“Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurants Flagship Location, Cooper’s Hawk Esquire Chicago is a Tribute to the World of Wine with Over 1600 Selections from Around the World”
(CHICAGO, IL, June 26, 2020) – Cooper’s Hawk Esquire, the flagship location from Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurants has been honored by Wine Spectator’s 2020 Restaurant Awards with a Best of Award of Excellence for their expansive wine list. The annual program, which recognizes restaurants around the world as the top destinations for wine lovers, successfully moved forward this year despite the effects of COVID-19. Recipients of this award are celebrated for their excellent breadth across multiple wine growing regions and a significant vertical depth of top wines. Cooper’s Hawk Esquire is one of 1,387 restaurants in the world to receive a Best of Award of Excellence this year.
“This year’s Wine Spectator Restaurant Award program celebrates restaurants’ resilience, dedication and bravery during these unprecedented times,” said Marvin R. Shanken, Editor and Publisher, Wine Spectator. “We hope that all of our award winners and the people who make them special will find their way through the crisis to once again welcome us through their doors. We look forward to raising a glass together, and to new beginnings.”
Cooper’s Hawk Esquire, located in the historic Esquire building in downtown Chicago (58 E. Oak Street), spans 23,000 square feet and three levels. Opened in November 2019, it delivers an immersive experience and celebrates wine and its long global history. Cooper’s Hawk Esquire is the first of 43 restaurants in the collection to include wines from outside the Cooper’s Hawk portfolio. The vast selection of hidden gems and showcase cult wines includes collections from around the world, hand-selected by Master Sommelier Emily Wines and Esquire Sommelier Jordyn Sotelo.
The collection is vast, with over 1600 bottles, but it is curated and condensed to a 250-selection list of “Wines of the World”. The smaller list removes the intimidation factor that large lists can provide. The larger list, called “The Cooper’s Hawk Collection”, is available at all times and that is where the deep verticals of cult Napa Cab, Bordeaux and Champagne reside. Multiple vineyard and vintage offerings of Napa Valley gems such as Bond, Dalle Valle, Diamond Creek, Harlan and Opus One, allow guests to explore the nuances of what makes these wines great. A deep collection of first and second growth Bordeaux pays tribute to the region that has long inspired winemakers from around the world. All wines are kept in temperature-controlled areas including an all-glass 50-foot wine tower with a winding staircase that guests can explore.
Cooper’s Hawk Master Sommelier, Emily Wines said, “We are honored to receive a Wine Spectator Restaurant Award. At Cooper’s Hawk Esquire, we strive to meet our guests wherever they are in their wine journey. We take pride in our curated collection of luxury wine but take equal joy in opening the door to the pleasure of wine for those who are just beginning. We know that Chicago is a big wine-loving community, so it only makes sense that our tribute to the world of wine be in this historic location and the hometown of our brand”.
With the largest wine club in the country with nearly 500K members and 7 million restaurants guests annually, Cooper’s Hawk produces and sells over 60 of their own wines each year. Sold in-restaurant, their Napa style tasting room and and direct to the wine club, the brand focuses on food and wine discovery, celebration and experiencing the good things in life. While many sommeliers speak to the 1% of world wine consumers, Cooper’s Hawk is focused on the 99% and offers selections for newbies and those in-the-know.
Cooper’s Hawk has a long history in Chicago. Founder/CEO, Tim McEnery, who grew up in Orland Park, opened the first Cooper’s Hawk (and its first winery) in his hometown in 2005. 14 years later, there are 13 Cooper’s Hawk locations in Chicagoland, and 43 across the country – each with a loyal following of Wine Club members who contribute to the company’s ranking as home to the largest wine clubs in the United States. Cooper’s Hawk employs nearly 6,000 team members across the country. The opening of Cooper’s Hawk Esquire is a next step in the brand’s evolution and will provide a deeper and trusted journey into wine.
About Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurants:
Founded in 2005 by CEO Tim McEnery, Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurants is built upon the belief that food and wine hold the power to forge lasting connections. A lifestyle brand focused on creating memorable moments that enrich lives, the company is home to nearly 500,000 Wine Club members and currently operates 43 locations. The concept is a fusion of familiar elements – modern casual restaurant, Napa-style tasting room, and artisanal retail market combined to create an entirely new hospitality experience. Cooper’s Hawk has won over 500 awards for its wine and has been named the Official Wine of the Screen Actors Guild® Awards.
About Wine Spectator:
Wine Spectator is the world’s leading authority on wine. Anchored by Wine Spectator magazine, a print publication that reaches around 3 million readers worldwide, the brand also encompasses the Web’s most comprehensive wine site (WineSpectator.com), mobile platforms and a series of signature events. Wine Spectator examines the world of wine from the vineyard to the table, exploring wine’s role in contemporary culture and delivering expert reviews of more than 15,000 wines each year. Parent company M. Shanken Communications, Inc., also publishes Cigar Aficionado, Whisky Advocate, Market Watch, Shanken News Daily and Shanken’s Impact Newsletter.
