New wine bar planned for former Prairie Berry space

Aug. 27, 2018

A new wine bar is coming to the former Prairie Berry East Bank space.

Riccardo Tarabelsi is opening R Wine Bar in the space next to Queen City Bakery.

“I really want to surprise people when they walk in and expect a wine bar because we’ll be more than a wine bar,” he said. “We’re going to have a lot of craft beer, and the core value will be education. I’m all about making it as accessible and as approachable as possible.”

The emphasis will be on Italian wines but include a broad variety. Tarabelsi was born in Italy.

The bar will include 12 beers on tap, and the plan is to make them all local, he said. A food menu will be limited and have Italian influences.

“I’ve been in the restaurant industry a long time and see a lot of restaurants try to execute too many things, and I just want to be focused when we open,” he said.

There will be an area for retail sales as well as the current event spaces upstairs and downstairs.

“I love the exposed quartzite walls, and the flooring is pretty much new, the lighting is great, so I’m just going to add some touches with decor,” Tarabelsi said. “It will be very wine-centric and go from there.”

The plan is to open in October. He’s going to start with only evening hours Monday through Saturday.

Prairie Berry East Bank, now renamed Miner Brewing Co. and Prairie Berry Winery Taproom, will reopen in the Western Mall.

For Tarabelsi, who spent the past four years at Fernson Brewing Co., opening his own business is the realization of a long dream.

“I’ve always wanted to do this, and the timing was just right. I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Fernson since day one, but it’s just a pull to the wine world. Even working in the craft beer world, there wasn’t a day that went by that people didn’t ask me about wine. My name is pretty synonymous with wine in this town.”

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New wine bar planned for former Prairie Berry space

A new wine bar is coming to the former Prairie Berry East Bank space.

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