Vintage Wine Bar in Dubai

The other wine bar I visited in Dubai was Vintage. Vintage is located in Wafi a "city within a city" in Dubai. Wafi is a series of shops, restaurants, a spa and a hotel situated inside four pyramids in the middle of Dubai.




Vintage has a very different vibe to it than The Agency. It is a more formal environment, the type of place where you might bring a client for a dinner, and the wine list reflects that.

There is a heavy concentration of Bordeaux, and less emphasis on by the glass selections. The wine bottles decorating the bar include a bottle of 1983 Petrus. In fact, the manager was very proud to point out a lot of the one of a kind bottles of Bordeaux they have available.




To complement the wine, they have a tremendous selection of cheese, a fact they brag about on their menu with the phrase, "Blessed are the cheese and wine makers, for they shall inherit the earth." They serve a wide variety of these cheeses in fondue form, and the staff there is very good at recommending a fondue to pair with your wine.

The Agency Wine Bar in Dubai

I was in Dubai over the weekend and decided to use the opportunity to check out some of the local wine bars. The first one I went to was The Agency.

Located along the Boulevard of The Emirates Towers The Agency is a real gem. They have a selection of several hundred wine, including more than 60 by the glass and a few featured exclusives.

All of the major wine regions, both old and new world, were well-represented, and there were some surprises, like wine from Lebanon.




The decor is casual and built around the wine. There are large tables for groups of people to get together for happy hour, and small intimate tables for couples who want a night out. Everywhere you turn there are wine bottles, both regular and oversized.

The service was great too. Putty, my Sommelier for the evening guided me through several different glasses, and regions. All excellent choices and even threw in a few free glasses (always a bonus).

I definitely recommend checking it out when you are in Dubai.

Wine Bars in Dubai

According to Google there are three wine bars in Dubai: Agency Wine Bar, Cin Cin and Vintage.

For some reason this fascinates me.

Grapeseed American Bistro and Wine Bar

Grapeseed American Bistro and Wine Bar is a popular restaurant in Bethesda and it is easy to see why. The restaurant is laid out nicely, with the bar area separated from the dining area, and a number of private dining spaces (like the one in the pictures below)

The food is good with bar food that ranges from the traditional, like the cheese plate, to the unique, like the fried chicken livers. I was especially impressed with the fried oysters (done in cornmeal) and the gnocchi.




The wine list is comprehensive, common varietals are well-represented by vineyards from all over the world and less common varietals (Cinsault, Albarino, Tannat) are also given space. They have a fair number of Bordeaux selections -- not as many as I would have liked, but they were all quality selections -- as well as some selections from Maryland and Virginia.

The best part of the restaurant were the people. Deb, the bartender, made sure we were well taken care of and had a couple of suggestions for wines we should try. When we stumped her she called over Ernie, the Sommelier, and his picks were all spot on, and the wines got better as the evening progressed.

Grapeseed is a lot of fun as seems to have quite a number of regulars (that's one advantage to sitting by the hostess stand ;)), which is always a good sign for a bar.

Bar a Vin

While I was in Bordeaux I split my time between the left bank, right bank and the city itself. In the city I stayed at the Hotel des 4 Soeurs which is perfectly located in downtown Bordeaux. Almost everything I wanted to see was within walking distance from the hotel and the staff was very pleasant.

The best part of the hotel was that right across the street is Bar a Vin. Bar a Vin is sponsored by Le Conseil Interprofessionnel du Vin de Bordeaux (CIVB) and is close to a perfect wine bar.

Bar a Vin is decorated in a very modern style, there is a lot of wine art and bottles everywhere. There is also a lot of light, making it feel warm and inviting. There are a few tables set outside, which is where I spent most of my time.

They have a good selection of wines from the different regions of Bordeaux (the list is updated regularly), and they tend to focus on Chateaux that you might not have heard of -- at least that I had not heard of ;). The sommeliers on staff are friendly and very knowledgeable about the wine.

My only complaint is that they do not offer wine by the bottle. I realize drinking by the bottle is antithetical to the purpose of Bar a Vin -- getting people to try a lot of different Bordeaux wines -- but , the wine bar is perfectly located for people watching, so it would have been nice to grab a bottle, sit outside and just enjoy.

The Wine Gallery

Jane has a great post about The Wine Gallery, a new wine bar in Bordeaux.

The Wine Gallery offers the chance to taste first and second growth wines without have to shell out hundreds of dollars for a bottle. Their current wine list includes: Latour 2006, Lafite Rothschild, Haut Bailly, Mouton Rothschild, Lynch Bages, Haut Brion, Palmer, and Margaux. That's an impressive by-the-glass list!

Located near the Grand Theatre in downtown Bordeaux this sounds like an excellent place for visitors to be able to try some of the best that Bordeaux has to offer. I am sure it will be my second home the next time I am in Bordeaux!

Cheesetique

I've been wanting to try out the new wine bar at Cheesetique and finally got the opportunity with the wine club.

The first thing you notice when you walk into Cheesetique is the impressive assortment of cheeses. The deli case at the front of the store has dozens of different types of cheeses and as you make your way toward the back where the bar is there is a Cheeses & Meat board with featured cheeses. Some of the cheeses featured during our visit included Wasabi Goat, Raw Manchego, Beecher's Reserve, and Shropshire.

The wine list is rotated twice a year and features a good selection of wines from around the world all at very reasonable prices. I was especially impressed with the Vajra Nebbiolo Blend from Italy, it was an excellent cheese wine.

The staff is very knowledgeable about both cheese and wine. Once I selected the first bottle, they were able to put together a selection of 5 cheeses that worked well with the wine.

One word of caution: The seating area in the bar is extremely limited, and even on a Tuesday night it is crowded. But if you like good wine and cheese, this is definitely a place to visit.

Best Wine Bars of new York City

The November issue of Wine Enthusiast has an article about wine bars in New York City. I confess that I do not know much about wine bars in NYC, so i can't vouch for the choices in the article, but it looks like a pretty good beginner's guide.

I like the fact that the write breaks the bars down by the regions the bars specialize in and he does a good job of describing the atmosphere in a concise fashion:

Thirty three seats arranged around an intimate oval bar make this West Village locale an excellent choice for meeting old friends or making new ones. The wood-topped bar, with its frosted glass base encased in delicate ironwork, sits beneath hanging Riedel glassware of all shapes and sizes.

That description is of Lelabar, which does sound/look really cool :).

One thing that disappointed me was the lack of mention of any wine bars that specialize in wines from New York, or that at least have a good selection from New York.

S.N.O.B. Wine Bar

While I was in San Francisco recently I had some time to visit the S.N.O.B. Wine Bar. I had heard lots of really good things about it, and so was excited to check it out. S.N.O.B. stands for Sonoma, Napa or Beyond and the wine list is very much a reflection of that, with an emphasis on local wines but some very interesting international selections.

SNOB is in an area of San Francisco that is currently undergoing redevelopment, so there is an eclectic mix of old and new businesses on the block. I wandered in at 4:00 on a Sunday and, for a while, had the place to myself, which was perfect. I was able to sample several different wines from the more than 40 they sell by the glass.

Veronica, the bartender, was spot on with each recommendation. She started by asking me what type of wines I like and narrowed down a couple of selections for me to start with. She picked a Meritage, which was an easy choice, but also a Zinfandel blend which was surprisingly good.

Finally, the atmosphere of SNOB is great. The bar is decorated in wine bottles and barrels, you almost feel like you are in a winery tasting room.

Overall, I highly recommend SNOB. If you are visiting San Francisco it is a few blocks away from the usual tourist areas, but worth the walk.

Room 11

I finally got a chance to check out Room 11 and I was very impressed. First, let me apologize for the pictures below, I am not sure what happened to my camera...I'll have to go back and get better pictures at some point.

The first thing I liked is that it really felt like a wine bar. The menu was sparse and the focus was on the wine list. Don't get me wrong, sparse is not bad. The cheeses were all excellent as were the paninis. It was obvious that a lot of thought had gone into the menu and what would pair well with the wines.

They had two dozen wines available by the glass and significantly more available by the bottle. The bottle prices were reasonable and they had a good blend of both old and new world wines. Some old standbys were on the list, but there were also some that I had never heard of (not that its that hard to find wine producers I don't know about). We went through 8 bottles that night and each one was very good. Paul, the owner, even came out to chat with us and pour us something not from the menu.

Room 11 is in the Columbia Heights area, which is not part of DC that I usually visit, so it was a nice change. And, they have bat wallpaper in the bathroom (the flying kind, not the baseball kind).

Check them out!

Room 11

There is a new wine bar opening up soon in Columbia Heights. Room 11 will be at the corner of 11th and Lamont. You can follow their progress on their construction blog.

I love the look of their patio...can't wait to do a wine club event there :)

Portland Trip Part 2

As I said before I didn't have much time for wine tasting while I was in Portland. Since I could not go to the wineries, I thought it would be nice to bring them to me. Fortunately, less than two blocks from my hotel was Oregon Wines on Broadway!

Oregon Wines on Broadway is a great wine bar that specializes in wine from the Northwest. They have a great selection, though one that is heavily focused on Pinot Noirs (in fairness, the region is famous for its Pinots :)).

Kate, the owner, is great (though, it took her forever to place my Virginia accent). She knows the wines really well and was able to quickly put together a wine flight based on a couple of questions about my wine preferences. All of her choices were great and, as you can see in the second picture, she writes down the name of the wine as she does the pouring, making it easy to remember what you like and don't like.

Oregon Wines on Broadway also has light faire to go along with the wine tasting. The cheese plate looked really good and all the cheeses were locally made.

If you are in Portland, I definately reccomend checking them out.

Mie N Yu

Mie N Yu get a lot of well-deserved praise, including being given a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence in 2006, 2007 and 2008 and named the best Wine Bar for 2008 by the Washington City Paper.

The appetizers are filling and unique I especially liked the Chipotle Orange Spare Ribs and the Tzatziki Lamb Kabob. The Artisan Cheese Tray was presented well, but the cheeses were not anything unique.

On the other hand, the wine list is incredible, a very wide selection of whites and reds and a strong component of organic wines. The wine list manages to be large without coming across as thrown together, there looks to be a good layout and logic to the selected wines (although, note to the Sommelier: Its Pirramimma Petit Verdot, not Petite). I especially liked their collection of Bordeaux wines, I was disappointed that there were no local wines, but aside from that no complaints.

Overall, Mei N Yu is an eclectic bar, with a good food and really good wines...a great place for a happy hour.

Oya

I went to happy hour at Oya with some friends a few months back.

We stuck to small plates and everything we tried was really good. The fried oysters were especially impressive. They weren't so weighed down in batter that you couldn't taste the oysters. The calamari and the braised short ribs were also really good.

The wine list is mid-sized, but impressive with wines from all over the world -- including a couple of wines from Virginia and Maryland. it also rotates by season, which means there is always something new to try. The Angeles Crest Cabernet Sauvignon and the Bitch Grenache were excellent.

New Wine Bar in Leesburg

I've always thought that Leesburg needed a wine bar; low and behold one is here. They opened up November 22nd and it looks like the wine selection is good.

I talked briefly to Jason, one of the owners, this afternoon and it sounds like they have some good plans. I'll check it out over the next couple of weeks and report back.

Update: Don't forget to check out their blog

Wine Bars

I didn't bring my camera with me, but back in October I finally got to go to Central Michel richard and had a great time. The restaurant itself has a nice atmosphere, it is bright, cheery and not too loud.

From the appetizer menu, the Oysters and Smoked salmon were excellent, but the Ceviche was a little bland. The mussels and the Tagliatelle Bolognese were both very well done and enjoyable.

The wine list is where the restaurant really shines. Given the restaurants namesake, I expected a strong French presence and I was not disappointed. Beyond the French wines there were excellent selections from Argentina, California, Australia and Italy. The bottled wines were reasonably priced, especially given the quality of the selection.

For desert, the four of us were able to split the rich Michel's Chocolate Bar.

There is a reason why Central was chosen as the best new restaurant for 2008, everything was great from start to finish.

On Sunday I went to Bistrot Lepic & Wine Bar with a friend. This is one of the places I have been wanting to check out for a long time, so I was excited to finally get the chance to go.

Bistrot Lepic has two floors, the bottom floor is the restaurant:



The second floor contains the wine bar, which has a kind of Asian feel (strange considering that it is a French restaurant). The wine bar itself is relaxed and subdued a very comfortable environment.

The wine list is extraordinary. Broken down by region in France they have a varied selection and an impressive cellar. There were more than 40 Bordeauxs alone, ranging in price from $40 a bottle to over $1300.



Service was personal and attentive, as we went through different bottles the Sommelier would bring over samples of other wines he thought we might enjoy.

Their cheese selection was excellent and not limited to the typical: cow, goat and sheep (though all three were well-represented). It was also nice that they allow you to mix and match cheeses from different groups when selecting a cheese flight.

Dinner was very good, with nice sized portions and unique selections, they had a special menu for Father's day that included Salmon, Lamb and a few other interesting selections. And the chocolate tart we ended the meal with was rich, without being too sweet.

Overall, an excellent experience and I highly recommend a visit.

Wine bars are no longer reside exclusively inside the Beltway! On June 5th Vinifera Wine Bar & Bistro (no website yet) opened within the Westin in Reston (apologies for the unintentional rhyme).

Vinifera is a little difficult to find if you are not familiar with Reston, but it is worth hunting down :). I went with a couple of friends the Friday after it opened and we were very impressed. Like most wine bars, it is divided into two sections: a lounge and a dining area. Each area has a different menu, with the lounge focusing on appetizer type foods. Our waitress was very accommodating though and allowed us to order from the dining area menu.

The food was good, with many of the traditional wine bar foods you would expect to find, all well done The wine list was excellent, with all regions (including Virginia) well-represented. The Jazz band was also really good, and the music played nicely in the background without overwhelming our conversation.

What really made the evening for us was the service. The Sommelier spent time talking with us and learning our tastes, so we was able to recommend several good bottles and even let us sample some different wines.