From the South Florida Sun-Sentinel

It's not just for winos anymore

Vino isn't solely for snobs, either, as wine bars and tastings bring grapes to the masses.

by Jeff Rusnak

March 15 2006

The myth that mainly effete snobs and calorie-conscious females sip wine was dispelled last summer when a Gallup poll found it to be the most popular alcoholic beverage among Americans. Yes, the country that gave the world carbonated soft drinks and the Big Mac has refined its palate somewhat, and it appears there's no going back.

The Gallup poll found that 39 percent of people queried named wine as their first choice, while 36 percent said beer and 21 percent preferred liquor. In fact, on volume alone, Americans are now the biggest wine consumers in the world, accounting for an estimated 19 percent of the world's drinking, according to the French trade group VinExpo. That number is expected to rise to 25 percent by 2008.

"It's a lifestyle thing now," says Mark Darley, a managing partner at Seventh Street Wine Co. in Fort Lauderdale. "A lot of people have been moving away from beer and are drinking wine as their preferred beverage. About 70 percent of our trade is young professionals and women."

The mainstreaming of wine, which has been pushed along by its reputed health benefits and the movie Sideways, hasn't gone unheeded by the world's wine producers. Many vineyards are appealing to the American temperament with brands that are cleverly packaged, use screw tops instead of corks and are smooth and fruity instead of dry and earthy.

"We're getting big, jammy, berry-flavored wines that are not too tannic, that are easier to drink," says Bill Meusgeier, who organizes tastings at Crown Wine and Spirits stores. "People are looking more for cocktail wines, which are also good with food but are OK to drink socially instead of a martini."

To take some of the mystery out of deciphering labels, a number of vineyards are giving their grapes names that read like song titles. Some of the most notable include 7 Deadly Zins, Wrongo Dongo, The Jibe, Red Bicyclette and the hugely popular Yellow Tail, which sold 8 million cases in the United States last year.

While more Americans are drinking wine, this doesn't mean choosing a wine has become any easier, catchy name or not. Thousands of varietals were produced worldwide last year, and anyone who has tried picking a bottle from a restaurant wine list can attest to the feeling of inadequacy in discerning Shiraz from Syrah, Napa from Sonoma and Beringer from Benziger.

With that in mind, we've done the hard work of canvassing the area for wine bars, retail outlets and restaurants that make drinking and learning about wine fun and relatively inexpensive. Here's the short list.

Bizaare Avenue Cafe and The Next Level

921 Lake Ave., Lake Worth

561/588-4488, Bizaareavecafe.com

Al Salopek says he opened Bizaare Avenue nine years ago as "a wine bar for the masses," and he observes the creed by pricing a large number of bottles under $30 and serving about 50 wines by the glass or half-glass.

"My philosophy in opening Bizaare is, if it tastes good, drink it," Salopek says. "We give samples away so you can try anything on the menu before you buy it. Most people don't really care where it comes from; they just like to drink it."

Bizaare serves tapas downstairs and dinner upstairs in a historic 1926 building. Salopek hosts six-course winetasting dinners Monday nights, with wines matched to each course. The cost is $45 per person.

Crown Wine and Spirits

25 locations throughout South Florida, Crownwineandspirits.com

Ten bucks, two hours, 50 wines is the mantra at Crown, where 150 or so people typically cram the aisles to sample bottles priced between $8 and $40. At the informal tastings that double as social gatherings, the clientele ranges from groups of 20-somethings who treat it as a glorified happy hour to serious wine shoppers.

"I hate to attach too much of a cachet to drinking wine," Meusgeier says. "Europeans look at wine the way we look at bottled water. We'd like for people to drink a glass of wine or two every night with dinner. We like the idea of creating a lifestyle for wine."

Crown usually holds six tastings every month among its 25 South Florida locations. The knowledgeable staff and wine ratings posted on select vintages are helpful in shopping during regular business hours.

Hollywood Vine

2035 Harrison St., Hollywood

954/922-2910, Hvine.com

Steven Krakow and Luciano Armellino opened Hollywood Vine in February, giving downtown Hollywood a casual wine bar and retail shop in one setting. More than a dozen wines are served by the glass at a bar that sits next to a nice selection of artisan cheeses. The list of bottles posted on a blackboard changes regularly, and for a $5 corkage fee, you can buy one of 500 or so labels from the shelves and drink it at the bar.

"When it comes down to it, it's just wine," Armellino says of bringing wine's highbrow image down to earth. "It's a beautiful thing, but it's still just wine."

Naked Grape Wine Co.

2039 Wilton Drive, Wilton Manors

954/563-5631, Nakedgrapewineco.com

Owner Brian DeCrast opened his wine shop 10 months ago with about 200 labels priced for less than $25 each. He's in the process of expanding the operation to include a wine bar and two lounge areas. "It's the hot new thing," DeCrast says of retail shops that double as wine bars.

Naked Grape hosts two tastings a month that feature about a half-dozen wines, along with cheeses and hors d'oeuvres matched to the varietal being served. The room can accommodate as many as 50 people, and admission costs $10 in advance, $15 at the door. DeCrast says the wine bar will serve about 15 wines by the glass.

The Rustic Cellar

409 S.E. Mizner Blvd., Boca Raton

561/392-5237, Rusticcellar.com

The Rustic Cellar is unique among wine bars in that its entire stock of more than 200 labels can be served by the glass. About 40 to 50 bottles are open at any given time, but if none of those looks appealing, pull a bottle from the shelves and ask for a 6-ounce serving. The charge is one-fourth of the cost of the bottle and ranges from $6 to $70.

Husband-and-wife owners Keith Higdon and Deb Brubaker opened the informal 60-seat bar last April because they couldn't find anything like it in South Florida. Hidgon says about 85 percent of the wines come from California, Oregon and Washington. The Rustic Cellar hosts tastings from 5 to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday. Admission is $12.

Seventh Street Wine Co.

701 S. Federal Highway, Fort Lauderdale, 954/522-5560, Seventhstreetwine.com

Seventh Street insists it's a wine store first and not just a wine bar, and that may be true, considering its huge stock of wines by the bottle. But the automated Enomatic tasting machines that fill the front half of the 5,000-square-foot space also make it the best place to sample many wines in a hip wine-bar atmosphere.

The Italian-made Enomatics dispense 96 red and white wines at a cost of $1.10 to $15 for a 1-ounce pour, allowing customers to swirl, sniff and sip at their own pace. The machines require a debit card, which is sold in $25 increments up to $100. Seventh Street has captured the attention of not only savvy wine buyers but also people who would otherwise go clubbing.

"Thursday through Saturday are our busy nights," says Mark Darley, who owns the venue with Chris Skillicorn and Phillip Henry. "Friday tends to be the most lively with a lot of younger people. It's more mature and civilized on Saturday."

Seventh Street also has a wine bar outfitted with couches and tables. A $10 corkage fee is charged to drink a bottle purchased from the shelves, which are stocked with hundreds of boutique wines from all the major wine-producing countries.

Wine Living

400 Clematis St., Suite D, West Palm Beach, 561/802-3328, Westpalmbeach.com/shops/ clematisstreet/wineliving.html

Wine Living owner John DeFalco and partners Adrian Pafundi and Maria Luis opened their retail shop and bar in 2004 to capture part of the growing wine market. They serve about 15 wines by the glass and offer a menu of tapas, fine cheeses, gourmet pizzas and desserts.

DeFalco says he stocks about 700 wines by the bottle, a number of them from Argentina. A $10 corkage fee is charged to drink a bottle at one of the 50 indoor or outdoor seats. Tastings of as many as five wines from a specific grape, region or country take place at 6:30 p.m. every Wednesday. Wine Living stays open until midnight weekends and features live jazz Saturday nights.

Wine Watch

901 Progresso Drive, Fort Lauderdale, 954/523-9463, Winewatch.com

Wine Watch is clearly the best wine shop around, so don't be turned away by the water that drips from the air-conditioning unit above the front door or the Progresso Plaza locale that looks as if it has seen too many hurricanes. Owner Andrew Lampasone stocks upward of 2,500 wines in three small, cool, shuttered rooms. Much of the stock is high-end, but Lampasone and his staff can turn you on to plenty of great values.

"There are two kinds of people: fruit or dirt," Lampasone says. "Some people like the immediate gratification of a California Chardonnay with a lot of oak, and others like something earthy like a French Bordeaux. I can get a good idea of what they like and steer them toward it. We don't hit every time, but we're in the 90s for finding what people like."

Lampasone also organizes regular sit-down tastings at the Grill Room on Las Olas in Fort Lauderdale, East City Grill in Weston and Cafe Maxx in Pompano Beach. Six wines that fit a specific theme are served for $25.

Wine World

1201 N. Federal Highway, Fort Lauderdale, 954/416-1234, Wineworldonline.com

Strictly a wine shop, Wine World is the offspring of neighboring restaurant Casa D'Angelo. The retail outlet leans toward Italian reds, most of which are stored in two large glass vaults maintained at 55 degrees, the optimal temperature for keeping wine.

Wine World also has a circa 1890s wood wine presser from Italy and employs John Weber, one of the most respected wine experts in South Florida. He worked at Fernando's (now Fernanda's) International Gourmet Market for 15 years and considers his strength to be matching wine with food.

"My mom was a great cook," Weber says. "I find out what people are having for dinner and see if they like a youthful wine pumped with fruit or an older wine. I have a lot of older wines, but there's something about 2-, 3- or 5-year-old wines that are loaded with fruit that the body says thank you when you drink them."