Vin-by-the-Sea opens in Carmel featuring a menu built around small production wines.

Less is more for Roslyn Anderson. For her, relationships with small vineyards led to the success of her Carmel Crossroads wine bar Vin. That success has now evolved into her new Carmel location called Vin-by-the-Sea.

The newest location opened quietly over Labor Day weekend in a former art gallery on Dolores Street between 5th and 6th. Anderson teamed up with now-former executive chef at Ventana and Saltwood Paul Corsentino a little under a year ago. The food menu created by the duo is built around wine selections—rather than vice-versa as is typically done in a restaurant—and features as much local and seasonal fare as they can use. East Coast flare is present too, not just in the food, but in the building itself, featuring pocket doors that open up directly to the sidewalk.

“I really wanted to bring a little of ‘urban-meets-coastal’ in my design,” Anderson says.

That, combined with Anderson’s love affair with wine represents a moment of pride for her.

“It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done,” she says, “but it’s also the most rewarding.”

The space itself was transformed completely in a renovation, since no kitchen existed yet upon her leasing it. Anderson was introduced to Corsentino through musician Peter Konikowski, who would play regularly at Vin in the Crossroads. For Corsentino, designing the menu was a fun challenge.

“We drank a lot of wine,” Corsentino laughs, but explains that through the course of trying wines, he was able to suggest seasonal foods for them to bring the concept to life.

Food portions at Vin-by-the-Sea are not quite full-size, but Corsentino explains that this allows guests to have a little more fun with it.

“The intentionality is first to hopefully share,” Corsentino says, “and not get full off of one plate so they can continue to taste wines.”

Some of the stars on the menu include an age-blended four-ounce burger using dry-aged beef from The Meatery in Seaside, paired well with a 2022 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon from Nottingham Cellars, paella arancini paired with a 2023 Premier Cru “Vaillons” Domaine Henri Costal Chablis and boneless duck leg with huckleberry compote refreshed with a frisee salad and paired with a 2022 Sonoma County Zinfandel from Bruliam Wines Rocky Ridge Vineyard. Both Anderson and Corsentino utilize aspects of wines to cut richness, expose sweetness and elevate all the flavors of their plates.

Like at Vin in the Crossroads, Anderson features small production wines found primarily outside of Monterey County. Her foray into wine was Napa and Sonoma but she curated a wine list that includes hard-to-find representatives from Monterey County, Santa Barbara, Lodi and Paso Robles, plus several international selections.

“It’s really every AVA that I’m representing,” she says. “They were all so supportive and wanted to support me.”

It’s that same ethos of community driven by family-owned business that she uses to welcome the guests that welcomed her in Monterey County.