Wine Wednesday anyone? If you’re looking for a spot that has a wine list to impress, don’t worry, we know just the place. Whether it’s for date night, a night out with your friends, or you just want to treat yourself, take a look at our list of restaurants and bars near Oak Park, Illinois.
These favorites are highly recommended by our residents:
Cooper's Hawk — Known nationwide for its wine, Cooper’s Hawk is a popular choice for wine lovers with its own tasting room. Not only do they have an incredible selection of wine in store but you can even sign up for one of their wine memberships — a wine club — that gets you monthly wines and early access to specialty wines.
Hemmingway's Bistro — A treasure tucked away along Oak Park Avenue, Hemmingway's Bistro has an incredible wine selection, along with an amazing menu. But what’s even better? Their Champagne brunch on Sunday, with a spread you won’t want to miss, and live jazz in the background.
The Little Gem Café — A lovely restaurant in downtown Oak Park, the Little Gem Café has exquisite taste, from their menu to their wine selection. Try one of their incredible dishes or a wine from their wine list that rotates based on the season.
Flight 22 Wine Bar — A local gem in Berwyn, Flight 22 Wine Bar is perfect for wine lovers. Not only do they have a great wine list with daily wine specials, but they also have gaming, so you can stop in after work, relax and enjoy. Or come by with friends!
fourteensixteen — A suburban restaurant with a big city feel, fourteensixteen in LaGrange is the perfect spot for any occasion. Their modern interior, great menu and reserve wine list have something for everyone.
Posto 31 — When it comes to wine, there’s nothing better than pairing it with a delicious plate of pasta. Which means there’s no wonder why Posto 31 in La Grange Park is a great choice. In addition to their great wine selection, you can also find a menu with hand crafted pastas and delicious appetizers for everyone.
Cork Wine Bar — Beloved by locals, Cork Wine Bar started off with some friends that wanted a place to go to have a chat and a glass of wine. But they didn’t want something that felt overly fancy. More like friends catching up in your living from. And from there, Cork Wine Bar was born. There, you can try a glass, or even do a little wine tasting with flight of wine. It’s a great place to go by yourself or as a group.
La Barra — If you find yourself in Riverside and are looking for wine, La Barra is the place to go. A local favorite, La Barra has incredible Italian food that is paired with incredible wine. You can enjoy it by the glass, the bottle, or on Sundays, you can even enjoy bottomless mimosas from 10 to 2.
Let’s be honest. Although many of us appreciate a glass of red or white, there’s no shame in admitting we don’t totally know what the different types of wine are. We can’t all be sommeliers — that French word for someone who knows a lot about wine.
To improve your wine education, stop in at Oak Park’s Anfora Wine Merchants, which is more like an enoteca — the Italian term meaning ‘wine library’ — than a mere wine shop. They will help you build your vocabulary, suggest upcoming events to taste more wines, and answer trickier questions, like which wines work best at a BBQ, how to remove red wine stains with a bit of seltzer, or why someone might prefer wines from California’s Napa or Sonoma valleys?
So, how do you like your wine? You’ll usually find them broken down by reds or whites, of course. But first, here are a few terms that might be helpful to know.
Body — When it comes to wine, talking about its body refers to its weight, meaning how heavy it feels in your mouth. The body of a wine is determined by a combination of things, including tannins, extracts, alcohol, glycerol, acidity, and residual sugars.
Dry — You’ll often hear of wine referred to as wine, but what does that actually mean? If a wine is described as dry, it means there is little to no sugar content, meaning they typically aren’t as sweet.
Sweet — Contrary to popular belief, or at least in our case, the opposite of dry is not wet, it’s actually sweet. And like I’m sure you guessed, a sweet wine has a higher amount of residual sugar, which means it is much sweeter than a dry wine.
White wines
Chardonnay
A popular choice among white wine drinkers, Chardonnay is a dry, medium- to full-bodied white wine that typically has citrus flavors and often a hint of butterscotch, vanilla, or toasted caramel from the oak.
Its white grape, Burgundy, was planted in large quantities for the first time in France, hence its French sounding name. A Chardonnay is best paired with seafood, like lobster or crab, or chicken, and soft cheese like brie.
Pinot Grigio
Another top contender for white wines is pinot grigio. This is a light-bodied white wine that also has citrus flavor, but also has additional notes like apple, pear, or white floral flavors. Its grape is planted heavily in Italy, but also France and Germany. It is best paired with salads, fish and mild cheeses.
Sauvignon Blanc
Sauvignon Blanc is a light- to medium- bodied white wine that was first widely planted in France. This wine can be tart, and is heavily citrus driven, with some exotic fruit notes such as honeydew melon, passion fruit, or kiwi, as well as herbs such as mint. It is best paired with fish, chicken, pork, goat cheese, or nutty cheese such as gruyere.
Red wine
Cabernet Sauvignon
First up on our list of reds is the cabernet sauvignon, sometimes referred to as a cab sauv. This full-bodied red wine comes from grapes that were first heavily planted in the Bordeaux region of France, and it is widely considered the post popular wine variety in the world. This wine is paired well with lamb, beef, smoked meats, firm cheese like aged cheddar, and hard cheese like pecorino.
Pinot Noir
Another favorite among red drinkers in pinot noir. This lighter-bodied red wine has notes of cherries and cranberries, as well as floral notes such as rose. It is a dry wine with a grape that was first widely planted in France. This wine typically has a high acidity. It is paired well with chicken, pork, veal, duck, cream sauces, and soft cheese.
Zinfandel
A zinfandel is a medium- to full-bodied red wine that has different fruit notes, from nectarines, to cherries, and even plums. This wine originated in Croatia, and can have a spicy finish. A zinfandel comes from a red grape but also has a pink variation, white zinfandel. It is a versatile wine that goes well with chicken, pork, lamb, beef, or first cheese.
And keep in mind that there are many white and red blends of wine, meaning different types of grapes have been mixed together at varying percentages to improve the overall flavor of the finished product.
Sparkling
When it comes to sparkling wines, there’s two common one’s you'll likely heard of. Which is better? That’s up to you to decide.
Champagne
First up is potentially the most commonly known sparkling wine, Champagne. It originated and is exclusive to the Champagne region of France, located in the northeast near Paris. The primary flavors in Champagne are citrus, cherry, white peach, toast, and almond. The aging process creates fine bubbles.
Prosecco
Another increasingly popular sparkling wine is Prosecco. This wine originates from the village of Prosecco in northeastern Italy, near the city of Trieste. Prosecco has a more flowery and fruity taste than Champagne due to the grapes, and has lighter flavors of tropical fruits, vanilla, and hazelnut. Because of the fermentation process, this wine has lighter bubbles.
So for any of the wine lovers in your life, meet us for a glass and let us know what you think of our favorites places for wine lovers near Oak Park, Illinois.