Winnie’s Wine Bar will open near downtown St. Louis this summer
Hamilton Hospitality has its latest project underway. Winnie’s Wine Bar is set to open this summer at 2101 Chouteau Avenue in the former home of Charleville Brewing Co., as reported by St. Louis Magazine. Paul Hamilton, who co-owns the business with his wife Wendy Hamilton and their business partner Jason Arnold, said it is named after Wendy, whose childhood nickname was Winnie.
“My wife and our partner Jason Arnold used to work in the travel business,” Hamilton said of the inspiration for the upcoming wine, beer and cocktail program. “We’re trying to emulate a sort of travel experience.” In addition to a full bar, they plan to offer multiple wine flights: two reds, two whites, one sparkling, one rosé, and one sweet. Favorite international draft beers will be available, along with bottled beer and a few local options yet to be determined. There will also be at least two frozen drinks: a red or white sangria and another rotating special.
Food options like soups, salads, charcuterie boards and other sharing dishes will come from Hamilton’s Urban Steakhouse kitchen. Hamilton has confirmed that a handful of menu items will be created specifically for Winnie’s.
The interior decorations already realize the theme of travel. “We have a big world map on a wall. We plan to put different time zone clocks behind the bar, but instead of having the city time zone … we’ll list the wine region and what time it is there,” Hamilton said. He described the majority of the bar as a large living room with leather furniture, with high tables strewn throughout and suitcases as end tables. The approximately 3,000 square foot space will accommodate approximately 80 guests in the main area and includes a private dining room that seats approximately 20 people.
The new establishment, located on the dividing line between Lafayette Square and Downtown West, will likely begin dinner service Tuesday through Saturday — with additional lunch hours on Saturday — by midsummer.
Hamilton thinks Winnie’s Wine Bar will complement the other restaurants he owns. When former tenant Charleville Brewing Co. announced it would not be renewing its lease, the Hamiltons decided to fill the location with a concept they wanted to see in the immediate area. “We were taking things for granted before Covid…mainly in terms of personnel,” Hamilton said. “I never realized how difficult it would be when we started to come out of the pandemic. Our success has been in surrounding ourselves with knowledgeable and talented staff, and they’re just harder to find these days.” Winnie’s presents an opportunity for which he is more than grateful.
