Andy Kohn, his wife, Dee Dee Kohn, and Chris LaRocca are already acquainted with wine as minority owners of Chandler Hill Vineyards in Defiance, Mo. Now, the trio is working to bring a unique wine experience to St. Louis with their newest venture, EdgeWild Winery & Restaurant.
The 10,000-square-foot restaurant and winery, slated to open this November at 550 Chesterfield Center, in the space formerly occupied by Bahama Breeze, will be a bonded winery, which enables EdgeWild to both age wine on premises as well as acquire wine and sell it under the EdgeWild label.
The winery will be acquiring excess finished wines (all Parker-rated at 92 points or higher) from California wineries. It will also be contracting with winemakers to create custom-made wine for the EdgeWild label. Kohn explained that this direct route “cuts out the middlemen,” making it more affordable for patrons to enjoy a bottle of fine wine. Look for 75 percent of the 30 to 40 wines available at EdgeWild to be sold at less than $30 a bottle, with by-the-glass prices hovering between $5 and $6. Chandler Hill is the only other label that will be sold at EdgeWild.
Patrons of EdgeWild will be able to taste all that wine in numerous parts of the restaurant including the tasting bar, dining areas, a covered porch, a fire pit and, on special occasions, the barrel room and private dining area. There will also be a retail space near the entrance by the tasting bar, where wine and culinary-related items will be sold.
As for the menu, according to LaRocca, wine will shine as a culinary ingredient and pair well with dishes that are creative yet “not intimidating.” Among other things, watch for flatbreads and whole grain pizzas coming out of a wood-fired pizza oven. Nutritional breakdown for every item will be printed on the restaurant’s menu.
Joining LaRocca in designing the menu are Jason Tilford and Aaron Baggett, both of whom have worked with LaRocca for the launch of restaurants such as Kota Wood Fire Grill and Triumph Grill. Tilford also designed the menus at Tortillaria and Milagro Modern Mexican with his brother, Adam Tilford, and owns Barrister’s in Clayton. Baggett, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, will assume the executive chef position at EdgeWild.
This article appears in Sep 1-30, 2011.