Bar & Wine Stations: Tue-Thu & Sun: 4:00 pm - 10:00pm | Fri & Sat: 4:00 pm - 1:00 am
Phone #: (607) 319-4172
In the Press
My Love of The WineStation
A few weeks ago I drove up to the Finger Lakes region for Ithaca College’s alumni weekend and dedication of their fantastic new Athletic & Events Center. Having lived in Ithaca for four years, I am no stranger to the Cayuga Lake wineries and have had my share of tipsy wine tours 
. However, some friends introduced me to a new wine Corks & More and I love the technology SO much that I had to share!
Corks & More is just one of many wine bars, restaurants, event venues, and retail operations that have started using The WineStation, created by Napa Technology. Oh, did I mention you can also get a station in your home, hmm, Christmas and Channukah are fast approaching….
The basic premise is that a wine consumer has a pre-paid card with a smart chip. At Corks & More you put a $2 deposit down for the card and can fill it with however much you want. The cards are inserted into the sides of the machine (each one holding 4 different bottles of wine) and the drinker can choose if they would like a taste, a half glass or a full glass. The system keeps wine fresh and allows bottles to be easily changed. It is also just downright cool to insert your card and have wine just pour into your glass!
I really love this idea because it creates a very casual setting where the people drinking the wine are able to “choose their own adventure.” You don’t have to feel intimidated by lack of knowledge about wine, you simply can get a taste, see what you like, try different things or go back for more. There is no staring at the wine menu reading varietals you’ve never heard of and hoping that you don’t sound silly asking the bartender questions.
Finger Lakes Times
Ithaca's Corks & More offers a unique lounge experience.
Corks and More is a unique wine tasting bar and lounge in Ithaca that lets customers sample from WineStations - the latest trend in high-tech wine serving equipment - in a cozy, casual lounge setting.
Owner BJ Bliss graduated from Ithaca College to become an elementary educator, but has also branched out into the cruise and wine bar businesses. He owns Cayuga Lake Cruises, which operates two tour boats out of Ithaca's West End Waterfront and Corks.
Bliss' interest in wine evolved from his early days of offering a limited number of wines to cruise boat customers. He gradually expanded the number of selections and eventually decided to start a wine bar on the waterfront to provide the ultimate tasting experience.
Corks currently has 40 wines available for tasting. The list changes almost completely every month so customers can continuously expand their wine experience and enjoyment.
Wines are dispensed from Napa Technology WineStations, which feature a state-of-the-art cooling system so wines can be served at optimum temperatures and their freshness can be preserved for up to 60 days with a layer of argon gas. Each station can serve four wines.
The WineStations are fully automated and dispense samples of either 1, 2.5 or 5 ounces at the push of a button. Each station has a LCD screen that lists the wine prices. Customers are issued Cork's plastic tasting cards that can be credited for any amount of money and replenished anytime. The cards can also be used to purchase bar and food items.
Corks currently features wines from all over the world and in a variety of price ranges. Most wines are in the middle price range of $20 to $40 a bottle but eight premium wines in the $200 to $300 range are also featured so people can taste high-end wines they might not normally purchase by the glass or bottle. The dispensing system ensures that the quality and freshness of the first glass is the same as the last glass from the bottle, and ratios of white and red wines can be changed to match the seasonal trends of local wine drinkers.
More red wines are on the list in the winter, the mixture of whites and reds is about equal in the fall and white wines are favored in the summers. To help patrons learn about the featured wines, the wine list includes a paragraph about each selection highlighting the grape varieties, winemaking techniques and a description of the wine's flavors and aromas.
Corks also sells bottles of current selections, but only for on-premise consumption. Bliss' goal is to make the bar a "one-stop shopping" experience. The bar also serves mixed drinks, blended and single-malt scotches that can be purchased individually or in flights of three and an extensive list of hand-crafted beers.
Small plate selections - namely house-made crostinis or focaccia bread, cheese plates and desserts - are also available. All of the menu items can be enjoyed while setting comfortably on the couches and chairs in the lounge area and a knife is never required to cut the food. Specific wines from the current selection are recommended for each dish.
General Manager Nate Newton is responsible for making most decisions about the ever-changing wine lists. Newton is a graduate of Ithaca College and has taken wine-related courses at Cornell University and TC3. He deals with a wide number of wine distributors to ensure diversity in the bar's selections and usually tastes more than 100 wines a week to compile the wine list.
Corks first opened in 2010 on New Year's Day and since then has drawn a diverse, mature crowd of tourists and local residents. This establishment is designed to appeal to experienced wine customers and educate newcomers.
The bar has a large outdoor seating area and features bands on weekends, weather permitting. Bliss hopes to install WineStations outdoors next year so patrons can sample wines on the deck during summer evenings. In the winter, patrons can sit on comfortable chairs and couches and enjoy their wine and food in front of a fireplace.
Bliss stresses that his business is customer driven, and special e-mails are sent to regular customers to notify them about wines that may interest them. Cork's also is receptive to suggestions about wines and often adds them to the wine list so all patrons can try them.
Finger Lakes Times - Harvey Reissig - Sunday, August 29th, 2010
(online article no longer available)
Wine Vending Machines Make A Splash
"I thought it would really work very well in Ithaca with the lounge atmosphere and also being so close to so many vineyards," said BJ Bliss, owner of Corks and More.
Bliss opened the lounge back in January and he says the computerized peddlers are a big hit.
"The response to the wine stations has been really positive. People are really engaged in being able to select their own wines," said Bliss.
The machines pour 40 different wines, some from right here in the Finger Lakes. Prices range from a seventy-five cent taste to full glasses costing more than $50.
"Rather than buying an entire bottle or buying a full glass at another restaurant and taking one sip and saying 'Wow, I don't like that,' now they have the ability to get just a one ounce taste," Bliss said.
The machines might seem intimidating at first, but there's really nothing to it. You just take your debit card, which you fill up at the front desk, choose a wine and then decide between a taste, half or full.
But these are no simple machines.
"They're all individually climate controlled, temperature controlled, humidity and they're run off of an argon gas system, which preserves the wine upwards of 60 days," Bliss said.
"It's a different venue completely than a winery in which you get the interaction. You get the explanations about the wine and a lot of conversation," said Nancy Battistella.
The gadgets may be a bit high-tech for traditional vineyards, but even wine makers can see the appeal.
"You get to try many wines that you may otherwise not be able to," Battistella said. "And it's a very fun experience."
Batistella says the machines allow more people to experience more wines and in the end, that's good for everyone.
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Napa Technology's WineStation® Intelligent Dispensing Systems
Corks & More of Ithaca has debuted Napa Technology's WineStation® Intelligent Dispensing Systems to complement the opening of its groundbreaking wine bar/lounge design, and small tasting plates dining concept. Opening on New Year's 2010, BJ Bliss, owner and CEO of Corks & More, noted, "the Ithaca area is renowned for introducing breakthrough concepts in food, wine and dining. What's been missing is an experience that lets guests explore, taste and enjoy unique food selections paired with great wines by the glass, whether they're from the Finger Lakes area, California or other celebrated wine regions of the world. Corks & More is designed to do just that". Bliss added, "Our goal from the onset is to offer our guests an assortment of forty-plus finer wines by-the-glass, served through WineStation's patented Clean-Pour technology. Their 60 day preservation system will ensure our patrons will experience the same, "first-time taste" the winemakers intended, each and every time, whether they choose rom a taste, half or full glass of a wine which best complements their food selection from our new and expanded menu." Bliss continues, "we selected WineStation to be at the heart of our concept, to let our guests come in, purchase a Corks & More Tasting Card along with delectable dishes designed for sharing and socializing, then 'kick back' in our relaxing lounge environment". From a business perspective, Bliss added that WineStation's preservation, pour size selection (1oz. taste, 2.5oz half or 5oz full glass) and reporting, also gives us the controls required by the business," and he adds, "I invite you to come in and check out Corks & More in the near future."
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