Passing The Bar: Mauzac

Longtime Fort Greene residents who worry their neighborhood is turning into another Park Slope can be excused for being wary of Mauzac, a wine bar that opened its doors earlier this year on DeKalb Avenue, the nabe’s main drag. After all, the low-lit boite oozes the sort of posh Brooklyn vibe that draws stroller pushers for a post-dinner port, and is also low-key enough to attract the local Pratt student who wants to expand his oenophiliac knowledge.

Mauzac opened in an unassuming storefront on DeKalb Avenue, across from Fort Greene Park, in August. The owner, Sali Shibilo, says she decided to open in the area because it’s close to her home.

"When I saw the space, I knew I had to have it," she tells me one night. "And the neighborhood was lacking a place like this." True, there is another wine bar nearby on Lafayette Avenue "but it could really use another one!" Shibilo says. And the neighborhood could truly use a few more watering holes, especially considering the impending closure of Fort Greene fixture Moe’s, just a few blocks away.

For those who think sipping bubbly by candlelight and listening to soft music while gazing out at the park is just plain cheesy, at Mauzac, Sali keeps the vibe cozy and sexy. Most of the seats are along a long bar that runs across the tiny space, but there are also few little tables next to the large windowsideal for a date.

Mauzac’s regular crowd stops by for after-dinner drinks, favoring the myriad popular local eateries for dinner, but the venue does offer meat and cheese plates and duck pat for those who need to nibble on something other than their companions.

A bottle of vino here ranges from $40 to $112, and glasses run about $10—absolutely worth it for wines like the full and delicious Chalten Reserve Malbec from Patagonia.

With a rotating menu of wines—white, red, rose—from the namesake Mauzac grape and sparkling Champagne, there are always new options to try. Grape haters can even drink bottled beer if they’re not in the mood for the fruit of the vine.

Adding to the charm of the place are the well-versed bartenders. They’re all more than happy to recommend a wine to suit your mood or palate, and because of the intimate environs, you will inevitably strike up a conversation with whomever is charged with filling your glass.

What Mauzac lacks in space, it makes up for in cozy charm. And don’t worry, the Fort Greene area isn’t turning into The Slope just yet. From the cast of characters we’ve seen in our few visits including a scowling man sitting alone and reading a paper to a drunken guy breaking out in song—the funky Fort Greene Vibe is still alive and well on DeKalb Avenue.

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Mauzac
136 DeKalb Ave. (at South Elliott Pl.),
Brooklyn, 718-694-2044.