Both Scottsdale and Tempe are filled with restaurants, bars and bottle shops but Valley wine experts Damien Kanser and Jonathan Coppins have set out to fill a little space they found in between.
Enter Rift Tap House and Wine, the duo's bar and bottle shop, located at 431 N. Scottsdale Road, just north of McKellips Road. The phased opening is set to beginin early August.
Many people who work in the food and beverage industry live in the area, Coppins says, and he and Kanser wanted to create a space for the neighborhood.
"We are both sommeliers and we know how pretentious wine can be," Coppins says, explaining that Rift will be the opposite, comfortable and casual.
Now, after changing plans and evolving through the coronavirus pandemic, the duo is almost ready to open Rift.
"We are just two wine geeks opening a wine and beer shop," Coppins says.
Aiming to open in August
Trying to open a bar in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic has been "really interesting," Coppins says.
The duo had to shift gears and redesigned their opening into a phased plan.
Initially, they plan to open with online ordering fulfilled by either curbside pickup or delivery. The team is aiming to have this system operating in the first week of August.
About two weeks later, they plan to open up the retail section for customers to come in and shop for beer and wine to go.
After that, when Gov. Doug Ducey allows bars to be open, Coppins and Kanser plan to open the beer and wine bar for customers to enjoy a drink in house.
Items such as community tables and the full amount of bar stools will be reserved for later once health concerns due to the pandemic subside.
Although the team is not planning any kind of grand opening party or event, Coppins hopes all three phases of the soft opening plan might be able to happen in August.
Friends turned business partners
Both Kanser and Coppins have extensive knowledge in wine that they will apply to their new business. Kanser has been working in the wine industry in sales, distribution and at wine bars for 15 years and Coppins has been a winemaker at Su Vino Winery for 10 years.
"We figured it's time to do our own thing," Coppins says. The friends combined their expertise and are now business partners.
From their love of wine and a shared passion for music, the friends came up with the name Rift, based on a Phish album, one of their favorite bands. The name also plays off the divide between the worlds of beer and wine that they hope to unite within their space, Coppins says.
The space itself will be divided into multiple portions that customers can flow through. For those looking to enjoy a drink at Rift, customers can choose between the 22-seat wooden bar, socialize at a community table or find a comfy spot in a wine lounge complete with sofas, rugs and plants designed to make "you feel like you're in your living room," Coppins says.
For those looking to take some beer or wine home, there will be numerous options. Customers can create their own mix-and-mach four or six packs of beer from three large coolers and wander through a section of retail shelves stocked with bottles of wine. While there will be some "high-end, fun wines," most bottles will range between $15 and $25, Coppins says.
The space will also feature a podcast studio, where Kanser and Coppins will record episodes of their podcast "Spilling the Truth." Coppins hopes to invite wine professionals to visit Rift, record a podcast and then host tastings for customers afterward.
What's on the menu at Rift?
The beer menu at Rift will be largely focused on Arizona brews with a few from Colorado, Utah and California breweries as well, Coppins says.
Customers can expect to see beers from Bone Haus Brewing in Fountain Hills, Goldwater Brewing Co. in Scottsdale and Wren House Brewing Co. in Phoenix among others.
The bar has 25 taps total, but Rift will initially open with 13 beers on tap while capacity is still restricted, Coppins says. Customers can buy crowlers of any on-tap beer to take home as well.
"We are going to have a lot for people who are trying to get into beer," Coppins says, "but we'll also have the stouts and hazies for beer lovers."
On the wine menu, Coppins says Rift will offer around 60 wines to start with and continue to grow their selection from there.
Each week, they will offer two different wine flights, one red and one white, for customers to try a specific type of wine or a selection from a particular region.
In the wine retail section, they plan to have a "what's for dinner" rack, where customers can find wines recommended to pair with chicken, steak, fish and other rotating options.
As for food on site, Coppins says they plan to have local food trucks.
"The Arizona food truck scene is amazing and with all the events canceled, they could use the help right now too," he says, explaining community partnership with Arizona brewers, producers and non-profits is something he and Kanser want to build into the business.
Details: 431 North Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale. facebook.com/RiftBarAZ.
Reach the reporter at tirion.morris@arizonarepublic.com. Follow her on Twitter at @tirionmorris, on Facebook at Tirion Rose and on Instagram at tirionrose.
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August 02, 2020 at 10:00PM
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Wine and beer to stay or to-go. Check out Rift, south Scottsdale's new bar and bottle shop - AZCentral
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