Review CellarMasters Wine Bar and Bottle August 2020 St Pete FL

Haley Haman · Aug 28, 2020 · 4 min read

Have you ever walked into a wine bar and they told you they didn't have a wine list? Um. What? At first, I was very confused and surprised to hear that CellarMasters Wine Bar and Bottle Shop didn't have a wine list. But then Kory Lynn, a wine enthusiast and partner, explained that the reason being is that their wine offerings are constantly rotating. This makes for more of an experience at CellarMasters that I want to specifically highlight.

Kory Lynn and Ryan Rugg, owners of CellarMasters, have over a decade and half of combined expertise in the wine world. Ryan has years of experience making wine and Kory has his Sommelier certification, plus they both have a wealth of wine knowledge from their time spent in the retail, restaurant, and wholesale side of things too.

They are excellent resources to help guide you to the style of wine you're looking for, and they will give outstanding recommendations based on what you like. This conversation adds personality to CellarMasters and makes it feel more community-based, and I'm totally here for it. They are not wine snobs, instead, they're like your best friend who just knows a little too much about wine, and you're glad they do. Kory and Ryan are the wine list.

Kory Lynn, partner, at the Bar

CellarMasters is a wine bar and a wine shop. They have some of the best wine offerings for the absolute best prices. You can come in and grab a few bottles to-go, or you can relax and sip some wine at their wine bar. The bottle shop part of CellarMasters is very unique as everything offered is real wine whether it's organic, biodynamic, natural. You don't have to worry about breaking the bank either as the majority of their wine bottle offerings are $30 or less but that doesn't mean the quality or flavors are compromised.

The Bottle Shop at CellarMasters

CellarMasters offers wines of all characteristics and I'm confident that a good wine match for your taste is here. Everything on display on the floor is less than $20. What a steal!

Bubbles in the Bathtub

I really enjoyed seeing that the bubbles are perfectly displayed in a legit bathtub. Major brownie points for creativity.

Las Lilas Rosé

With Ryan's help, my Aunt Karen picked out a lovely rosé. First, we tasted it, and we loved it so we decided to down the whole bottle. Las Lilas Rosé is a light rosé wine from Portugal with strawberry, cherry, and citrus characteristics. My Aunt and I both loved this vino as it was light and refreshing.

Pavo Real Red Wine To-Go

Pavo Real Red Wine

I was in the mood for something red and Ryan pointed out that this Pavo Real Red 2018 bottle was one of their top sellers and it's only $13! I tried a glass and loved it so he sealed it up and we were on our way. The Pavo Real Red from Mexico has red fruit notes of cherry and raspberry. It's made with Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache, Barbera, and Ruby Cabernet grapes, making for a great blend.

Fermina Red Wine

When describing this wine, Kory said "fruity" about ten times so we were sold. This Spanish red wine, Fermina, is a little lighter than Cab but richer than Pinot Noir. It has a little bit of that red wine bite to it. Fermina red wine is made with organic grapes, so the wine hangover won't hit as hard.

No Es Pituko Natural Wine

This natural white wine is a funky one. No Es Pituko is a bolder white wine with citrus and lemon hints. Since it's natural, it is a cloudy wine and has a little bit of an odd smell to it, but the taste is still pretty good. I'm not a huge white wine fan, but this one was still pleasant to drink. I can imagine this is an easy summer, patio drinking wine.

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If you purchase a bottle, it's the price you see listed, and if you'd like to sit and enjoy your wine here at the wine bar, there is an additional $10 corkage fee.

Snacks

In order to stay open nowadays, food must be in the mix. CellarMasters has snacky foods like potato chips, olives, pickles, meats, and cheese. After a few glasses of wine, snacky foods are just what I'm looking to reach for. Food isn't their main focus here, it's all about the wine, but I'm glad they went the extra mile to offer something in order to stay open!

I'm honestly not sure about the chopsticks but we had fun with it!

Wine Bar Interior

The wine bar part of CellarMasters is like a 1980's living room. It's super cozy and relaxing. Great for catching up with a friend over incredible wine, opening up your laptop to get some work done, or sampling a ton of wine options until you find the perfect one.

This chill yet impressive wine bar and bottle shop is just what the Edge District in St. Pete needed!