A.kitchen+bar’s Frank Kinyon dishes on his top summer sips.
Eli Kulp’s a.kitchen + bar has long been known as a Rittenhouse see-and-be-seen with some of the best sips and bites in the city. This year, the restaurant’s reputation only continued to soar with a 2024 James Beard nomination for Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program. “I was excited to take over the wine program at a.kitchen since it had a great reputation for being the premier spot for natural wine in Philadelphia,” says beverage and service director Frank Kinyon. “Over the years, I’ve really tried to fine-tune that idea, broadening our French and American selections and focusing more on ‘elegant’ natural wines.” With this in mind, Kinyon highlights some of his favorite sips for the summer and beyond. akitchenandbar.com
“Albarino grown right next door to the Atlantic? Sixty -year-old vines and zero sulfur added to the wine? Yes, please! It’s very bright and briny.”Albamar ‘O Sebal’ Rias Baixas Vino Branco
“‘Haoma’ is made from hybrid grapes, Cayuga and Vignoles, aged in oak before re-fermenting in the bottle with a dosage of wildflower honey.”Wild Arc ‘Haoma’ Sparkling Wine
“This is a ‘field’ blend of white and red grapes. I say ‘field’ because the grapes actually grow all over the city of Vienna in random plots. Get this red nice and cold, then find a pool… you know the rest.”Jutta Ambrositsch ‘Rakete’ Roter Gemischter Satz
“This wine is made from a near-extinct grape called Baratuciat and grown in Roero, Piemonte in Northern Italy. Nine days of skin contact lends this wine some complex aromas.”Summer Wolff ‘Ette’ Baratuciat
“If you see this pretty pink baby on a shelf next time you’re shopping for wine, buy it, no questions asked. One of my favorite rosé wines for the season.”Clos du Tue-Boeuf ‘Vin Rosé ’ Vin de France
“Keeping with the high acid trend, this is some lovely Riesling from an ex-professional BMX biker, who is now making wine in the Swabia region of Germany. It’s as energized as watching the X Games or landing an Oille.”Beurer Trocken Riesling
Photography by: COURTESY OF HIGH STREET HOSPITALITY GROUP
