Two acclaimed sommeliers open laid-back Capitola wine bar Vin Vivant

Two sommeliers from double Michelin-starred Aubergine restaurant in Carmel opened up a wine bar in Capitola Village last week. But while the wine lists curated by John Haffey and Ryan Cooley at the luxe chateaux-like restaurant run several hundred dollars, at Vin Vivant they’re focusing on expressive wines at a variety of price points. 

Last week, Haffey and Cooley got the keys to the former Capitola Wine Bar, whose six-year run ended earlier this month when the owners moved away. Within days, they moved in nearly a thousand bottles of mostly French wines, particularly from storied regions Burgundy, Champagne and Bordeaux, along with other European and Californian producers — the spoils of more than two years of collecting in anticipation of establishing their own space.

“This is the culmination of irresponsible spending over the last two or three years,” joked Cooley, who will be managing Vin Vivant while Haffey remains at Aubergine. The wine bar is open Monday, Wednesday to Friday from 2 to 10 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from noon to 10 p.m.

For the past four years, the new business partners have made up the sommelier team at Aubergine at the L’Auberge Carmel hotel property, where they helped usher in some major national attention.

Haffey began working at the fine dining restaurant in 2018, a year before it earned its first Michelin star, a coveted metric that denotes some of the best restaurants in the world. (Three stars is the maximum a restaurant can earn.) When Cooley and Haffey began working together in 2021, they created a $250 Champagne-focused wine pairing list for the eight-course menu, in addition to curating two other wine pairing lists and a zero-proof pairing. 

In 2023, Haffey won the Michelin Sommelier Award in California. Last year, the pair celebrated with the rest of their team after Aubergine earned a second star, joining just 13 other restaurants in the state. This is all before the Haffey and Cooley – who share the same birthday, in addition to an affinity for vibrant French wines – turned 32. 

The two began to talk about opening a wine bar together, and about a year ago the coworkers decided to become business partners. When the space in Capitola Village became available this summer, they jumped at the chance to make the dream a reality. 

At Aubergine, Haffey and Cooley worked together to create a wine list for guests that wasn’t intimidating, despite the sophisticated atmosphere, and aim to cultivate a relaxed, low-key entry point to some top-tier wines at Vin Vivant. “We didn’t want a pretentious environment [at Aubergine], and were given free rein to create an approachable take on service. That will translate here, too,” said Cooley. 

That vibe is most obviously expressed on the list of more than 20 wines by the glass, where the majority are available for a very reasonable $10 to $14. Anything by the glass is also available for a 2-ounce pour for $4 to $7 to encourage people to “taste sustainably,” said Cooley. Guests can also try their hand at the sommelier’s blind tasting flight ($25), with four pours of mystery wines chosen by the bartender. 

Cooley and Haffey are passionate about French wines, and highlights from the impressive collection includes low-intervention organic sparklers from Champagne Chavost, highly regarded chardonnay from Vincent Dancer in Chassagne, and acclaimed Burgundian winery Montrachet. 

But last week, when I asked Cooley to pour me three wines that expressed the list at Vin Vivant, two were from the Central Coast.  He explained that, ultimately, he and Haffey are inspired by thoughtful, lively wines made through environmentally friendly practices from small producers. 

My flight of two whites and a red included saline and citrusy sauvignon blanc by Lady of the Sunshine, a biodynamic winery outside of San Luis Obispo ($17); a petit chablis with a fresh, expressive nose and a ripe palate by Christophe et Fils ($12), a winery in northern Burgundy; and a delicate pinot noir from Farm Cottage ($17) by winemaker Ryan Alfaro – son of Richard Alfaro of Alfaro Family Vineyards – with forest floor, violets and green jalapeño on the nose. 

All were intriguing and worthy of cerebral dissection, if that’s your jam, but also easy drinkers over a plate of saucisson sec and some good conversation, if it’s not. 

While the wines are in place, other updates are coming to the wine bar. Local beer, hard cider and sake will be added to the menu in the coming weeks, and a short menu of small bites, including a cheese plate with selections from Petaluma’s Andante Dairy, and treats from local baker and fellow Aubergine alum Talia Damon, will be fleshed out. The inside has a fresh coat of white paint, and Cooley plans to hang art and vintage posters. 

With 900-plus bottles, including more than 350 labels, Cooley said has his eyes set on acquiring even more wines: “As I whittle these down, I’m going to sink my passion into expanding the list with a little more Italian, Napa, and Sonoma – and keep it growing.”

115 San Jose Ave. #G, Capitola.

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