Knoxville's wine scene grows with Crafty Bastard adding a winery to its repertoire

What do Partial Coffee & Wine, Zero/Zero and The Double S Wine Bar all have in common?

Besides wine, they all opened or reopened this year. So why have all these wine bars started serving customers in such a short time?

It seems to have been a happy accident.

Wine is popping up everywhere, even in some Knoxville-famous breweries.

Crafty Bastard Brewery is launching Stylolite, a winery at its West Knoxville location, and a line of wine sold exclusively there. Its official release date is Sept. 26.

Owner and head brewer Aaron McClain is making wine because of his own love for the process, not to chase a trend. But he thinks the growth of wine in Knoxville is good as he joins this "wine revolution." He compared it to craft breweries in town and how the scene grew exponentially.

"If wine is going to become a bigger part of the fabric of Knoxville, I think that's what it's got to do. And I think it's on the right track," McClain said. "I get this sense that this is going to be more tied into a sense of community than wine ever has been before in Knoxville, and that's quite exciting."

Partial Coffee & Wine still hasn't gotten to its wine portion yet, with owner Shay Gregory hoping to start serving it at 828 N. Broadway in October. He has worked in Knoxville's coffee scene before as a manager at Honeybee Coffee. He liked the idea of serving the two drinks - coffee and wine - in one establishment, but also recognized the sparsity of wine in Knoxville.

"I think the reality with wine is we don't have enough wine bars yet," Gregory said. "They're all going to offer something different. I think the way Zero/Zero is doing it is the right way. I think focusing more on organics and focusing on high labor standards, focusing on traceability are all big things that I care a lot about with coffee, and so they make sense to care about with wine as well."

Zero/Zero also announced its intentions to open in 2022, but issues with permitting delayed its opening until June at 1211 N. Central St. The bar was spurred more by a love of natural wine, which fills a void in Knoxville. There are a few restaurants serving it, and stores like Downtown Wine and Spirits specialize in selling natural wine. But the Zero/Zero founders wanted to open a bar specifically for the style.

The Double S Wine Bar had been open before, and it was announced in 2022 that it was going to reopen. After a few delays, it finally reopened this summer in North Knoxville at 300 W. Magnolia Ave.

In Farragut, Sparrow Wine Bar opened in June. Co-owner Amy Burritt said they were somewhat inspired by other wine bars, but only to a certain extent. Other bars paved the way for Sparrow to open, such as the Admiral Pub, Water Into Wine and Van Edom's Wine Bar, but she made her own path.

She thinks the wine scene is growing because of its sociability, especially coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"I'm not surprised," Burritt said on wine's growing presence. "Knoxville's food and beverage scene has changed and grown and improved so much in the nine or 10 years that I've been in the area, and maybe it was just wine's time for Knoxville."

With all of these wine bars, it helps that each bar provides a unique look while keeping the atmosphere light, fun and casual.

"You've got a plethora of options, and you've got a plethora of vibes, if you will," McClain said. "It's just an exciting time to be a wine drinker in Knoxville."

Stylolite by Crafty Bastard serves a new brewery experience

The name Stylolite is derived from the formation of compression lines found in the classic East Tennessee pink marble that's shipped around the world (which is also why Knoxville is called the Marble City). McClain thought it gave Crafty Bastard's winery a unique name in the wine world.

"It's forged in East Tennessee, but found all over the world. So that's kind of the idea behind it," McClain told Knox News.

Although wines will be made with grapes from all over, McClain said each wine will contain a percentage of ingredients grown right here in East Tennessee and Knoxville.

The red wine is called Stylolite Red Blend and it is made with a blend of grapes: Zinfandel, Syrah, Alicante Bouschet and Petit Verdot (the East Tennessee ingredient). The white wine is called Jaw-Dropper White and it is made completely from East Tennessee grapes with descriptions like "floral" and "very dry." He mentioned a Chilean Carménère wine that will be ready in the winter.

McClain has been making wine for himself for about five years. He started with kits before meeting Hal Hoyt, who makes wine harvested from grapes in his backyard. McClain started harvesting with him and got to taste the fruits (wine) of their labor. Hoyt taught McClain and isn't involved with Stylolite.

"That experience of meeting him and then doing the harvest and getting into that, that's where I truly fell in love with wine," McClain said.

McClain was able to convert some of the equipment at Crafty Bastard's West Knoxville location to begin the wine-making process. The only limit is how many gallons Crafty decides to make. It will only be produced and served there until the downtown and South Knoxville locations get the proper permits.

"This has been a passion project for a long time," McClain said on starting the winery.

Sparrow Wine Bar is another new addition to Knoxville's wine scene

Crafty Bastard is the newest winery in town, but more wine-centric businesses have opened recently, including Sparrow Wine Bar at 141 West End Ave. in Farragut.

Originally from Michigan, co-owner Amy Burritt moved to Knoxville permanently about a decade ago. She and her business partner Cheri Intveld opened Euphoric Cheese Shop to give back to the community they've grown to love.

Sparrow was created after a road trip spawned the idea. Their approach to wine is the same way they approached the cheese shop: not knowing much, but eager to learn along the way. Burritt wants Sparrow to be fun and sociable, moving away from wine's often pretentious stereotype.

There are over 60 wines available by the glass or bottle. There are pricier bottles off menu, so just ask to see the little red book. If you're waiting for a seat in the small, cozy space, you can take a glass and browse through the cheese shop.

Customers can also order wine flights – a rotational flight, a red wine flight and white wine flight – and a matching cheese flight to pair.

"We've always talked about how tasting all these cheeses from around the world is like traveling with your taste buds, and wine is the same thing, that you can experience the flavor that comes out of the land in Spain right here in Knoxville from a glass of wine. If you pair that with a Spanish cheese, you're getting that experience because it's directly from there," Burritt said.

Burritt is still surprised by how many people visit the wine bar, including the regulars returning every week. It astounds her that people decide to spend their time and money in both shops.

"We care about cheese. We care about wine. But really we care about people," Burritt said.

Keenan Thomas reports for the Knox News business growth and development team. You can reach him by email at keenan.thomas@knoxnews.com.

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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Knoxville wine bars open with natural and local products