First look: Vinebar

Located above the View Ultra-Lounge & Nightclub, Vinebar offers a sophisticated respite from the club scene. With its dark, LED-lit interior packed with cushy VIP booths, comfortable bar seating and an impressive selection of wines, Vinebar is an exciting addition to Cleveland’s wine scene.

Drinks: Like most wine bars, you can get wine by the glass, bottle or flight. But unlike most wine bars, you can also get your wine out of a dispensing machine, or “wine station.” Designed to offer the “perfect taste environment” for wine lovers and neophytes, the station serves up 32 varieties of reds and whites. If you want to partake in the wine dispensing machine, you have to purchase a smart card, which you can load with $20, $50 or $100. Once you purchase the card, you can sample the wines in a 2 oz. “taste” size, 3 oz. half-glass size or full 6 oz. glass.

Food: The tapas menu is designed to complement the bar’s extensive selection of reds and whites. From bruschetta to cheese plates and flatbread pizzas, the menu tells you exactly what wine to pair with each menu item. I found the suggested Syrah was a good complement to the white flatbread pizza. With its caramelized onions, garlic, banana peppers and mozzarella, the pizza is definitely worth trying. Also of interest is the assorted bruschetta; a sampling of olive tapenade, hummus with red peppers and spinach, and artichoke on flatbread.

Décor: With its proximity to the View Nightclub, Vinebar’s décor borrows heavily from its nightclub roots. It's definitely not your typical wine bar setting. The bar is dimly lit with LED lighting and big screen TVs advertising the nightclub’s next event. There's tables along the bar and a sectioned off VIP area. On weekends, some of the tables are taken away to make room for a dance floor.

The definite highlight is the wine station. Without that there’s little to separate this wine bar from most club lounges.

Crowd: Vinebar is still trying to find its identity; therefore the crowd is in flux. Depending on what night you’re there, the crowd will vary greatly. During the weekend, the wine bar has a variety of events—from salsa night to hip hop night—that bring a different type of crowd. During the week, the bar draws in stragglers from events at Quicken Loans Arena or area attractions. The bar is working to attract more attention to its unique wine tasting experience, offering tasting classes and a VIP card for serious wine lovers.

Insider tip: Vinebar’s wine station features 32 varieties of wine, some for as little as $6 and some as much as $65. If you don’t like the idea of getting your wine out of a dispensing machine, you can also order a wine flight to sample a variety of reds or whites (although the wine comes from the wine station either way). On certain weeknights before 7, tapas are half off.

Bottom line: Even if nightclubs aren’t your thing, Vinebar is still worth a stop for the first and only wine dispensing station in Cleveland.

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