This past weekend, the hubby and I were in Portsmouth, NH visiting some friends and what do you think happened to catch my eye while touring the town? A cool wine bar tucked away in an alley, of course. I made it a point to stop in and enjoy a bottle all to myself with friends at Cava, which is located at 10 Commercial Alley.
One of the more unique things about this wine bar is that it has a stylish outdoor area. During the warm months, the hostess actually has a booth outside to greet and seat you before you even get to the door, so it has a friendly vibe right away. The outdoor space is just....freaking cute. I felt like I was in a swanky garden. There are wooden tables of various heights enclosed by a little fence and the front wall of the building is what can only be called a "living wall". Planters are somehow attached to the wall vertically and though it was a little sparse since it was early May, it is alive with many green things in the summer.
Cava has a large selection of wines, with many from Italy, Spain, Washington, and California. Glasses are priced between $8 and $88 (yes, $88 is the new record for most expensive glass I've seen) and Cava also offers a tasting option for each of these wines, which are 2.5 oz glasses priced between $3.50 and $16.50. Bottles are priced very reasonably, starting at $28 and up to $200, although the majority of the bottles were in the $30 to $40 range. The menu also lists the retail price of each bottle so that you are able to see how minimal of a markup Cava is taking on their wines. I've never seen this at a wine bar, or any bar/restaurant for that matter. It's nice to feel confident that you're not being swindled. Thumbs up, Cava. We decided to order a bottle of 2010 Villa Donna Barbera and the 2006 Torre Migliori Montepulciano.
The Montepulciano smelled a bit peppery, tasted like strawberry, and had a very mild acidity. Most Italian wines are higher in acid to pair with the commonly acidic Italian foods, but this one was mild enough that you could enjoy it by itself. The Barbera was more aromatic and smelled like sweet dried strawberries and had a lively acidity. It was a little on the sweet side and it had notes on the palate similar to the nose. Both of the wines were pretty decent for being less than $40 a bottle.
The service was incredibly friendly and several people came by our table to frequently refill our glasses and check to see if we needed anything else. I should also add patient to the list of the staff's qualitites. Our waiter had to come back a few different times to see if we had made a wine selection, as we had spent more time chatting rather than deciding. Oops!
Good wine, good service, and good company. I was very happy with my experience at Cava :) I give it a rating of 4 out of 5 glasses.
The outside of Cava and the living wall
My glass of Barbera on the left, Montepulciano on the right
