If you’re a wine lover and you’re visiting the Paris of the Plains, you’re certainly in for a treat! Along with its steak, barbecue, and jazz, the best wine bars in Kansas City Missouri, in 2020, will surely keep you entertained.
In this article, we’ll take a peek at KCMO’s colorful wine bars where you can swirl, sniff, and clink. We’ll also review their wine varieties as well as the culinary offerings they pair with their booze.
Here are seven of the best wine bars in Kansas City, Missouri, in 2020, you may want to check out the next time you visit the City of Fountains.
Tannin Wine Bar & Kitchen
Tannin Wine Bar & Kitchen describes itself as a “food-obsessed wine bar” and a “wine-obsessed restaurant.” And if you love wine and food, that can never be a bad thing! This bar is nestled in Kansas City’s Crossroads District. So it’s an easy walk from some of the city’s popular tourist destinations, including the Kauffman Center and the Sprint Center.
If you like your wine fizzy, they have a good menu of sparkling, including Ca’ dei Zago “Col Fondo” Prosecco from Veneto, Italy, and Gamay & Poulsard Domaine de la Dentelle from Bugey-Cerdon, France.
For whites, they have a vast selection of Rieslings, Chardonnays, and Sauvignon Blancs. If reds are your choice, on the other hand, they have delicious bottles from France, Italy, Germany, Argentina, and South Africa. But not everyone is a fan of dry wines. In that case, you might enjoy their sweet and fortified wines, mostly from Spain and Portugal.
If you’re in for a culinary experience, check out their three-course prix-fixe menu, which comes with an option for a half glass or full glass wine pairing. For the main course, you can choose from 21 days dry-aged ribeye, grilled salmon, Moulard duck breast, and quinoa. You can also add an individual cheese course if you wish.
Ça Va
As Kansas City is also known as Paris of the Plains, a Midwestern French Bistro in the city makes sense. En Francais, Ça Va is an informal greeting similar to “hello” or “what’s up,” the bar is a great combination of modern and high-class.
If you’re in a celebratory mood, a trip to this bar will be well worth it. In fact, their tagline is “champagne for the people,” so it’s undoubtedly a great place to pop, fizz, and clink. Their large format wines range from Tendil & Lombardi’ Axiome’ Brut, which costs $120 to a luxurious Vilmart Grand Cellier d’Or (double magnum), which will set you back $650. Aside from these large-format offerings, they also have more affordable to-go bubbly bottles that range from $15 to $45.
If you’re on a conservative budget and just want a nice glass of wine during happy hour, they also got you covered. They have $6 drink specials such as Prosecco, Sparkling Rosé, Moscato, Chardonnay, Lillet Blanc, Rose, and rouge Spritz.
Ça Va also offers excellent choices for customers looking to enjoy sumptuous food. They have lovely comfort French food like butternut squash bisque, le Croque, and pastrami on rye. You can pair these delicious grub with their vast selection of wines, many of which are imported from France.
Novel
Located in East Crossroads Arts District of the city, Novel offers a sophisticated drinking and dining experience popular among locals and tourists. The highlight of their dining interiors is a fifty-foot long tile mosaic and an open kitchen. Their 18-seater granite bar offers a stunning view of the outdoor patio made beautiful by the greeneries. But the beautiful interior is just a bonus; the main highlight of this bar is its superb selection of wines and mouth-watering food.
Novel offers a carefully-curated collection of sparklings, whites, reds, and rosé by the glass or by the bottle. Their wines are mostly sourced from producers in Europe, such as Spain, Italy, France, Germany, Austria, Czech, Slovenia. Likewise, they also offer wines produced across the US.
Visit this restaurant if you’re craving for an exquisite meal that will take you on a gastronomic adventure. Some of their sumptuous entree offerings include Grilled Lamb Rack, Dry Aged Prime KC Strip Steak, and Faroe Islands Salmon. They also have a heavenly dessert menu that includes a delicious Pistachio Cream Pie and gourmet Upside-Down Carrot Cake.
Afterword Tavern & Shelves
Who says books only go well with coffee? Afterword Tavern & Shelves takes pride in being a “refuge for the thirsty and inquisitive of Kansas City.” It describes itself as “a bookshop that sells booze and a bar that sells books.” It’s a place where you can get your literary fix along with a glass or two of your favorite red. Talk about channeling your inner Hemingway!
Compared to other wine bars, Afterword’s selection is much simpler but lovely just the same. Their sparkling and rose selections include Italian Lambrusco, Spanish Cava Brut, and local Blanc de Blancs. Their whites and reds, on the other hand, are mostly sourced locally or from California or Nevada. If you’re in the mood for high-quality booze, ask for their reserve wine list, and you’ll be in for a treat.
This is a great place to hang out in even with non-wine drinkers. They also offer beers and cocktails.
Parlor KC
If you like options when drinking and dining, Parlor KC will be worth a visit. It’s a curation of culinary concepts, paired with drinks such as craft beer, inventive cocktails, and of course, wine.
Parlor’s sparkling selection includes Italian Moscato and Prosecco, as well as Spanish Cava. Their reds feature a mix of bottles from France, Portugal, Germany, California, and Oregon. They also have French Rosé Blend and Spanish Mencía Rosado for those who prefer their wine pink. Aside from wines, Parlor also has an extensive list of cocktails, shots, beers, and ciders.
Perhaps one of the best features of this food hall is that you’ll never run out of choices. Aside from Parlor Bar itself, there are seven food concessionaires, each offering a unique culinary specialty. So, you can sip your Douro Tinto with a slab of ribs, a Burrata pan pizza, and a board of Tuna Tataki. Everyone’s on a food trip, and no one will judge you.
Cellar Rat
Cellar Rat is a wine shop and not a bar, but it surely deserves to be on this list! They offer a curated collection of over 1,200 wines so you’ll surely find something you’ll love. If too many choices overwhelm you, however, their staff can help you get a bottle that will suit your taste.
Their wine selection comes from all over the world. They also offer bottles from Artisan producers who treat winemaking not just as a science but as an art. Check out their website if you’re in the mood to discover more about winemaking. They have an array of wine tastings and events, as well as public and private classes. You’ll definitely enjoy a wine-centered activity led by their experts and attended by wine lovers like you.
They also host private events. Every guest will surely enjoy a gathering that’s educational, entertaining, and will tickle their senses. They work hard to tailor-fit the events to your needs and taste. So, they’re a favorite venue for corporate events as well as personal celebrations.
Aside from wine, they also have more than 300 spirits, 200 beers, making it a one-stop-shop for everyone, even non-wine drinkers.
Amigoni Urban Winery
Amigoni Urban Winery is a haven for wine lovers visiting KCMO. They produce small quantities of wines in the Stockyards District. They mostly focus on traditional varieties from Europe, such as Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, and Viognier. Because they produce wines, they offer a unique wine experience enthusiasts are sure to enjoy.
They offer wine tastings from Tuesday to Sunday at $8 for five pre-selected wines. Visitors can also add extra wines to the selection for $1 or $2 each. They also offer beer selections in case someone in your group prefers ale over Pinot Grigio. You can also order small plates to go with your wines. They offer local cheeses, bread, and spreads, which is a great way to discover more of KC’s flavors.
If you want to immerse deeper in Kansas City’s wine culture, you can avail of a cellar experience that costs $30 per person for a minimum of 6 people. You’ll get to tour their production facility and discover their grape-to-bottle winemaking process. It also comes with a private tasting with an expert who will give you tips on how you can best enjoy every glass.
Aside from the wine tasting and cellar experience, they also offer a class about the art of the senses. This will gear you to hone your sense of smell, and spot certain flavors in various types of wine.
There it is! The best wine bars in Kansas City Missouri, in 2020. But don’t take our word for it. Go out there, order your favorite red with a slow-smoked Kansas City-style barbecue, and see for yourself if these wine bars hold up to your standards.
