Vine Wine Bar

Somebody named Jonny S. wrote to me and said that the dishwasher died. So, I don’t know that there is anything to say about that, except that I hope it’s not true. I can only imagine that his job completely sucked. Maybe he looked lazy because he was sick. Maybe his friend wrote to try to make me feel bad, the way his manager did.

I took a nice long walk around the Grand/​Lakeshore neighborhood yesterday evening, and was absolutely shocked by the overwhelming number of «For Lease» signs in the windows — particularly along Lakeshore.
It looks like «Vine» is the latest casualty of the times, and it must have happened pretty quickly.
I find this particularly sad because of their great location, and the amount of money and labor that must have gone into converting a framing shop into a full-​blown wine bar.
I need to remember to make an effort to not take local businesses like this for granted. I thought I had plenty of time to try them out.
Guess I was wrong.

I’d love to have a wine dispenser, like the one they have here, at my home.
Other then that, the wine, cocktails, and food are overpriced. The music is very euro-​loungy, and the space is great but empty. Not minimalist empty, crowd-empty.people-empty…patron-empty.so that’s not a good sign of strong followers, and consistent business.
I’d go back if i’d absolutely have to…

Yes I’m a wine snob, so when I go to a wine bar, I expect good things… This place doesn’t have those things. Only limited number of bottles to choose from, and none under $ 40? I should have known something was wrong off the bat when on a Saturday night NO one was there. We quite literally had the place to ourselves for the nearly 2 hours we were there… we were destined to find out it was for good reason.
I could write a short story about the many little details that didn’t go right in this experience that describe why I’m giving this place such low marks… the staff didn’t know enough to recommend anything… the wine we ordered ended up being awful… they re-​corked the bottle after they poured it… When a man I believe to be the owner came in, the music was turned up to such an obnoxious level I had to raise my voice to continue my conversation… There are more, but I think you get the picture. Nothing particularly bad if taken in isolation, but the collective experience makes you slowly build up to the idea that you will not be coming back to this place.
Those many experiences left me with the impression that the owner is probably a nice enough person who just doesn’t know anything about wine or owning a wine bar, and unfortunately had the idea to open or buy — of all things — a wine bar. It’s a nice enough looking place, and the staff was friendly (We were the only people there, after all)…Perhaps they should just switch to serving something that people don’t expect so much from.

I guess I’m spoiled having lived 45 mins away from wine country in Seattle and now so close to Napa/​Sonoma/​Santa Cruz that I expect wine bars to be above par…
Sadly, this one is not. While the selection is eclectic, its nothing that the bottom shelves at Safeway don’t have. The service was good but the loud techno music and the glowing Blue Moon beer sign were a bit much.
Not sure what they are going for here but… Enjoy!

We actually wandered into this place by accident in the middle of the afternoon. I thought it was odd that a wine bar was open this early in the day, but we stopped in for some $ 3 Bellinis.
They had a very nice staff that served up some delicious and quick drinks. It’s a very nice venue, with some hi-​tech stuff (self-​serve wine carousels!). I should come in when it’s the evening and it’s a bit more lively.

We came because of $ 3 Bellini sign…
Great bartenders hosted our after brunch party of five. Cheers to the females, holdin’ it down!
Very impressive wine selection displayed on wine tap! The reds on a hi-​tech carousel and the whites refrigerated on the wall.
I like the ambiace, its a contemporary cellar with comfy seating.
We’d definitely come back on a Thursday when they have live music :)

I like the décor and ambiance of this place. It was a little unexpected being that you wouldn’t think to find a wine bar like this on the Lakeshore strip…
Apparently, they stop serving fromage platters in the evening. I know I wasn’t the only one wanting some cheese to snack on with my wine. It was a little disappointing because I was craving that the most, but I guess we got there a little too late (it was a little before 10pm).
I agree with some of the reviews where they mentioned that the staff isn’t too knowledgeable. I asked about their Syrah and Zinfindel, and all she could tell me was «Yes, the Syrah is really good…» Um, okay — that’s it? I’m not a Sommelier by all means, but I’ve tasted enough wines and been to a few wine bars to know that the staff should know a little more than — «Yes, it’s really good»…
I would probably go here again, but during the daytime. It’s a good date place because its dark and intimate, but if you’re looking for more than just a quiet, mellow, low-​key evening out with friends, you’ll probably be better off @ Easy Lounge down the street or Lucky Lounge on the other side (Grand Ave). At least they serve hard liquor there… LOL!

Swanky décor. Jazzy music selection. Open mic on Wednesdays. The good and the bad. Makes an entertaining night if you have enough to drink.
Not much of a knowledgeable staff. You’re gonna have to figure most of these wines out yourself.
The wine tasting portion is about an inch off of my pinky. $ 2-​$ 3 a tasting. $ 25 in you’d be more well deserved. I’d say get a bottle or just have a few glasses and call it a night. The selection isn’t all gung-​ho since the good tastings are always sold out.
But it’s not bad if I don’t let the ditzy service bother me.

If first impressions were everything, this place would have many more stars. The place looks nice. But once you sit down… well, best not sit down, because then you’ll be subject to some of the worst service you can imagine. I mean *tragically* bad.
Some service gems:
– The sign out front says that drinks and select appetizers are on Happy Hour until 7pm. Drinks are, but the food… well, apparently the main chef wasn’t working that evening, and so they couldn’t determine which items would be on happy hour. hmm.
– After waiting quite a while (and the place was practically empty) for our food, we asked about it. The waitress said «oh, did you order — oh yeah, you did!» and she proceeded to go place the order, only to find that the food was waiting for her. She had placed the order after all.
– Providing us with silverware and napkins, she placed them on the neighboring table. She had a brief thought about sliding it so that it would abut our table, but seemed to give up after 2 inches. Very odd, since the way she left the table still had it quite far away.
The food was fine, despite some of it being unavailable, and it taking so long to get what we did order. But the prices are high (for both drinks and food), the service horrible, and the place pretty deserted.

Giant wall-​to-​floor collage style painting of wine, candle-​trees, track lighting, exposed brick and beams… all together, the décor felt contrived and by-​the-​book winebar-​y. I don’t know what makes the ambiance feel like trying-​too-​hard when it could just as well feel pleasant. A certain feeling?
I found the wine overpriced for the taste. The tasting machines seemed too gimmicky for me to give them a try — and furthermore my favorite thing about wine tasting is talking to the pourer. Speaking of which, the waitress was disorganized about how she was serving people and left my friend and I for unaceptably long periods without refill or attention. Final nitpick point, their glasses have pour lines, and that irritates me in any setting.
I definitely felt comfortable in the booth seating and could see why people would say it’s good for groups — maybe up to 6. On a Thursday night, it was a good setting for a conversation with a friend and I would think a good enough launching point for a date. Just not a place that I’d want to linger too long and I’m not inspired to loyalty.
If you are considering this place strictly as a wine bar, do yourself a favor and try Zza’s Enoteca first. It’s just around the corner.

Tidbits overheard or seen at Vine:
1. Waitress asking us if we worked at Unilocal
2. Waitress informing us they are lowering their prices soon
3. Mike Z and Melissa B arguing over said prices
4. Hostess on PerezHilton​.Com
Oh yeah, the seating sucks.

This place is pretty lame. I find the wine dispensing machines a touch too precious, and I’m flat out offended by a $ 9 salad that contains solely ingredients found in my own fridge. The owner was pretty creepy, too. He was way too intrusive with our mothers group. He kept coming over and fawning over us and was kinda smarmy (repeating «what else can I get you gorgeous ladies?» with a shit-​eating grin).
I should add that this was about two or three months ago, and I haven’t been back since. However, after reading recent reviews, it seems that not much has changed.

You know how in the suburbs each town seems to have their new fake little downtown street with a restaurant that tries really hard to be nice and hip at the same time for divorced singles to meet up at? Vine Wine Bar belongs in one of those places, not in Oakland.
They specialize in small production California wines (so yes, you wont get any Chianti). Unfortunately they also spell lots of varietal names wrong on the menu. Their logo is flat out bad and the décor is a weird mix of country clutter and hip, new Euro restaurant furniture and their employees wear Polo shirts with the word VINE on it reminding me of a little league coaches shirt. This is also the only wine bar I’ve ever been to that has a giant widescreen TV showing Sportscenter above the bar. I like that they had a DJ, but the music was a terrible mix of ambient and world music that sounded canned.
My glass of Ojai Syrah was corked or had been open for a long time and I sent it back. They were very nice to open a new bottle, but I got the feeling our (very nice) server had to get some sort of approval before doing so because after they returned it our server came back and said «you were right sir, that bottle was corked» instead of just giving me a new glass. That left me sitting for over ten minutes without any wine while my companions sipped away.
I wish this place luck, I really do. I love new spots to go out in Oakland and quality wine bars are an amazing addition (Zza’s Enoteca and especially Franklin Square are doing a good job), but Vine need to either switch things up big time or move to the suburbs.

Nice concept.
50+ wines total. 25 or so are in the dispensers that you use the VINE card to access.
Friendly staff. Food menu is limited but good quality.
Like the cheese plate — complimented the wines well

Dam! I knew it! I freaking knew it! Ugh!
I knew I would be the first one here for the next much awaited DYL in Oakland. Well I guess thats why I’m here writing this review in my Unilocal notepad and using my Unilocal pen to broadcast to everyone that I am critiqueing every aspect of their establishment from the décor, to the staff, to the patrons; I’ll be watching like a hawk.
First impression upon entry: «Wow.this is one clean dive bar!, but wait a minute… this is not a dive bar!»
*Clean floors… in fact… everything was clean in there.
*Frsh air, w/​a vaulting ceiling (might have also been due to recent rain).
*Orchids…yes Orchids (how elegant).
*5 or so bartenders and a matridee (who all hapend to be pretty chicks)
*Compliments on my Autobots hoodie.
*Non-​pretentious atmosphere.
*Wine sampleing machine.
*Leather furniture everywhere.
Yes…this is no dive bar. Its a wine bar in the lower hills of Oakland and this is only the third day of its existance. How different to be at a DYL in a wine bar. Very unique experience. I have only got two things to add.
*The selection of beer should be more… um…well just more. There was nothing on tap and the only thing bottled was a Heini. ($ 5)
*Sparkleing Sake (single serving wine glass) took 20 mins to bring out to me. Its not a mixed drink and don’t know why it took so long. ($ 13)
Both of these points could be improved… possibly because its such a new place and the bugs are working themselves out. I am anxious to see how the upper loft turns out since it wasn’t complete at the time.

The Grand Lakeshore bar crawl is just about complete.
Feeling a bit sassy? Looking for a trendy, hip place to see and be seen? Go to Kingman’s Lucky Lounge.
Perhaps you just got fired from your job, dumped, or you’re just an all around big loser. Need to drown your sorrows in beer and endless cigarettes? Welcome to Smitty’s.
Maybe your baby’s daddy didn’t pay child support this month and you just know he’s hooking up with that ugly ho-​bag. A little stalking anyone? Don one of your sluttier outfits, grab your girls and head on over to the Easy.
Or here’s the deal, you just haven’t been discovered and why not you ask? You played Sandy in your high school production of Grease but you’re too old to audition for American Idol. Join Rod, his piano, and all the other regulars over at the Alley.
And stay there because Vine Bar is mine all mine and I don’t wanna share it with a bunch of douches! I went there last night and this adorable, classy, comfortable spot is exactly what the neighborhood needs. Love the exposed brick walls, the couches that line both sides of the bar, and the bar stools in the middle of the place.
Last night I was eager to try out the wine machine. It was fun but most likely in the future, I’ll probably just order a full bottle. I’m hardly a wine snob and while it’s fun to taste, sometimes it’s just more fun to get a buzz. But-it’s a great way to try out the wine before purchasing a full bottle. We didn’t eat there last night but there are two dishes (the veggies with balsamic vinegar and the spinach salad minus the candied pecans) that are vegan friendly.
Yes-​there are some kinks that do need to be worked out (and they will) but what was really nice is that all of the staff seemed genuinely excited to be working at Vine.
I must admit that after leaving the Vine, we headed over to the Alley for a beer. I just love show tunes. Le sigh.

I stopped in last night for a few hours pre-​and during the East Bay DYL. Got to hang with the famed Esteban, and met a few new Unilocalers…
My overall impression of Vine is okay. The place is brand new and has quite a few kinks to work out before I’ll give it more stars
Here’s the positives:
A beautiful space that looks like a million bucks. It fits in with and elevates the surrounding businesses. Beautiful touches abound — marble, large graphics, logo etched glasses, etc.
Chris, the owner, is a class act, and is a friendly and effusive host.
Now here’s what needs some work:
The barstools, while comfortable, are extremely heavy and hard to slide in and out. This was a problem for me and the lady who was seated next to me.
The bar staff was very friendly, but needed to polish up the presentation a bit. I sat for nearly ten minutes before anyone noticed me at the bar, and it wasn’t crowded — in fact there were only three customers at the bar (and five folks working in back of the bar)
There needs to be more integration with the smart card cruvinex wine dispensing machines and the drinks ordered at/​through the bar. It seems like two different business models that aren’t speaking to each other. You can’t use the cards at the bar, and the drinks at the cruvinex aren’t available at the bar.
The method for obtaining the cards seems a bit clunky. I ordered and paid for a card, and waited at the bar for the card to arrive. After about five minutes, I asked the bartender where the card was. She pointed over to the machine near the bar and indicated that I needed to go over there. This was news to me, as no one had mentioned that before. You’d think that the person who took your card order would then see that you were delivered your card. Instead I had to get up and go over to the card printing station and get my card…
There needs to be descriptive POS on the cruvinex machine and descriptions on the wine menu.
The wines, while all Californian (a nice move), don’t seem to represent variations in region, price, variety and style. I’m sure that this will evolve over time, and the wine selections will better reflect the breadth and depth of California winemaking.
At any rate, they are off to a prodigious start, and I’m sure that the small kinks I noticed will be smoothed over soon, and Vine will be the great wine bar that it has the potential to be…

If you are a typical male, you might be thinking, «Uh yeah, great, a WINE BAR. I don’t think so. That’s for chicks. Bring me a Bud.»
But remember my friend, there is that little area in your brain, right next to the one that craves threesomes, which causes you to be drawn to large shiny electronic gadgets with digital readouts. And this one DISPENSES BOOZE. There are two of these large shiny electronic gadgets in here: one for the whites, and the other for the reds. You can see the bottles through a glass display for each of the wines. You purchase a Vine Card with as much or as little value as you desire. You insert the card in to the top of the machine, put your glass under the relevant spout, press the button for the wine you want, and PRESTO! Watch your glass fill with the nectar of the Gods.
You can have a small taste or a full glass, depending on the button you push. You get the idea. Aside from the shear cool novelty of a Wine Machine (!), it is great to be able to just get up, and get yourself another glass of wine, without flagging down a waitress.
Not all their wines are in the machines, however. A lot are behind the bar, and there are servers roaming around who will fetch those for you if you are interested.
The interior of this place is really elegant and beautiful. Wow. Soft leather bench seating and those little leather footstool thingies. High tables, plenty of bar seating. It would have to get VERY crowded before you couldn’t find a seat. My days of being crammed into a narrow bar begging for attention from both the bartender and the hot chick two sweaty bodies over are way way behind me. This is just a nice open, cheerful bar that specializes in wine, in a big way. It is not the kind of place where you are going to find a lot of old drunks sitting around telling stories of their days in ‘nam and pinching the waitress’ ass.
Christopher, the owner, was greeting people last night and showing them how to use the wine machine. Very nice guy who deserves a sloppy wet kiss for bringing a place like this to Lake Shore.
All in all a GREAT new addition to the area. Despite the wine machine, many of you fans of the traditional dive bar are going to hate this place. That’s ok. It’s not for you. Don’t hate. Just go to Merchant’s Saloon, drink your Bud and vomit in the trough. You’ll find ME at the Vine.

Oh dear. Oh my. Oh goodness.
My liver is in T-​R-​O-​U-​B-​L-​E.
I’ve recently developed a taste for wine. I’m still learning the nuances, but I’ve got the different styles down and am now trying to sift through the various vineyards and years. As I’ve said before, I’m definitely an amateur when it comes to wine.
I was STOKED when Zza’s Enoteca opened, and I got to try their flights and delicious cheese plates. I was ECSTATIC when I saw Vine go up near Starbucks, and like most Lake Merritt psuedo-​winos, waited with baited breath for the day they would open. And waited. And waited. Finally, about a year after they put the exterior up, yesterday they opened their bar to the public.
And it’s completely wonderful.
Whereas Zza’s is very intimate and is distinctly loungey, Vine is more of an actual bar. It is spacious, although still dimly lit, which creates an environment that is both sexy and open. They have an extensive menu of wines, mainly from the Napa and Sonoma Valleys, and for those of you who like frou-​frou drinks, they have things like the Vine-​arita and the Vine-​ojito.
But the best part for me is definitely the option for the wine machine. I know some seasoned drinkers may see it as tacky or gimmicky, but I found it fun and an excellent way to try a variety of wines that I might otherwise never have a chance to drink. You buy a pre-​paid card (I got $ 30 put on mine) and then can use that card to buy 2 oz. samples of various wines from their menu. I spent only about $ 20 of my card (they’re reusable and they roll over), but tried a Merlot, a syrah, a zinfandel, a viognier, chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, cabernet sauvignon, and a Gewürztraminer.
As it just opened, it still has some kinks to work out but I can’t fault them too much. I was a little disappointed with the uninspired cheese plate (cheddar, brie, and blue), although I was happy to have the food to compliment the wine.
I had a blast, and I love having an upscale classy bar within walking distance of my apartment.
Will I be back? Of course, I still have $ 10 more to spend. :)