served at cellar temp
Favorite Houston wine bar uncorks private label bottles for fans near and far
Sample the wine for $13 by-the-glass.
One of Houston’s most popular wine bars has added its own private label bottles to its extensive inventory. Dubbed Patina, the brand will serve as an extension of Midtown favorite13 Celsius’s mission to encourage Houstonians to drink better wine.
True to its name, each label will feature artwork inspired by 13 Celsius’s historic building in the heart of Midtown. For general manager Adele Corrigan and owner Ian Rosenberg, sourcing unique vintages seemed like a good way to expand 13 Celsius’s reach without opening a second location.
“This idea was born out of ongoing discussions for the past 10 years of whether or not to open a second location, and how to bring 13 to a broader range of people,” Corrigan tells CultureMap. “We decided a creative option to make 13 more accessible would be to do private label selections. That way Houston wine lovers have a new option — whether they be new to 13 C, former regulars who have moved away, or people who are already fans and want to enjoy 13 from the comfort of their home. They can also gift their favorite wine bar to friends and colleagues.”
Corrigan and Rosenberg are working with a local importer to handle Patina’s logistics. For their first release, they selected a wine made with Barbera grapes from Piedmont in northern Italy. The sommelier tasted the wine during a visit to Italy in 2023 and wanted to share it with Houstonians.
Branded Patina “Due Gelsi,” it’s described as a “medium-to-full-bodied red wine with red fruit notes, a slightly earthy character, firm tannins, and a balanced finish.” Currently available for $13 by-the-glass or $47 for a bottle, it debuted on the list in time for the wine bar’s 17th anniversary on New Year’s Eve.
“It was a wine that works with or without food and is something I would want to drink every day,” Corrigan explains. “Knowing our customers’ palates, I knew with the first taste, our guests would make the connection between the wine and how it personifies the old world character of our space.”
Future releases will focus on other European wines that aren’t currently available in Texas. Expect more details to be made available soon.
