Scot Kinney, owner of UnWine’d, samples one of the 120 vintages that can be had by the glass at his wine bar in a Second Street shopping plaza in Manchester. (BENJAMIN KEPPLE/UNION LEADER)

MANCHESTER — When 32-year-old city resident Scot Kinney opened his wine bar in a Second Street shopping plaza three years ago, he had more to contend with than the fact his acquaintances thought he was crazy.

There was, for instance, a kitchen so cramped that cooking was done over burners typically used for camping. There was the rather small dining area. Perhaps most troubling was the now-closed nightclub nearby, whose patrons’ actions often required the attention of law enforcement.

But three years and a lot of hard work later, Kinney has removed or outlasted all those potential obstacles. For UnWine’d, his pride and joy, has proven itself as a very hip, very comfortable hangout.

“Things have changed so much since I opened,” Kinney said as he stood in UnWine’d’s main dining room recently, a few minutes before it was set to open for the evening. “I didn’t expect for it to be this big.”

In the past three years, Kinney has expanded his operation from 50 to 100 seats, and from three employees to nine. Next month, a wall will be knocked down to expand a smaller dining room, and the shop’s small retail outlet will make way for more wining and dining.

The simple beauty of UnWine’d is that patrons can relax over a bottle of vino and some light food. About 120 wines are on the shop’s list, with reds on the standard list ranging from $20 to $50 per bottle, and whites similarly priced. (A second list, on the back page, lists superior and more expensive wines; the most expensive is $130, a 1996 Dominus Napanook Vineyard blend).

All of the wines are available by the glass: the cost is one-quarter of the bottle’s price, plus 50 cents. Kinney also offers wine tasting throughout the night. Every two months, the focus is on a certain region — last month and this month, France’s Rhone Valley. The cost is $8 for samples of three wines.

The vintages are almost all American — primarily Californian.

“I have a lot of pride in my country,” Kinney says, as he expounds on his let’s-drink-American philosophy. “I have no immediate plans to change (the list’s makeup). I’m not going to throw French wines on there because I’m going to make a little more money.”

And the pricing of the list is also intentional.

“It’s a very affordable wine list. It’s an affordable place where you can come and spend a long time — because we don’t rush you out of here,” Kinney said.

Even on busy weekend nights, a reservation will still give you a full three hours at table; on the less busy weeknights, Kinney said folks have been known to spend six hours.

“On any given night, you can have a table of six couples that range in age from 21 to 24, next to a party of four business colleagues in their 30s and 40s, ranging to a couple in their 50s and 60s,” Kinney said.

He also noted that UnWine’d draws a lot of students from Saint Anselm College and Southern New Hampshire University, both just a short drive away.

As for the food, it is light and moderately priced. Baked Brie, served en croute, runs $12; the day’s ravioli is $13; the flatbread pizza of the night, $6. There is also a small selection of salads: the most expensive, the marinated duck breast salad, is $9. And for dessert, the chocolate fondue with flaming Grand Marnier — a combination with which one cannot go wrong — is $7 per person, and is served with fruit.

Kinney modeled his menu after working in the restaurant industry eight years in Florida and southern California, much of that time at high-end restaurants.

“I saw a lot more interest in wine, and I saw a lot less interest in big entree meals,” Kinney said, adding, “Everybody’s ordering appetizers now.”

He said 60 percent of his customers are regulars; weekend nights will often find diners waiting an hour or more for a table.

One of his future plans is to start offering an on-line newsletter to keep folks updated about the latest happenings at UnWine’d. The shop also has a Web site, www.unwined.net.

“It’s a tough market out there — and you have to keep up with things,” Kinney said. “If you fall complacent. . .things will pass you by.”