Kinderhook, NY Wine Bar

Client: Isola

Location: Kinderhook, NY

Stroll down Hudson Street in Kinderhook, NY and you’ll come across a restored building circa 1757. Unassuming from the outside, what you’ll find inside is a cozy, European inspired wine and tapas bar owned and operated by Sommelier Hillary Zio. With over 20 years of experience in the wine industry, Hillary focuses on curating a collection of low intervention, harder to find European wines.

Hillary also uses her experience to host wine dinners, pairing wines with food made by chef Mikayla Summers. The dinners often have a theme or celebrate a holiday, such as exploring the islands of Greece or celebrating the Spanish festival Feria de Abril. The latter is how I found myself at Isola, documenting the regulars who have come ready to explore new wine and discover flavors they wouldn’t normally try.

These images were shot entirely with natural light which is not my normal style. Typically I prefer artificial, hard light for a punchy, eye catching look. These shots have been a nice reminder that natural light is unpredictable, which is what makes it beautiful and exciting.