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| - This is a difficult review to write. For years, Corkscrew was my favorite haunt and I could be found there for wine tastings each Friday and Saturday, occasionally for Sunday beer tastings, and sometimes just to stop by on off nights and sample some wines. It was like a home away from home. There was an ever-increasing group of regulars that lingered after the formal tastings to open bottles of wine and share with one another and with newcomers. I met so many nice people there. People shared wine and conversation and food. It was a feeling of camaraderie, of family, and it extended even to the staff. Wine tastings were held in the back corner of the store and people milled about in that close little area, lending itself to conversations and introductions and socializing in general. That was in the days before "Buvons" and all the other frills. Things have changed. I returned to Corkscrew recently after a six month absence. I paid $20 for a platter of three pieces of cheese, a few slices of bread, and a few apricots that cost me a mere $8 last Fall. I was also surprised to see a charge of $2 for a glass from which to drink my wine purchase: another new fee. Glasses were always free. Many of the staff from my "era" left and management has changed. The new manager, Todd Fusco, is a knowledgeable and personable guy who previously managed another favorite place of mine, Farren's. He has inherited the current concept there. He will do well because he has the savvy and personality to succeed. Corkscrew still has their impressive selection of fine wine, craft beer, and other spirits. It still has its weekly tastings and many new events, but people take their glass of wine and wander about the larger expanses of "Buvons" without the interaction of the old days. I would hope that its staff would be as knowledgeable as those who have left. Live music has been added, not something I particularly enjoy in some settings, like when I'm trying to enjoy a nice glass of wine and good conversation. I am not necessarily resistant to change and I did make an effort when some of these changes were initiated last summer, but in my opinion the intimacy, the camaraderie has lost something in the redesign and restructure of the place. The new Corkscrew appears successful which is nice because the people behind Corkscrew are nice people and were always good to me in the past. It's great to hear that so many people attend events there. For me, however, it's just not the same. I shall always miss the old days, the little perks, the gathering of people, and the sense of belonging. I give a rating of three stars because it still is the best wine emporium in C-U but withhold two stars for the loss of something unique and personal that it once offered. If you were a part of that, you would understand.
On second thought . . Meh, I've experienced better. Sadly, the "better" I experienced was the old Corkscrew, before this "Buvons" nonsense started. I've given the new concept several tries and always come away disappointed. It has become a cold, impersonal business. Corkscrew has lost its soul, its heart, its spirit. I mourn its passing.
UPDATE: Recently went to a "wine tasting." What a joke. Those participating were denied entry into the hallowed halls of "Buvons" and consigned to a small area near the cash registers. I was then told that they were phasing out their weekly tastings, once the hallmark of the place and a draw for those new to wine as well as connoisseurs. Prominently placed on the entry to said "Buvons" was a large, hand-drawn sign asking for a $6 cover fee. Our group was granted a table in those hallowed halls and some bought bottles of wine to share. I was one. They were charging a $5 corkage fee for each bottle. WHAT?!?!? A corkage fee by definition is charged by a restaurant to patrons bringing their own wines. We were buying our wines there. When did this nonsense start? In discussing the policy with some former regulars, I was regaled with stories of apathy by staff when asked if Corkscrew could get certain wines (which Binney's did get) as well as other costly and ludicrous changes in policy. A pleasant wine experience has taken a back seat to live music. In the poor acoustics of "Buvons" the music is loud enough yet musicians still use amps. Conversations are impossible once the music starts, as is any enjoyment of wine and the overpriced cheese plates. One would think staff would wear masks as they rob you blind but they feel no such need to hide their identity. This demise of a once customer friendly, intimate wine emporium was difficult to see. I recall my concerns when the owners planned to expand. I said I hoped it wouldn't alter the conviviality of the place and was assured things would be the same. Not a chance. I read the reviews here and am astonished. Then again, it sounds like the reviewers never knew what Corkscrew was like before greed took over.
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