The Corkscrew

This place is more my speed nowadays. Not too large so it won’t be crazy-I-can’t-hear loud. Came here after a club with some friends after we didn’t really feel it. Had a decently priced (read: on sale) malbec and went to town. It turned into a great catch-​up date with the gals.
Dark and romantic, I definitely see it as a potential date stop too. It’s not pretentious in décor or patrons which you will appreciate after checking out a few other wine bars.
I’m thinking I have a great little break spot in the Heights.
ETA: According to the Houston Biz Journal, they’ll be closing their doors Feb. 9^th. =/

Corkscrew is what I would call a manageable wine bar. It’s not pretentious, the crowd is laid back relative to other wine bars on Washington and elsewhere in Houston, there’s not a lot silicone, and there’s not a lot of men chasing silicone. This is a good place for friends to go and hang out with a bottle or couple of glasses of wine for a couple of hours to catch up. It’s also a good place for couples to hang either before dinner or afterwards.
Prices are reasonable compared to other wine bars. Glasses range from $ 7-​$ 12 and bottles from $ 20-​$ 50. There is a good selection of pours and bottles, and there is a small corking fee if you find a bottle you like and want to drink it there. Parking is ample in a secured lot across the street and there is a small parking lot patio facing Washington.
The only draw back is that when the bar is full, it can get pretty noisy. And while it may not have the people watching quotient of some other wine bars, Corkscrew isn’t a pick up bar. And that suits me just fine.

I’ll admit, I’m a novice when it comes to wine, and having previously dated a wine connoisseur for 7 years did me absolutely no good. Of all my «tastings,» I’ve found one wine that I truly love and I’ve stuck to it. Unfortunately, it’s a pseudo-​organic red that I have to order from California (Lolonis Orpheus 2005 Redwood Valley Petite Syrah). So when it came time to hold an annual girls’ night/​holiday get together with four of my dearest girlfriends, it was slightly nerve wracking that they delegated the task to picking a wine bar to little old me.
I had simple rules: must have a reasonably priced and broad wine selection, must have easy to find parking, and must permit five girls, swapping gifts, making an absolute gift-​wrapping mess all the while happily snapping away with our cameras. With those guidelines, I chose The Corkscrew.
It was not my first time at Corkscrew, and I knew that the ambiance would be perfect for our purposes. On this particular evening (two days before xmas), we found ourselves to be one of merely ⁴⁄₅ tables occupying the space. The side room (where all the couches were) was being occupied by a private party, and therefore we sat in the main room surrounded by the myriad of bottles.
I let my wine-​lover/​California-​transplant girlfriend pick a wine for me, and she chose a sweet Riesling. Honestly, I was too busy ooh-​ing, aah-​ing, laughing & crying over the gift swapping that the wine we drank just became background noise to me. We did take note that on the website, they had advertised ½ priced pizzas and paninis on Wednesdays. However, when it came time to order, the waitress told us that the paninis had been long gone and that the website was not up to date. Hmm… not exactly a good way to run a business, as owners should be well-​versed by now on the power of the internet & how much people rely on it. Disappointed, we did not end up ordering any food (we had a choice between truffles or pizzas… we ended up eating sushi instead afterwards).
I will echo a concern of some of the previous Unilocalers. It’s true that the service is slightly a-miss…not just this time, but previous times as well. Some of us were served at the table, while others had to continuously go up to the bar to order drinks. While this was not important to us for our purposes that night, I can see how this can deter some people from patronizing the place.
However, the positive points outweigh the negatives. I chose this place because I knew parking would be easy & safe (especially with 5 girls). The wines by the glass were reasonably priced. And lastly, no one in bar minded that for one night, five slightly inebriated girlfriends got to laugh, cry, hug, kiss, and take one million group pictures together. Thanks for the memories, Corkscrew.

What do you get when you have a cute wine bar minus the pretension + karaōke Thursdays?
CORKSCREW!
Corkscrew is one of those place where you can make it anything you want it to be (and that was their intention):
–wine-​ing it up with friends on the patio
–Getting CRAZY with friends in what I refer to as the party /​karaōke room
–sharing a bottle with a date in the dimly lit main room
The owners are always there and sooo welcoming! The one I met claims he doesn’t know everyone’s name, but he will never forget a face.
I was really pleased with the selection of wine and their great prices.
The only downside — their cheese plate was weak city (it came on a plastic plate with plastic knives and had no honey, jam, nor any exciting cheeses) — I will stick to 13 Celsius for that.

This end of Washington, the part close to downtown near where it becomes Franklin, is the only part of Washington worth venturing to. It’s not terribly developed. You don’t have to pay to park your car. You don’t have to endure people wearing their unoriginal Midtown costumes. It still has the sense of old, dangerous 6^th Ward, warehouse part of town that once ran rampant along this recently gentrified avenue. Safely dangerous, with decent bottles of wine at reasonable prices.
Not much has changed to the interior since it opened, save the addition of another room to the right of the bar. Bottles of wine line one wall. You either walk along the wall and choose your bottle or walk up to the bartender tell him/​her what you’re in the mood to drink. The least expensive bottles run about $ 20 ($ 25 with the corking fee), with the average price being about $ 30. Not bad. $ 7.50 per glass. One word of advice, never order by the glass in a wine bar, get the entire bottle. If you don’t finish it, you can take it with.
The bottles line the left side of the space, with the bar on the left. Between are many, many bistro tables. Great for small groups, not so great for groups of… four. As there was a giant party in the back room, and people milling about in the «new» room, we headed outside to the patio. The patio, as well as the procession of picnic tables are recent additions. Well, recent for someone who hasn’t stopped by in about a year. The plastic and picnic tables look tacky, but I overlooked it.
If you’re looking for a low key place that resides peacefully between to humming scenes (Washington and downtown), want to have a comfortable dose of atmosphere (hollowed out old brick buildings across the street, dark interior lighting), and don’t want to spend a pretty penny on wine and snacks, your answer is Corkscrew.

After trekking around the heights for the White Linen Nights event, some peeps and I wanted to go somewhere to enjoy the rest of the unusually cool night but didn’t want to worry about dress code since I was sporting thongs. Sure, I could’ve probably gotten away with it (boobs do wonders) but when Gretchen mentioned the Corkscrew, we knew we had a winner.
The Corkscrew is located on the east side of Studemont so you’re not going to have the parking issues that you would around the Shephard/​Washington area. We managed to snag a sweet spot right in front but there’s also a spacious parking lot to the left side.
The surrounding area is a little sketchy at night so it was nice to see that there was a security guard overlooking the parking lot area PLUS I also saw another security guard walking two ladies to their car located a little further east on Washington. Yay for safety. Big, big thumbs up.
As people have stated, it’s a pretty laid back place to enjoy some vino and actually have a conversation (as opposed to an hour of back and forth «WHAT DID YOU SAY?). Beer selections are sparse but is that really a surprise? It’s a wine bar, go figure. We chose to sit outside and enjoy the weather but I’d like to come back and sink down on the couches located in a room to the right of the entrance. Tables are located to the left of the entrance and a few more in the back so plenty of seating abounds.
Wine shelves are located to the far left as you enter so you can peruse the offerings and choose at your leisure. If you’re not sure what you want, just ask the knowledgable and friendly staff. We ended up with a nice sauvignon blanc — not too sweet, not too dry. I was really impressed that they won’t underpour in order to save a bottle. A friend had ordered two glasses of the same wine and I noticed the fellow had grabbed a bottle that was a little less than half full. He could have easily decided to divide the bottle into the two glasses and leave it at that but I could tell the thought never crossed his mind as he quickly reached down to grab another bottle to ensure he provided the proper serving. My hero! This alone ensures that I’ll be back to partake of some more fine libations.

Now this is what I call the perfect wine bar for any situation!
Choose to sit in the area that best matches your mood at that moment… Tables and chairs for a more ‘café’ type experience, low lit couches for a more intimate experience OR if its a balmy spring eve you can always enjoy a delicious glass or two of vino outside in the breeze.
The wine list is pretty darn good, has a great selection of both domestic and international drops and you wont feel like you need to take out a small loan if you decide to grab a couple of glasses or even a bottle or two.
The staff are friendly, the pretension level is low and the atmosphere is chilled making for the perfect place to grab a casual relaxed glass of wine.

This is a great place for wine in a casual setting. The selection for wine is pretty strong… bringing in both domestic and international labels. Prices range so it depends on what you prefer — $ 20 or $ 60 bottle.
Many tables both outdoors and indoors. You can easily hang out with a group of 5 or 6 people, as well as visit this joint with a date.
Food is available in appetizer portions, and pretty decent in taste. And there’s live music…

I really like this place. The first thing I like about it, that it’s not in that little area on Washington where all those annoying clubs are, its sort of off by it’s self, ya I like that a lot =)
When we first walked in, we werent sure if we had to wait to be seated or what, it would have been nice if there were a chalkboard sign or something, but that’s not a big deal. I like the décor in the front room, actually its very typical for a wine bar, however they do have this huge room off to the right, which I liked. It has lots of comfortable couches and candle light and very intimate. The whole room is painted like a dark sunset, with lots of colors, this made me happy =) The crowd was laid back, the music was, meh, they were playing Phil Collins, sort of 99.1 music, which is ok, but I would have prefered some Ella Fitzgerald or Carmen McRae.
The waitstaff was nice and not pretentious at all, however they did take a little long to find us and take our order. This is a good place to bring a date, in that side couch room, you can really talk & have good conversation. The wine selection was vast, for me anyway. I had the Melbac, can I tell you, this is my faveorite wine of the moment? Yummmm!
I went on friday and it seemed to be fairly busy, not too busy though. I like that too. You should go!

Cant stand the wait at Max’s or the pretentious environment at Cova? You will fit RIGHT in here! Its like a second home– (no really!) and Andy and Doyle are a HOOT! Who doesn’t love the wait staff too? Jo-​Jo-​, Amy, Laura! Who doesn’t love these gals? We’ve gone here for the beginning of date nights for a couple of years now– and I just cant find a place more warm and inviting. Its certainly the place where everybody knows your name! The wine is not extravagantly priced either. There is a broad selection– and knowledgeable staff to help you decide on what you would like. We try and never get the same thing twice! ;)

Corkscrew is one of Washington Ave.‘s best kept secrets. It’s nestled away from the Pearl Bar /​Blue Label /​Citizen /​Max’s Wine Dive hoopla which gives it more of an intimate vibe. The place is divided into 2 parts – a more open area with tables and then a more intimate, dim lit side with couches. I like how this place could cater to a group of friends or to a romantic date.
Along the wall is a pretty decent wine selection and a short description of the wine. I like that you can ‘shop’ for your bottle and semi-​learn about the wine. I’m definitely not a wine snob or expert so the little blurbs help me pick something to drink. The price markups are alright – not terribly steep but not cheap either.
The staff is attentive enough to notice if you bring a bottle to your table. They’ll uncork it and serve it to you. But of all the wine places I’ve tried in Houston, I like this place a lot. I like how you can go to a place and just have a bottle of wine with some friends. No frills, just wine.

Let me start by ’splaining my rating. I would have given The Corkscrew 5 stars when I first started going two years ago… but it’s honestly just not as good as it used to be. It’s still amazing, and probably my favorite wine bar in Houston, but it has grown up a bit and developed a kind of teenage attitude that I could do without.
Ambiance: Wonderful! The place is split into two rooms. One has gorgeous mosaic tables and wooden chairs, and a bar to one side. The other is full of comfy chairs and couches and has a gorgeous sunset mural painted on the walls and a more cozy living room feel. Things are much calmer when I’ve visited earlier in the evenings, and they get really REALLY crazy when the Corkscrew hosts themed events. The Anti-Valentine’s Day 80’s disco party was hilarious, and so crowded that if you went out to the patio you’d have to wait for people to come out before you could go back in.
Service: This is where things are hit or miss. I’ve had fantastic service, and I’ve had downright crappy service. I was there for a tasting once and my hubby and I got up to talk to the wine maker. While we were out of our chairs, our waitress cleared our table — which included two half-​full classes of wine. Wine that we had purchased separately, not wine that came with the tasting. We were not happy. On the other hand, there is a very friendly blond waitress who has been there since I first started going and she is always great. The owner (Adam?) is really friendly as well.
Wine: So good! There are lots of interesting bottles to choose from, and if you can commit to two glasses they will open any bottle for you. The corkage fee isn’t too bad, and the wines by the glass are decent and change often. The prices on wines by the glass have gone up over the last couple years.
Food: Here’s another place where things have changed. When we first started going we could get an amazing cheese plate for $ 10! I think it was called the Spanish. Anyway, this was amazing because we’d go to Cova and easily drop $ 15 on a smaller and less satisfying cheese plate — The Corkscrew was such a value compared to that! However, I believe the Corkscrew is charging around $ 15 for cheese plates now… They also serve amazing Truffles that are far too expensive. I believe they run about $ 4 a piece, but don’t quote me on that. I’ve had a couple varieties and they were delish, but $ 4 for a small piece of chocolate is more than I can handle…
Overall: I love the place. Great ambiance and wine selection, and though the prices have gone up and the service has gone down, it’s still a fun spot. This is probably just what happens when places become super popular and trendy — you start to pay more and get less… Such is life.

Ah… my Washington Avenue… always changing, reliably good. The Corkscrew is the mainstay, casual wine bar on Washington. Max’s is good for the scene… Corkscrew is good for a nice glass of wine. Not cheap, a decent glass is around $ 10.00, but they usually open my eyes and tongue to something I haven’t tasted before.
A great mix of people on the way home from their downtown work and peeps from the neighborhood, Corkscrew is always fun. You can sit at a table and talk with your friend (s) or sit at the bar and mix it up.
They also have great events, steak nights, etc… Give them your email and you will get updates!

This place is great. The staff was very friendly and knowledgeable, and the atmosphere was very relaxing and warm. The crowd was very chill, and it was quiet, but not tooo quiet. The wine we bought (can’t remember now) was very tasty, and was something I had never had before. I also like the funny quotes written on the wall. At first, when you look at them, you wouldn’t think they were a joke, but they are pretty good! I can’t wait till the weather gets warmer so I hang out on the outside patio. Corkscrew is barnone my favorite wine bar in Houston.

The Corkscrew is one of my favorite wine bars and it’s especially great for a birthday party. If you have enough people who are willing to spend enough money, you can rent out their party room. Warning: it’s pricey, so be sure you are gonna drink and eat a lot. If you’re not up for guaranteeing a certain tab amount, sit in either of the two other rooms– there are comfy couches aplenty in the lower-​lit lounge area or tables and chairs in the people-​watching room. Where ever you choose to sit, there’s yummy wine and fantastic food to be had. Yep, my friends and I keep coming back.

I love this place. Amazing wine selection, knowledgeable baristas, great patio, live local music, clean bathrooms… it doesn’t get better.
Parking can be a buzz-​kill on a busy night but there’s enough street parking to make up for it.
This is what a wine bar should be. Unpretentious and relaxing, this is a favorite place of mine to meet up with my people. Local music is entertaining and there’s always a table to sit at. Food is awesome but don’t expect a full meal; the margherita pizza is the bomb.
Added plus is the security guard who watches the parking lot in front and behind the bar until everyone packs up to go home.

I agree… the wine choices are great and reasonably priced, and there is a lot of atmosphere. You can have wine by the glass or you can pick a bottle off the wall, for which they charge you a $ 5 corking fee. I love the pizza and truffles. A quick note, on Tuesday nights, they have steak and mashed potatoes for $ 13. It’s cash only because the guy working the grill is independent from The Corkscrew. You order from him, pay him, and he brings you the food. It was a huge steak done to perfection; I’d highly recommend it. The only trick is finding where the fat on the steak is in the dimly lit restaurant!

I have only been once and it was a horrible experience, horrible enough for me never to return again. The wine quotes painted on the walls should have tipped me off to its awfulness, but I wasn’t swayed.
We ordered a bottle of wine. There were very few people in the place. 10 minutes pass, 15 minutes, 20 minutes… we start to wonder what is going on and why we haven’t been served yet. It seems as if you aren’t part of the server’s clique, then you don’t get served.
We promptly picked up ourselves and headed to 13 Celsius, where we were promptly served in a much more enjoyable atmosphere.

I had so many wine bars to choose from and I am so glad we came here. The place is comfy and inviting. 3 different rooms and no matter where you sit, it’s a great seat. The staff is wonderful and I love the wall of wines. You grab the bottle yourself… almost like you’re at home. Huge selection, I tried 3 different wines and loved them all.
Next time I go to Houston, this is definitely on the itinerary!

I think they get more of my paycheck than I do ;-)
Agree with both before me about the owners and staff — could NOT be nicer, more attentive and unpretentious.