Boutique Wine Store and Tapas Bar Coming to Escondido

A new hub for wine tasting and appreciation is scheduled to open in Escondido later this month from the Grand Restaurant Group (Bellamy’s Restaurant, Giaola Italian Kitchen). Cork and Knife will focus on small production wines, with close to 100 varieties, which can be shopped in-store or online via its website.

The wine store, which is attached the group’s DiCicco’s Italian Restaurant, also includes a dining room that will serve a menu of wine-friendly food, including artisan meats and cheeses and a variety of seasonal tapas, from bread topped with Spanish ham or wild mushrooms and brie to chorizo-stuffed piquillo peppers and grilled artichokes with chimichurri.

Partner Derry Van Nortwick is a veteran of the local restaurant scene, a hospitality consultant and wine director who worked at Market Restaurant & Bar and has long played a key role in the Grand Restaurant Group.

Open Tuesday through Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., Cork and Knife will also have ample outdoor seating, but Nortwick also plans to offer catering options, including custom meat and cheese displays and wine packages. Another outpost of the wine store and bar will be coming to Rancho Santa Fe, where it will take over a portion of another of the group’s properties, Nick & G’s Restaurant.

Courtesy photo

Courtesy photo

Courtesy photo