Inside the new Calgary wine bar breathing new life into an iconic space

When Kensington Winebar closed its doors earlier this year, it was a huge loss for the neighbourhood. The spot had been a fixture in Kensington for almost two decades, with many left wondering what would be next for the space.

Luckily, the answer came fairly quickly with the emergence of Tipsie, a new spot from the team behind the Calgary favourite The Eden, which aims to recapture the magic of the iconic space.

For owner Rob Eden, Winebar was nostalgic not only for its place in Calgary’s food scene, but also for family, as it’s the very spot that he met his wife, Nadine.

“She was the original opening server of Kensington Winebar, and I remember her. I don’t think she remembers me very much,” he told Dished. 

“It’s kind of serendipitous that we took advantage of this space because it’s so familiar to both of us.”

With the closure of Winebar earlier this year, Eden says it was an opportunity for the team to restore its former glory. Alongside Nadine and Chef Dirk McCabe, who’s behind the beloved menu at The Eden, the idea for Tipsie began to form.

“Having familiarity with the space and loving wine so much and food, we consulted with our Chef Dirk to decide to open this. We wouldn’t have done it without him on board.”

And down the rabbit hole they went. Keen to hold on to the nostalgia associated with Winebar, many of the elements of the room have stayed the same.

Set just below Kensington Road, there are still exposed brick walls, a large bar overlooking the kitchen, skylights that look up to the street, and plenty of cozy spots to sit and enjoy a glass or wine or three.

“I’ve always loved this property. I think it’s transformative…] You could be in this room, and you wouldn’t know if you were in London or if you were in San Francisco,” Eden says. 

What’s on the menu?

When creating the menu at Tipsie, it was important to the team to create a distinction, rather than recreate what already works for The Eden.

“We wanted to be able to do something different here and bring Calgarians something that they may not come across every day,” Eden explains. 

As a quintessential wine bar, Tipsie currently has around 100 different bottles on its wine list, a number that Eden is keen to grow over time organically.

“My wife and I do a lot of wine reconnaissance, and we wanted to bring wine that you wouldn’t be very familiar with from boutique winemakers.”

It’s food menu is also somewhat removed from what you’d expect from a wine bar, with many dishes skewing slightly larger than a classic small plate, but still approachable and shareable, perfectly complementing the wines on offer.

“A big one so far has been the Bourdain Sando and our Pink Lambrusco. It’s been very popular. We have a delicious Italian Chardonnay that goes really well with our beans and ‘nduja dish, and then the Grilled Cheese Sandwich. You can’t go wrong with a glass of Côtes du Rhône,” he adds.

And of course, we had to follow those orders to a tee. First up, based on a favourite dish of the beloved TV personality Anthony Bourdain, the Bourdain Sando sees a kaiser bun piled high with mortadella, provolone, mayonnaise, and Dijon. Plus, the lambrusco perfectly cuts through the fattiness.

Far removed from your classic baked beans, the ‘Nduja Baked Beans are rich and packed with flavour and a hint of spice from the ‘nduja.

The Grilled Cheese also presents a more grown-up take on a classic comfort food, with juicy red wine braised chuck and fontina on perfectly toasted sourdough. We can absolutely see why this has proved so popular among patrons.

As winter rolls in, Tipsie provides the perfect antidote to the chill, from cozy bites to an incredible wine selection.

Tipsie is open from 4 p.m. to midnight, Tuesday through Sunday.

Tipsie

Address: 1131 Kensington Rd. NW, Calgary

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