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Tue. 2:30 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Wed-Thu. 2:30 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Fri-Sat. 1:00 p.m. - 12:00 a.m.
Sun. 1:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Where's my water? Why do I have to ask do I have to ask two different waiters, three times before I can a glass of aqua.
I'm not wine connoisseur by any means, but I try my best to fake it. Even a wannabe wine snob like myself, knows you are suppose to cleanse the palate before trying the different wines.
But even with the service blunder, I still can't help but fall in love with Wine Affairs. It's a very casual, laid back wine bar. Not pretentious at all, with cornucopia of different flights, beers, tapas, and desserts.
Cool relaxing place to hang out and try out some nice wines and have a few good snacks to eat. Definitely a step up, fancier than a bar, but the presentation on food and appetizers could be a bit nicer to warrant five stars.
Wine selection is pretty solid, and the staff seems fairly knowledgeable, but they weren't able to assist my vegan friend pick out what wines are kosher/animal by product free. They do iconize what wines are organic though so I give them a thumbs up for trying.
White wine selection doesn't have as many options as the reds (1 page vs. 2) and there's two pages of beers to select. Fairly good variety of local, california and import wines and brews so there should be something to please everyone. Would highly suggest trying out a few wine flights to see what you might like, and they're pretty well organized into groups on the menu.
Food looked like something I'd put together myself with little care or attention for myself rather than for guests or at a fancy restaurant. Seriously though- you're here for the wine not the food, and it all tastes good enough.
Bonus points for being open late too! Was surprised to see a downtown wine bar closed, but find this one just a mile and a half away on The Alameda open.
People thought this was:
This place is very low key. If you enjoy wine and beer, and you're just looking for a place to chill with a few friends, then this is the place for you. The food did not look too appetizing, but that wasn't a big deal to me. Flights galore, so they have samplings for pretty much every wine preference! I even saw Chris Herrera, the NBC weather guy there. Not sure if that boosted anything for me, but it was kinda cool--haha! :-)
I'll definitely be back. Glad to have a low key wine bar nearby home--I've had enough of that snooty Santana Row feel these days.
3 1/2 stars
--I went on Halloween night b/c I was in the mood for some live music..they had a nice jazz bad who played some great music
--I had 3 servings of 5 oz red wines (one merlot, one zinfaldel and one syrah)..overall, the wines were pretty good
--service was pretty good as well with the exception of the waitress forgetting to bring my g/f order..but shit happens so it's not a big deal..she was apologetic and all so it was fine
--the only reason for a small deduction in rating value is only b/c the crowd is much older...my g/f and I were the only ones under 30 years of age...not too much of a big deal but it's hard to really get into it with a different crowd
--didn't have any appetizers so can't comment on those..they sure looked good though
Ok. I loove this place as a concept, and I love the layout of the menu, with the flights and the choice of bottle, 5oz, or 2oz. Love that!
The waitstaff are AWFUL. It's like they don't want you to tip them. Maybe they don't like money? not sure. But they are excellent at being rude.
Seems to me like they aren't really waitpeople but are really just friends of the owners who didn't want to work, and hate their jobs but won't get fired. Sorry, but they are flat out rude.
would love them if they would just fix this problem.
im not meaning to hurt feelings but I don't love my job either but I don't take it out on the customer.
I like the wide selection of the flights and my boyfriend enjoys tasting the huge selection of beer. Its the best of both worlds!
I have only been twice, both on a slower Sat. night and can't complain about slow service. My only suggestion would to have more live music on the weekends. It may bring in more customers!
Wine Affairs is conveniently located down the street from where we live. We have visited Wine Affairs with friends and gone alone to enjoy jazz night. Each experience has been great! Being a wine club member also has its benefits - free wine tasting and 10% off retail. No issues with service. Props go out to Antonio and Chris for your wine recommendations and great service.
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I came here with a group of friends after bingo night down the street. I don't like wine; everyone seemed to want wine, so I followed them here, and lucky they also serve beer!
Bottom-line, it was expensive for a party of five - the bill came out to approximately $120.00. I think that we ordered at least two beers, a couple orders of wine samplers, and maybe like three appetizers, (including a really expensive cheese plate) - all with really really tiny portions!
Sorry, this place is not worth the money to me.
I AM DEFINITELY GETTING OLD... and/or the downtown San Jose scene is getting aggressively stale and overly foobage (Full Boob Cleavage). I can't compete... I just can't. I can't wear short dresses in 20 degree weather, I don't have any hooker shoes. I don't have an entourage. I accept my mid-twenties by ditching well vodka and hangovers and nestle sweetly into wine and beer.
WOW! Isn't this just the perfect place for moi! The menu has two pages full of wines and flights. Being rather fruity and spicy myself, I fell in love with the Kimono Zin and the Ojai Syrah after suggestions from the servers. And boy, do they have great service. Extensive knowledge about wine and beer-- I'm always in awe of how much history and information you can get on wine, so when someone is willing to talk, I'm always willing to listen!
As for the beer drinkers-- this is your haven as well. Talk about amazing hard to find beers-- Pliny Elders, Flying Pig.
There is bar seating as well as small private couches and tables. There is jazz live music Thurs-Sat. The price is about the same as a cocktail you would get at a fancy lounge. Come here for drinks before or after dinner.
People thought this was:
I found this place online while looking for new places to try and was excited to see they had St Bernardus 12. The place was nice inside, and because of that I had a good first impression, then all the pieces fell into place...
First off, the service was poor. It was not terribly busy, nor was it short staffed, yet it felt like a chore to get something in this place. One lady who worked there who wasn't our server did a nice job making sure our water was filled, but otherwise... bleh. My beer was served with a piping hot wine glass straight from the dishwasher. That's not good in my book, but fortunately my genius fiancee suggested I just cool it off with my drinking water.
The cheese plate we ordered was horribly overpriced too. $12 for 3 cheeses seemed in line with other places I've been... except at those places 3 cheeses means 3 varieties and not just 3 small pieces. I'd definitely try something else on the menu next time.
I will give it another shot, but I hope they try a little harder next time.
People thought this was:
Finding a place that stays open past 9 on a weeknight is not easy in the South Bay, which is how we ended up giving this place a try.
Here's the scene on a Thurs night:
- Live jazz band .... not bad, but just a bit too loud.
- "Older" crowd... we were the only ones under 30.
- Basketball game was on TV.
- Cozy and romantic seating area.
- Great wine selections!!
Would I go back on a Thurs night again? Maybe.... when I'm a bit older.
Would I go back on another night? Maybe.... when I'm a bit older.
Would I recommend this place? Sure.... for someone who's a bit older and want to get out of the usual lounge atmosphere.
People thought this was:
I know NADA about wine...absolutely nothing! But I LOVED this place! We stopped here with my friend and her boyfriend on a Saturday night before heading out to dinner. When she mentioned a wine bar I thought "Ehhh". First, I am allergic to most wine which means I break out into a rash on my face and second I have a very low tolerance for alcohol so I get drunk pretty quickly. I was worried so I bought myself a coffee next door and brought it with me. I don't think they like that I did this but the guy seemed okay with it.
My husband and I ordered a flight which consisted of NV Port of Jones, Jonesy Rare AgePort and Austialia. I remember enjoying one more then the other two and it was fun sampling these little glasses of wine. My husband and I also ordered something to eat and had the Manchego cheese tapa plate....very good!
I would definitely come back here. This would make the perfect night out with girlfriends or a double date or even a party. They have a band that comes in on Saturdays at 7:30pm. There is plenty of parking in the area and since its not downtown exactly, its not super crowded. I loved the location and I loved the feel of this place even though I am not much of a wine drinker. I wish I could be but my body won't let me!
I am planning a girl's night out here soon with some friends...can't wait!
People thought this was:
I was looking for a spot near my parents' house to have a drink with an old friend and my dad suggested that we try the wine bar at the corner. I don't usually take my dad's watering hole recommendations but it turned out to be a great spot.
Things That Were Great:
1. I love wine flights and this place has TONS of them.
2. We shared a really delicious slice of mocha ice cream pie that really hit the spot.
Things I'd change:
1. Those little round stools? Not so comfortable. Who wants to perch on a short little round stool while relaxing with a glass of wine? Not me, anyway.
2. The music really is as loud as everyone said it was. I'd avoid going back during live music events.
Due to their location, which is walking distance from my apartment, I decided to stop by and check it out.
Well, luckily I live close by, because I ended up getting a good buzz on some Australian wine. I am by no means a wine connoisseur, but anyone who is being freakin' silly.
When it comes to any kind of booze, being a connoisseur (or at least attempting to be) makes you look like an idiot. We drink to get buzzed, faded, toasted, wasted, or whatever term you want to use for becoming (excessively) intoxicated. So if tastes reasonably good and it warms me up, then let's party!
Seriously, I do not want to roll the wine around in my damn glass and then swoosh it a bit in my mouth so I can taste the berry undertones or whatever. I just want to get a buzz and then have a tasty treat with it.
Personal rant digression aside, whatever Australian glasses I had was excellent, so I had a couple more.
The staff was more than accommodating. They gave me some complementary (free) bread. They also put the Sharks game on for me. I met a nice couple there that was mega friendly to some random punk kid (they were both old enough to be folks) sipping wine by himself on a Thursday night.
There was a private party there too full of wine lovers. I guess you can join wine clubs here too.
I think I'll just stick to boozing it up on my own and talking to random strangers. Maybe in due time, I will bring a crowd with me here. Wine connoisseur need not apply.
I just want to rock and roll.
People thought this was:
A dear friend that I have known for years was in San Jose on business and wanted to get together. It's so rare when I get even a couple of hours out with an adult but one of my friends said she would watch my daughter for me so I searched Yelp to find a good place for some adult beverages.
My friend lives in Florida and likes wine as much as I do so I chose Wine Affairs. It seemed to get good reviews and it sounded as if they knew their wine. I must say, I LOVE the atmosphere. It's comfy and cozy and very warm. The bar is very nice and the seating area is open and comfy.
The wine list is extensive and they update it ever quarter. My friend and I both had two differernt flights each. What a great way to taste wine. And rather inexpensive too. My first flight was an Austraila/New Zealand tasting. For the second I chose some California reds. The staff was very attentive and answered any questions. They also have a nice menu of tapas. We had the sausage rools and the steak and mushroom pie and both were very good.
You can purchase bottles to take home too. I like that idea. And when we were there they had live music too. It made for a very nice atmosphere. This would also be the type of place I would be comfortable coming to on my own. That is, if I get sprung from Mom Duty again in the near future. :)
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Ay ya yi, where do I begin??
My friend and I went here last night for a 'way to start another work week' Monday night glass of vino and we were a bit overwhelmed from the beginning.
Parking was a bit of a nightmare because the store is located on a main road and all the side street parking spots were taken. I finally found a lot behind the building but it felt a bit sketchy and I was sort of scared to walk back there by myself, lol.
We entered the space and the shop is actually nicely decorated with a huge assortment of wines and lots of cute, loungy type booths and places to sit. We opted for the bar, where they have plenty of chairs to sit on. I'd say there were about 10-15 people there max, and yet it was like pulling teeth to get anything we wanted.
First of all, the menu/wine selection is huge...this is great right? Tons of variety, lots of options, organized in categories of regions, wine types, etc, but the crappy part is that the menu is so poorly designed you can barely get your head around the thing! It's almost too overwhelming!
Anyway, the lady serving us was pregnant and behind the bar, eek! Then, the other lady who came in to be a server clearly had some issues because the entire time we were there, almost 3 hours, she kept walking around and mumbling to herself out loud. Like, clearly this lady needs to get her act together. My friend and I were really weirded out! She couldn't remember a thing we were trying to order and was an all around mess!
Plus sides: good wine selection, great cheese plate with yummy bread.
Down sides: psycho servers, $8.25 for a 5 piece hor d'oeuvres plate that was the size of my pinky, and poor parking.
I will go back though, just because there really isn't many options like this in San Jose and apparently they have live music Wed-Sat.
People thought this was:
We've been here a couple of times. The wine selection is great, the flights that they offer really show case the wine. What's also cool is that the service is great.
If you're new to wine or beer, I highly suggest you stop by Wine Affairs. You can't go wrong
The World According to Noelle
~Allergic Girl's Guide to Life~
Issue 184
w i n e
&
t a p a s
Tucked away on the Alameda is a place where one can partake of wine and tapas. My good friend Kristen invited me here for wine and tapas earlier this week. Mmmm, the menu for that night:
Caprese Salad- Tomatoes, Mozzarella Cheese, and Basil drizzled with Lemon Juice and Olive Oil.
Baked Brie with Brown Sugar, Cranberry, and Almonds- We had this item sans the Almonds because of my allergies. This is heavenly! Baked Triple Cream Brie topped with Brown Sugar and Cranberries served with thinly sliced toasted baguette bread.
Sauteed Mushroom Pizza- Asian Style (created by The Red Crane Restaurant)- Crimini and Shiitake Mushrooms sprinkled over Marscapone Smeared Flatbread.
Kristen is a member of the Wine Club. She was able to do free tastings as part of her membership. I skipped the wine and had an orangina soda. I enjoyed the tapas. The space is cozy. The staff is friendly. I think the tapas menu is on the high price (not sure if the price to quality of tapas ratio is even). The dessert menu only had one item I was not allergic to- so we skipped dessert. Its a nice place if you like wine and want tapas. Will be back to try the rest of the tapas menu. The jury is out in regards to the 4th star, to be determined. Overall, a good place to meet up with friends over wine and tapas or orangina & tapas =)
Noelle's Notes
Nice wine bar.
Noelle's Post Secret
http://www.youtube.com...
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Last night I came here with a friend for some girly talk time. We arrived and I immediately noticed cozy atmosphere that they had worked to create... so far so good. We sat down at one of the booths since it wasn't too crowded and started to get familiar with the menu. Holy Toledo do they have a lot of flight options... a wine lovers dream... I could stay here forever, not to mention the delicious sounding food... Oh hellz yes. We picked the right spot tonight Lulu my friend...
The bartender came over to us and with varying levels of direction led us to brilliant selections for both of us, a light, sweet and fruity Riesling for Lulu and a flight of old world style pinot noirs for myself. Love it... smells like sweaty feet, tastes like flowers... ahh... anyway, my whole point is that the staff seems knowledgeable about their products which is a very good thing for a person like me who knows what I like, but doesn't know yet how to direct myself to it all the time.
The food was awesome too! The appetizers were just the right amount so that you felt satisfied but not gluttonous, and their caprese salad was really delicious.
We ended up spending 2 hours there and never felt rushed or bothered, if it hadn't been close to closing we could have spent way more time there and I get the feeling like no one would have bothered us other than to offer us more food and drink. All in all an awesome find!
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Friendly staff, warm and inviting atmosphere, great music, oh, and wine...
This place has perfected the ambiance of quality wines and tapas. they have lots of imports and a knowledgeable staff to accompany it. I most certainly will be back and perhaps next time with a friend who loves to drive; because their flights are so reasonably priced, i'm compelled to move quickly through the menu.
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So this place is literally right around the corner from me and didn't make time to show my support until a year after they opened...that was a HUGE mistake!
I am so glad to have a place like Wine Affairs in the 'hood. The husband and I often long for the days when there were hoards of great local places to grab a drink (whether it be of the alcoholic variety or caffeinated) and chill, chat, and run into friends. Wine Affairs has totally brought that back to us!
The menu is extensive and robust. I've tried several of the flights, most recently the pinot noir and cab flights (my assessment: yum!) and have yet to be disappointed. My partner in crime is more of a beer drinker and he's been pretty pleased in that department.
So, what would make it a five star for me? Two things:
1) I know it's a wine bar not a beer centric bar and they do have a great selection of beers but, none on tap? There aren't many places nowadays that don't have at least a couple of beers on tap.
2) Turn down the volume on jazz nights...please, just a smidge! We made the mistake of going on a Thursday and although we were seated all the way in the back, it was so freakin loud we couldn't talk. Don't get me wrong, I love checking out new venues for music but, the volume was more at party/club levels than wine bar.
We're still grateful to have this place nearby and will continue to frequent, just maybe not on jazz nights.
I came here with my gf for girl night/gossip time and have loved going back. They have a good menu with lots of choices, and our favorites (or at least mine) was the different flights that you can choose from for a very reasonable amount! I absolutely ADORE the 2005 Riseling, Gerhard, Sptalese, Rheingau from Germany, It's light, bubbly and absolutely delicious! and for only $8 for 5oz? Bring me more!
There little appetizer dishes were pretty great too, i had the caprese salad, light on the stomach, but bold flavors, the bite sized hor d'Oeuvres plate were fluffy, very palatable, my fav on that plate was the smoked salmon flat bread (but you only get 1 of each so boo) I always wanted to try their dessert menu, but unfortunately, never had the chance...and now that i'm up in SF, i need a new wine place!!
Delicious. affordable. they have a nice big bar where you can sit, or there are comfy couches you can chill out on =) when i head down to SJ to see friends, definitely would go back =)
People thought this was:
Was here tonight with an old friend. An excellent selection of flights - I had the "Tour of California" and it was great for just $15. I had the manchego and red pepper appetizer ($8), which was heavy on the machego and olive oil (as in, the cheese was literally soaking on a plate of olive oil) and veeeerrrryyyyy light on the red peppers. But still tasty with some crispy baguette. My friend had the "Unusual Bedfellows" flight ($11.50) and five teeny-tiny puff pastry-style hors d'ouerves for $8. So glad I got the cheese.
Ambience was nice but we left right about when the live music was starting at 7:45 or so. One odd thing - my friend and I split the bill, so she put down cash and I asked for the remainder on my card. The server came back to the table and went on a weird spiel about how they don't have to claim income taxes on the tip if we used her cash instead of my card to cover the tip...he was basically asking for his tip in cash... whatever... that is not my problem...
P.S. There's a table at the back with bottles on sale. I got a Ridge Three Valleys for 10% off $19.99 - total steal!
I learned of this place in my Sommelier Class as the owner is a former student of the program. We needed a place to go for our weekly wine tastings. I go and check it out. She has recently completed an upstairs room that is perfect. I tell her staff what we're looking to do with blind tastings and ask if she can call me.
She emails me and calls me the following Monday when she returns. I'm ecstatic. Good news to report to the class. We schedule our first tasting. Diane and I coordinate what we'd like to do and the price range with food. We also ask if we can bring in one bottle of our own since everyone likes to have an opportunity to test the others. She's down with that too.
This works out perfectly for us. Food is always prepared and ready to go. She has the proper amount of glasses and water. We have no cleaning up to do afterwards and we are there as long as we need to.
As for time spent here without the class, I have always enjoyed this place. It has ample parking, available for parties, decent wine selection and if she doesn't have it she will get it.
I love her events, they're totally cool. The good part about her location is you're not insatiated with crowds. Also, if you call ahead and let her know you have a group coming they are prepared to accommodate.
People thought this was:
Okay, I've been back a couple of times (again, due to proximity to home) and things have been...still okay.
Tonight ~ Had the baguette and olives to start..ummm...yeah. Bread way too thinly sliced with some olive oil and 5 kalamata olives. Alrighty then!
I also think I discovered something about the wines here. You see, I've noticed that while they are just okay, they seem to have a similar taste. I mean, you could put 3 wines in front of me, have me taste them, switch them around without me knowing, and I might not even notice. Well, I looked at their wine bottle hook-up pouring contraption....hose tubes, plastic attachments, etc... and you know what - I'm pretty sure that has to have something to do with it.
Anyway, back to my negativity...Tonight's service was poor and we were even seated at the bar that was not crowded.
Will I be back after tonight ...if i have a friend that wants to try it, I guess so. What can I say - it's that close by!
Pro's:
Nicely done interior
Guy behind the bar was fairly helpful and knowledgeable
Tapas were tasty…
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Went here the other day on the recommendation of a sales rep for a wine distributor. The wine rep told me this is one of her accounts and that they have a pretty good beer selection.
Located right next door to a Bollywood movie theater. Parking is whatever you can find on the street. Wine selection seemed to be pretty good as they have this impressive "winerator" in the middle of the bar. The beer selection was as good as advertised with about 30 different beers on bottle. They have a small kitchen and I don't think they really cook anything, just reheat stuff.
We had the Blanche de Chambly, St. Bernardus Abt 12 and Erdinger Dunkle Weissbier with the first two being really good and the Erdinger as good. We ordered the mushroom pizza "Asian" style (I didn't like it but my wife did), the spicy chicken wings (pretty good) and the cold cuts plate (not bad but overpriced). We did try a flight of wine but I was just there for the beer.
To read a full review of Wine Affairs compete with pictures, visit my website here: http://www.betterbeerb...
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3.7
Want to transport to Napa without the cost of gas? Then Wine Affairs is a good option if you are in the San Jose area. High ceilings, comfy bar, great service, and inviting booths will tempt you into various flights of wine. Although I am not a heavy boozer, I am always up for a great glass of wine. Depending on the temperature, my mood, or food, white or red are always my favorite shades of grape.
Recently, one of my pals had a WINO birthday party, It was a hot, pre summer day on the Alameda. Wine and cake? For sure! Entered the space and was directed upstairs. As I walked by the bar, I noticed various bottles of wine and immediately got excited.
Tragically, my excitement was parched by heat. As learned in middle school, heat rises. Our party of 12 was seated on the second floor loft area, and the AC was not functionally working upstairs. Truth be told, the appetizers and my "on the Alameda" wine flight were great. I especially loved the blue cheese puff, and pear puff. Unfortunately, my swollen feet, sticky legs, and the fact that my dairy air was stuck to the vinyl seats, made it very hard to enjoy anything. Our waiter was attentive, but seeing that the 1st floor was empty, should have suggested or at least offered to move us to the cooler 1st floor. Heck, we probably would have stayed longer and spent more money.
Funny point of the evening- they set us up with a target $5.99 fan that did not help. I would have loved to have stayed and gotten a second flight, but the heat was unbearable.
I do want to head back, but will stay cool on the 1st floor. Tragically, they don't have an outside, and I imagine this place will be amazing in the summer. Nonetheless, AC needs to be fixed upstairs or bigger fans need to be purchased. I mean, do you really want me to stick to your chairs and stay forever???
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Out walking the dog...hey...what's that...?? A wine bar opening on the Alameda. Wow. Up n'coming. Okay.
Fast-forward a few months...walking the dog. Hey, look that wine bar is open. Oh there are people! Oh they have food! We're hungry! Oh..we have the dog. Next time.
This happened yeah...more than a few times. So when my husband randomly mentioned while out with friends that he would like to get some sort of better 'education' on wines, I knew Wine Affairs was the perfect spot.
I emailed them asking if they offered classes and I got a prompt response back. They were planning one soon. Yippee! I figured I'd follow up later. They emailed me 2 weeks later saying here are our dates.
A company that actually follows-up? Seriously! I was shocked too. Asked them to hold 2 spots, called in with cc information and we were booked for a March class. They even sent a reminder the day before with notes/tips on parking, eating before, etc.
The whole thing was incredibly well organized. The bar is a big open loft space area, and the classes are upstairs in this little room overlooking the rest of the bar. A big beautiful square dark wood table is where we all sat. There were 12 of us, they had layouts with 4 wine glasses, name tags, printouts to show the taste areas on the tongue, and the tasting wheel of flavors. Very cool!
We then proceeded to learn about sugar, alcohol and acidity in wine...and how to figure out what. I am really not a big wine person at all to my husband's chagrin...but I actually walked out of there with a good, solid knowledge of how to taste and choose wines to go with basic foods. I actually might be able to appreciate wine a little bit more thanks to this class now that I understand more about what I am tasting.
The value was great. Class was 1.5 hours and cost us $25 each. We tasted a bunch of wines, enough to get us a little tipsylicious, and stumbled home with a whole page of notes. Next up on our list... wine and cheese noshing, they don't sell full-on dinner food here but do apps/cheese, and the most important meal, dessert!!!
Diane and Tony were the ones who ran our class and they were such amazing founts of knowledge. They answered every question, no matter how odd and even chatted about obscure strong Greek wine with my husband, who was in heaven.
We will definitely go back for another class and some tasty vittles n'drinks in the meantime.
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About 20 years ago while looking for an apartment in San Jose, we looked at a 2nd floor unit above the stores on the 1400 block of The Alameda. The view out one of the bay windows was right onto the marquee of the theater 2 doors down - the XXX rated adult theater 2 doors down - and the lovely crowd that hung out there.
The area has changed a bit since then. The apartment is now a law office. The above mentioned Theater has changed hands a couple of times since then (it was a Camera Cinema for a while) and now shows Indian movies. One of the latest additions is Wine Affairs - a wine bar / wine store - just a few doors down from the old apartment.
We went here for the first time Friday for a late afternoon gathering of a few friends. The service was quick and efficient. The wine selection is very good. Food is more snackish than a meal, with a good selection of cheeses and "cold cuts" - a little pricey but good quality.
The wine flights were interesting and varied. Prices of wine for sale are not bad. They also have a nice little selection of quality beer.
They also offer classes, specialty tastings (Ridge is in Mar 30), Ladies Night, Happy Hour (Mon-Wed), etc. And they have a monthly wine club - don't forget that they are a wine store too.
Next time maybe we'll try some of the hot appetizers and deserts.
UPDATE - 4/8/08
Went last Saturday before the Springsteen concert and had lots of the food - ordered the full cheese plate, full meat place, two of each hot app, and four more of our two favorites. Everything was very tasty. It gets pricey though. I will definitely be back.
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We came here for the live Jazz on Saturday and had a great time!
Pros:
* Extensive wine flights menu for tastings: 3 pages of options to choose from by variety, region, old/new world. Flights offer three 2oz servings of each wine. You can order wines by the glass or bottle off their menu. Corkage fee of $10 per bottle purchased and opened from the bar.
* Cozy and warm atmosphere. Very mellow.
* Live quality Jazz, Thurs - Sat. Check their website for calendar.
* Tapas served to pair with your wine tastings.
* Outside wines allowed.
* Ample street parking.
* Beer menu for your non-wine drinking buds.
Cons:
* Tumblers...argh!!! How about some glassware with stems, please!
* For high end wine selections, BYOB, subject to a hefty $40 corkage fee per bottle, limit to 2.
* Food portions are extremely small
Still one of my favorite place to hang out to catch up with friends and enjoy a relaxing night with wine.
They update and change the menu from time to time. Now offer more selections of wine, more beer and tapas menu. Check out their website for the special events and happy hour, 20% off - can't beat that!
Found this place from browsing yelp. Been to this place few times, enjoyed my experience every… Read more »
Aw, this place was really nice. My boyfriend and I couldn't decide what to do until we drove by this place. We didn't feel like going downtown, but we wanted some drinks. . . and you can't go wrong w/wine!
I was very pleased with the menu--quite extensive =) There was a great selection of flights.. . soo many sounded good, but we each got our own. Service was great--it seemed like only 2 people behind the bar, but the place wasn't crowded, so we were okay.
I will definitely come back here again. Oh ya, their deserts were pretty good too =)
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This place carries Dogfish Head Palo Santo Marron! Forget wine, go for the beer!
Atmosphere: Conversational and mellow
Service: Good. Friendly waitress
Wine: I don't know shit about wine, except I did notice lack of organic wine. Perhaps I overlooked them?
Food: Slightly pricey. The only vegan option was toasted bread with olives.
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My husband and I are members of the wine club here. Ask me a year ago - - I would have given 4 stars because this is our "go-to" Friday happy hour spot. The loss of a star is because of the server that never has a clue and the fact that the last 3 times I have gone, my wine was corked. It kills me to even write about it because I really do love the place. It is a nice little neighborhood spot and I love the relaxed atmosphere. We adore the cheese plates and all the small plates. The best part about the place is the beer and wine tastings for members. The wine club selections are also ALWAYS good.
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I've ate and drank at Wine Affairs three times in the last two months.
The first and the last visits were five stars. The food was great (try the mushroom pizza and asparagus), the service was speedy and informative. I tried lots of new wines and found some new favorites.
The middle trip was a total bust. My rather large group sat in a big comfy corner booth, but the service was horrible. It was a struggle to get anyone to come to our table for the full two hours. The food was weird. We ordered the chicken meatballs, and they were a little gross.
Despite the one bad experience, I'll be going back. It's without question the best wine bar around and the snacks are tasty.
I went here on a weekday we were the only ones here so the service
was good..I don't know if I care for those machines that they serve the
wine through
my friend and I had 2 different flights which were okay although my friend said she did not like hers so I ended up with 5 tastes which is really okay by me.We also had a meat and cheese tray which was pretty good.
I think I would return since they sound like they have alot of specials and events
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I live downtown and my mode of transportation is to bike! So, this location [the Alameda] is the perfect solution when I don't want to live, work, AND play downtown. The variety of flights to select is very exciting. If indecisive, I find the negotiation to agree on TWO flights instead of one to be very rewarding.
I've visited here a few times with a friend, and not once has anyone inquired on our preferences so they could offer suggestions. We don't really need the help, but it would have been nice to have some direction seeing that there a very many wines to choose from. I am not a big fan of stemless glassware, and on one occasion (1:2) our wine felt too cold despite the efficient wine capsule. The wine is a little expensive but I love the bottled discount. I am encouraged to take advantage of that offer once I finish all the flights!
The appetizers are pretty pricey, very good, but not satiable at all. I find even the platter ( one of each five apps) to be just a mere tease with the price of a full appetizer.
I will be here regularly, but will look forward to trying the new pizza place to compensate for the bite size teasers.
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I was so excited to see this place go up in my neighborhood. I wanted to fall in love with it. The first two times my partner and I went we ended up having a great time. The wine selection is fantastic. However, the food really fell short. They served *really* small plates of meat and cheese and these nasty little pastry puffs that you can buy at Costco. They were also super strict about measuring the wine and making sure that they didn't give a smidgen more than the size quoted on the menu.
Even though I had stopped going in to drink wine, I kept going back to buy wines. I like having a wine store that is literally down the street from my house and the staff is really nice. I walked by a few weeks ago and noticed a new tapas menu. My partner and I decided to give them another try. It was really good and they increased their portions significantly. We sat there for a few hours with some of our neighbors and had a great time. They also weren't doing the crazy measuring of the wine, which made me feel like they've loosened up a bit.
The down side is that it was a Thursday night and they were out of about half of the items on the tapas menu. I know that it will take some time for them to get into a routine and I will keep coming back to test it out. I'm not a big fan of the music selection that they have had recently. However, I think they're trying to improve on it. I saw that they had a flamenco band the other night. This place has a lot of potential. I hope that they can turn this into a neighborhood place.
My friend hosted a little celebration here last night. We reserved a couple of booth/tables and had about 30 people there. Cheese plates and appetizers ran low constantly. The wine selection was good--a nice extensive list.
The only things that I wasn't so hot on: lighting was bright and almost flourescent, one of the bathrooms didn't have a mirror, not really cozy--kinda sterile feeling.
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Great place (huge!), great wine selection, great flights (they're having a Ridge Flight party next week -- yummy!).
When we asked about the flights we were having, they told us they'd "go get the bottle" then put the bottle down in front of us without explaining anything about the wines, when we asked again, she said super nicely that she just didn't know much about them.
We had a chocolate dessert that was awesome and we did end up buying a bottle of wine.
The only reason I'd go back is if I was at Tee Nee Thai next door - then it's a perfect place to finish off the night.
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San Jose, CA
Category: Wine Bars
San Jose, CA
Category: Wine Bars
San Jose, CA
Category: Wine Bars
San Jose, CA
Category: Wine Bars
San Jose, CA
Category: Wine Bars
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