For all the ballyhoo about our city’s globally competitive wining/dining scene, bars specifically devoted to wines are few and far between. That’s why I’m pleased to announce the recent inauguration of Corazón de Tinto, a new wine bar set in a corner of Terminal Juárez, the latest and coolest “gourmet food hall” to have opened and a place I like to go to eat.

Partner Valentino Peralta (of the late Kerouac) a serious oenophile, and sommelier Pablo Mata (once at Pujol) have curated an impressive list of national and international wines, with an emphasis on Iberia. Prices range from wallet friendly ($350 for a bottle of decent Argentine—single glasses for as low as $65—to impress-your-date splurge options. The current list features a glass or bottle of a very nice Nero d’Avola/Nerello from Sicily, Borgho Selene Mascallese at the low end and, at the top of the price ladder, a hard to find Cabernet/Franc from Argentina, El Enemigo.

The corner seating area and bar have been transformed by designer Sebastian Manterola from the cold industrial, metal-heavy garage space it really is, to a warm, wood-lined haven accented by an artistically designed green wall. Seating ranges from comfortable sofas, to bar stools to tables for up to 6 spaciously set apart. 

This is an adult bar, refreshingly free of self-conscious hipster-ism, suitable for relaxed conversation. It might even be labeled ‘bobo’, as the French say, that is, Bohemian Bourgeois. But I like that in a bar.

Corazón de Tinto
Terminal Juárez
Versalles 88, upper level (see map)
Open daily (including Sunday) from 1 p.m. to 12 a.m.