Union Kitchen Crowned Winner for Best Wine Selection in Connecticut
February 6, 2023
We are thrilled to announce that Union Kitchen made the list on Connecticut Magazine’s annual report of Best Restaurants 2023. Union Kitchen won the category of best wine selection statewide and for Hartford County. The recognition comes on the back of a successful year for the restaurant with a first Wine Spectator award of excellence in August 2022.
Our general manager and wine director, Vish has put together a comprehensive list that represents smaller, boutique producers. “Last year, when I first started assembling the list, my focus was to highlight winemakers who produced bottles in the thousands not in the millions.” he said. The response was overwhelmingly positive. The wine list has since grown from 95 labels to over 200. “There is a real appetite in the area for fine wine and I wanted to capture that energy and enthusiasm in our wine list. If you were to take a grape as humble as Chardonnay, we have classic expressions from Burgundy, California and the Jura. We also have an orange Chardonnay blended with Tocai Friulano from a standout producer on the Italy-Slovenia border. I am down to my last bottle!” Vish added.
PERFECT PAIRINGS
With Chef Tim East taking over the reins in the kitchen, our general manager felt he could continue expanding the list. “Tim’s palate and style of cooking encourages both classic and adventurous drinking. You can lean into our Italian and Burgundy selection to pair with classics like bolognese and honey lavender duck. Dishes like the wild mushroom chawanmushi and hickory smoked squash encourage a peak into our minimal intervention section including fun wines with skin contact and more expressive flavors,” Vish said.
THE STORY MATTERS
A highlight of the restaurant is the $65 tasting menu which includes wine pairings. Vish isn’t scared to challenge perceptions – the first course is an Indian inspired coconut and pumpkin soup with the fortified Portuguese wine, Madeira. “Soup and Verdelho is an everyday pairing on the sub-tropic island off the coast of North Africa, but perhaps novel in New England.
The bottom line is that the story is important, but the food, wine and pairing has to be delicious. I could tell you about a winemaker from a village of 92 people in the Piedmont who went against the grain growing Nebbiolo in a region known for Barbera. But if the wine isn’t going to blow you away, I’m not doing my job,” Vish said. The wine he is talking about is the Malidea from winemaker Fabrizio Iuli available by the glass and on the tasting menu.
LOOKING TOWARDS THE FUTURE
So, what does the future hold for Union Kitchen? “We’re going to continue hosting more wine dinners and tastings. In the near future, Thursday will be the day for half off wine bottles! So mark your calendars,” Vish said.