Downtown Overland Park is home to a handful of popular attractions, drawing locals and tourists alike. The incredibly popular Farmer’s Market, a couple of crowd-pleasing coffee shops and spunky clothing boutiques have been staples in the community for many years. But after only two years in operation, another local business is adding its name, not only to the Downtown Overland Park hype, but to critically acclaimed wine lists around the world.
For the past two years, Vintage ‘78 Wine Bar has been recognized for their excellence in wine by all three worldwide wine lists–Wine Spectator Restaurant Awards, World’s Best Wine Lists Awards and the Star Wine List Award. However, the honor reached a new level this year when the World’s Best Wine Lists Awards named Vintage ‘78 the Regional Winner of “Best Wine-by-the-Glass List (without Coravin)” in North America.
“I couldn’t believe it,” owner Michael Scherzberg said when asked about the award. “I knew we had a great list, and I was expecting to receive the same Three Star Award we got last year. I was shocked when I was looking through the categories and saw ‘Vintage ’78 Wine Bar’ listed. I thought there must have been a mistake.”
But there was no mistake. Vintage ‘78 is one of four restaurants around the world vying for the international “Best Wine-by-the-Glass List (without Coravin).” To even be considered for the list, a panel of the most renowned judges in the industry evaluate the lists based on 20 award categories. All four regional award winners have been invited to Europe, where the international award will be given.
“We celebrated with all the guests in the restaurant the day I found out. They seemed to think it was natural that we had the best by-the-glass list in North America, but I’ve lived and worked all around the world and seen so many amazing lists,” Scherzberg said. “We knew it was important to go and represent the Kansas City Metro area and ensure that representatives from some of the finest restaurants in the world know that we have great things happening in our little city.”
Scherzberg’s 20 years of experience in fine dining, luxury hospitality and Michelin-starred restaurants has certainly played a role in his management of Vintage ‘78 Wine Bar. Knowing that wine carries a certain stigma, he set out to create an environment where quality wine tasting was more casual and approachable.
“This allows us to demystify wine a bit and allow people to enjoy the best quality, in the best glassware, at the right temperature, without feeling like they are in a snooty or uncomfortable environment,” he said. “We wanted to create a space like “Cheers” –a local spot where everybody knows your name– and for the most part, we’ve done that.”
Not only does Vintage ‘78 offer a neighborhood-friendly environment, but the guests' best interests are always considered first in pricing and service. Maintaining an exceptional wine program is especially difficult to uphold in the state of Kansas where, according to Scherzberg, certain wines are difficult to source and pay for.
“To me, this means I’m doing something right and the wine world is taking notice,” he said. “We want our guests to know that while we may not be inexpensive, we offer exceptional value and a one-of-a-kind experience and we always want our guests to leave feeling good about the money they spent–never having buyer’s remorse.”
Recently, Vintage ‘78 started getting creative with the food options offered on their daily menu. They make fresh pasta every day, which Scherzberg said has been incredibly popular with our guests. They also brought in some of the finest caviar in the world from Browne Trading Company in Portland, Maine. These additions have gained the little wine bar even more popularity with their guests. In fact, one of their best guests said he was going to be known as their “Norm” from Cheers, and he has a plaque on the bar that reads “Norm” in front of his seat.
“We have had tremendous support from our local community since opening our doors!” Scherzberg said. “The majority of our guests every day are repeat guests, though we still have many who have just learned about us.”
**Insert info about the September ceremony here** Scherzberg was confident they could compete, but ultimately, he is content proving to Kansas City that Vintage ‘78 is the greatest at being the best neighborhood wine bar they can be.
“We had a 20% chance of taking home the global award. We feel that we have a good chance, but all of these restaurants have amazing lists. If we have to have the title of Best Wine-by-the-Glass List in the Western Hemisphere, we’re ok with that,” he said.