Blake Layne, co-owner of Preservation Tasting Room and Bottle Shop, poses Jan. 17 at the shop on Nashville Road.

For the second time this year, Bowling Green’s Preservation Tasting Room and Bottle Shop has been listed among the best wine bars in the nation, taking its place alongside bars from New York, Los Angeles and other metropolitan areas.

The Big Seven Travel website this month ranked Preservation at No. 14 on its list of the 25 best wine bars in the country, placing it between Winebelly of Austin, Texas, at No. 13 and Chicago’s The Press Room at No. 15.

Preservation is the only Kentucky location on the list, although Nashville’s City Winery comes in at No. 3, behind only Bacchanal of New Orleans and top-ranked Cúrate of Asheville, N.C.

For Preservation, the recognition comes 11 months after being included on the Askmen.com website’s list of America’s top 15 wine bars.

“This recognition took me totally by surprise,” said Blake Layne, an owner of Preservation Tasting Room along with Dan Chaney and Michael Killen. “We don’t have to be recognized, but it definitely signifies that you’re on the right path.”

Layne and his partners have only been operating Preservation for four years, but the 39-year-old Layne has a background in viniculture that includes work at Chuck Evans Liquors and Wino’s Depot in Bowling Green. He has also visited many of the big-city wine bars that are on the Big Seven and Askmen lists.

“To be included with the people on that list is an honor,” said Layne, who has traveled in Europe to learn about winemaking. “We don’t have the same resources as some of those places, but we have the same sense of hospitality.”

Layne, who teaches fermentation science at Western Kentucky University, said this latest honor comes at a time when Preservation is experiencing rapid growth at its 2440 Nashville Road location.

“October was the busiest month we had ever had,” Layne said. “Then November was the busiest month ever. We’re gaining momentum.”

Layne and his partners will tell you that the growth hasn’t come by accident. Chaney points out that the bar’s 23 taps are all stainless steel and have short runs from the keg to the tap, helping preserve the flavor of the beers, wines and cocktails. Even the dishwasher, Chaney said, is “probably the best you can get” and gets glasses “laboratory-grade clean.”

Such attention to detail has fueled growth that led to a recent expansion at Preservation. The partners added 450 square feet to the establishment, creating a second room behind the main bar.

The new space gives Preservation the ability to hold special events and parties away from the main room. It’s also used as a venue for live music “two or three times a month,” according to Layne.

With the expansion, Preservation is up to approximately 1,900 square feet, with seating for 60 people.