Review: 3500 Winehaus Wine Bar and Marketplace in St. Louis

Certain drinks can ease your mind and improve your charm. For me, it’s a full glass of dark, robust, intensely flavored red wine – nothing too sweet or overly pungent. When it’s right, a good glass of red lets you instantly savor that light-in-the-head, warm-in-the-stomach feeling. The Lorca Fantasia Malbec – a rich Argentinean with a touch of oak flavor – is one of these. To judge for yourself, head south and grab a glass at 3500 Winehaus, Lindenwood Park’s newest (well, OK, first) wine bar. There’s a stool waiting for you.

This affable South City newcomer shatters the common misperception of wine bars as purveyors of stingy pours and cheap wholesale bottles marked up beyond belief. Winehaus is the real deal. Along with the Malbec in question, the bar serves as home to an impressive but not-too-intimidating collection of 85 bottles from a variety of international grapes. Likewise, the by-the-glass menu offers two dozen reds, whites and a handful of sparkling wines. Generous pours go for $6.50 to $9 a glass. Although the menu features quite a few unique vintages, it’s clear that Winehaus owners John and Marci Kuehner focus on keeping things approachable with a simple and thoughtfully chosen selection. 

Simple and thoughtfully chosen seems to sum up Winehaus as a whole, from the décor to the music, even the wait staff, who are friendly but not overbearing. Advertised as a wine bar and marketplace, it’s easy to imagine Winehaus as a retail center flush with racks and only a few measly stools thrown in. Thankfully this isn’t the case. Make no mistake folks, Winehaus is, first and foremost, a proper nighttime destination. If you didn’t know differently, you’d immediately assume from the décor that Winehaus was, like most of its neighbors, an Italian restaurant (which is the reason this place fits in so seamlessly with the neighborhood). The stone-floored, softly lit main room is lined with a handful of high-tops and an inviting wraparound couch hugging the corner windows. Hovering over the small center bar, a pair of boards announce the by-the-glass choices. Two patios are available: the front, which is covered during the winter and holds a dozen or so tables, and the rear, an open space for smokers with a fire pit and even a few blankets. Construction will soon be under way on a wine cellar for private parties.

The space, like the wine, is meant to promote socializing and sharing. Accordingly, the seats at Winehaus are often packed with friends and neighbors happy to imbibe at a spot unlike any other in the area. The crowd skews decidedly older, but that doesn’t keep out the 20- and 30-somethings, date-night couples and the gaggle of cute girls convening over a bottle or two of White Zinfandel.

To supplement the wine offerings, the Kuehners also feature a number of bottled beers: Goose Island 312, Hoegaarden, Matilda Belgium Ale. Although beer is not the focus here, the lack of local offerings on the list is one of Winehaus’ few shortcomings (A-B products are the only local choices). Also available are short lists of whiskeys, brandys and spiked coffees, along with a selection of cheese, sausage, hummus and other appetizers, some from local restaurants and purveyors.

Bottom line: Winehaus is one of South City’s best nighttime destinations. A comfortable spot, perfect for a first date or a meeting with friends, that’s less about designer bottles and more about why we come to bars in the first place – great booze and good conversation.

STL AFTER DARK
Check It: Lindenwood Park’s first proper wine bar
Hipster or Hoosier: Winos, post-dinner crowd, first daters, girls-night-out crews.
Suds or ’Tinis: Though beer is available, this place is all about the vino.
Where: 3500 Winehaus Wine Bar and Marketplace, 3500 Watson Road, St. Louis, 314.353.9463
When: Tue. and Wed. – 10 a.m. to 11 p.m., Thu. – 10 a.m. to midnight, Fri. and Sat. – 10 a.m. to 1:30 a.m.