Vyne

I visited Vyne at 82 W 3^rd St today. I got out of work early, so I thought it would be the perfect time to get started on my next review. I may have been a little too eager to do this because I ended up being the first patron to walk into the bar. Whoops! I definitely probably looked like an alcoholic. The bartender was very friendly though and I took a seat on one of the plush couches in the center of the bar.

Vyne is very laid back and it almost feels like you’re in someone’s living room. In addition to the cushy leather couch I was already seated on, there were leather benches and short tables along the wall, 4 person tables, and a tall family style table with high stools. The mix and match seating made it a very comfortable environment. There was also an old fireplace that one member of the staff offered to light for me since I was sitting near it. Very sweet, but it was quite hot outside, so I declined.

There was a lovely mix of foreign jazz playing at the bar, which I really, really liked. The place smelled like fresh linen, probably from the candles that decorated the area around the fireplace. This adds to the homey feel but could detract from the wine experience. This may be my inner wine geek talking, but there shouldn’t be additional strong scents that could interfere with the ability to smell the aroma of the wine in your glass. But, I digress. I enjoy the atmosphere that Vyne has created. It’s a very soft and welcoming place, at least on a Tuesday night.

As I said, the staff was very warm and friendly and the bartender was happy to make a suggestion when I was torn between the Assyrtiko from Greece and a Viogner. He recommended the Assyrtiko and I had actually read an article about the wine recently, so I decided to go with it. The wine was brought to me in a mini carafe, which I’ve always thought was adorable. Now, since I’ve never had this wine before, I wasn’t sure what to expect and I do believe it tasted like olives. Or maybe I just had Greek salad on my mind? Either way, it was tasty and one of the more full bodied white wines I've had.

The wine menu was a little bit limited for by the glass orders. However, the bottle list was very extensive with great selections, including a 1995 Louis Jadot Croton-Greves Grand Cru! Vyne actually priced this bottle very well at $100 when it retails for about $70. By the glass prices were unfortunately rather expensive. The Altos Malbec was $12 a glass and this wine retails for about $14 a bottle. Not so sure if this is a good place to go if you aren’t planning on buying a bottle. It would be great for couples or groups, however! As for the other wines, they had many Italian, French, and Spanish wines with many by Domaine, which is a very reliable label. The least expensive bottle on the list was $40, while the most expensive bottle was a whopping $375. They also offered half bottles, which were priced between $48 and $120. On a side note, I took a look at their wine menu online to pull the names of some of the bottles I saw, but clearly it has not been updated on their site because it was a very different menu from what was available today.

Seeing as I was the only person in the bar, I was finding myself short of information on what kind of people come to Vyne, when suddenly another customer entered! The heavens rejoice. I was no longer the obviously awkward lonely girl on whom everyone’s attention was focused. From the few people that arrived after me, I can judge that this bar draws an early 30s, casual, after work crowd. Obviously this is not an accurate portrayal of the people that typically come here, so I may have to come back on a busier evening in order to truly tell you about what kind of people frequent Vyne. But this is supposed to be primarily about the wine anyway, right?

I had a good time at Vyne, despite being the only customer for most of my visit. It wasn’t a remarkable experience, but I would like to go back again when it’s busy to see what it’s really like when they have a crowd. I rate Vyne 3.5 out of 5 glasses.

Exterior of Vyne (currently shrouded by scaffolding, so I wasn't able to get a good picture. Thanks for the image, yelp!)

Interior of Vyne

Mini carafe!

Fireplace

Vyne stored their wine within these neat cast iron cabinets along the walls. Very cool!