BarVino pairs wine, spirits, and brews with their best bites.

With former wine rep Matt Green at the helm, BarVino opened its doors in November, bringing a global variety of fine wines and spirits to downtown Jefferson City. Matt has built his love and knowledge of wine into every aspect of his business, from the bottles in his cellar to the fine Riedel glassware to the bar and tables where his customers sit and sip. “We wanted someplace just like this to go to in Jefferson City and it didn’t exist,” he says. “Lots of other people felt the same way, so it was born.”

Bar Vino Board

Matt’s love for wine blossomed during his time working at the Jefferson City Country Club, where he was first introduced to high quality wines. Now, he’s ready to share that same passion with others. “When you taste something really great that you’ve never had before, it just opens up your world to know what’s out there,” Matt says.

BarVino’s interior combines modern industry with old world charm. High ceilings, exposed air ducts, and iron railings contrast with classic moldings, raw wood bar tops, and tables with wine box inlays. Matt incorporated pieces from crates of some of his favorite wines into the table tops, a project that added a personal touch to the space.

In January, BarVino launched its wine club, which is designed to do just that for the Mid-Missouri area. It’s not just a bottle selection service, but also an education opportunity. For $43 per month, members receive two bottles of wine, a discount on purchases at BarVino, and free admission to monthly wine tastings. The wines offered here are not the same as what a local grocery might stock — there’s a focus on smaller wineries that produce a high-quality product. “Just like home-grown produce is better, home-grown wine is better,” Matt says.

Whether your beverage of choice is wine, beer, or a well-crafted cocktail, finding the right bite to pair with it is important, and that can sometimes be intimidating. But according to Matt, it should be a fun process. “That’s the whole point of wine, in my opinion,” he says. “It’s not supposed to be snobby, it’s not supposed to be exclusive, it’s supposed to be fun. Half the fun of pairing is trying new things. I love to avoid the rules of wine pairing whenever possible at my own risk — but not at the risk of others.”

BarVino’s menu has been crafted with pairing in mind to take the guesswork out of the game. Matt provided a few tried and true pairings that you can stop in and test for yourself.