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No Winery Nearby? How About Wine Bars?

I don't like beer. I know sad but true. So, when I go out I like to go to Los Angeles wine bars. Here, there is only one winery and they produce sacramental wine locally. The rest of the San Antonio Winery's wine is grown in the Central Valley. Not much of an option, really unless I want to drive two hours.

There are plenty of these bars around, they range from pre-paid card bars to normal ones. Locally we have City Sip, Silverlake Wine has weekly wine tastings and in downtown Los Angeles Corkbar has just opened. If you want something more cozy, I can't recommend 55 Degrees in Atwater Village enough. The bar is under the shop, but they mostly serve French, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese wines. I guess when the economy gets tough, the people drink wine.

Wine Tasting:

If you have never been to a wine bar, it can be intimidating. Less than a winery though. Just know that most people are not real connoisseurs, they just have read or learned about how to look like one.

If you are worried, check out our wine tasting page and our wine tasting cheat sheet. Most importantly remember to swirl, sniff, drink.

Wine Flights:

When you order, you will have a chance to order by the glass, or by the flight. A flight of wine normally consists of 3, 2oz. pours of different wines. If you don't know what type of wine you like, or what wine flight to order, ask. I have found that staff at these bars are knowledgeable and rarely just suggest wines without asking questions first. Beware the bar that does, they are probably getting paid to sell the wines.

Substituting a Wine:

If you find a flight and are curious about a similar wine. By similar I mean price, but it is not included, sometimes they will substitute the wine you would like to try for another wine in your flight.

This came in handy for a Spanish wine flight I recently ordered. I love my Tempranillo but wanted to try a Portuguese wine too. They exchanged one of my wines for the Portuguese wine no problem. This wine was within the same price point as the other wines. Don't ask about substituting a wine that is two times the cost of your other wines.

Etiquette:

Besides sniffing a lot, and taking your time with wine my last little note for all tastings is this: Be sure not to wear perfume or cologne.

One of the best parts of drinking wine is smelling it. If all we can smell is you, it is going to make it hard to enjoy what we came for.

Ok, let me rephrase that. Of course I came for the brilliant conversation that you provide and to spend time with you, but in order to enjoy the wine, I need for my nose to be able to appreciate it. My eyes and ears can appreciate you. Is that better?

I think these places are a great way to get ready for going tasting at wineries and without the pretension. They are also a great place to ask questions and have a great time.

If you want to learn even more, find out if they have classes. Classes are a great way to get to know what is going on in the world of wine and maybe get to know the owner, who will definitely keep you in the loop.

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