“Hold on, is that a wine bar?” Screeeeech went the brakes. A moment later I was sitting in a cool, dark corner, poring over the most comprehensive wine list I’ve ever seen in Oklahoma.
Anchored by the largest campus of Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK is a town of about 50,000. That sounds like almost a city–but it’s a demographic illusion. The population drops off precipitously in the summer, when many of the roughly 24,000 local OSU students bug out of town between semesters. On a warm Saturday afternoon in June, downtown Stillwater was empty except for a smattering of antique shoppers and one or two determined wine seekers.
Zannotti’s Wine Bar is not your average small-town Main Street watering hole with four light lagers on tap and a broken jukebox in the corner. No.
Zannotti’s menu boasts around 120 wines by the bottle and a gourmet cocktail program. The bartenders were prepping fresh herb garnishes when we walked in. The imposing antique bar is stacked to the ceiling with intriguing artisan spirits from all corners of the globe.
We were greeted warmly and asked if we needed help selecting a wine or whiskey. I said I was leaning toward red, and was gifted a taste from an open bottle of Napa Cab on the bartop. The hostess handed me a linen-textured, tri-fold wine list. I found myself wondering if anyone ever wanders in here and orders a beer and a shot…but I’m sure they would be cheerfully served if they did.
About that list? Zannotti’s by-the-glass menu features 18 wines hailing from many of the major regions of the world. There are a rainbow of choices from Prosecco to Zinfandel. The list offers a few helpful tasting notes for each wine and sensible pricing.
Wines by the bottle are listed by varietal, then price. They range from splash-able Cali blends to high-rollin’ Chateaux Margaux ($1650) and Harlan Estate ($2000).
Can’t decide? Try a wine flight! Zannotti’s offers four 1.5 oz pours of anything on the by-the-glass menu for $16.
First, I rinsed my palate with a chilled glass of Williamette Pinot Gris from Cedar + Salmon. (Mmmm Pinot Gris…just like water, only better!) Next, we opted to share a red-wine flight, which was served brewery-style on a wooden plank. My wife then shuffled the cups for my weekly dose of blind-tasting humiliation. (I ID’ed the Sonoma Pinot Noir by sight…then royally f*cked up on the rest of them.)
Admirably, Zannotti’s subscribes to the “show, don’t tell” school of wine lists. Many of my favorite bottles are on here–at non-obnoxious prices–and also a lot of wines from small producers and emerging regions. This is a well-chosen, varied list that doesn’t need to toot its own horn.
(As an aside, I do appreciate wine bars with interesting wine lists…but not wine bars with “Interesting Wines” as a section heading. That’s up there with “shareables” and “handhelds” on the menu-text Cringe-o-Meter. Just set up a decent selection of varieties and regions–including some wines that you can’t get at Chili’s. Your customers will notice, I promise!)
We didn’t order food at Zannotti’s, but there is food to be had here. The food menu didn’t inspire the same confidence as the wine list. Much like my four-person freshman dorm, it feels a little messy and crowded and unsure of itself.
There’s a half-page of odd flatbreads, an international food hall’s worth of small plates, assorted cheese and charcuterie options, and about 10 different desserts. Sports-bar standbys (wings, spinach dip) share space with New American frippery like duck confit nachos and smoked salmon crostini.
The corners of the menu are haunted by regrettable food trends (bacon clothesline, really?) that need to stay archived in a circa-2015 Instagram story. I respect the culinary ambition, but I’d actually be fine with just wine and pizza. But not the pizza topped with sriracha chicken, hummus, mozzarella pearls, tomato fresca (?), bell peppers, spinach, and roasted peanuts.
Menu sprawl aside, I was happy to while away an hour at this cozy, amply stocked wine bar. Its relaxing, intimate environment is ideal for groups of two to four. Although I have no idea whether it’s enforced or not, there are signs saying that the indoor restaurant section is 18+ and the bar area is 21+. (Another plus in my book.) Should you want to watch the (relative) hustle and bustle of Stillwater’s downtown, a wooden deck overlooks the sidewalk out front.
All this is to say, it’s a very nice wine bar. Zannotti’s occupies a sweet spot in between the same-y, gentrified hipster bars that pop up on every historic Main Street and the dusty townie joints that haven’t updated anything since approximately 1978.
It makes sense that the constant influx of college students (and their worldly parents) would help drive better-than-expected dining and drinking in an Oklahoma college town. Additionally, many of the industry folks that I talked to in Stillwater were transplants from the DFW and Houston areas. It’s a story that’s becoming more and more common as large Texas cities morph into high cost-of-living zones.
The next time I venture north of the Red River, I will definitely head back to Zannotti’s for the friendly service and premium wines. (Just don’t call them “interesting.”)
Where: Zannotti’s Wine Bar, 113 W 7th Ave, Stillwater, OK 74074
Live music most Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday evenings.
How much: Wine by the glass $8-$15, wine by the bottle $25-$2000 (Dang it, Harlan.)
Wines tasted:
Cedar + Salmon Pinot Gris (Willamette Valley, Oregon)
Ghericke Pinot Noir (Sonoma County, California)
The Formula Shiraz (Adelaide Plains, Australia)
Chateau La Grange Clinet (Bordeaux, France)
Cultivar Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley, California)
(Vintages aren’t provided for most bottles under $300ish–but I’m sure they would find out for you if you asked.)
Review disclosure: I was not compensated or provided any free products for this review. Opinions expressed on The Wine Fairy blog are entirely my own.
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