A French Quarter wine bar needs a new home. That means its Mardi Gras krewe does too.

A few steps off one of the more boisterous blocks of Bourbon Street, there's a small wine bar that has always offered a more debonair den for a nice drink in the French Quarter. This was Patrick's Bar Vin, part of the Hotel Mazarin (730 Bienville St.). It was the place to find proprietor and namesake Patrick Van Hoorebeek, a well-known French Quarter raconteur. The bar also has been the clubhouse for Krewe of Cork, the Carnival marching krewe over which Van Hoorebeek presides as perennial king. Now, however, Van Hoorebeek is out at his former wine bar, and he is in search of a new home to set up shop again. It's the end of a 15-year affiliation with the French Quarter hotel. 'It's been 15 wonderful years, but management prefers a new direction,' Van Hoorebeek said of the change. 'So it's time to go, we need a new place.' Patrick Van Hoorebeek stands behind a row of champagne flutes at Patrick's Bar Vin. (David Grunfeld / NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune) Van Hoorebeek hopes to open a new version of Patrick's Bar Vin, ideally in the French Quarter and attached to another hotel that can accommodate krewe events. 'I'm looking for a new beginning, and hopefully it will be my last hoorah,' he said. 'So it has to be the right fit.' Meanwhile, the bar at the Hotel Mazarin remains open, and will soon have a new name. Patrick's Bar Vin opened in 2011 as a wine lover's oasis in the French Quarter. 'It will remain the intimate, comfortable wine bar it's always been,' said Angelo Lugo, the hotel's food and beverage director. She said the hotel wishes Van Hoorebeck success in his future endeavors. Patrick's Bar Vin opened in 2011 in what was then called the St. Louis Hotel. With plush sofas and armchairs and lockers where regulars could keep bottles from their own collection, it was drawn up as a wine lover's lounge. Through the years, it's been a popular destination for drinks after dinner or late lunches at other French Quarter restaurants. Van Hoorebeek, a native of Belgium, has been a familiar presence in New Orleans dining and wine circles since the 1980s. For 18 years, he was maître d' at the now long-gone Bistro at the Maison de Ville, and would later move on to Peristyle, the Rib Room, Restaurant August and other local stops. The Krewe of Cork parade rolls through the French Quarter in New Orleans on Friday, Feb. 21, 2025. The walking parade celebrates food, wine, and fun. (Staff photo by Brett Duke, The Times-Picayune) The Krewe of Cork was founded in 2000 after one wine-soaked lunch at the Bistro at the Maison de Ville turned into an impromptu street procession. It now has 450 members, including many from the local hospitality business. Its parade, held two Fridays before Mardi Gras, wends around the French Quarter, and the group holds luncheons and other wine events through the year. Big names from the international wine business are honored as grand marshal each year. For 2027, that's Jean Trimbach, part of the 12th generation of his family's Alsace-based Trimbach winery. Email Ian McNulty at imcnulty@theadvocate.com.