A new wine bar in the Bishop Arts District has a unique concept and rare wines that even the most avid wine drinker will find exciting.
True to the tasting room’s name, Blind Bishop offers a blind wine flight nightly. Novice wine drinkers and connoisseurs can enjoy the flight with a group or try to identify the wines independently. Moreover, there is no better way to prepare for a wine-related certification exam or competition than by tasting.
Owner and wine director Dilek Caner, a sommelier with experience at Restaurant Alain Ducasse and a writer for Wine & Spirits magazine, is the brains behind Blind Bishop. Caner also holds the rare designation of Master of Wine.
Caner has carefully curated 25 wines-by-the-glass and more than 100 half and full bottles. Caner revealed to Dallas Culturemap that while educating students about wine, she had been searching for her own space to chat about wine with other wine enthusiasts.
“I have a background as a sommelier and loved it. To be able to make a wine list and bring those wines to the foreground is something I wanted to do again,” says Caner.
Caner wanted to develop her own space because profits would not determine which wines she could feature. While working as a restaurant director, Caner’s directive was to “make a profit,” though she has always been more motivated by education.
“I may offer wines that are not yet loved by the masses but I can sell it because I can make decisions about whether I need to make a profit on it. That’s a freedom I wanted to have,” says Caner.
The blind tasting may not be for those expecting only to taste expensive wines. Caner believes in “good” wines.
“I am not looking to have ‘cheap’ or ‘expensive,'” she says. “What I am looking for is good value for what they are. So that could be a $500 bottle but it’s a good value for what it is.”
This simple rule is why she offers a wine-by-the-glass list that features three-ounce pours for $5.00 so patrons can taste multiple wines.
In addition to wine, Caner also pays close attention to the food she serves, ensuring it pairs well with the wine offerings. A full kitchen serves dishes such as burrata with charred broccoli, rigatoni with mussels and chorizo, and duck breast with summer squash and snow peas, all of which are available a la carte.
“Our strength is in pairing wines and opening wines people might not be familiar with,” Caner says.
Blind Bishop is located at 310 Sunset Ave. and is open for wine events, seminars, and classes. It is also open to the public on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. as a wine bar and restaurant.