Wine News
Woman-owned wine lounge with self-serve pours premieres in The Colony
Self-serve dispenser at Simply Unwine.
A woman-owned wine bar and lounge is now serving wine with a twist in The Colony: Called Simply Unwine, it opened in May at 5701 SH-121 #110 in a cute little center off South Colony Boulevard, where it's offering wine by the glass or bottle, plus a menu of sharable plates and bites.
Simply Unwine is from nurse Whitney Adams and spa owner Aairika Kelly, whose goal is to provide a space for other minority-owned brands.
"We wanted to make sure we knew the backstory of all the wines, whether it's small business-owned, Hispanic-owned, Persian, different ethnicities and minorities," Adams says. "We were really big on understanding the backstory of where those wines originated and who are the owners and the winemakers behind them."
Many of the wines and drinks are from local and Texas brands, although they also feature out-of-state offerings such as Tattoo Girl, a Riesling from Washington state, and Her, a Chenin Blanc from Adama Wines, a female-run startup based in from Wellington, South Africa.
In addition to highlighting small and minority-owned beverages, Simply Unwine has a unique self-serve wine dispenser concept, allowing guests to serve themselves two- to six-ounce pours, with 28 bottles distributed across three dispenser machines. Guests use a wine card linked to their debit or credit, and it's limited to two hours to prevent excess.
"And we restrict the pour to 10 ounces just to regulate everything," Adams says. "So after that time limit or the ounces are met, you would have to get your card refreshed and that gives the staff a chance to evaluate."
A glass of wine can range from $10 to $28. In addition to wine, they also offer beers, seltzers, and even mocktails.
The food is a tapas-style menu, focusing on small plates rather than huge entrees, with dishes such as marinated chicken lollipops, truffle deviled eggs, peel-and-eat shrimp, roasted red pepper hummus, and charcuterie boards. They'll rotate the menu, updating food and wine every six months. Their chef Kyana Rocheleau once cooked for President Barack Obama while serving in the military, and has also worked at The Landings Country Club and Ruth’s Chris.
Their hours are Wednesday-Sunday 3-11 pm, and until midnight on weekends. They're also hosting special events on Saturdays and Sundays, featuring DJs, brunch, or the occasional flower arrangement class.
