One of South Florida’s best wine bars has closed its doors.
When I tried to visit Uvaggio on Coral Gables’ Miracle Mile last Wednesday, I found the doors closed (see the photo above) and the interior dark and empty. Managing Partner and sommelier Heath Porter confirmed to me today that it was gone for good.
“Sometimes it’s just business,” he said in an email.
Porter was also Managing Partner of No Name Chinese in South Miami, which closed in May.
He says he now plans to focus full time on his wine travel venture Heathen Wine Tours, which he launched last year.
Uvaggio’s website is still live as of this writing, promoting weekly events and summer hours. As recently as June 1, the establishment was listed as a participating restaurant in Coral Gables Restaurant Week, though it no longer appears on the event’s website.
Major Loss for Miami’s Wine Scene
My first visit to Uvaggio was my inspiration to finally give in to growing pressure from my wine friends to start this blog. Its adventurous list and geeky, friendly staff were the subject of my inaugural post over three years ago.
Before that, I hadn’t considered Miami much of a wine destination – just a few prestige bottles in a sea of cocktails. Uvaggio opened my mind and encouraged me to look more deeply into the South Florida wine scene.
I’ve returned several times, and in 2018, I listed it first among my picks for Five Great Places to Wine in Miami.
Now, five years after opening its doors in March 2014, Uvaggio bids farewell, and its loss will be deeply felt. Even last week, as I was looking forlornly at the closed doors, a couple walked by and told me they had driven all the way from Pembroke Pines just to pay it a visit. I told them they wouldn’t have been disappointed.
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