Urban Winery

Modern urban winery with a wine bar, restaurant, and bottle shop.

The first Moscow project from Friends Orchestra, a Novosibirsk-based collective of conceptual venues and projects dedicated to bar culture and urban life. The spacious restaurant is located on the first floor of a historic mansion. The Music Room (a former radio studio) features vintage equipment curated by Andrey Smirnov (ANDYS), the musical curator of the mansion. There's also a real winery in the basement, a charming bottle shop, and a year-round "countryside"-style veranda. The partners behind the winery in the basement are Kostya Lyalin (AF Brew, Laboratorio Distilita, Utopist) and Nikita Rachinsky (Bacchus bar, Vinofeel, Nove Vino). The winery is located in a historic mansion with "pre-Napoleonic" architecture on Baumanskaya Street. The interior, designed by the Paum Family studio, preserves historical details: the moldings were checked with the Department of Cultural Heritage, and the 100 oak windows and parquet flooring were replicated based on archival materials. The restaurant on the first floor features 16 fireplaces: the tiles and metal shutters were sourced from all over Russia and then meticulously restored. One fireplace will be lit and serve as a welcoming feature in the cozy waiting area. The main concept of the interior is a symbiosis of old and modern elements. The rooms resemble the home of a seasoned traveler who loves to tell stories about unusual things, prefers simplicity but isn't willing to compromise on sterile minimalism, and yet keeps up with trends. That's exactly what this space is: eclectic yet elegant. Every detail plays on contrasts. Naive wine-themed illustrations by Masha Luzganova and a geometric fur panel by Katya Rau coexist with paintings from Udalka. Vintage furniture has been given a new lease on life: one wooden table has been boldly cut and "extended" with metal, while three smaller tables have been combined with stainless steel to create a large, welcoming communal table. The restaurant features French wicker chairs and English leather armchairs, and the tableware includes Sheffield knives and vintage sauce dishes, as well as golf competition cups, which are used on the bar for small items. Urban Winery features three rooms, a cocktail bar, and a music room on the first floor. The brand chef, Arina Zhuravleva (Champ, Cape), and the head chef, Arseniy Kostyanov (Nobody Knows I Suppose, Friends), have incorporated rustic and local elements into the menu. They were inspired by dishes served at wineries around the world – often simple and familiar food, but presented in an elegant way or with a touch of playful rebellion. The "bouquet" appetizer features broccoli, Uzbek tomatoes, three types of carrots, radishes, and baby romaine lettuce, served with a hummus core made with roasted peppers and pumpkin seeds. The enogastronomic favorite, pâté, is made with rabbit liver and served with a plum jam infused with sherry. Marinated Spanish olives are mixed with grapes in apple cider vinegar and spices, and artichokes in chimichurri are served with tonnato sauce and crispy parmesan chips from Kostroma. Pickled vegetables are also featured: charred beef with sheep's cheese and mushroom zhug is served with pickled tomatoes, and the beef tartare with "chitos" (potato dough crisps) includes marinated garlic. The menu includes two salads that are very different in character: a familiar childhood garden salad with golden potatoes, a five-minute egg, and a sour cream sauce with elderflower, and a spring-like crunchy green salad with the freshness of herbs, the bitterness of radicchio, and the sweetness of ripe cherries and red oranges. To warm up, try the onion soup with Emmental cheese from Tuula; to refresh, try the gazpacho made with yellow tomatoes and peaches with shrimp and young peas; and to revive yourself, try the Savoyard cabbage soup with white and pickled cabbage. Those seeking new gastronomic experiences can debate whether bone marrow pairs well with chocolate ganache and decide which works best with a tarragon sauce: shrimp, cod, "chitos," or beet chips. In the hot dishes section, you'll find dishes cooked over an open flame: quail with citrus segments, chicken in Riesling cooked like a demi-glace with vegetables, and juicy merguez sausage with a roasted potato cream. They even prepare a rare but flavorful hake with a Grenoblois sauce made with lemons, capers, and breadcrumbs. There are also pasta dishes: delicate ravioli with oxtail in a cacio e pepe sauce, seasonal gnocchi with chanterelles and asparagus, and a light spaghetti with lemon and shrimp. Vegetable lovers will appreciate the young Armenian beans, potatoes with mushroom cream, and fries served with a rebellious bacon ice cream. The Napoleon cake with vanilla cream, a childhood favorite, is served in the style of an Italian tiramisu – from a large metal dish. The experimental tarte tatin is a vegetable version, made with caramelized cabbage and sour cream ice cream. The wine list, curated by Olga Samsonova (Bacchus bar, Vinofeel, Nove Vino), is like a bold wine kaleidoscope for the modern wine enthusiast. The main focus is on wines from Urban Winery. The team traveled throughout Russia in search of interesting vines and innovative ideas. The "first season" friends include Mikhail Nikolaev, Nikita Abalkhin, Alexey Serdyuk, Janis Karakesidi, and Arseniy Gordienko, who is the winemaker at Urban Winery. The wines are divided into two categories: classic and "Parade of Freaks." In the classic category, you'll find a vanilla-fruity petnat made from aged Rkatsiteli, a rare hybrid Diviko in a rosé style with notes of roasted seeds and hard candy, a delicate white wine made from Chardonnay with a touch of Pinot Noir, and a Pinot Noir/Pinot Gris blend in the style of the Alsatian new wave. The "Parade of Freaks" section features limited-edition bottles of Russian Recina, hopped red and white wines with electric flowers. In addition to their own labels, the list includes over 130 diverse bottles. You'll find "Galitsky & Galitsky," Vedernikov, small wineries, and rare selections for restaurants like "Usadba Senetkh," LeK2, Ferrum Winery, "Tempelhof," Dmitry Maslov One Barrel, and others. There's also French Champagne, Piedmont wines, and rare Greek wines. The team's love for experimentation and new discoveries will be reflected in the "wine of the week" selections, which can be tasted for a limited time. Mixology is an important part of the Friends Orchestra's DNA, so the bar occupies a separate room and has its own name, Lieu Dit. This winemaking term refers to small vineyards with unique characteristics. The cocktail menu, curated by beverage director Dima Malko (Nobody Knows I Suppose) and bar manager Alexander Kazantsev (Humble, 0.75 Please Moscow, "Knorozov"), is inspired by wine regions. Each cocktail represents a specific terroir with recognizable characteristics and becomes part of the wine tasting experience, revealing something new or serving as a concise complement to a glass of wine. The cocktail menu features reimagined classics in the Urban Winery style: the Espresso Martini is made with grape vodka and port wine, the Gimlet with riesling distillate, the Daiquiri with madeira, and the Dry Martini with ice wine. Soon, there will be a Spritz Session section dedicated to traditional sparkling cocktails that always pair well with food. The St. Petersburg-based Liars Collective team developed the visual identity for Urban Winery, including the wine label designs, logo, and color palette. The brand Rivka created the uniform designs: the simple office shirts with a chaotic print emphasize the balance between seriousness and informality.