The Upholstery Store

I visited The Upholstery Store yesterday, which is located in the West Village at 713 Washington St. You’re right if you’re thinking that this doesn’t sound remotely like a wine bar, but it is, I promise.

When I walked in, I was definitely the first customer to walk in for some time; the place was empty and the soft sound of jazz music was the only thing breaking the silence. The bartender was sitting in the back of the bar, shrouded in darkness, watching…waiting. Ok, so it wasn’t the set of a horror film, but he did seem pretty bored. I sat down at one of the benches around the low profile wooden tables and the bartender gathered up a menu and a small bowl of nuts and brought them to me. The first thing I noticed about the menu was that it featured primarily Austrian wine, which is cool because I don’t often see this many wine selections from this country at wine bars. Glasses were priced between $11 and $14 and bottles were affordable, starting at $35 and as much as $98.

Time for an Austrian adventure! The wine growing regions of Austria typically have warm days and cool evenings, so it is ideal for growing white grapes and Pinot Noir. That allows the growing season to be extended a bit longer than usual, resulting in very aromatic wines that have a good backbone of acidity.

I ordered the 2008 Peter Schandl Furmint and it was delicious! It smelled wonderful, first of all. It had aromas of stone fruit (peach, apricot, etc.) and lemongrass and it tasted like grapefruit with a good, crisp acidity, so it was very refreshing. I wish I had had a whole bottle of this to enjoy! This would be a perfect summer picnic wine to pair with some goat cheese. 

The hubby met me there shortly after I arrived and he ordered a 2008 Pinot Noir, also from Austria. Our wines were served in different shaped glasses, so they select the right glass for your wine, which I really appreciate. My eyes may deceive me, but I think my hubby’s pour was larger than mine…hmm. Anyway, this particular Pinot Noir smelled like cassis and tasted floral, almost like lavender.

The Upholstery Store was kind of industrial chic, if you will, on the inside. The walls were old exposed brick with small bolts of fabric hanging as decoration (the name is starting to make sense!). There were cute little wooden alcoves that displayed bottles of wine and ledges near the ceiling were stocked with wine bottles as well. Different rattan chairs had cushions that were reupholstered with the same color red fabric, and some of the tables looked like they were made with antique serving trays. The bar was dark, lit mostly with candlelight and some dim light bulbs on the wall. The music varied in style; a couple Adele songs played, along with some Lauryn Hill, 80s light rock, and some funky new age stuff. It was different, but very chill.

The Upholstery Store has an eccentric atmosphere and a great value for their wines. It’s very unique in their wide selection of Austrian wines, which I really enjoyed - it’s nice to see a specialty wine bar like this. I don't know why it was so empty while I was there. Perhaps because it was a Tuesday or maybe because the bar is kind of far from a subway. This place is great though and certainly worth the trip. I give The Upholstery Store a rating of 4.2 out of 5 glasses.

The quaint exterior of The Upholstery Store

No weapons, please

The alcove cabinet and little mismatched decorations

My glass of Furmint

The hubby's big glass of Pinot Noir

The bar and the only other customer besides us

Cava Wine Bar

I stopped by Cava on the Upper West Side earlier this week. It’s located at 185 W 80^th St and it is a fantastic place! It’s pretty spacious for a wine bar and it has a great jazz café atmosphere.

There were lots of choices on their wine list and the majority of the wines were from France, Italy, Spain, or the US. Glasses of wine were between $10 and $15 and bottles weren’t too expensive with prices in the $34 to $180 range. Since it was a nice day out and I was sitting in one of the bay windows at the front of the bar, I decided to order a glass of white wine and chose the Albarino from Spain. I didn’t catch the year or producer (FAIL) because the menu was snatched away from me pretty quickly. However, I can’t think of an Albarino that I’ve had that wasn’t delicious. This grape is the predominant white wine grape in the Rias Baixas region of Spain and is known for being very lively and refreshing. This particular one had a very citrus-y aroma of grapefruit and lemon. It also had a zesty lemon flavor, a white pepper finish, and a great acidity that gave it that refreshing quality. The pour was very large and the glasses left plenty of room for swirling.

Latin music, R&B, and jazz were playing, giving the bar a soulful atmosphere. The walls were covered with wooden wine racks and bright oil paintings of people playing jazz instruments. The ceiling had some interest too…it was made of glossy black tiles framed by dark wood. I’ll post a picture of it, but it was a neat detail. I was seated at one of the bay windows, facing out to look at a quiet 80^th st. With a cool glass of wine in my hand and the soulful music playing, I was in my element. All that was missing was a good book! This is a great place to come and unwind. It would be perfect for a date too. You can tell that the seating makes a deliberate intimate setting because the large space was filled with only café tables for two. With this seating, the dim lighting, and the music it’s almost as if Cava is going *wink wink, nudge nudge*

I was surprised that Cava wasn’t busier than it was at the time. It’s just off of Amsterdam Ave, which is filled with restaurants and a wine bar like this would be a good place to have pre-dinner drinks. While I was there, it was just a couple groups of girlfriends, a couple, and myself. However, people that walked by Cava must have been drawn by the sweet sounds drifting out of the bar because they would stop to look at the menu outside, and walk in to get a table. So, it did start picking up around 7.

This place has a good staff on board; the waitress would stop by the tables often enough to make sure you were happy, but not too often to be annoying. Rumor has it that if you’re sitting at the bar and your glass happens to approach empty, the bartender will add a couple splashes to make sure you keep having a good time. I can’t vouch for this, but cross your fingers if you’re sitting at the bar when you’re at Cava!

I like Cava. It’s casual, it’s soulful, and they have a good wine list to boot. I think it’s a great wine bar, especially on the warmer days :) I give this place a rating of 4 out of 5 glasses.

The nearly empty interior of Cava

Looking out onto 80th St with my glass of Albarino

a soulful jazz cafe!