Less than two months after opening, the owners of Burlington’s Uva Wine Bar have changed its name due to a trademark objection from a similarly named restaurant in New York City.

Starting this week, Uva — which means “grape” in Italian — will instead be known as Vin Bar & Shop

Kevin Cleary, who opened the bar with his wife, Kathi, says the brand change had stalled their initial marketing plans. “It was disappointing to have to change the name, as we had put a great deal into it before we had opened,” wrote Cleary in an email. “That being said, it’s better that this happened now as opposed to two years from now, when we would have had much more invested in the name and brand.” 

Vin — which is steps away on College Street from L’Amante Ristorante, the couples’ decade-old Italian eatery — is a combination wine bar, retail store and education center.

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Corin Hirsch was a Seven Days food writer 2011 through 2016. She was also a dining critic and drinks columnist at Newsday from 2017 to 2022, and contributes to The Guardian, Wine Enthusiast and other publications. She’s spoken often on colonial era...