Bar Henry lets you split things up – and Sommelier Journal
Have you ever looked at a wine list and wished that you might want to try a half a bottle of one wine and a half a bottle of another wine? At Bar Henry, that dream can become reality.
John Slover, who previously worked at Cru, has assembled a wine list with 116 wines on the “market” list. Order any wine off this list and they will pour off half of it and charge you–gasp!–half the price of the full bottle. The remaining 375ml goes behind the bar and the wine gets written on a big mirror, where it is then in play and available for purchase by other diners, either as a half or by the glass. (The list also has 24 wines offered by-the-glass.) It’s a fun and innovative feature that offers the opportunity to try different wines at reasonable prices. The market list includes mostly French and Italian wines but also has selections from the US, Germany, Austria among other countries. Producers include: Tue-Boeuf, Belliviere, Knoll, Zilliken, Auguste Clape, Marquis d’Angerville, Paolo Bea and Cristom.
Bar Henry’s creativity features in a story that I wrote on the theme in the June 15 issue of the magazine Sommelier Journal. Unfortunately it’s not on their website, but if you are a subscriber, check out the story on the back page.UPDATE: the column is now online! Check it out at sommelierjournal.com.
Which wine bars or restaurants have you been to that are doing fun and innovative things?
Related: Bar Henry, 90 West Houston Street, (646) 448-4559 (map it)
“Finding a deal on the wine list at Bar Boulud in NYC“
On July 9th, 2010 at 11:14 am ,Justin Christoph wrote:
Bar Henry is fantastic, it incorporates a neighborhood bistro with creative food and a well-priced, manageable world class wine list that is always changing with older vintages surfacing.
On July 9th, 2010 at 11:40 am ,Nicolas Palazzi wrote:
Heard only good things about it & been willing to try the place for quite a while now. John’s concept indeed deserves accolades.
On July 9th, 2010 at 4:28 pm ,Frank wrote:
Justus Drugstore outside of Kansas City serves steward-chosen half-glass pairings with each course of the meal, fairly inexpensively. It means we can have a wine that goes will with the dish and not be bound by what goes with the bottle. Nor do we get walloped in the wallet or sobriety departments. And they send you on your way afterward with a thimbleful of something interesting (e.g., sparkling Riesling), gratis.
On July 9th, 2010 at 5:10 pm ,Jon Troutman wrote:
LelaBar does the same thing, with some great selections both by the glass and in the bottle.
On July 9th, 2010 at 6:04 pm ,Phil wrote:
Shoot, talk about rough timing, we put the June 15 issue online today, and this column is actually the free access column for the month, anyone who wants to read it can do so at: http://www.sommelierjournal.com/articles/article.aspx?year=2010&month=06&articlenum=90.
On July 9th, 2010 at 8:28 pm ,Dr. Vino wrote:
Thanks, Nicolas and Justin, glad you have had good experiences there or heard good things about it.
Thanks too Frank and Jon for adding those places to the discussion.
And, Phil, I’ve now updated the post with this link–thanks for letting us know!
On July 16th, 2010 at 8:04 am ,Lauren Dickinson wrote:
What a cool concept. I like that it benefits not only the ones ordering the bottle, but the rest of the guests as well. Hope this one spreads, and I’ll have to check it out next time I’m in NY.
On August 2nd, 2010 at 3:53 pm ,The Gourmet Bachelor wrote:
If John’s pouring it, I’m drinking it. Bar Henry is a perfect example of the warm hospitality and integrity-for-your-job that I find in so many great restaurants in Greenwich Village. However, unlike other restaurants, Bar Henry is the only restaurant where I can wash down $1 oysters with a vintage glass of Barolo.
On September 28th, 2011 at 10:46 am ,John Slover, Solomonic sommelier | Dr Vino's wine blog wrote:
[…] is the Solomonic sommelier, though his splitting is more likely to make people happy. When at Bar Henry, he introduced a bottle-splitting program, wherein diners could order 375ml of a regular bottle for […]