Consigliere in Newark blends a fine-tuned wine list with a curated music selection to bring a new kind of space to the booming city

Shakespeare once described music as the food of love. If by extension wine is its elixir, then Karl Fowlkes and Jarel Rosser have penned a show with wine and music in lead roles at their Consigliere Wine and Sound Bar in Newark.

Fowlkes and Rosser, both attorneys, became friends as undergraduates at St. John’s University in New York more than a decade ago. Rosser spent much of his youth in Atlanta and headed back south to attend Wake Forest Law School; Fowlkes, originally from Camden County, got his legal education closer to home at Villanova University. Rosser, now a Bergen County resident, practices commercial real estate finance law out of New York, and Fowlkes, an Ironbound resident, has a music industry practice based in Short Hills. Having maintained their friendship after their St. John’s years, it was during Rosser’s time living and working in Charlotte, North Carolina, that the two initially discussed the idea of opening a wine bar six years ago.

“Karl came to visit me in Charlotte, and we were trying to find a bar that spoke to us and who we were and couldn’t find anything,” Rosser says. “At that moment, we—very loosely speaking—said ‘We should open a bar.’”

Only a year later, that lighthearted conversation became more of a reality. “I moved back to New York, and Karl was, like, ‘All right, now we’re back in the same area. We should really do this.” Both entrepreneurial-minded, the idea morphed quickly from wanting a place to hang out to creating and owning such a business.

“Even in New York, there weren’t too many spots if you wanted to hear the music that we wanted to hear and be around a certain type of person,” Rosser adds. “Then when you think about New Jersey, there historically have been even fewer spots.”

“WE WERE TRYING TO FIND A BAR THAT SPOKE TO US AND WHO WE WERE … AT THAT MOMENT, WE—VERY LOOSELY SPEAKING—SAID ‘WE SHOULD OPEN A BAR.’”

Great Conversation, Great Ideas, Great Wine

Hearing word of the opening of Consigliere captured this wine writer’s attention because while bar culture has a strong history in the Garden State—wine bars, not so much. There are restaurants with award-winning wine programs and wineries making award-winning wines, but despite New Jersey being one of the top states in wine consumption per capita, establishments that are billed as wine bars have never been a prominent part of the social scene statewide.

“The initial concept was to just have a bar,” Rosser says, “but as time went on we both matured. [Laughing] I’m drinking wine. I’m not really pounding a six pack or anything like that.” The friends wanted a wine bar infused with good music in an atmosphere that felt casual. When asked again what drew them to wine, Fowlkes remarks, “This right here: what we are doing over a bottle of wine—having great conversation. A lot of memories are exchanged over a glass of wine.”

Based on their own personal experiences and what they felt they needed in a place they wanted to patronize, Fowlkes and Rosser fleshed out their concept. They had no true hospitality experience but knew music was going to share equal importance with wine. At Consigliere, favorite albums adorn the wall alongside current favorite bottles of wine. An array of DJs spin tunes that help accentuate the vibe they had always hoped for. And the wine bar’s name has a backstory, too.

“ We’re both lawyers, both advising our clients, like Tom Hagen in The Godfather,” Rosser jokes. “Consigliere is a cool term, and we thought it was on brand.”

They didn’t want to open a restaurant, although light fare is available, and they did not want to be a club. That said, being situated near the universities, major corporations, and NJPAC, any number of area constituencies have found Consigliere to be a welcome stop at the end of workday or before a show, not just as a destination that, in their words, skews more towards nightlife. As Black professionals, they wanted to emphasize a space that appealed to other Black professionals and also drew in others who appreciated the setting they created.

After considering different locations, including Brooklyn and Jersey City, the duo decided on the Gateway City. Fowlkes had already moved to Newark, and as a New Jersey native, already felt strongly about setting up the business here. “I have had this vision for the state, and it feels like my vision for the state is actually coming to life,” he says. “Economically, it made sense for us to do it here because the development here is exciting. In recent history, this is a Black city with a Black mayor. There was that appeal for us too.”

Rosser interjects, “Karl’s been Mr. Jersey for as long as I’ve known him. I lived in Brooklyn when he moved back to Jersey. And ever since he moved back, he was constantly preaching to me, ‘You have to come across the water; you have to come see Jersey and Newark.’ As soon as I came over here, I saw what he was talking about and met a lot of cool people.”

“‘YOU HAVE TO COME ACROSS THE WATER, YOU HAVE TO COME SEE JERSEY AND NEWARK.’ AS SOON AS I CAME OVER HERE, I SAW WHAT HE WAS TALKING ABOUT AND MET A LOT OF COOL PEOPLE.”

A Fine-Tuned Wine List

The plan is to also highlight Black winemakers and other industry professionals. As if on cue, we spot wine personality Andre Mack of Mouton Noir Wines leaving Consigliere. And during our conversation, Fowlkes, Rosser, and I drink the Ofori Brothers Riesling, a project from Jersey City resident Kumi Ahrin that is part tribute to his Ghanaian roots (see sidebar).

A few months in, Fowlkes and Rosser, along with input from their coolly capable General Manager Wes Campbell, continue to build and fine-tune their wine list. It already is well-chosen and offers more global variety than most lists in the state. Vincenzo Guglietta, wine director for Florham Park–based boutique importer Vera Wine and Spirits, has worked throughout the state with many of the best restaurants, bars, and shops. “The space is unique for New Jersey, that is for sure,” Guglietta says. “You wouldn’t know they were new to putting a wine program together. They were extremely professional in their approach to tasting and clearly did their homework crafting their list.”

As for the focus on music, Consigliere has consistently been hosting two to three DJs a week, not just from the immediate area but as far away as Montréal—also home to the business that designed Consigliere’s custom sound system. The music leans towards R&B, house, hip-hop and jazz, and when asked what the in-house record collection is comprised of, the answer was “just vinyls that we love!”

The friends are encouraged by how things have kicked off. “It’s a fun time to be here,” Fowlkes says. “There are a lot of textures and depth here, a lot of really cool people and tasteful people in Newark, and Essex County in general, that we haven’t even met yet. That’s the exciting part.” □

CONSIGLIERE
31 Warren St, Newark
consiglierewine.com

Kumi Ahrin, a Jersey City-based software engineer and entrepreneur, wanted to pay tribute to his Ghanaian family roots. A descendant of the Ofori Brothers, cocoa traders who did business world-wide in the early 1900s, he believed wine would be a way to highlight his family’s agricultural legacy. The project is also a tribute to his mother. “My mother, the Ofori in our name, was my personal bridge to wine. It is meaningful that a Black woman is that link, since Black women are the heart of our community and the majority of our customers,” says Ahrin.

The Riesling, from the Lake Erie wine region, is infused with ginger imported from the Volta region of Ghana. The spice is gently integrated into the wine, accentuating its complementary nature with the grape without being overwhelming, making for an enjoyable sipper or a good accompaniment to foods from across the African diaspora.

Plans are in the works for a red and rose using other traditional spices and flavors. Ofori Brothers Riesling is available at Consigliere Wine and Sound Bar in Newark. —H.Z.

oforibrothers.com