A friend and I dined the other night at Casa de Luz, an awesome place to eat some delicious vegan fare. After, we walked over to House Wine, a new-ish wine bar (I’ve been out of the wine bar scene for so long, it may be 2 years old for all I know) near Lamar and Barton Springs Road. All I had with me was my phone, so pardon the grainy shots.
My friend ordered the Muscadet they were pouring, and that’s one of the things that should send you right down to this spot – they are pouring a Muscadet. And multiple Sauvignon Blancs and Chardonnays and Rieslings and white blends and… well, 33 white wines and 43 reds. And 5 or six sparklers, as well as some 6 sweet wines. All the bottle prices are pretty reasonable, and basically any flight is $15. If you like variety, and I know you do, gentle reader, this is your place. Variety Central! It’s like they opened it just for you!
I ordered a flight of three Malbecs: the Llama, Terra Rosa and Tomero. All from Mendoza, all around $9 per glass. The flight setup was very sensible, given that all wine is served at a bar for the patron to carry with her to a table. I was there to socialize and not to scribble wine notes, so I don’t have tasting notes for you, but the Tomero was my favorite. The other two were more tannic and might have been happier with food. The Muscadet was really lovely, with tartness as arresting as a slap in the face from an old Southern lady.
Oh! And Sundays they do a great deal in which they pour all the wines by the glass half-price, as long as the bottle’s already open (usually from the night before I bet). And they do wine cocktails!!! I love wine cocktails! I’m going back just for the cheese plate and the wine cocktails.
What other things do Austinites care about in a wine bar? Let’s see. Big patio. Dogs allowed on patio. Street parking. Probably gets crowded at the bar when it’s busy. Minimal food but interesting cheese and chocolate. Good happy hours. Go see them; I bet you’ll like it too.