Meet the Couple Behind Brooklyn’s First Sapphic Wine Bar

Vesper & Vine sits on a quiet corner in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, with warm amber lighting spilling through the window and a hand-painted sign above the door. Inside, the vibe is exactly what owners Priya Nair and Sofia Delgado always wanted: soft music, natural wine, and women who feel completely at home.

It’s the kind of place that didn’t exist when they needed it most. So they built it themselves.

Before the Bar

Priya and Sofia met at a mutual friend’s apartment party in 2018. Priya was a sommelier. Sofia was a brand designer. Neither had any plans to open a business together. But after years of dragging each other to bars that were either too straight or too loud, the idea grew slowly and honestly.

“We just kept saying, where’s the place for us?” Sofia says. “Somewhere that isn’t a nightclub. Somewhere you can actually hear your date.”

They started small. Wine nights at their apartment. Then a pop-up at a local arts space. Then a real lease.

What Makes It Different

The wine list at Vesper & Vine is built around small, women-led and queer-owned vineyards. Priya curates it obsessively. Every bottle has a story printed on a little card at the table.

“I wanted people to feel like they were being introduced to a friend, not just handed a menu,” Priya explains.

The space seats 40. There are no TVs. There is, however, a rotating gallery wall featuring local queer artists. The current show is a series of oil paintings by a non-binary artist from the Bronx. All pieces are for sale.

Opening as a Queer Couple

Starting a business is hard. Starting a queer business adds layers. Priya and Sofia applied for small business loans at three different banks before getting approved. They navigated a landlord who asked, more than once, what kind of “clientele” they were expecting.

“We stayed calm and professional,” Sofia says, with a look that says a lot more than that. “And then we opened, and the neighborhood showed up for us.”

Their first weekend drew a line around the block. A TikTok went mildly viral. Main character energy, honestly.

Community First

Beyond the wine, Vesper & Vine hosts a monthly queer book club, a regular open mic for LGBTQ+ poets and musicians, and a Sunday brunch with guest DJs. Ten percent of all event proceeds go to a Brooklyn-based domestic violence shelter serving queer survivors.

“We always said we weren’t just opening a bar,” Priya says. “We were opening a room.”

For a lot of their regulars, that room has become something close to sacred.

What’s Next

Priya and Sofia are cautious about expansion. They like what they’ve built. But they’re working on a small wine education program for queer folks interested in the industry, and they’re partnering with a Brooklyn culinary school to launch a tasting menu series later this year.

“The goal was always to be a neighborhood place,” Sofia says. “A sapphic neighborhood place. And we are. iykyk.”

This profile is illustrative. We’re building our network of real queer-owned businesses to spotlight. Run one? Get in touch.