Verve Wine Bar & Cellar

Columbia City is truly a neighborhood to watch. New spots are joining already established locations and the reasons for visiting are escalating. Verve Wine Bar, owned by Cynthia Sisk* and Kate Bond, is joining the community, offering a relaxed, sophisticated atmosphere where people can learn about wine and food/wine pairing.

Kate and Cynthia met years ago when they both worked in public health research at Group Health’s Center for Health Studies. Kate wanted a career change and moved on to renovating houses. Cynthia stayed at Group Health where she worked as an administrator in Preventive Care until a year ago. She also became a psychotherapist and still has a limited private practice. They lost touch after Kate left Group Health.

In the meantime, Kate developed an interest in wine and started taking winemaking classes at the Northwest Wine Academy at South Seattle Community College. Cynthia has always loved to cook and came to a love of wine through food and pairing. They were hanging out at Portalis Wine Shop + Wine Bar in Ballard a lot. Cynthia told owner Jens Strecker she "wanted to be like him when she grew up." (As an ironic aside, Jens was an anesthesiologist and emergency room doctor in Germany—what is it with people in the medical industry setting up wine bars?).

Cynthia also took classes at the Northwest Wine Academy and met Lenny Rede who was an instructor. Lenny was the original owner of Sapphire on Queen Anne and has a long history in the restaurant industry. He is currently the wine manager at the Queen Anne Metropolitan Market and continues to teach at South Seattle. He is acting as Cynthia and Kate’s business consultant (as he did for the Poco Wine Room on Capitol Hill). "He provides practical advice from experience and keeps us focused," explains Cynthia.

As their interest and education in wine increased, they started thinking that opening a wine bar would be a very good idea. "It seemed like a good idea at the time," laughs Cynthia. She had been looking at houses in Columbia City and realized the neighborhood could use a wine bar. Kate had moved into the neighborhood two blocks from the wine bar. "This was actually the first space we looked at, then we looked at buying a building, then we came back to this."

The space will have lots of natural light from large windows, a half wall with seating on one side, a "lounge-y" space and a wine bar/food counter where you can sip and eat. Once they open the outside patio, they’ll be the only off-Rainier business with outdoor dining. Kate has been acting as general contractor and has hired "carpenters that rock!" Interior items have come from local folks—Mary McKinley of Columbia City is doing the upholstery; Flux Design in SoDo did the globe lighting over the main room; David Smith, owner of Blowing Sands Gallery in Ballard created the blown-glass lights over the counter.

"We’ll have rotating art as well," says Cynthia. "We plan on exhibiting gallery-quality art. Our first artist will be David W. Simpson who does prints of driftwood. They’re really interesting and different and will look beautiful in Verve." There will be an artist reception for David on Saturday, April 7, at 6:00 p.m.

Wines will be local (US as well as Washington specifically) and international. They will offer over 100 wines at good value; stock will change frequently. "We want to keep it wide open," explains Cynthia, "and expose people to wine and beer from small producers and family-owned wineries. We will also carry a selection of Belgium-style ales. Wine education and wine and food pairing will be a focal point. We will also sell wine for off-site consumption."

While the menu will have typical wine fare like cheese plates, charcuterie, soups and salads, Verve’s menu will also feature crepes—vegetarian, sweet and savory options. Lenny assisted Kate and Cynthia with designing the menu and will continue to work with lead cook Garrett Michael Brown to keep the menu interesting.

On Tuesdays, they’ll be closed to the public but open for private functions like wine and food pairing dinners, beer and food pairing, private tastings and events, classes, member-only nights for wine club members, etc. They’re also planning Sangria Fridays and monthly afternoon tastings. "We’re going to plan some events for the neighborhood moms as well," says Kate. Verve will also participate in Columbia City’s Beat Walk on the first Friday of the month from May through October.

For now, watch for an early April opening, then the patio opening followed by weekend brunch. They will open at 11 a.m. with a limited menu, offering a great place to meet with friends, relax over a glass of wine and learn more about the food and wine world. The full menu will be available starting at 4 p.m. Verve Wine Bar & Cellar offers just one more way to enjoy Columbia City.

*Editor's note: as of early June 2007, Cynthia Sisk is no longer an owner. Kate Bond is the sole owner and proprietor.

March/April 2007

  Return to the HOME PAGE       This online magazine is a production of Mixed Media.