Screwtop is Wendy Buckley’s new Clarendon wine bar and shop. Photograph by Chris Leaman
As you enter, an encyclopedia of wine—from Armagnac to Zinfandel—hangs sideways, each entry accompanied by Buckley’s handwritten index-card notes. Photograph by Chris Leaman
One notecard reads, “My momma’s favorite wine,” pointing to a Lodali Moscato. Another proclaims, “You’ll want to dance after a couple of glasses of this sparkler!” referring to a Torrentes/Chardonnay blend called the Striptease. Photograph by Chris Leaman
A sign sitting on a wooden communal table reads, “Seat yourself and make new friends!” Photograph by Chris Leaman
For $39.99 a month, customers can sign up for Screwtop’s Wine & Cheese Club—in which members gather regularly for parties and classes—and receive two bottles of wine and their choice of chocolate, cheese, or charcuterie each month. Photograph by Chris Leaman
“I’ve always loved wine,” Buckley says. “The whole reason I decided to open up Screwtop is that when my husband I would go out to a restaurant, we might love the wine and save the cork, but we couldn’t track down the bottle.” Photograph by Chris Leaman
You can order cheeseplates served with a baguette, raisin/nut bread, and crackers Photograph by Chris Leaman
Screwtop’s main focus is on its regularly rotating selection of small-label wines—and, as Buckley emphasizes, a sense of community. Photograph by Chris Leaman
Jars of compote are available for purchase. Photograph by Chris Leaman
If diners at Screwtop’s L-shaped bar and smattering of dining room tables want to take home the Riesling they’re sipping or the Gouda cheese they’re noshing on, they can step into the store and find it. Photograph by Chris Leaman
