New Thing #20 - Bella Vita

Today I went to a wine bar with my friend Betsy and some of her friends for her birthday. The unique thing about this wine bar was the way it was set up. I've never been to a place like this before. It's called Bella Vita Wines and is located off of McKnight and Manchester in Rock Hill (St. Louis).

When you walk in, the decor is very open and airy with a peaceful vibe to it. Lots of bar height tables and chairs down the center, and lower comfy couches and chairs along one side. Large floor length windows cover two corners to enhance the natural light. Along the far right wall is a large row of wine bottles hooked up to a machine that looked like a fountain soda machine.

The magical row of wines.

We got there around 2, which is apparently pretty early to start drinking at a wine bar. We had the place to ourselves, except for two other women. We staked our claim at the large grouping of couches and chairs with a small coffee table in the middle and then talked to the hostess about how to begin.

Here's how it works: each person, or group of people, is given what is essentially a debit card. You pay the hostess as much as you'd like, and she puts money on this card for you. Then, you take the card and your wine glass over to the wine station, stick the card in the card reader and select your wine of choice. Each wine is hooked up to a straw that pulls the wine out of the bottle and into your glass. You can choose from a "taste", a "half glass" or a "full glass". Push the button of the amount you'd like, and out comes the predetermined amount of wine. Each wine has a different price, so the price for a taste of one wine could vary differently from the taste of another. Our hostess told us that could range from $0.83 to $11. Can you imagine paying $11 for just a TASTE of wine?! I'm definitely not a wine connoisseur, so the thought of that boggles my mind. I just started drinking wine over the last year, and I've only really become a fan of whites, Riesling especially. It's sweeter and goes down smoother for me.

The row of reds.

A close of up the machine. It was really cool to watch the hostess switch out the bottles too. Everything is mechanized, the bottom tray lowers, the bottle is removed and the "straw" lifted out. The straw is placed in the new bottle and set on the tray. The tray raises and locks the bottle in place.

Press button. Receive wine. Awesome.

Betsy, her friend Natalie and I went in together for our first card. Our first attempt was a Riesling named Kung Fu Girl. Personally, I think we all chose it for the name and the bottle design rather than its description. ;-) I told you, I know nothing about wine! But, for those of you who might, here is its description: "Kung Fu Girl Riesling, Washington. Wine with lush aromatics and tons of flavor. On the nose, Kung Fu Girl is bursting with pear, white peach and spring flowers. Apricot and a pleasant minerality keep this off-dry wine at the perfect level of subtle sweetness." It costs $23/bottle. We each started with a half glass, which was only a couple of bucks apiece.

Kung Fu Girl!

The hostess actually has to be the one to insert your card into the machine. It has something to do with the liquor laws. We each selected half glass, pressed the button and out came the wine. I don't know why we got such a kick out of the process, but it was really fun. Who knew you could get wine the same way you can get a Diet Coke or a Poppin' Pink Lemonade?!

The Kung Fu Girl was really good, not too sweet, but very delicious. I liked the name and the bottle so much that the hostess gave me an empty bottle to take home. It didn't take us long to polish off our first attempt, so we went back and decided to give a red a try. None of us really drink red, so we of course had no idea what to choose. It was kind of like a game of eenie meenie. I have no idea how we settled on the one we did (probably because it was on the cheaper end), but each of just got a taste. And I'm glad we did, because I could only drink two small sips before I had to pour it out. I really would like to be able to drink red wine (it has great health benefits!), but after that attempt, I couldn't see why people were so gaga about it! I felt like I had just sucked on a cotton ball, it was so dry. Perhaps it was a bad choice for us to try, but I've never really had a good experience with reds. Fortunately, they had small buckets to pour out your wine if you didn't like it. (They didn't care, you already paid for it!)

We grabbed a few oyster crackers to cleanse our palette and the hostess replaced our wine glasses. Next, we decided to try a different Riesling (stick with what you know!) and we liked this one even better than the first. "Leitz Dragonstone Riesling, Germany. A wonderful aromatic nose of fresh peaches with a hint of honeysuckle. Slightly sweet and perfect with all kinds of different cheeses. You will not be disappointed after you taste this wonderful German Riesling." $28/bottle. It was slightly sweeter than the Kung Fu Girl, but it wasn't overpowering. I stuck with this for the rest of the day. I probably should have tried more wine, but I was happy with my decisions. I'll have to go back again and try some other ones.

Enjoying some Dragonstone. (No, I'm not drunk, even though I realize I kind of look like I am!)

The place was really cool and even offered a menu including fruit and cheese trays, salads and sandwiches, and a few different desserts. (We tried their baked brie and it was scrumptious!) I'm not sure how long this place has been there, but it's definitely a nice little gem nestled in a strip mall. If you're a wine fan and come to St. Louis, it's worth a try!

Me & Besty enjoying some quality Riesling-bonding time. :)

Natalie toasting Betsy for finally turning 29 like the rest of us!!

Me & Natalie (Sorry Nat for nearly covering your face with my wine glass!!)

Thanks to Betsy for choosing this place to go for her birthday. It was a lot of fun! :)