Fresh out of college, when a bottle of inexpensive Merlot was our wine splurge, my husband and I thought the Wine Bar, on Wharf Street in Portland Maine, was a cool place to spend a Saturday night. We'd grab a few friends, vie for the chairs in front of the fire, order some wine flights and settle in.
Trying to salvage some element of decency and class after our experience under the bright lights of Mesa Verda, we thought the Wine Bar would be an ideal spot to end the evening.
The fire place, comfy chairs, and copper bar were just the same as we had left them 10+ years ago. I can't say the same for the wine selection. Either it had gone down hill, or our trips to the wine regions of France and California have had a more profound influence on our knowledge of wine than I had thought.
We grabbed two stools at the bar and immediately noticed the limited selection of wines - both by the bottle and the glass. The selection was entirely comprised of "supermarket variety" wines. And there were no vintages associated with the bottles listed on the menu.
The bartender suggested the Solaz Tempranillo Cab blend from Spain and the Wildpig Syrah from France as two of their fullest bodied reds that evening. I preferred the Solaz, though it was a bit underwhelming; Tempranillo is a blending wine and is about on par with Merlot. The Wildpig was too light and lacked structure. The glassware was cheap, thick rimmed and had plenty of plastic content. You'd think a wine bar would have Riedel (or even imitation Riedel) stemware. At least they had installed a dishwasher since our last visit. Even in our non-discriminating college years, we knew it was next to impossible to effectively disinfect glassware and dishes by hand washing.
We were hoping for a chocolate dessert - only two desserts are listed on the menu - Crème Brûlée and Chocolate Torte. At 8:30 p.m. on a Saturday night they informed us that they had only the Crème Brûlée to offer, as their "torte fairy" (the cook's words - not mine) had not shown up to work that day. We decided to pass on dessert, since Crème Brûlée typically doesn't pair well with red wine.
Portland needs a real wine bar. One with a cellar, a large and interesting inventory of wine, and knowledgeable sommeliers on hand. Until one opens in the area, I'll frequent the bars at Fore Street, Back Bay Grill (the most interesting and diverse wine list I've found locally) or Five Fifty Five. Each has a superior wine selection, decadent desserts and bartenders with a commanding knowledge of the wines they offer.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
The Wine Bar - Portland, Maine
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9 comments:
Bar of Chocolate, located on Wharf Street below the Wine Bar, has excellent chocolate desserts.
Well, I love chocolate, so I'll check it out. We were actually trying to go there when we hit the wine bar...Bar of Chocolate was closed for a private function that night.
They make a nice mini hot chocolate, sort of like an espresso but made with dark chocolate instead of coffee beans.
Doesn't Vignola qualify as a wine bar?
I'd consider that a restaurant with a bar.
I am so pleased you took the time to point out that "The Wine Bar" offers such a poor selection. In my opinion the seating is also quite poor, using old and uncomfortable furniture. The two ladies that appeared to run the place carry on about thier wine offerings when in reality you could easily pick up most at an Irving Maineway.
I am surprised this place stays open, to be frank. The selection is indeed supermarket variety, the interior is also lacking. Quite honestly I wonder how they survive?
They do serve one of the best dishes in town, however -- lobster & brie ravioli.
I have always enjoyed my vists to The Wine Bar because it isn't pretentious and it is reasonably priced. I admit it is not high end and slick but it dosen't pretnd to be, it is laid back and a little funky. The food is interesting and tasty and the wine pours are generous and inexpensive and in this economy it is great to be able to afford a night out.
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