A brand new French-themed wine bar called Apero’s is making its way to North Center, located at 4160 N. Lincoln Ave.
This new wine bar will move into the former home of Square Biscuits and serve as a hub for delicious wines and charcuterie options from local butchers. Guests can expect to find wines from the Great Lakes wines and other parts of the world. Apero’s will also focus on natural wines produced without additives, pesticides, or herbicides. These natural wines are fermented with native yeast. Owner Robert Cervantes hopes to open this new wine bar sometime in Summer 2022, likely June or July, pending approval from the city, according to Block Club Chicago.
Cervantes, a North Center native, previously traveled the world and hopes to take everything he learned and apply it to this new business. The McGill University graduate has lived in Singapore, Hong Kong, India, and Belgium while working in the hospitality industry and teaching yoga. His love of wine launched after visiting natural wine bars in Belgium. After returning home, he realized people were less inclined to try these wines. Apero’s, the French word for getting pre-dinner drinks with friends, expects to serve as an educational opportunity while enjoying wine and food with friends.
“I really wanted a space to bring people together,” Cervantes tells Block Club Chicago. “One thing that unified all of my travels was dinner—gathering around and eating with wine. In Europe, people appreciate wine differently. They see wine as a complement to life. It’s not something that is only for special occasions. It’s a compliment to your livelihood. Wine is not pretentious. It’s something you drink with dinner.”
