Wine Shops: Kafka Wine Co.
By Lisa Shames in Food on Sep 5, 2007 8:00PM
Even if Joe Kafka’s Boston Terrier Beaker wasn’t so darn cute, we’re sure people would have a hard time resisting his even cuter Boystown wine shop Kafka. OK, we admit normally “cute” and “wine” aren’t two words we would want to see together. Then again, we normally don’t associate “cheap, easy and fun” with buying wine, but that’s this four-year-old shop’s motto, and with 250 wines under $15 and the rotating special of 12 wines for $100, they’re sticking to it.
But Kafka’s is more than just a cheapo wino’s idea of heaven. First off, there’s the user-friendly way the wine is displayed. Instead of grouping bottles together by country or varietals, Kafka keeps it simple and organizes them by flavor profiles — fruity, spicy, floral, toasty, etc. — in easy-to-reach wood racks. Then there is the wine selection itself, which is well thought out and includes quality wines from all over the world. If you still can’t figure out what you’re looking for, the friendly, i.e., non-intimidating, staff can definitely help. Just let them know what kind of food you’ll be having — with all the BYOBs in the hood, they’re used to it — and they can direct to the right grape. Or, just wander the tiny shop and check out the tip cards or Polaroids from satisfied customers — “My favorite white in the store,” “Perfect sushi wine” — posted on some of the bottles. And if you’re anything like us and can never remember that great wine you had the last time — we suppose writing it down would be a good option — ask to have your purchases recorded in Kafka’s database.
You can improve your wine knowledge with Kafka’s First Fridays wine tastings, which at $15 often sell out, or their architectural boat tour/wine tastings ($58, two hours), which thankfully don’t have a test at the end.
Kafka is located at 3325 N. Halsted, 773-975-WINE. Open Mon.-Sat. noon-10 p.m., Sun. noon-7 p.m.
(As part of our goal to learn more about wine, Chicagoist is always on the hunt for interesting wine shops, classes and events. If you know of any great grape nuts, please let us know.)