When people walk into West Central Wine, they are likely to find good conversation, comfortable seating, and yes, plenty of wine: at any given time, there are more than 20 wines available by the glass.
West Central Wine is located in the heart of downtown Middletown, which has experienced some exciting years of revitalization just like Hamilton has, and it is only 20 minutes down the road.
West Central began in 2016 when Monica Nenni and Mel Kutzera, friends for more than 10 years, were both looking for career changes at the same time, and Nenni called Kutzera up with a big idea: starting a wine bar in Middletown, where they both are from.
Nenni had experience with marketing and communications, and Kutzera worked in food and beverage, including being a wine buyer, for many years before opening West Central. Her expertise was accentuated by a college degree in Geography, which helped her keep track of the interesting relationship between locations, grape varietals, and the wines they produce.
“Any time along the way when I had the opportunity to learn, I was really interested in doing so,” says Kutzera. “I can visualize things based on my Geography background, which makes the things I pay attention to a little different from other people.”
When they chose their location downtown, they took only a few short months to get up and running.
“Though we couldn’t see what it would become then, something about this space was definitely special,” Nenni says. “We did much of the build-out ourselves and so many of these details were selected by us. It is part of what makes it special; we literally built it.”
The design of the bar space reminds many visitors of a trendy, big-city bar, with the added small-town charm of getting to know the owners as soon as you walk in.
“Our concept came from a place of enjoying entertaining for our friends and having parties; we needed a space to do that which wasn’t my house but felt like my house,“ says Nenni. “Our back table is called the ‘kitchen table,’ because it is close to our area where we make our limited food menu, including our tasty grilled cheeses.”
When you visit, whether for one of their packed monthly wine dinners or just for a quiet glass of late-afternoon wine, you’ll find the owners and guests in a long-term conversation about wine. For instance, when the topic of great wines to bring to a dinner party comes up, they will have some excellent carry-out suggestions.
“Right now for white wine drinkers, we recommend the Vouvray,” Kutzera says. “It’s a crowd pleaser, an off-dry wine that both fans of sweet wine and fans of dry wines will like. It’s also something you probably won’t find anywhere else around here.”
They can also recommend crowd-pleasing wines for red wine drinkers; many of their wines are incredibly affordable, ranging from $10 to $20 for a wide variety of unusual, boutique choices.
“Not enough people are drinking Grenache,” Kutzera says. “We should be drinking more Spanish Grenache because they are just as good as Cabernets, if not more complex and better, and often they are cheaper.”
When you aren’t sure what kind of wine you are in the mood for, the West Central wine experts will triangulate based on your other favorite flavors.
“We can help you find something based on a food or beverage you enjoy,” Nenni says. “I can recommend something we have that you would like based on a wine you’ve liked in the past.”
“We offer flights of half glasses, for if you can’t decide,“ Kutzera adds. “But we also want to help you find a glass of wine you really like.”
While no current plans have been made, Kutzera sees the potential for future expansion; she’s certainly thought about it.
“The thing about our place, is we’re genuine,” says Kutzera. “We work hard to create an environment of knowing peoples’ names, and we love having great relationships with our customers. If we can find the Monica & Mel of Hamilton, we absolutely would love to open a second location in Hamilton.”
Both partners want others to join the wine conversation, whether they are living just down the block or here in Hamilton. To learn more about their upcoming special events, check out West Central Wine on Facebook or at www.westcentralwine.com.