A new wine bar takes flight downtown

Talk about a job switch. Dan Post and Karl Heltsley have moved from recruiting corporate workers to procuring wine drinkers at their new wine bar, Cork & Co. (308 Congress Ave., 474-2675). As Post put it, "We were disenchanted with what we were doing," so they decided to make a move into the food and beverage field, where Post had some experience as the owner of Bar Austin, a dance bar on Sixth Street. "We looked around and asked, 'What does Austin really need?' " Their conclusion: a nice wine bar.

Their Cork & Co. is both a wine flight bar and a retail store. In "wine flights," customers can taste several wines of the same type ? such as shiraz from Australia ? in smaller samples. Patrons also can buy bottles of any of the wines to take with them. Although the bar does not have a kitchen, it does use caterers to offer cheese plates and chocolate items that pair well with the wine. In addition, Cork & Co. offers activities, such as pizza and Italian wines on Monday nights, wine tastings and classes, with an emphasis on making the entry-level wine drinker feel comfortable.

Deborah Cannon
AMERICAN-STATESMAN