City Winery

I’ve been looking forward to going to City Winery since I started writing my blog because not only is it a music venue, but it’s also a trendy wine bar. It already has a great combination of awesome going for it. I went there with my husband on Wednesday evening to see what it was all about.

The place is huge and also a bit confusing when you walk in the door to what you assume is the wine bar. It’s actually the restaurant and music venue and the wine bar is a couple of doors down the block and it’s called The Barrel Room. City Winery has a bit of an air of exclusivity about it. No tickets for the show? Go to The Barrel Room. No reservation at The Barrel Room? Claim the last stools available at a community table. It’s definitely a popular place, but there is not much room to accommodate everyone that wants to have a drink there. We were fortunate enough to get seats, but I saw some people come in and leave once they discovered that they would need to stand. My advice is to get here earlier in the evening and to not come here on a busy night, such as a Friday or Saturday.

Even though I wasn’t cool enough to have a reservation, the staff were all really nice and we were brought a sample of their Pinot Noir to try before we ordered drinks. City Winery has a very unique concept – they actually make their wines on the premises. The grapes are imported from around the country and are then pressed and fermented here, then served directly from the barrel to the customers, essentially being wines “on tap”. This way there are no preservatives in the wine and they have a freshness that you can taste. I’ve never actually had a wine directly from the barrel until my visit to City Winery, so it was a new experience for me as well.

All of the 11 wines on tap (except 2) are available by the glass, carafe, or as part of a flight of wines. Glasses are priced between $10 and $14 and carafes are $27 up to $39. In the adjacent restaurant there are wines from around the world available by the bottle, but when you can have fresh wine on tap you really don’t miss those options.

I ordered the 2010 Barrel Fermented Chardonnay. It smelled like kernels of corn, which is typical for oak aged white wines. It was very flavorful with notes of tropical fruits and some toastiness. I really liked it! I wish they bottled this so I could buy it.

The bar is beautifully decorated and it has a very cool vibe. There is soft lighting everywhere, lights made of wine bottles hang in the windows, and scents of delicious food waft from the kitchen. On a related note, they have awesome hummus here. Even though I’ve never been to California (shocking statement from a wine fanatic, right?), I felt as if I was at a winery’s bar or tasting room in California. Or at least what I imagine one would be like. Although the rumble of the subway below reminds you that you’re still in New York.

After I had finished my glass of Chardonnay, my husband was still working on his glass of scotch, so I ordered the late harvest Riesling desert wine. It had a nectar-like quality to it and it was definitely affected by noble rot because it smelled like orange peels and it tasted a little bit like orange and sweet honey. The flavors were very concentrated and it was a great wine to finish off the night with.

Before you come to City Winery, make sure you either have a reservation or show up early enough that you don’t have to wait for a seat. The bar area is not good for groups, but it is great for going there with a friend or two or on a not-so-intimate date. It’s a lively place and provides a unique wine experience. I give this place a rating of 4.5 out of 5 glasses.

The entance to the restaurant area of City Winery

The barrels of wines on tap

The "reservation only" section of the bar. You can also see into the bar's winery!

My yummy glass of Chardonnay!

The ghostly wine bottle lights