{Restaurant opening} Uvaggio

Don’t these chairs just look so comfy??

Communal seating allows patrons to make new friends!

Bright colors create a cheerful atmosphere

Great art done by the owner’s friend adorns the walk in fridges

Coral Gables has been sorely lacking in the wine department for quite some time. Any true oenophile can tell you that there really isn’t a place where you can sit, relax, and enjoy great wine from unique, boutique wineries. On Tuesday, March 25th this is all going to change when Uvaggio opens its doors.

The cozy, bright wine bar, located at 70 Miracle Mile, focuses on small production wines paired with an impressive food menu. The decor is simple yet cheerful with high-top tables and a small bar with comfy, padded, leather stools. Owner Craig DeWald, a former Human Resources executive, is looking to create a casual, unpretentious environment for his customers with an emphasis on great customer service. “We’re serious about the wine, serious about the food, but we are trying to create a relaxed environment where people can come hang out, sit, talk, and have an awesome bottle of wine and super great food.”

The wine list is extensive with by-the-glass options ranging from $9-$19 with most in the $12-$15 range and bottles starting at $29. Each wine is accompanied with a lighthearted, quirky description that helps the customer get a better feel of what they are ordering. Wines are divided into sections with titles like “light and sassy” and “you zesty thing!” which contribute to the playful atmosphere. Don’t be fooled by the offbeat titles and descriptions though, the wine list is made up of some impressive wineries from all over the world and really abides by DeWald’s desire to feature smaller production wineries. “What we are really looking for when we choose our wines are wine makers that really capture the place they’re at or the grape they’re using.” DeWald has employed advanced level sommelier Heath Porter, who has developed world-class wine and beverage programs at renowned five-star resorts such as the Greenbrier Resort in West Virginia and the Diamond Head Grill at the W Hotel in Hawaii, to develop Uvaggio’s varied wine list.

The food menu is ambitious with dishes such as Braised Beef Short Rib with a black licorice tea consomme, black olive soil, and Meadow Creek cheese pomme puree and Sous Vide Rabbit with sunchoke gratin, spring peas, fava beans, and black truffle oil.  The dishes are meant to be shared and but there are also several that can double as an entrée if you’re hungry. Top Chef alumnus Bret Pelaggi helms the kitchen and has created the eclectic menu around the aromas and flavors of the wine. “We did a lot of tastings of the wines and sort of built backwards from that. We tasted a bunch of wine and took notes about what textures, what aromas, and what spices we tasted and as we wrote, you can almost see a dish start to form.” Many of the descriptions of the wines by-the-glass include a food pairing which takes the guesswork away for customers!

For those that prefer cocktails and beer, Uvaggio offers several low-alcohol cocktails and six beers on tap including Wynwood Brewing Company‘s Pops Porter.

Uvaggio officially opens on March 25, 2014 and will be open Monday through Friday from 5pm to midnight, Saturday from 4pm to midnight, and closed on Sunday.