The Loop by Hachiroku Opens Wine Bar with Ungrafted Selections

Stephanie Webster October 30, 2024

The uber-talented team that brought us Hachiroku Shokudo & Sake Bar, Hachiroku Handroll Bar, and most recently The Loop by Hachiroku, (Japanese marketplace), has done it again. The Wine Bar at The Loop opened a few weeks ago, and it is already drawing wine enthusiasts from all over the state of CT, seeking both their unique wine portfolio and outstanding Izakaya Japanese cuisine.

While The Wine Bar at The Loop is owned by the Hachiroku team, it is also a collaboration between Hachiroku’s Yuta Kamori and Ungrafted Selections’ Jason Black, purveyors of conscientiously farmed, handcrafted wines from small, independent growers. While partnership is magical with each brand delivering a “best in class” offering backed with deep knowledge and a desire for excellence, but with none of the fussiness that sometimes happens in the wine world. The Wine Bar is laid back, smart, sublime with that slight edginess we’ve come to expect from Hachiroku. It’s a vibe and we are here for it.

Visually, “The Loop is a study in industrial grace. Concrete floors, raw ceilings, and enormous garage doors (fully operational) are softened by a jungle’s worth of potted plants,” said CTbites writer Todd Lyon when we covered the opening of The Loop. At that point, The Wine Bar was just being built out, but the finished product is truly beautiful, a wonderful addition to New Haven, and a spot to enjoy some very special pours paired with a beautifully curated menu of Japanese plates.

The menu is a riff on Japanese bar snacks, but presents with the craftsmanship of a Michelin starred restaurant. This explains why Hachiroku has been nominated two years in a row for “Best Restaurant in New Haven.”

In my humble opinion, there are a few mandatory orders. These include, but are not limited to the following:

Their Uni Toast with ikura, caviar, truffle, and uni butter features some of the highest quality Uni I’ve eaten in CT, and the combination of flavors is both subtle and decadent, with all the bells and whistles in between.

I also greatly appreciated the inclusion of their Uni Carbonara with thick udon noodles, uni, spicy cod & salmon roe, which I had previously enjoyed at a pop-up event co-hosted with Chef Emily Mingrone of Tavern On State. This was a standout from that evening and we were pleased to see it gain a permanent home.

The Fried Chicken Nanban with tartar sauce, egg, mayo, and pickled cucumber is one of their most popular dishes, and if you go taste it you’ll know why. We also really enjoyed the paper thinly sliced Pork Belly with red wine, butter, soy sauce and natsu orange jam.

And now that we have you drooling, let’s get back to that wine program…

In a recent article on natural wines, Erik Ofgang states,

“Jason Black, an owner of Ungrafted Selections, a Connecticut wine distributor that specializes in natural wine, is drawn to them because of their connection to farming and the environment as well as their flavor. “When you taste a lineup of wines from one region and you taste the more farmer-focused wines that are often leaning natural, they’re always more interesting, they always have more personality.”

IUngrafted Selections’ Jason Black can often be found on the floor or behind the bar depending on the night, ready to speak passionately about their selections and help you choose a wine that is a good fit for your evening. He will also be co-hosting winemaker dinners.

Ungrafted primarily focuses on old world wines but they have developed an extensive domestic portfolio, including the beautiful orange wine I enjoyed on our recent visit from SKYE.