whineThere’s no need to complain about the lack of classy places for drinks in Midland with the opening of Whine.
Located in Bell’s Plaza on Wackerly Street, this stylish wine bar boasts a 30-foot bar made from old wine barrels, as well as overstuffed leather chairs, dramatic lighting and a fireplace. There also is a 1,288-cubic-foot glass wine cellar.
The menu, which changes weekly, features unique fare on small plates such as bone marrow bruschetta, short rib ravioli or Georgia shrimp with red mule grits. You can wash it down with fine wine, craft beers, specialty liquors and cocktails.
The bar, owned by Wendy Traschen and William Smith, has created 18 jobs in Midland, including managerial, server, bartender, line cook, sous chef and hostess positions. The bar opened on Jan. 31.
According to Joseph Weckesser, general manager, the community response to Whine’s opening has been amazing.
"It’s a very new concept to Midland, but everyone has accepted it with open arms," he says. "The difference is not everything comes out at once. Whatever you order comes out as the chef thinks (is the best order) for palate progression."
Wecksesser says Whine’s beverage program is second to none in the Great Lakes Bay Region, offering eclectic and boutique vineyard wines from all over the world and glass-poured wines that change monthly.
"We have the largest by-the-glass selection for wine, a 300 bottle wine list, the most unique craft beer in the area," he says. "We also have 10 craft beer draughts that change weekly as well."
Amy Gouin, a graphic designer at Central Michigan University, shared three plates at Whine with another person during her recent visit.
"We watched a lot of plates go by our table and they all looked like works of art," Gouin says. "Long dramatic plates and platters with amazing foods. I wanted to try every plate."
One of the things Gouin tried was the bone marrow bruschetta.
"I could try exotic foods in a smaller size, so I didn't hesitate to order something different because I knew I wasn’t stuck with it as my dinner if I hated it," she says. "I could just move along to the next plate."
She also enjoyed the wine.
"The wine menu was crazy long," she said. "I don't know anything about wine, but the bottle we had was delightful. But, for $50, it should have been."
Lindsay Allen has visited Whine more than once and is impressed by the customer service and the food.
"On my first visit, a friend and I split two items: pistachio hummus with fresh pita chips and the olive oil trio, which is a humongous--probably 4 feet long--wooden boat containing three varieties of olive oil and chunks of hearty bread for dipping in the oil," she says.
The flavors of olive oil she tried included chopped olive, parmesan and smoked garlic.
"Both dishes were tasty," she says. "I especially loved the smoked garlic olive oil; the cloves of garlic were so perfectly smoked that they were creamy in texture when spread on the bread and had a downright bacon-like flavor to them. And I love bacon."
Allen describes Whine as a really cozy place.
"The layout and the furniture are very comfortable and homelike, which encourages you to just sit back for hours and talk with whoever you're there with and slowly enjoy courses of food and wine," she says. "Both of my visits were about three hours, but it didn't feel like it."
She also noted the big-city feel in Whine.
"Once you're through the doors, you won't believe you are in a strip mall in mid-Michigan," Allen says. "I felt like I'd been transported to Chicago or New York."
In addition to the welcoming seating arrangement and unique décor, the featured artwork rotates quarterly to help raise awareness for organizations.
"In the opening quarter, we have artwork of elephants to help raise awareness for 'Tusk Trust' which helps 22 countries in Africa," Wecksesser says. "The organization teaches conservation for their wildlife to kids and adults all over the country."
Whine is open Tuesday through Saturday from 3 p.m. to close and Sundays, 3 - 8 p.m. Parties with 10 or more people can make reservations. You can learn more
here.
Rachel Esterline is a freelance writer in mid-Michigan. Find her on Twitter or read her blog.
Images by: Avram Golden