Best Wine Selection (Bar or Restaurant): Apogee
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At Apogee, the wine comes with a story
151 Park Ave. | 585-598-4941apogeewinebar.com
Simone Boone, owner of Apogee Wine Bar, has a story for you. Rather, the notes of earth, fruit, flowers, and terroir found in every glass of wine she pours have the story.
“Wine is history, wine is geography, wine is food and culture,” Boone said. “It does tell a story, because each wine starts out as a grape, but it’s a long journey that it takes before it becomes a wine.”
Apogee, a modest wine bar on Park Avenue, is accented by a white marble bartop, open Edison bulb lighting, and a row of coolers behind the bar, each denoting the exact temperature at which each bottle of wine is held.
Boone, a certified sommelier, started Apogee in 2014 following a long career in the restaurant industry, including as the wine-buyer for the Strathallan Hotel. Her goal was to create a space that celebrates wine, while also being accessible to the layman.
“I want a 21-year old who’s coming who’s just starting to learn and is starting from absolutely nothing,” Boone said. “I want to have a wine for them, I don’t want to turn anyone away.”
The wine list at Apogee is carefully curated. Patrons won’t find a book of pages and pages listing vintage bottles that sit in a dusty cellar here.
What they will find is a highly-selective list of unique and exciting wines that Boone handpicked, and small-bite offerings of cured meats, cheeses, and chocolate truffles.
She gravitates toward French and Italian heritage wines. At Apogee, there’s plenty of Beaujolais, Bordeaux, and Brachetto to go around.
But there’s also off-the-beaten-path finds that have been known to surprise even the most experienced oenophile.
On a recent visit, the standout was a Bosnian Tamjanika, a native grape of the Balkan nation. The wine was bone dry, but dripping in notes of tropical fruit, peaches, plums, nectarines, and a healthy dose of earth.
Boone, who bought the wine on a whim for a Bosnian friend and was later contacted by the vintner, said the vintage exemplifies her passion for wine — there’s always something new to learn, and a new story to hear.
“Each wine has a story,” Boone said. — GINO FANELLI
Finalists: Flight Wine Bar | Living Roots Wine & Co. | Redd
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