Pure Wine Cafe in Ellicott City, MD

Do you live in Howard County (or nearby)? Do you love Vinotrip (or other Howard County blogs)? If so, I have some great news for you! Vinotrip and Hocoblogs.com are hosting a joint party/wine tasting at Pure Wine Cafe on November 30. For people who only read bulleted lists on the web, though, here is all the information:

• Who: Howard County bloggers, blog readers, and Vinotrip fans
• What: Vinotrip and Hocoblogs party and wine tasting
• Where: Pure Wine Cafe on Main Street in Ellicott City
• When: Tuesday, November 30, 6-8 p.m.
• Why: Because we love you! And because Pure Wine does free tastings on Tuesdays! Not to mention that it’s an awesome place!

If you’re coming, please register on the EventBrite page. I hope to see you there! And if you can’t make it, let me know if you’d be interested in future Vinotrip gatherings.

Cheers!

-Matt

While The Wife and I were killing time in Harbor East waiting for our movie to start (The Social Network, it was okay), we stumbled upon the newish wine bar Vino Rosina. Our usual (and only) go-to for a glass of wine in Harbor East is Cinghiale so a new option is most welcome. Their wine list is prolific if not expensive. The by-the-glass listing along offeres around twenty wines from each of the usual disciplines: red, white, bubbles, and rose. The Wife had a fantastic Rose from Provence. I thoroughly enjoyed a Gruner Veltliner from Austria. Nice, full bodied, dry, flat, just how I like ‘em.

The food menu is, well, head-spinning. Our bartender described one dish which used bone marrow as a core component. I passed on the bone marrow. Perhaps we aren’t as haute as we would like (it is Baltimore, after all). They go all-out on the menu, though. The executive chef told Dining At Large

Baltimore Sun blog Dining At Large had Chef Jesse Sandlin saying “We’re doing a really killer bison tartare from Gunpowder Farms,” she said. “We’re calling it Bison and Eggs. It’s very small, finely diced bison, Piave vecchio cheese, minced shallots, chopped parsley, a sauce of Worcestershire, Sriracha and Dijon, and a little poached quail egg.”

Vino Rosina features a gritty-yet-polished interior warehouse feel popularized by Chipotle. That’s not a knock, by the way. The whole thing has that “when will you guys be finished?” look. I dig it. I was especially smitten with the sweet light bulbs that hung down over the bar (pictured, right)

Check out Vino Rosina if you’re in the area and need a glass of wine.

Vino Rosina
507 S Exeter St
Baltimore, MD 21202
(410) 528-8600

Sponsor’s message Get 50% off shipping at WineChateau.com’s online wine store when you buy six or more bottles with checkout code “vino17″

Except vintages.

I used to think it was low-class to leave the vintages off of a wine list. Nothing smacks of TGI Fridays more than a wine list featuring nameless, vintage-less Merlot or Cabernet. Wines deserve years before their names. It’s what makes wine different from Budweiser. Last year’s Budweiser tastes pretty much like this year’s Budweiser (ask me how I know). The 2007 Sauvignon Black, however, could be a different animal from the 2008.

But, really, who cares? If you’re ordering a $7 glass or a $29 bottle of some wine from somewhere, does the vintage on the end really make a difference? Am I just being a persnickety wino?

Writes Jon…

I like Room 11.

High praise, indeed.

HB-1262 was killed in committee last night. No wine shipping to Maryland for at least another year, probably more.

If you’re passionate about this issue, please follow up with the members of the Maryland House of Delegates Economic Matters Committee Write them a letter, call their office, or send an email and ask why they voted the way they did. You’ll probably receive a canned response similar to this one we all received last year. Let me know if you get anything more substantive. Vote accordingly when November rolls around.

I’d write more about this, but the issue has run its course and even I am sick of hearing my rambling about it. I’ve posted plenty about Maryland wine shipping and the backwards-thinking of the current wine shipping laws. Read the archives if you want more, pop a bottle of Syrah if you want to forget.

I stoped by before opening today and perused the bar menu, a range of appetizers in the $6-$9 range, as well as cheese plates (three cheeses $11); dinners reportedly hover around $16-25.

Grape Leaves Online reports that Church Street Cellars in Vienna, Virginia has Enomatic machines to facilitate your wine tasting needs. If you haven’t used an Enomatic machine before, you’re in for a good time. An Enomatic is a big box with 5-10 wine bottles inside it, each with its own button and price. You pay for credit on a card, then slide the card into a machine and press a button corresponding to your choice. Your card is charged per the price of the taste and one ounce of wine goes into your glass and you drink up. Rinse, and repeat.

Last time I was in New Orleans, I spoke with the owner of WINO about the machines, many of which he had just set up in his store. He said that it wasn’t easy getting them past the liquor licensing board given that people are serving themselves and the good government magistrates were concerned that people would drink too much. We both shared our wonder that this was happening in New Orleans where public belligerence isn’t illegal, it is required. So kudos to the VA liquor board for allowing this to happen.

Monday nights in October they’re doing Monday Night Flights. $49 gets you a antipasti, salumi, and long flight of wines based around a specific region in Italy. October 13th is Piemonte, the 20th is Alto Adige (which I know nothing about) and the 27th goes to the old workhorse Chianti.

But, that isn’t the best part of Cinghiale this month. Tuesday Night Cellar Raid features 50% off full bottles of wine from 5-7pm in the Enoteca. The deal is so boggling that I had to confirm with an employee that it is indeed 50% off ANY bottle in their encyclopedia-like wine list. There are a lot of winners in there, won’t be hard to pick one out for half price.

I’ve been to Cinghiale twice and I LOVE their wine bar. When I couldn’t decide between a glass of Brunello or a glass of Barolo, the bartender poured me a taste of both without even being asked (I decided on the Barolo, fantastic). The reds are chilled just so and the glasses are selected based on the type of wine you select. My wife reports that the cappuccino is very good as well.

Cinghiale
822 Lancaster Street
Baltimore, MD 21202
http://www.cinghiale-osteria.com/
Link to CityPaper review

Sloughing our way through Dulles airport to our gate to take off to Frankfurt, I was happy to see a Vino Volo tasting bar sitting right next to our gate. Vino Volo began a push into airports in 2006 is up to nine locations including one each in Baltimore Washington International and Washington Dulles. Interesting to not e that they are only in airports (In Dulles, they’re located in Concourse C aka the United concourse). Instead of getting some “lite” version of a restaurant (Chili’s To Go!), you’re getting the real deal. Take a seat in a comfy chair and have a glass of wine or go through a flight before you get on your flight.

They offer some eclectic dishes (available in small and large) that stretch the usual airport meal options. Their suggestions for the California Kings wine flight were: Broccoli Mushroom Pastry, Chickpea and Sausage Chili, Cab Sauv Braised Pork Tacos. Pretty mouthwatering fare to show down on while your listen for yet another update on your delayed flight.

They did a nice job with the decor. You don’t feel like you’re sitting in some cheap knockoff airport bar drinking overpriced beer. You feel like you’re in a nice wine bar, passing some time before being herded onto a United flight with no legroom and no seat back TVs. Just make sure you get through your glass before the final boarding call.

V-NO has a retailer’s license, so you can take home bottles of something you like off the menu or check the shelves for something else. The “cellar” section of the bar houses pricier selection of Napa Cabs and Bordeaux names. The bottles in there will run up to around $100 but are priced well given the culty labels on the front There’s a cooler full of whites and sparklers and even a big shelf of liquor if you’ve run through Cabernet and want to move on to Jameson.

Mark Bachman, one half of the husband and wife proprietor team, was nice enough to answer some questions of mine over email recently.

Vinotrip: You started V-NO with your wife Kristina. What did you both do before launching the wine bar?

Mark Bachman: My wife Kristina and I both have had experience in the service industry in the past. Kristina just recently left her position of nearly twenty years as a nurse recruiter to focus on V-NO. I originally moved to Baltimore twenty years ago as a chemical engineer to start a sales office for the G.E. Engineered Thermal Plastics. For the last seven years I have been involved with real estate and mortgage financing. Our passion for wine and the desire to work for our selves drove us to create V-NO.

VT: I know launching a restaurant or bar is a long process and nothing came as easily as you hoped I’m sure, but what was the biggest challenge in getting V-NO from idea to opening night?

MB: Although we have friends that have open successful ventures, nothing can prepare you for the amount of red tape that is thrown in front of you to open a new business, especially when a liquor license is involved. It was a learning experience though, and if we decide to open another location I think we could cut a couple of months off of the process.

VT: Do you have plans to offer flights of wine or happy hour specials?

MB: We are considering these ideas as well as organized tastings and vineyard tours. We just need to get a little more time open under our belts first.

VT: I liked the grouping of wines by style rather than varietal and region. Whose idea was that and is it working so far?

MB: This is a concept I thought about a couple of years ago. Just like being handed a twenty page wine list, walking into a wine store with thousands of selections is an overwhelming experience for most people. If you know that you like crisp, bright tasting white wines, all you have to do is go to the “Crisp” section and you know that any selection you make will be a winner. We have even gone so far to color code the signs for each section that most closely match the color of the wines. In addition, we have placed a quick description next to every wine we offer.

V-NO is off to a great start, the place was packed when we were there and that was on their second night. The whole place is like a breezy summer white, a simple place to get into wine with some friends.

V-NO
905 S. Ann Street
Baltimore, MD
410-342-VINO(8466)
Open Tuesday through Sunday 4-12.

I know you’ve been waiting for this post with unbridled anticipation – the second of the guest posts with Gary AFK. Hopefully this will be worth your patience. First, a little about me. I’m Jamie and I’m a highly-educated wine connoisseur (read: avid bar-hopper who lived in San Francisco for 2 years). I’m also a professional writer… or at least I write a silly marketing blog in my free time, so you are in good hands!

I’ll start with some good news: if you were bummed out when you learned that there aren’t wine bars in Virginia, I can at least report that there are some pretty close. Bethesda is inside the Beltway (practically in Virginia, right?), has the best restaurants per capita in the US of A, and is also home to some fantastic wine bars. My wife and I decided to check out some wine bars on my birthday, hoping to confirm all the good things we’d heard… Here’s what we found:

The Oz: Wine bar in the Doubletree hotel. Great sushi menu on the cheap, modern lighting and layout, and Guitar Hero. These are the path to Jamie’s heart. They also have free food during happy hour, though the Sushi is priced well enough that it’s worth not eating the freebees. The wine list was solid. They offered plenty of brand-name varietals, so you will certainly be able to find something worth your time. However, the selection wasn’t really geared toward the menu. I’d have expected more Rieslings and crisp whites, but who cares – Guitar Hero! Oh, the wine prices were OK. I filled up on Sushi and decided it was time to move on. 

Divino Cafe & Lounge: Next on the list was Divino’s, which is really more of a Lounge than a Cafe. The seating is arranged much like a nice furniture store at Tyson’s Corner. A bunch of leather couches and chairs, surrounding candle-covered coffee tables. There’s regular dining tables towards the back, but they are all empty. Actually, the whole place was pretty empty. Sad, because their wine menu was awesome. Go look at all their Argentinean wines – I love a place that sticks with their theme. Though the bartenders wasn’t attentive, he was knowledgeable enough to make good recommendations. This place is worth checking out, but you probably want to go on the weekend, when it’s not dead.

Redwood: This is a very new place found on Bethesda Row. It is definitely a cool scene. Huge open windows on warm days, so you feel like you’re outside. I’m guessing the owners are designers and architects or something, as the entire restaurant redwood art. It’s like a hunt club, without the cigar. I think they are still working on their wine list though, so I won’t hate too much on the limited selection. They had a pretty good Argentinian Malbec for $22 a bottle, so that’s what I had. The food… well, the food needs some work. Surprising because of how polished the place looks. I expected more. Oh, and this place costs a lot. Take a new girl or a new client, but don’t plan on becoming a regular unless you rich and not picky (BURN!).

Cafe Deluxe: Ok, this isn’t really a wine bar per se, but it’s worth a visit on Monday’s at least. Wine bottles are all half off, and they have HD tvs… Yup, half-priced wine for Monday Night Football, YES! Food is also pretty good, and definitely not pricey. The fire roasted tomato soup is definitely worth the $4.50. Enjoy!

Ok, that’s it for now. There’s plenty of others in the area as well. Bethesda has the best eats around. We love all the outdoor eating and the variety of food. The sports bars are about as good as it gets too – Union Jack’s is my favorite. For more bar and restaurant recommendations in DC, Bethesday and Silver Spring, check out my wife’s blog: Young & Married In DC.

Thanks for the read – enjoy your MD wine bars, and remember how lucky you are not to be in Virginia!