A new family-owned wine bar in Mount Rainier, the first of its kind for the Route 1 corridor, is preparing for a soft launch by the beginning of November.
The Hyattsville Wire got a sneak peek inside the Era Wine Bar at 3300 Rhode Island Ave., a few doors down from Pennyroyal Station.
The interior is completely new and spacious with a modern international decor. There’s a large seating and bar area on the main floor, a smaller private bar in the back along with a members-only cellar which includes private temperature-controlled wine lockers. And there’s already a few chairs and tables set up outside on the sidewalk for outdoor seating.
Michelle Grant, co-owner with her husband Ka-ton, when asked about what kinds of wine would be on the menu, told the Wire they were big on “gateway” wines as a means to encourage people to try new things.
“I’m really excited about our Petillant Natural (sparkling) Malbec, our Chilean Chardonnay, and our red blends from Turkey and Uruguay,” she said.
Era will serve wine from countries like Bulgaria, Georgia and Croatia with more than 15 countries represented on its “by the glass” menu alone. Michelle said the most surprising find she’s had stocking up on wine for the opening has been about the variety of high-quality wine available from different regions at a favorable price point.
In addition to an extensive wine menu, Era will also feature internationally inspired small plates.
“We want to highlight common threads in ingredients that are shared around the world,” Michelle said. “Plates with simple ingredients that are packed with flavors are the goal. Some of my favorites are Mom’s samosas, our Greek lamb sliders, and of course our Moroccan Tagine.”
As for opening the wine bar, Michelle said it’s been a process that’s required a lot of patience.
“As all other businesses, we faced a lot of challenges completing an entire buildout during the pandemic. We’ve experienced delays across the board, supply chain issues, and drastic price increases for raw materials, food products, and wine,” she said. “We’ve had to exercise a lot of patience, and rely on the support of the City of Mount Rainier, many friends in the industry, etc. to get things done. We’ve also had overwhelming support from our local community and neighborhood.”
Era Wine Bar will offer club memberships in two tiers: Cru and Grand Cru, where members get discounts on every visit and access to its “meet the winemaker” events as well as discounts on cellar rental fees for private events. Its members-only cellar includes custom-made wine-lockers, which come with an annual memberships. In addition, Era will offer members wine courses and other special programs.
Currently, Michelle and Ka-ton are knee-deep with final inspections and are currently hiring with training getting underway. When they open, reservations will be available on opentable.com.
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