Everybody loves a Valentine’s Day love story. And at Sip, “your neighborhood wine bar,” there’s one every day.

When Emy Vallerga, marketing director for a wine importer, and Brad Sanchez, general contractor for a heating-and-cooling business, met at another local wine bar a year and a half ago, they quickly found a connection.

Not only were they both born under the sign of Taurus, the Bull — “We are passionate about what we believe in,” Emy said — they were both single parents. Between them, they have five children ages 7 to 14.

Single no longer, they tied the knot on New Year’s Eve. And they did it before family and friends in their very own wine bar, beside the roundabout on Galveston Avenue at 14th Street on Bend’s west side.

“When Brad and I got together, it made it possible,” Emy (now Sanchez) said of Sip. “It was something I had imagined in my head that I would love to do. And he was totally on board. He knows how to run a business. I have a wine and marketing background.”

They found their place — “The location is amazing,” Emy said — last September and opened on Nov. 14, seven weeks to the day after they signed the lease with construction, permitting, inspections, even social marketing complete.

“Everything happened very fast,” Brad said.

Warm and cozy

“We wanted small,” Emy said. “We wanted a warm and cozy neighborhood bar, one that we would like to be going to ourselves. We are very social people who like being with friends and good company.”

Cozy they have. Parking is limited to a handful of spaces, not counting street spots in the neighborhood, and Sip is busy when 20 patrons crowd in. “Smaller always looks busier,” Emy said. Most patrons gather at tables around a fireplace or at a small bar, wine corks under glass giving it a stylish look.

The wine bar offers live music, typically solo or duo artists, most Tuesday nights, and every Wednesday is ladies’ night. “That’s our target market,” Emy said. “And we always have happy-hour prices.”

The wine menu is divided into eight flights of three wines each, all available by the glass ($6 to $15) or the bottle ($18 to $42). The flights run $9 to $13 for a trio of 2-ounce “sips.”

“Wine can be snobby, wine can be intimidating,” Emy said. “We want ours to be approachable. So we plan to rotate new varietals every three months, keeping only a few favorites.”

Of the flights, there are four reds, two whites, one mixed and one “bubbles.” The “Sip Favorites!” flight, for instance, might feature a cabernet-carmenere blend from Chile, a shiraz from Australia and an albarino from Spain. The opening list also included a red blend from South Africa and a pinot grigio from Slovenia.

Oregon wines, however, are certainly not excluded: Pinot noirs from the Willakenzie and Cristom vineyards, both in the Willamette Valley, have many aficionados.

Growing menu

The menu is short but growing. One new plate, already a favorite for both me and my dining companion, is a roast beef sandwich in grilled pita bread with a generous spread of hummus, along with sliced pear and crumbled feta cheese. It may seem like an odd combination — a kind of American-Middle Eastern fusion — but it works very well.

I always enjoy a good caprese salad, so it’s no surprise that I like Sip’s caprese sandwich. Sliced tomatoes, mozzarella cheese and whole basil leaves are drizzled with a balsamic reduction and served on a choice of four locally baked breads; I chose Big Ed’s Italian Country bread, and it was delicious.

My companion also enjoyed the Westside, a sandwich (she had it on sourdough) of honey-baked ham, Tillamook white cheddar cheese, tomato and basil. Other choices include an apple-and-smoked Gouda sandwich and a four-cheese (Havarti, Gouda, American and Fontina) pairing.

The cheese board features samples of three different cheeses, perhaps including Cambozola, Manchego and cheddar, with crackers, nuts and fresh or dried fruit. Salads and bruschetta (with sun-dried tomatoes) have just been added to an expanded menu. And for quick finger food, I love the Medjool dates drizzled with balsamic and served with sliced green apples.

The thing about a wine bar, of course, is that the food is only as good as the wine it’s paired with. With Sip’s two dozen choices, that’s an easy problem to solve. And for the non-wine drinkers among the patrons, the bar keeps several local beers on tap along with cider and sangria.

— Reporter: janderson@bendbulletin.com