Thursday, January 31, 2008

Unlock your inner wino

The Wine Vault at the Shoppes at University Place has long been a spring and summer destination for couples and friends sharing a bottle of wine on the outdoor patio overlooking the lake.

Now, the University City area spot can be a winter destination, thanks to an indoor lounge that opened last weekend.

I stopped in Wednesday night for my first venture into Charlotte's northern suburb (aside from regular visits to the dog park at Reedy Creek Park).

The new lounge is warm and inviting, with throw rugs scattered about the hardwoods, wicker furniture, leather armchairs and soft lighting.

My friend and I got there too late for their regular Wednesday night wine tasting ($5), but for the next couple of weeks you can help choose the vault's wines by the glass for the year.

My choice: a glass of Malbec Mendoza. Perfect for warming up on a winter night.

Average age of the crowd: 40 (and a bit tipsy from the wine tasting).

Who else has been to The Wine Vault? What's a Friday or Saturday night like there? Post your comments below.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I go to The Wine Vault all the time. There is nowhere in the city that has such a easy-going laidback atmosphere. Plus its cheap and I'm a teacher.

Anonymous said...

The Wine Vaults one of my favorite places to relax after work with their great beer selection. I'm usually there Wednesday through Friday after 5 and its mostly young prfessionals, alot of Wachovia people. The crowd gets a little young for me from around 10 pm and on, but there's lots of hot girls here starting off the night dressed up before they go next door or downtown. I always have a good time.