The Wine Room at the Cottage Adds to Burgeoning Hampton Bays Culinary Scene
A new wine bar has swung open its doors in Hampton Bays.
Currently in soft-opening mode, the Wine Room at the Cottage is an intimate, casual space tucked away in a standalone single-story structure across from the fire station in the center of town.
Though not particularly pricey by Hamptons standards, there’s a whiff of an upscale vibe nevertheless — due mostly to the fact that its owner and assistant general manager are both trained sommeliers and its chef brings a serious culinary pedigree to the table.
Not too long ago, you might have expected to find a new wine bar like this in, say, Sag Harbor, Greenport or Water Mill. You wouldn’t necessarily have thought of Hampton Bays as the place to go to sip a little Barolo and nosh on a charcuterie platter with meats and cheeses from half a dozen countries.
But these days, the Wine Room at the Cottage is yet another entry in a vibrant Hampton Bays food scene — one that has seen several new restaurants with classically trained chefs set up shop in the hamlet over the last few years.
While there are plenty of places to get a thoughtful meal and a quality beverage in Hampton Bays, a true wine bar is a unique addition — particularly one that stays open past midnight, when last call has long since come and gone at most of the area’s restaurants.
“So far, locals just love the place,” says owner Dayna Corlito. “The reception we’ve gotten from them has really motivated us. The seasonal folks are great, but you need the locals to carry your business.”
A local herself, Corlito has lived in Hampton Bays for 14 years. She had been leasing the space that became the Wine Room for two full years before she was finally able to pour her first glass of wine to a paying customer in the winter of 2024.
“I’ve always loved Hampton Bays,” she says. “That’s why I chose to live here. The other areas are what they are. This is the under-served part of the Hamptons.”
Corlito notes that the cozy and inviting dining room is at its best when serving about 20 guests at a time. However, the restaurant can comfortably accommodate 30 people or more for dinner if need be, and up to about 40 for private parties or standing events.
Created in collaboration with assistant general manager and master sommelier Anna Maria Sanchez, Corlito’s wine, beer and sake list mirrors her restaurant: It’s not huge, but it’s formidable.
While the list features an international roster of small-batch producers (including a smattering of North Fork wines), Corlito is clearly a fan of Italian vintners. Recently, she created a tasting flight featuring a 2022 Arneis, a 2018 Barolo and a 2022 red blend, all from Carlin de Paolo, a family-owned winery in Italy’s legendary Piedmont region. All three samples were firm, detailed and infinitely drinkable.
It’s not surprising that a trio of varietals handcrafted by a small-batch producer from one of the finest wine regions in the world would make for very pleasant sipping. But if you’re an oenophile (or at least someone who enjoys learning about wine) you relish the chance to try something more exotic from a region that’s not usually mentioned in the same sentence as Bordeaux or Napa or Piedmont.
Take, for example, the 2018 Saints Hill Black Plavac Mali from the Dalmation Coast of Croatia, which Corlito poured out on a second visit to the Wine Room. The entire table was knocked out by the lush notes emanating from a bottle produced in a region that’s hardly a household name for winemaking.
In addition to her carefully curated wine list, Corlito is also into small-batch beer. The current beer roster is heavy on Italian brews with a couple of interesting German entries thrown into the mix. Standouts include Grado Plato’s Strada San Felice Chestnut Amber Ale, which is brewed with Piedmont chestnuts, and a malty Reissdorf Kolsch from Cologne, Germany.
Like Corlito’s beverage list, Chef Karl McDermott’s food leans heavily on Italian/Mediterranean influences but still has a decidedly international bent.
Create a six-dish charcuterie sampler of, say, three meats and three cheeses, and you can jump all over the globe.
Pair an Italian taleggio with blue cheese from Denmark’s Green Island and a Grand Reserve cheddar from Australia. Complement the cheeses with duck prosciutto from France, classic Serrano ham from Spain and a Belgian ale and lemon zest salami, imported all the way from Brooklyn.
Other notable wine- and beer-friendly small plates include Spanish Tapas (bacon wrapped dates stuffed with chorizo) and Under the Sea, which brings together white anchovies, sardines and smoked trout with lemon capers and basil pesto.
McDermott’s current roster of large plates stays in Italy with a hearty braised veal shank (Ossobuco di Vitello), an equally hearty roasted lamb shank (Stinco di Agnello) and traditional Lasagna Bolognese.
In addition to creating and supervising the menu at the Wine Room, McDermott owns and operates Hamptons by Design, which caters events in Manhattan, the East End and Connecticut. McDermott, who studied at the prestigious Institute of Culinary Education in New York City, also travels frequently to his native Jamaica, where he owns and operates Ubuntu, a local catering firm.
For those who get jazzed by bold-faced names, the chef’s biography notes that he has cooked for the likes of Bill and Hillary Clinton, Denzel Washington, Paul McCartney, Jerry Seinfeld, Barbara Walters, Jane Fonda and many other luminaries.
McDermott and Corlito point out that while they hold their food and beverage offerings to an extremely high standard, they’re currently running the place with a very small staff. On any given night there will be a total of maybe half a dozen staffers (including Corlito) handling both the kitchen and front-of-the-house operations, which is why it’s important to have a well rounded team.
“We don’t have any robots in here,” McDermott says. “We teach the staff the whole philosophy of food and fine dining and customer service.”
“Anna (the assistant GM) and I work the front of the house,” adds Corlito. “Everybody pitches in. We’re cleaning up, we’re washing glasses, whatever it takes.”
While she doesn’t plan to stage an official grand opening event per se, Corlito says she’s likely to do a ribbon-cutting ceremony with the Hampton Bays Chamber of Commerce sometime around Memorial Day.
As high season rolls in, Corlito and her staff are as ready as they’re going to get.
“OK, the secret sauce is ratified — it’s validated,” she says. “Now we’ll take suggestions and we’ll keep making it better. Live music, a trivia night, wine education classes. It just lends itself to more communal gatherings where we can make it fun and informative.”
Learn more at thewineroom.co.