It Happens Here: Plymouth's Uva Wine Bar brings self-serve to South Shore
PLYMOUTH - A unique wine bar is offering a one-of-a-kind experience to its customers here in Massachusetts.
Katy Thayer and Michelle Manware are two friends from the South Shore who brought the Uva Wine Bar to Main Street in Plymouth.
"There's only a handful of these type of wine bars in the country," Thayer told WBZ-TV.
They decided to open up the bar after a trip to the Caribbean, where they had a wine tasting unlike any they'd ever experienced.
"We were on like a snorkel trip, and we said, 'What should we do tonight? She's like, 'You've got to go to this self-serve wine place and we're like, 'That sounds too good to be true. That can't be true," Thayer said.
They were greeted by unique wine dispensing machines and a pleasant lineup of several brands, all at the touch of their fingertips.
"We just kind of looked at each other, and said, 'We love these machines. We love this concept, our friends love wine.' We were like, 'We're going to do it," said Manware.
Uva is now the first and only self-serving wine bar in Massachusetts.
"This system allows you to taste, at a two ounce pour, a number of different wines that you wouldn't necessarily try," Manware told WBZ.
She focuses on finding the wines.
"On average per week, I'm bringing in four to six new wines," she said.
Each customer is given a wine card that controls the wine pouring while keeping their tab. The machines feature a large variety of whites, rosés, and reds, from all over the world.
Guests can choose from a two ounce pour to a full glass. The unique rotation keeps customers coming back for more.
"We just keep growing which has been extraordinary" Manware told WBZ.
Uva also features non-alcoholic beverages and specialty beers.
"We partner with a lot of craft breweries here in town, because there are so many in Plymouth now," Thayer said. She focuses on most of the bar's day-to-day operations.
"We love to bring in local musicians on the weekends and every Monday night is a craft night," she told WBZ.
The food menu sticks to the self-serving concept as well, offering customers a checklist of different snacks.
"Much like the wine, how you do it on your own terms and you make your own choices about what you want here, the same goes for our food options," said Thayer.
From creating your own cheese board, to fresh pizzas from another Plymouth eatery, and desserts, guests can enjoy a full meal while sipping their glass of wine.
"We couldn't have really asked for a better location or a better group of people to be around and work with," said Manware.
What started as two friends coming together to share their love for wine has now turned into a staple in the Plymouth community. More people from across the state are stopping in too to get a taste of what the two businesswomen have created.
"People come in here just because it's a women-owned business, I think" said Thayer.
Uva Wine Bar is considering the possibility of expanding. Anyone interested in hosting an event can rent out the space in Plymouth. For more information, visit their website.