Edi & the Wolf

 A few weeks ago (sorry for the delay) the hubby and I found ourselves in the East Village and decided to go to a wine bar. We went to Edi & the Wolf, located at 102 Avenue C. I have to say, this place probably has the coolest and most mysteriously welcoming entrance that I’ve seen in the city. The ramp leading up to the front door was shrouded in shrubbery and hanging plants. When we walked up, the garage doors in the front of the building were open, letting some Latin music pour into the streets and showing off the very unique interior. The best way I can describe this place is that it feels like you’re walking into vacation. Later when the chilly spring breeze picked up, the garage doors were closed, but the carefree vibe still stayed.

As I mentioned, the interior is unique and covered in detail. A long metal light fixture hung above the tables in the center of the room, plants and huge ropes were hanging from the ceiling, the benches were made of a plush, tufted, luxe fabric, and each of the tables had a big floral arrangement on it. It is a really beautiful space.

Now, on to the wine! Given the exotic vacation vibe of Edi & the Wolf, I was expecting to see a wine list filled with selections from Spain, Argentina, or the Mediterranean. However, the menu was heavy on Austrian wines. Although there weren’t many wines available by the glass, they were well priced at $9 to $13 and bottles started at $42 and were no more than $130. Although I’m familiar with the grape, I’ve never actually tried Zweigelt, so I ordered the 2010 Tinhof Zweigelt. It smelled like dried red fruits and had some mineral notes. It didn’t really taste anything like it smelled though! It had a very citrus-y palate and almost a lemon flavor, which I can’t say I’ve ever encountered in a red wine. It wasn’t very well balanced and was honestly, super weird. Maybe something was wrong with this particular wine, although I don’t know what it could be. While this style of wine can be tart, in general, Zweigelt grapes produce a wine that tastes of red fruits, like cherry, with a zesty acidity and a peppery finish. This wine, however, expressed none of these characteristics. So, this was not a good first experience with Zweigelt.

I wasn’t impressed with the selection of wine at Edi & the Wolf. I wish there were more wines to choose from by the glass, and wines that fit with the atmosphere a little better. Overall, this place is very cool and I definitely want to come back here for dinner. But strictly as a wine bar, I have to give it a rating of 3 out of 5 glasses.

This just screams for a mojito, not an Austrian wine :(

The super weird glass of Zweigelt

V Bar St Marks

Last weekend, the hubby and I decided to hang out in a wine bar. We chose V Bar St Marks, located in the East Village at 132 1^st Ave.

The bar was much busier than I would have expected on a Saturday afternoon. We grabbed the last two seats in the place – right at the bar. It was hot, the crowd was loud and so was the music. Not quite what I think of when it comes to a wine bar. It had a slightly grungy feel to it. Classic rock was blaring, the floors were concrete, ceilings were tin, the walls were exposed brick, and one wall had a cool painting of a griffin on it. It definitely felt more like a dive bar than anything else.

The wine list was surprisingly extensive, with plenty of by the glass wines to choose from. It was heavy on the French and Italian wines and also included some from the US. However, vintages were not shown on the menu. The wines were well priced with glasses between $9 and $14 and bottles were $20 to $70.

I ordered the Parallele 45 Cotes du Rhone. Although it was served out of a clunky wine glass, the pour was very generous. It smelled like plum and nutmeg and tasted like baking spices and peppercorn. The spice kind of overwhelmed the fruit character, but overall it was enjoyable. As I mentioned before, the atmosphere of V Bar didn’t make it feel anything close to a wine bar. In fact, looking around I noticed only one person drinking champagne. Everyone else had beer or cocktails. After we finished our wine, we switched to beer. That’s a first for one of my reviews!

Overall, V Bar St Marks is a cool place to grab a casual beer, but I would not by any means call it a wine bar. Wine doesn’t fit in with any part of this bar. Strictly as a wine bar, I have to give this place a rating of 2.8 out of 5 glasses. I’m just not feelin’ it.

The outside of V Bar St Marks

Griffin!

Clunky dive bar wine glass