Wine Escape

I recently returned from vacation and had a lot of catching up to do with my wine bar reviews! I started back up again with Wine Escape in Hell’s Kitchen at 405 W 44^th St.

Wine Escape is a relatively new wine bar and you can tell; there is a seemingly untouched leather bench alongside one of the walls, the wooden floors are free of any scuffs, scratches or creaks, and the walls are painted a stark white and punctuated with brightly colored works of art. It seemed like it was lacking a bit of character, I’m assuming because it was so new and hadn’t quite discovered what it wants to be yet. It had a fresh feeling to it though.

The wine list was well selected with a couple choice wines from each country. Glasses were between $10 and $14 and bottles of the same wines ranged from $36 to $120. As I was looking over the menu, the waitress (or perhaps the sommelier) informed me that she had constructed flights that featured wines from all around the world. Being immediately intrigued once she mentioned that a wine from Portugal was involved, I ordered the flight of red wine, which was $16 for 4 glasses of 2oz pours of wine.

Each of the wines in the flight was brought out one at a time, which I thought was very charming. The waitress introduced each wine as she brought it out and described its aroma and flavors. I thought it was a very nice and genuine touch to the service. The first wine was a Pinot Noir from California. It had a delicate oakiness and it tasted like strawberry. It had a slightly oily mouth feel to it, but it was tasty. The glasses were a little too small to get a good whiff of the aroma, but it kind of smelled like ripe strawberry and a little bit animalistic. The second wine was Spanish and it was called something that sounded like Branco Danco? I really wish the wines had been on a list so I could write about them more accurately. Anyhow, it smelled like lilac and vanilla, which was very interesting. I don’t recall ever encountering a red wine that smelled so sweet and fragrant. It tasted like vanilla and herbs with a touch of plum. It was very unique.

The third wine was from Portugal (hooray!) and once again, I unfortunately did not catch the name. It smelled like tomato leaves and dark cherry and tasted like blackberry with a hint of cocoa. It was dry and had a vegetal finish. It was delicious! The last wine of the flight was a South African Pinotage. It smelled like freshly cut grass and something sweet that I couldn’t put my finger on. My sister in law, who had joined me, suggested that it smelled like coffee and BOOM, the connection was made. It had the sweet, yet bitter aroma of coffee grounds. It tasted like blueberry and the flavor of a cappuccino Jelly Belly, dare I say.

The service was fantastic. As soon as someone in our group had finished their glass, the waitress showed up with the next wine in the flight and introduced it. The waitress was so sweet and prompt with her service that I hate to point out how painfully awkward she was. It was endearing, but she seemed really uncomfortable. However, she was genuine, very knowledgeable about the wines, and made the bar feel very wine-centric. Wine Escape is a cool place with a low-key vibe. It does need to add some more personality to its atmosphere, but this will come with time I’m sure. I give it a rating of 3.9 out of 5 glasses.

I was so lost in each glass of wine that I kept forgetting to take a picture until the glass was nearly empty

one of the cute examples of the artwork on display at Wine Escape

Vin sur Vingt

The storm of the century hit New York City on Wednesday and it made me want to cozy up in a wine bar to dry off. Being a very quick run through the rain from the 14^th St station, Vin sur Vingt at 201 W 11^th St was an easy choice. Unless you’re directionally challenged like I am, in which case you’ll walk in about four different circles before finding it. So, despite my best efforts I walked, dripping, into Vin sur Vingt and was greeted by the cutest sight.

Vin sur Vingt is just adorable. It’s small and it looks just like a European café, which is fitting because it is a French wine bar. The floors, the bar, the small café tables, and all of the seating were made of dark wood and red was used as an accent color on the seating. It was tres chic! The walls were simply decorated with mirrors and a random sculpture of a bull’s head. Some bubbly jazz and French music was playing and I was instantly relaxed as I sat down at one of the little tables.

As I mentioned, this is a French wine bar, so all of the wines and waiters are from France and are listed by region on the menu. Glasses are between $9 and $18 and bottles start at a reasonable $40 with the most expensive being $475. They also offer a sommelier choice flight of 3oz glasses of wine that are $18 for 3 glasses or $28 for 5 glasses. In addition, you can order a wine and cheese pairing of 3 cheeses and wines for $29. I was a little chilly after being completely soaked on my way to the bar and I wanted a big red wine to warm up with. I was disappointed to see that there were so few wines available by the glass in general, specifically from Bordeaux. A red wine from this region would either be made with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, or a blend of the two depending on the village it’s from. I decided on the least expensive of the two wines from Bordeaux and ordered a glass of the 2009 Chateau Aimee Medoc.

The waiter brought out a glass and the bottle and gave me a taste of the wine before pouring the whole glass. Solid service. The Medoc was quite dry, which woke up my soggy senses a bit. It was spicy and tasted like cloves and a little bit like a spiced plum, although this wine did not have any sweetness to it. It smelled very warm, like nutmeg and fig. It was alright, but I don’t think it was worth $13 a glass.

Vin sur Vingt is a great place to come chill in by yourself. I even saw another customer doing some work on his laptop with a bottle next to him. The place is quiet, relaxed, and there is plenty of wine. If you have an afternoon to feel like a European work on a bottle, this would be the place for it. Since it is a little pricey for a glass, I feel that getting a bottle would be a better value and there are many more selections to choose from that way as well.

The service was polite and courteous, it’s a very cute café-style wine bar with a lovely atmosphere, and I was really feelin’ the music. I wish there were more by the glass options here, however. I give Vin sur Vingt a rating of 3.8 out of 5 glasses. Meanwhile, I’m going to book a flight to Paris…

Vin sur Vingt tucked away on a quiet street in the West Village

The French cafe style bar area...and me creepin on myself in the mirror at the top

The wine Cave

Random bull head