The back of a burger shop might not be the most obvious place seek out a glass of grower Champagne, but this is Miami. And more specifically, this is Wynwood, where, amid brightly colored street art, anything goes.
Monsieur Guille opened its doors — one of which requires you to sneak through the Mad Butcher burger shop and slip past a replica slaughtered cow — in June. (The other door, more suitable for the faint of heart but not quite as fun, is on the side of the building.)
Once inside, you’ll find a jazz stand, velvet couches and a very smart bar – all under dim lighting. And, if you’re lucky, you might find the sommelier founder Guillermo Gómez pouring from a bottle of Armenian sparkling wine. (Deliciously fruity traditional method from one of the world’s oldest winemaking countries.)
That’s thing about Monsieur Guille: Nothing is predicable, yet everything works.
We visited on Friday, when no fewer than ten different sparkling wines are offered by the glass, ranging rom $10-60/glass. Five are Champagne. All were artisan, creative choices. Tasty, but absolutely not weird or funky. The Pierre Cellier Champagne was a particular highlight.
“I wanted to be able to curate room where wine connoisseurs and novices alike could share a space and enjoy an approachable wine program in a welcoming setting”, says Gómez, adding that he hopes to “continue to build a community around it with nightly-themed concepts”. More on those below.
Practical info about Monsieur Guille
Getting there:
- Set GPS to The Mad Butcher. Walk into The Made Butcher and through the secret door at the back (this is the entrance with the cow). Alternatively, walk around the corner onto NW 23rd for the direct entrance.
Opening hours & specials:
- Monsieur Guille is open Wednesday-Saturday from 5pm. On Wednesday & Thursday, it closes at Midnight. On Friday and Saturday, it’s open until 2am (either very useful, or very dangerous, for those moments when you need a decent glass of wine late at night…)
- Happy Hour is from 5-8pm every day – even Saturday.
- On Wednesdays, the world of rosé is celebrated with an extended list of pink wine
- Thursdays are great for wine-loving women who will enjoy specially priced wine by the glass
- Fridays are for bubbles: TEN by the glass. Nice.
- Saturdays are for wine flights – selections of three wines special prices
- Live Jazz kicks off at 9pm Friday and Saturday
Bravo, Monsieur Guillermo! We’ll be back.
Sarah is a freelance wine educator, writer and events host, based in South Beach. She holds the WSET Diploma in Wine & Spirits and is a current Master of Wine student.
