The Wine Bar at Vintner Valley, located on Burroughs Street, is a new establishment located in a quaint cobblestone cottage that you could mistake for a home, rather than a swanky bar. It's open in the evenings, and parking is located around the back of the building. And when you walk inside, it's a different environment. It's dark, posh and sleek with old money folks. A long bar is located to the left, a few high-top tables litter the center, and some leather chairs dot the right side. My friends and I took a table in the middle and looked over the menu. Thank god I didn't wear yoga pants today.


I confess that I'm not a wine connoisseur; I prefer sweet whites. That's not the most sophisticated, I know. But hey, it is what it is. From the wine list, I ordered a glass of Conquista Moscato, Argentina, 2011, which happened to be sparkling. For $9, it was moderately priced, but it was gooooood. Good if you want a sweet wine that tastes similar to apple juice. I did. And it was glorious.

The menu isn't huge, but they have some snack sorts - a few appetizers, pizzas and salad. I ordered the classico bruschetta - slice baguette with melted mozzarella and provolone cheese with tomato, basil, garlic, extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Kaitlynn got a meat and cheese plate - you choose at least three items (cheese or meat) - so she got the gouda, brie, chorizo and prosciutto. It also came with some crackers, grapes, bread, figs and olives. Josh ordered the pizza bianca - olive oil, garlic, roma tomatoes, provolone and mozarella cheese.

We did a little swapping so that we could all try a little of each. My bruschetta was pretty good - the bread was delicious because it was toasted to perfection and had melted cheese all over it. The tomato mixture was pretty good too, but I could've used just a little more balsamic on it.
Kaitlynn's meat and cheese plate was pretty cool just because of the variety. It was fun, had these cute markers and can tailor it to your specific tastes. I liked the chorizo and gouda the best, but what can I say, I just enjoy really good cheese.

Josh's pizza wasn't bad either. It was oil-based, rather than marinara-based, so it's a little lighter. It was tasty, though, tomatoes were fresh, and had some good seasoning.

For dessert, I tried a ricotta cheesecake. You can get the typical vanilla, or you can opt for chocolate. It wasn't bad, either. It's thicker, not "creamy" like a cream cheese-based version. It's thicker, crumbly even. And a raspberry sauce was drizzled over top. It was good. Mind-blowing? Nah, but it was alright.

The service was great here (she even recognized me!), the good was good, and the experience is just fun. It's a little different. It made me feel like I was playing dress up a little bit, and we felt fancy with the wine list. I think it's a nice change from the norm, and if you're a wine expert (or even beer!), it's a welcome addition.

Check 'em out on Facebook.

Grade: B