Six two-ounce pours, a wedge of cheese, and ninety minutes at a communal table: that was the whole shape of a Corkbuzz wine class, repeated fifteen to twenty times a month for over a decade near Union Square. The format taught more people to taste wine seriously than almost anywhere else in the city. It is also, as of this writing, gone. The room at 13 East 13th Street has closed, its liquor license lapsed, and its website reduced to a holding page.
Karpo tracks which nearby wine-education sessions still have seats open tonight, including the Flatiron room now running Corkbuzz-style classes a short walk from Union Square.
The pour-and-cheese ritual that made Corkbuzz work
Every Corkbuzz class followed the same shape: six two-ounce pours, printed tasting notes, a small plate of cheese, and ninety minutes seated at a shared table rather than a private two-top. Master Sommelier Laura Maniec built the calendar around fifteen to twenty of these sessions a month, cycling through Wine 101, regional deep dives, and blind-tasting nights, so a first-timer and a working sommelier could sit at the same table and both leave having learned something specific.
The cheapest way in was never the class itself but the room's blind-tasting happy hour, paired with a running Champagne Campaign that cut bottle prices by roughly half late at night and during Sunday brunch. That combination was the real entry point for anyone curious but not ready to commit to a paid seat. Whether any nearby room offers a similarly casual, discounted way to taste without booking a full session is worth confirming before you go.
What actually closed, and what didn't
Multiple current listings mark the Union Square location as closed as of 2026, and the brand's own root domain now shows only a line about a 'next chapter' rather than an active site, hours, or booking link. That is a firm enough signal to stop treating 13 East 13th Street as a live venue, whatever older reviews or cached listings might still say.
The paperwork backs this up. The New York State liquor license tied to that address was issued in October 2023 and listed with an expiration date of October 31, 2025, which lines up with a business that wound down rather than one that quietly relocated. A second Corkbuzz location once operated inside Chelsea Market at 75 9th Avenue; if that listing still surfaces in a search, it is worth verifying directly rather than assuming it mirrors the Union Square outpost's fate.
Inside the room at 13 East 13th Street
The space ran to roughly 2,000 square feet under 17-foot ceilings, furnished with plush rugs and wood tables in what Maniec described as a living-room concept rather than a conventional wine bar. The intent was warmth over polish: cozy lighting, communal seating, and a wine list of 40 to 50 glasses and up to 250 bottles that stayed accessible rather than intimidating.
Structurally, the room held a wine bar plus three separate studios used for classes and private events. That layout meant a paid class could run in one studio while the main bar carried on serving walk-ins unaffected next door. It is a specific feature worth checking for in any replacement, since a single open floor plan cannot offer the same separation between a ticketed group and a casual drop-in crowd.
The building itself sits on a quieter stretch of East 13th Street between Fifth Avenue and University Place, at the edge of Greenwich Village, where townhouse-scale buildings and small ground-floor retail replace the bigger storefronts a block over on Union Square proper.
The neighbourhood still pours seriously
Union Square Wine & Spirits remains a fixture just off the square, and newer wine bars including Beltane, Sorso, and Horse With No Name have opened within the same few blocks, so the immediate area has not gone dry of serious wine options even with Corkbuzz gone. None of them replicate the class-and-flight teaching format exactly, but they cover the casual glass-of-something-good end of the spectrum.
The block benefits from being genuinely central: the Union Square subway hub puts the N/R/Q, 4/5/6, and L lines within a few minutes' walk, with the F/M a block further. The square itself, with its year-round Greenmarket and heavy foot traffic, keeps the area lively later into the evening than most quieter Village blocks nearby.
La Compagnie Wine Bar picks up the format in Flatiron
The closest working equivalent to what Corkbuzz offered sits at 2 West 20th Street in Flatiron, a short walk from Union Square. La Compagnie Wine Bar runs recurring, ticketed wine-education sessions, including a session marketed as 'Wine Bootcamp,' that follow the same basic idea of a structured, paid class rather than an open pour-and-browse format.
Corkbuzz was founded in 2011 and built its reputation over more than a decade, so its closure leaves a real gap rather than a like-for-like swap. Anyone planning around La Compagnie should confirm the current class schedule and pricing directly before booking, since recurring event listings for any single venue tend to shift from month to month, and this is exactly the kind of detail that goes stale fastest online.
Booking like a regular, not a walk-in
Corkbuzz released its class calendar only in the first week of each month for the month ahead, and sessions could not be moved within 48 hours of the scheduled time, which meant last-minute walk-in tastings were never really the way in. Whether La Compagnie or any other nearby room uses a similarly rigid advance-release booking system is worth checking before assuming a same-week seat is available.
It was also Corkbuzz's own social channels, rather than third-party booking sites, that tended to carry the most current class listings and any last-minute changes. That pattern of checking a venue's own feed over a general search result is likely to hold for whichever room ends up as the neighbourhood's main wine-education stop going forward.
Practical notes
The former Corkbuzz address, 13 East 13th Street between Fifth Avenue and University Place, is no longer an operating venue; treat any hours or menu details tied to it as historical. For a working wine-class option nearby, La Compagnia Wine Bar at 2 West 20th Street in Flatiron is a short walk away and runs recurring ticketed sessions, though schedules and prices should be confirmed directly before booking. The area is served by the N/R/Q, 4/5/6, and L trains at Union Square, with the F/M a block further. Expect any class booking to require advance reservation rather than same-day walk-in, and check a venue's own social channels for the most current calendar.
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Ask Karpo first
Wondering whether tonight's wine class in the neighbourhood still has open seats, or if Union Square Wine & Spirits is a better bet for a no-booking glass right now? Ask Karpo for the current status of nearby wine-education sessions and which wine bars near Union Square are open and pouring tonight.
