CINCINNATI — Wine market and bar Corkopolis hopes to make its mark Downtown as an upscale-casual, friendly and convenient place.
“We want the experience on the bar side to be about discovery: serious but approachable,” said Corkopolis general manager Daniel Craven.
Corkopolis, located at 640 Main St., opened June 27 with 14 wine offerings on its bar menu and about 420 different wines for sale by the bottle on the market side. Customers also can drink purchased bottles in store for a $15 corkage fee. That fee is waived on Tuesdays.
Craven, who previously spent eight years working with wholesale spirits, said he will continue to select new wines from around the world based on uniqueness and quality.
“We don’t buy labels; we buy wine,” he said.
The market’s bottled wine selection is organized by a convenient “party recommendations” near the front of the store, followed by Old and New World offerings along the right-side wall. Bottles start at $8 and go up to variable market rate for rare collections. Corkopolis also carries local craft beers, both bottled and canned, alongside small-batch spirits for purchase.
The bar, which takes up the left side of the store, also offers Rhinegeist, MadTree and Sixpoint on tap, four signature cocktails and a selection of small-batch whiskey that includes Four Roses, High West, Maker’s 46, Eagle Rare and Larceny. A 34-person-capacity event space with television and wi-fi hookups is available for private events just beyond the bar’s seating area.
Customers also can order food from a menu designed by Corkopolis assistant manager Steven King.
“We aren’t going to be a five-course place, but you can get a nice, provisional meal,” King said.
That menu includes prosciutto and three types of salami, four different cheese plates and small bites like fig mozz with fig jam and mozzarella, hummus, caprese skewers, olives, almonds and locally sourced Shadeau bread. The meats are antibiotic- and steroid-free. King said many of the small plates are gluten-free and vegan as well.
King, who spent the past few years working at similar establishments in Chicago, emphasized Corkopolis’ focus on customer service.
“If you order a case of wine, you can just pull up to the curb and we’ll put it in the trunk for you,” he said. “If you see a beer in the market you like, we’ll crack open a six-pack and let you try it at the bar.”
Corkopolis is currently open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday-Saturday and 1-6 p.m. Sunday. Craven said those hours may change depending on what is happening at the nearby Aronoff Center or what hours work best for customers. The bar also will post hours for tastings and other special events at www.corkopolis.com soon.
Corkopolis is located along the Cincinnati Streetcar route, which begins regular operations on Sept. 9.
“We are going to host a grand opening event in the near future as well,” Craven said. “More than anything, it is important to us to be a part of the revitalization of this neighborhood, and this block in particular."
