Enology Wine Bar opens in St. James

By day, Jimmy Kilimitzoglou is a dentist, a job he's wanted since he was 6 years old. After hours, Kilimitzoglou has realized his other dream: Owning a wine bar.

Kilimitzoglou fell in love with the industry as a child, on the days that his father took him to work at his restaurant. His mom was "really into wine," and by proxy, as he got older, he started studying it — hence, Enology — that led to the spot that takes over the former Ibérico, which closed in 2024 in St. James.

There is no semblance of the former tapas space at Enology; it’s been gut-renovated with highball tables, a square bar — standing room only on a recent Thursday evening — and a formal dining room. The soft-focused, twinkle light-lit space is perfect to leisurely sip on a new bottle, snack on a mushroom toast or short rib flatbread, or settle in for a steak.

The bottles come from around the world — as far as Tasmania, as close as Cutchogue. Bottles are cataloged in categories like aromatic whites, light to medium reds, bold and big, and fortified. The cellar menu is filled with meticulous tasting notes so drinkers can get a sense of what they’re ordering. Order a half glass (starting at $6) if you want to try more than one.

Whites from the current list include Weingut Stadt Krems, Riesling Grillenparz ($16 glass, $58 bottle) made from ancient terraces overlooking the Danube River, and Marchesi di Gresy, Langhe sauvignon blanc, an Italian take on a classic French grape ($14 glass, $48 bottle). For richer palates, there's a $400 bottle of Jean Chartron, Puligny Montrachet Folatieres, a Burgundy white. Reds like the North Fork’s own McCall Estate pinot noir ($16 glass, $60 bottle), Bodega Garzon, Tannat Reserva out of Uruguay ($12 glass, $42 bottle) and the Australian Henschke, cabernet sauvignon Barossa ($40 glass, $156 bottle) are featured, plus there are also crafted cocktails, beers and ciders.

The food changes with the seasons and runs from light snacks like stuffed olives ($11) and whipped ricotta ($15) to local oysters. Medium-sized plates include roasted cauliflower with dukkah and turmeric crème fraîche ($17), Greek-inspired avgolemono wings with lemon and dill salt ($18), and a perfectly cooked octopus ($24). Large plates range from salmon ($29) to a New York strip ($42).

Kilimitzoglou didn’t want to just create any restaurant, but "something really specific where the whole wine list is biodynamic, sustainable or organic, and family-owned for generations." With deep respect for terroir, Kilimitzoglou wants guests to "see the wine express itself in the glass when all those prerequisites are satisfied. Every wine has a story, every grape has a little poem, so we want to educate people about each specific wine that we have." Although both of Kilimitzoglou’s parents died five years ago, he "got their seal of approval on the idea,” he said.

We're pretty sure they'd approve.

Enology Wine Bar & Bistro, 412 N. Country Rd., St. James, 631-517-0277, enologywinebar.com; Open Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday, from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.