Hidden in plain sight at 309 Armor Rd., North Kansas City is Sail Away Wine — a wine bar with a twist.
“It’s a self-serve wine bar with the idea being its for all the different ports of the world,” said Katie Hendley, Sail Away Wines’ sommelier. But that’s not the only twist.
As you look around the restaurant, you’ll see walls lined with global wines. Want to take a sip? You’ll need to offer the walls your wine passport.
There is no fee to get a passport. It is simply a card linked to your preferred method of payment that keeps track of your tab as well as all the wines you taste.
Place your passport in the wine wall’s card slot. You’ll see your name displayed on the tap screens. The screen show the price per sip broken into three size options. You can also opt to buy a full bottle and take it home with you.
As you go around reveling rosé, you’ll find that wines are grouped by similar taste for your convenience. So, if you find a flavor you love and want another within the same flavor profile, simply look to the wines next to it on the shelf.
Sail Away Wines also has a fridge full of dealcoholized wines + beers — so your alcohol-free friends can join in on the fun, too.
Katie says the goal of Sail Away Wines is to take the elitism out of wine drinking and renew it as the fun, social activity it was meant to be.
“Wine is for community experience. It’s for experiencing fun and conversation, and eating food with other people,” Katie said.
Sail Away Wine also offers live music on Tuesdays and trivia on Sundays.
