something to wine about

City Winery is, "a vibrant, interactive space in New York where folks can not only make wine, but also meet friends new and old while indulging their passion for quality food, music, art and life." Sounds like a dream come true, does it not? How about if I also add that it's "cavernous Varick Street space houses Manhattan's first full-service winery"? I know, I know, it really should be heaven. But unfortunately for it's website and New York Magazine, (and myself and Leslie, for that matter) City Winery is actually quite the disappointment.

Our first visit was mostly positive--the wines were exquisite, the music, wonderful, and the food, phenomenal--the service, however, left much to be desired. I hoped with all my heart that it was just that night, that Leslie and I's amazing find was just understaffed, last minute too, and although our glasses may have been empty longer than those of others around us, it wouldn't happen again. I was mistaken. 

On Friday, November 5th, I received an email from City Winery. It requested that all attendees space out their arrival for the 3rd Annual Crush event that ran from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Amongst the additional notes, it insisted that tasting would be "continuous throughout the day," that "you will be able to eat no matter what time you arrive," and that the grape crushing, music playing, and face painting would go on non-stop. Unfortunately, when Leslie and I arrived at  1:30 p.m. we were disappointed to find that we barely got through three of the five tastings before we were kicked out. Had we taken our time? Of course not. Instead, we had been waiting on the brunch line for nearly an hour as they restocked only some of the food, of which was a far cry from what I consider brunch fare. We didn't have a chance to crush any grapes, nor get a tour of the winery.

Insert sad face right about here. On the bright side though, Leslie and I are winos in the city of New York, a place where wine bars can be found along every avenue and within every neighborhood. Tonight we're going to try out Maslow 6 for size. Who knows, maybe we'll get lucky this time? And not just because of the good wine, great space, and incredible service; it is a mingling event of sorts :).