Chris and Kel Barkman have deep roots in hospitality. He’s an authorized sommelier who labored in wine distribution for a few years, and he or she studied on the California Culinary Academy and was a high-end occasions supervisor — and their mixed abilities come collectively in Uncorked Tahoe, a wine bar and store with 4 areas, one in every of which occurs to be the most effective eating places within the area.
Kel (left) and Chris (proper) Barkman, co-owners of Uncorked Tahoe, of their downtown Truckee … [+]
I met the convivial couple, and their lovable son Jack, on the Truckee location one weekday morning earlier than opening time to debate what makes their enterprise so profitable.
The aesthetic of the place is pleasant and welcoming, critical however decidedly un-stuffy, and I instantly acknowledged a number of of my favourite imports on the cabinets — a Cru Beaujolais and a Corsican traditional I’ve cherished for years. These bottles signaled to me a simpatico palate, and I used to be to study extra.
A Cru Beaujolais imported by Kermit Lynch on the cabinets at Uncorked Tahoe.
The couple’s flagship in Olympic Valley, based in 2007, continues to be going sturdy, together with areas in downtown Truckee, Tahoe Metropolis, and Northstar Village, the latter of which works by the title Petra, a spot-on Mediterranean restaurant that, like all its areas, has an off-the-cuff vibe with easy, critical meals.
Chris explains that his expertise on the gross sales aspect helps him lower to the chase when selecting wines for the retailers, every of which incorporates a considerably completely different seasonal lineup. He’s not within the wine reps who present up with random samples, not realizing something about Uncorked’s mannequin. Quite, he cultivates tastings primarily based on his deep data of each the wine business and his prospects’ palates. However much more importantly, he invitations workers members to take part within the tastings that can finally determine what goes on the listing. That is one in every of many causes the corporate has such a low worker turnover fee — workers are inspired to participate in ongoing wine training and to take part within the dialog about what high quality seems like.
The three most important qualities the Barkmans are on the lookout for in every wine they function are steadiness, typicity (how properly a wine represents its origin), and a strong supply for the value level. From there, workers style and talk about the wines in centered classes the place everybody, from novice to professional, has a voice. Let’s simply say this isn’t the everyday mannequin most retailers have for making wine-buying selections, but it surely pays off in worker buy-in and possession of and delight of their work.
Kel says their mannequin of administration is to not ever need to micro-manage workers, {that a} tradition of mutual respect and duty is important. When a brusque buyer got here in throughout the peak of the pandemic and a supervisor requested her to not transfer the furnishings round, the client complained to Chris, and he took his worker’s aspect, letting the client know that she had acted in everybody’s finest pursuits by way of security. The worker reported that she “had by no means felt extra supported by a boss,” and this type of narrative holds an excessive amount of weight in a consumer-driven surroundings the place, stereotypically, “the client is at all times proper.” Standing on the aspect of workers, trusting them to make the fitting selections, has been crucial to Uncorked Tahoe’s success throughout probably the most tough of instances.
Dinner at Petra: Selfmade hummus, corn salsa, and each gentle and crispy pita bread, paired with an … [+]
Uncorked can also be atypical on the subject of what’s on the cabinets and supplied by the glass on the bar. Chris says their three high importers are Kermit Lynch, Louis Dressner, and Rosenthal Wine Service provider, all corporations with storied histories and the reputations to again them up. Don’t come right here on the lookout for the overripe cult Napa Cab. You’re more likely to discover a little-known low-alcohol purple from Chile, a traditional Champagne, or an under-the radar Chenin Blanc from the Loire Valley.
I popped into Petra one evening for dinner and was completely delighted to seek out corn salad with feta, home made hummus, and a superbly ready mahi mahi with caponata, which went completely with an Austrian Riesling by the glass chosen by Kel. Chef Matthew Turner’s cooking has a sublime simplicity about it that merges properly with the Barkmans’ signature model.
It’s heartening when good style and good enterprise come collectively, and Uncorked Tahoe is the sort of firm I need to assist, now greater than ever. Be certain that to cease in subsequent time you’re in Tahoe — for a glass of wine and few bottles to take house.
