa thought Austin would be the right place -- a city with just a few wine bars, where people are tolerant and open-minded.

"When we had our wine parties, we realized that people were comfortable around us around wine," says DiCuffa, adding that they wanted their restaurant to have the same feel -- just nice people sitting around enjoying themselves in comfortable chairs. They checked out spaces downtown, but the rectangular, boxy feel didn't fit their vision of a homey bar with old-Austin charm.

DiCuffa grew up in East Austin and understood the presence of a new wine bar among the other shiny new businesses popping up east of I-35 could be met with some skepticism. "I have mixed emotions about it [development]," says DiCuffa. "We love being here. I'm glad some development is happening because it allowed us to find this great space. Change isn't always a bad thing."

Uncorked is in the old Angie's Restaurant space, at 900 E. 7th St. (Angie's moved just a few blocks east.) The walls are painted in soft beige and sage green hues with nicely contrasting burgundy trim. Wight's own photographs of the couple's wine country trips add to the feeling of relaxing with friends.

A number of smooth, brown leather chairs and a sofa in the lounge (where bookshelves are stacked with wine books and magazines -- including "Wine for Dummies") provide perfect relaxation spaces. An oak cask full of corks is topped with a glass top to make a stylish table and centerpiece in the lounge. The best part is the patio (where the Shell station is barely visible) and patrons can enjoy a great view of downtown while listening to live music (on Wednesdays and Saturdays only so far) and sip a glass of owner-recommended wine.

The folks at Uncorked are working on a "wine-dex" with icons and descriptions to help guests choose a wine they'll really enjoy. The menu is organized by region, but wine fans can also try wine flights – trios of wines organized by varietal or region. (Or enjoy beer flights featuring solely Texas brews!)

Uncorked has a lunch menu with gourmet sandwiches, soups and salads, and a dinner menu with plenty of internationally-inspired meat, seafood and pasta entrees (nothing over $20). Of course, you can enjoy your wine with savory cheese plates, charcuterie, paté, or even chocolate truffles.

"If you don't know anything about wine, come on in and we'll explore with you," DiCuffa said with a genuine smile.