Saskatoon wine bar makes ‘Best New Restaurant’ list

Saskatoon’s Pop Wine Bar has been named one of the top new restaurants in the country by Air Canada’s enRoute magazine.

Those behind Pop said they were surprised to make the list.

“Honestly, we didn't think anyone knew who we were, especially only being open for five months. So it was really, really like uplifting for the staff to hear that as well that, that we were already making lists, even though we just opened,” Christie Peters told CTV News.

Peters said they opened in April 2022.

“Ever since The Hollows was torn down, we knew we wanted to do another project. And we were just looking for the perfect kind of thing for us,” she said.

“We came up with the name Pop because natural wines started in Paris. And then we got to thinking how people call us the Paris of the Prairies here in Saskatoon. So, that's kind of an acronym for Paris of the Prairies. And we thought it sounded cute and fun.”

She said her time travelling inspired her culinary flair.

“My time spent in Copenhagen was a big eye-opener,” she said. “In every corner in Copenhagen, there's a natural wine bar and they're serving just gorgeous wines that are unlike anything that I've had in Canada.

“I always want us to be able to have the same luxuries that people have in other places in the world. So just bringing some special wines that you wouldn't normally be able to get in Saskatoon.”

She said they hoped to offer something unique to the culinary landscape of the city.

“We've also got some beautiful variety of cheeses from Italy and Spain, as well as France. So we do import quite a few products which are kind of new and specialty Saskatoon.”

Peters runs the wine bar with her partner and husband, Kyle Michael. She said they had a great team behind them that was experienced and have a passion for wine.

“Wine is not a pretentious thing. That's for special occasions. It's meant to be drank, it's fun, and it's for everyone.”

She said that they were developing some plans for wine dinners and other wine events.

“We're bringing in winemaking and collaborating with wine importers and really trying to bring the wine scene alive here, so keep your eye out for that.”

According to the Air Canada website, they sent out an undercover writer to find “places and people reshaping Canada’s diverse culinary landscape.”

enRoute has been publishing the list since 2002.