Cote Wine Bar toasts to their first anniversary

Raise a glass and make a toast to Cote Wine Bar as they celebrate their first year of business. 

Sitting on a quiet strip at 5369 Mosholu Ave., Cote is credited as the only wine bar in Riverdale. Run by co-owners Jeff Gargano and Katarina Charles, the wine bar opened last April.

Gargano, a man of few words, wouldn’t take credit for the success of the business, but mentioned he and Charles were pleased with the results of Cote’s first year.

“We always knew this area would be a great location for a wine bar,” Gargano said, who officially purchased the space in 2022.

The bar took several years to open its doors due to issues with contractors in the beginning stages. 

“It was a very tough time and we wondered if we would ever get through that stage,” Charles said.

“Both of us are really thrilled that people love this place and we haven’t had any complaints when it comes to prices, food or the ambiance,” Gargano added. 

“Wine is a part of our culture but I never really paid attention to the elegance and diversity of the wines,” Charles said, who learned how to appreciate wine once she started working with Gargano and later earned her certification as a sommelier.

“I always enjoyed wine with family and friends for dinner or lunch, but never imagined it as a career path,” she added.

Charles first met Gargano at CorkMaster Wines & Spirits at 5650 Mosholu Ave. in 2016 as a customer, when she inquired about a job. Shortly after, she began working at CorkMaster, which Gargano purchased in August of 2012.

Charles loves assisting people who may feel overwhelmed when it comes to wine. She asks them questions about their preferences and gets them out of their comfort zone by recommending unfamiliar wines with familiar flavor profiles.  

“Wine has a reputation of being kind of snobby, so we wanted to create an experience and atmosphere where wine wasn’t so intimidating,” Charles said. “We want to show people wine can be for everybody.” 

The interior of the bar glows with an orange warmth from the wood on its walls, some of which once occupied the Tarrytown home of the wealthy Rockefeller family until the 1940s. Most of it was disposed after the family moved, including much of it being dumped into the Hudson River. However, a portion of the wood from the Westchester home found itself in a gravestone maker's office in Sleepy Hollow, according to Gargano who purchased the historic and had it built into his business.

“Unfortunately, the wood wasn’t inexpensive,” Gargano added. “But the history of it is just extraordinary.”

The owners tout the bar as a place where people can slow down and temporarily escape the hectic, bustling city life with a glass of wine by their faux fireplace.

Its drink list includes beer and a wide variety of wines by the glass, including the less common orange wines with bottle options also available. It also features wine-based cocktails and a small food menu, boasting meats and cheeses which have long been paired alongside wines.

“The charcuterie boards provide a diverse range of tastes and textures which make them ideal for sampling all the wines on our list – from red and white to sparkling and orange,” Charles said.

Julissa Friere has lived in North Riverdale for the past 20 years and is a loyal customer of CorkMaster Wines & Spirits. In French, cote means “rib” or “coast” — with the wine bar acting as a rib or a branch to the CorkMaster wine shop, according to Charles.

“Having this wine bar is a big deal for our neighborhood,“ said Freire who owns the nearby La Escuelita de Sofia child daycare at 5720 Mosholu Ave. “It’s great to see a wine bar in this neighborhood, especially one [co-owned] by a female. When she first opened the wine bar, I was like, ‘you know I’m there.’”

Charles used to teach French at Freire’s daycare.

La Escuelita de Sofia will collaborate with Cote for a parents' night out on April 6. As local guardians take a night off to enjoy themselves, the daycare will provide babysitting services for anyone in need of childcare.

“Katarina [Charles] is great and she’s so knowledgeable when it comes to wine,” Friere said.

“I can’t say too many nice things about this place – it’s just a beautiful atmosphere and you never feel rushed,” Diane Vigliarolo said as she sipped on one of the bar’s mocktails and who has been a customer since day one. “It’s just innovative and different from the historical environment of Riverdale restaurants.”

Judy Sherman, another longtime Bronx resident who now lives in California and was in town visiting over the weekend, was a big fan of Cote’s cocktails.

“With cocktails, usually you think it’s going to be included with whiskey or vodka,” Sherman said of her French 57 made with soju. “But when they make it with the wine, it’s so different and it’s just wonderful.” 

Cote celebrates their one-year anniversary on Thursday, April 3 with live jazz music performed by local artists and an extended happy hour from 3-7 p.m. where all in attendance will receive a free glass of sparkling wine.

The night will feature fun and discounts, including a combination deal of a small charcuterie board with a glass of wine for $20. They will also offer 50 percent off any second glass of wine if customers use the wine bar’s life-sized picture frame and tag @cotewinebar on social media.

“Wine is supposed to be fun,” Charles said. “So, let’s have fun with it!”