The Register-Herald, Beckley, West Virginia

Money

November 7, 2009

New Lewisburg wine bar offers Victorian ambiance

By Tina Alvey

LEWISBURG — Looking for the local time machine? Stroll up a narrow sidewalk tucked between two downtown buildings, turn the corner and open a carved oak door onto a slice of Victoriana at Hamilton’s Wine Bar.

Two handcrafted oak bars and a pair of cozy fireplaces set the tone, enhanced by rich leather upholstery and an exposed brick wall. A life-sized guillotine, complete with executioner and condemned prisoner, and a wooden confessional booth flank the fireplace in the bar’s rear room.

Located behind Robert’s Antiques, Hamilton’s unique setting offers customers the opportunity to enjoy a wide selection of domestic and imported wines, by the glass or bottle, as well as champagnes and a variety of beer selections.

One special feature, points out owner Robert Hamilton, is the sample pour, in which the customer can try out 2-ounce samples of each of three wines for $7.

A tapas menu changes daily and includes a selection of cheeses paired with gourmet crackers, along with such tempting fare as shrimp cocktail or ahi tuna. Various breads and olive oils round out the bar fare.

Occasional lunch specials are paired with wines, thanks to Hamilton’s expertise.

“I’ve been in wine retail for eight years,” he notes. “I’ve grown up with it pretty much.”

The wine bar grew organically out of the retail side, which he runs from the antique shop that faces Washington Street, Hamilton says.

“We did wine tastings in the shop, and I retail a lot of people at The Greenbrier,” he explains. “There was just no place in town to have a nice glass of wine where it’s relatively quiet, where you can just relax.”

Despite the presence of a large wall-mounted flat screen television behind one of the polished oak bars, Hamilton pledges the establishment won’t turn into a sports bar.

“I’m thinking about running my wine specials on the TV screen,” he says. “I can change it daily and let customers know what’s available each evening.”

The bar opens at 4 p.m. seven days a week. There is no exact closing time, Hamilton points out, saying, “It varies with the night. Sometimes it’s 11:30, sometimes later, depending on who’s here.”

Hamilton also plans to stage special events at the bar and to rent it out for private parties on occasion.

Expansion is in the works for Robert’s Antiques as well, he shares.

“The antiques are going to be in a separate area from the wine, and we’re opening a gourmet shop that will include wine,” Hamilton notes. “It’s kind of like a little complex of different shops. There’s nothing like it in Lewisburg.”

The wine bar’s grand opening is slated for Friday, Nov. 13, and will feature live music. Customers may follow the brick walkway just to the left of Robert’s Antiques around to the bar or park in the well-lighted lot just outside the bar’s entrance, accessed by an alley leading off Lafayette Street.

— E-mail: talvey@register-herald.com

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