"We are a wine bar," says Maija Diethelm, owner of Boozefish. "But my goal was not to be pretentious." A visit to one of the bar's Wednesday Night Winefests shows that she's succeeded. The fun, laid-back atmosphere attracts a wide range of people. Revelers pay $15 to sample two reds and two whites, then they can choose their favorite for a full glass. But though the environs don't encourage snobbery, the wine could. Diethelm carries wines that even stuffy places on the Plaza don't have. Recent selections have included the rare St. Gregory pinot meunier, a Velletri blend of Italian grapes and an enchanting white from the Austrian winery of Sonnhof. Diethelm tries to mix things up from week to week so that the growing crowd of regulars can satisfy adventurous tastes.
