Union Square, New York
50-plus by the glass, 200 bottles, sommelier classes
Our Take on Corkbuzz
Corkbuzz was a wine bar and restaurant at 13 East 13th Street, steps from Union Square, owned by Master Sommelier Laura Maniec Fiorvanti. Time Out filed it under Greenwich Village bars and Tasting Table profiled its Union Square room.
The list did the talking. More than 50 wines by the glass and roughly 200 bottles ran alongside a seasonal New American menu, in a 2,000 square foot space with plush rugs, wood tables and 17-foot ceilings.
The teaching was the differentiator. Maniec hosted around 20 classes a month, from Wine 101 to food-and-wine pairing and regional tours, in three studios built off the bar for exactly that purpose.
That made Corkbuzz a wine room with a classroom attached, a rare format in the city and a draw for drinkers who wanted to learn as much as sip. The by-the-glass depth meant a casual visit still rewarded the curious.
The wine bars have since closed, with the brand continuing through its classes. For rooms still pouring, see our New York wine bars guide, the best wine bars in New York, and the best wine bars worldwide.
The Move at Corkbuzz
The Word on Union Square
- Time Out listed Corkbuzz among Greenwich Village wine bars, noting the depth of its by-the-glass program.
- Tasting Table profiled the Union Square room and owner Laura Maniec, a Master Sommelier, for its class schedule.
- Guides flagged the roughly 20 wine classes a month as the feature that set Corkbuzz apart from a standard wine bar.
Read the Room
- A record of a sommelier-led wine room
- Readers tracing New York's wine-education bars
- Note it is closed, so plan a visit elsewhere
When To Visit Corkbuzz
Corkbuzz is permanently closed, so there is no current visit to plan. This profile records the Union Square wine bar and its class program.
For a wine bar near Union Square that is still pouring, the siblings below are the closest in spirit, from Compagnie des Vins Surnaturels to The Four Horsemen across the river.
Inside Corkbuzz
