Buzz Without the Buzzwords

Leave your winespeak at the door. At Uncorked: The Unpretentious Wine Bar, no one's checking your viticultural references.

Heading out to Uncorked: etc., etc., I'm feeling humbled over how wrong I can sometimes be. If that seems an odd admission for a restaurant reviewer to make, take it as testimony to the truth that any opinion- no matter how informed- is still just an opinion. After all, it was me who perceived serious flaws in the business plan of Uncorked's owner, Ali Amundson, back in the days before her wine bar was born, when she and I merely dreamed proprietary dreams while waiting tables together at Kierland's snazzy Zinc Bistro.

For starters, I hated the name. Like serious dog breeders who attach run-on titles like Rufus Regal Red Pencil to some champion sire's pet name, Ali's choice struck me as an exercise in TMI. As for the implied mission statement, I wondered if it might offend many of the very customers wine hangs court; those viticulturally verbose types who take at least as much pleasure from digesting wine with conversation as they do in the literal sense.

Happily for Ali and husband Tim, folks haven't been put off by either the marquee or the message since the venture came to life, and corks have been popping in Uncorked's friendly confines like so much kettle corn ever since. So, regardless of whatever I sample from the menu, I remind myself, a glass of something that complements the taste of crow may be in order as well.

What impresses me from the get-go are good directions to Uncorked found on its website (uncorkedwinebar.com). As advertised, I find the place in a corporate center courtyard, just south of that big, blue spire spiked on the southeast corner of Frank Lloyd Wright and Scottsdale Roads. As congested a corner of commerce as this is, the precise roadmap comes in handy.

On a hot, sunny May afternoon, I can't see getting comfortable on the exposed patio. Inside, there's more than just AC contributing to a much cooler air. Making the best of a wine-in-a-box space, Uncorked's halved into proper bar and dining/lounging areas. The former boast comfy, contoured barstools lining a crescent bar great for gazing around without goose-necking. The latter's like an Ethan Allen showroom, with an admirable inventory of armchairs, tables, sofas, and loveseats laid out in tasteful arrangements. Walls brushed with burnt orange, brick red, and Goldenrod cast the ambience in an almost autumnal light. Twinkling, stained glass lanterns hung from the high ceiling by almost invisible wiring seem to hover overhead like the dining hall special effects in Harry Potter movies.

While I'm starting to feel the magic, Uncorked's virtually unoccupied when I pop in just before five on a Monday. Aside from me, there are only a few other early birds pecking at small plates and dipping into the fifty-plus wine selections and ten-finger assortment of beers. I don't suppose concepts like this make much hay while the sun still shines, but I'm told folks craving catered, group luncheons have begun flocking here, as have the real housewives of Maricopa County, who love washing down their greens and gossip with a good Pinot Grigio.

Cued by the warm weather, I ask lovely, laugh-a-minute Alex (she's a longtime friend, and Uncorked's manager) to pair a flight tasting of white wines appropriate to my order of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheesecake ($8). Flight #3, "White and Fruity" ($14), touches down moments later, on a placemat outlining the three labels I'll be sampling. When my food arrives, I mix and match. A sip of One Last Kiss, a Muscat-sweetened, seven grape blend, washes well with the sharpness of the savory cheesecake. Foxy, a crisp, floral cuvee of Chenin Blanc and Viognier complements, too, as I chomp accompanying crostini and fresh pear. Once I've had my fill, the frizzante of an Argentine something-or-other pleasantly surprises and refreshes. As gorgeous as she is, belive me, Alex isn't just eye candy. This girl can juggle her grapes.


Sadly, the kitchen can't manage the same balancing act with my poached pear salad ($10). It never rises above a monotone of base flavors. Julienne tomatoes are waxy. Belgian endive sings a predictably bitter note, and too many toasted hazelnuts turn my greens to near-granola. Tossed with gobs of sherry vinaigrette-stifling goat cheese, there's no harmony to the orchestration, rendering its port- infused centerpiece a solitary saving grace.


On the other hand, let me lead the choir in singing praises for Uncorked's KC Sliders ($12). Four ethereal focaccia buns proffer ground beef patties redolent with garlic and earthy portobello mushroom. Crowned with crisp pancetta, wine-braised onions, and molten bleu and Parmesan cheeses, it's a cult classic transfigured into a more high-minded munchie than Harold and Kumar ever envisioned. Dude, this is the perfect food.


Sampling some reds on a subsequent visit, I hop on flight 11, "Syrahz (sic)" ($14). Whetting my appetite, Australia's Layer Cake is a fruit-forward shiraz (dare I say, jammy, Ali?). By comparison, a French Tortoise Creek Syrah is all old world austerity and astringency, while a Rosenblum (California) version of the same varietal strikes a balance between the two, with more roundness ans softer tannins. Take that, Robert Parker.

Famished after taking such exhaustive tasting notes, I perceive my oven flatbread a feast for the eyes. Four models run $8-$9. Mine- gilded with garlic, goat cheese, roasted red pepper, and ribbons of fresh-cut basil, tastes good as gold. Left to bake, brown, and crisp just a bit longer, it would've been more the gem.

By the time dessert's dished out, my trio of reds have had time to loosen their belts and breathe. They each make their own music with my Blackberry jam tart and vanilla bean ice cream ($7). Taken together, it's a warm, fuzzy finish a la mode. And while I regret not getting around to one Ali's cheese plate presentations ($16), I promise myself a return visit on some Wednesday when they're all five bucks cheaper (Uncorked's "Hump Day Special").

Having taken a second opportunity to review the Uncorked blueprint, I can't but help admire Ali's chutzpah. She's more than chased her dream, she run with it.

You go, girl.

Uncorked: The Unpretentious Wine Bar

16427 North Scottsdale Rd., Suite 130
Scottsdale, AZ 85254
480-699-9230
http://www.uncorkedwinebar.com/