Wine Room in Winter Park

Wine Room in Winter Park

One of the most creative and unique bars I have come across lately is definitely the Wine Room on Park Avenue in Winter Park, FL.

The Wine Room is a combination of bar and wine shop. The concept evolves around the experience of tasting the wine that can be purchased in the store/bar. So as you walk in you may at first think you are in a wine shop. However, as you walk further into the location you will soon notice the relaxed atmosphere of a wine bar, even comparable with the atmosphere at a fashionable coffee shop. The inside features some comfortable sofas and armchairs where you can sit down and enjoy the wine samples with your friends and guests. At the same time you will be able to order cheese platters (fromage) but also other light dishes to complement the wines.

Most guests though will be standing, walking and mingling as they explore the different types of wines that are offered at the Wine Room. The music is a great mix of mainstream (even older pieces) and very trendy. The wine room is a great alternative to the clubs of Orlando Downtown or a nice starting point before hitting the clubs. It also makes a great place to tastefully end your dining experience after visiting one of the restaurants on Park Avenue. The attire is a mix of trendy and elegant casual.

So here’s how it works:

When you enter you buy a rechargeable card ($3) and load it at the cash register with the amount you want to spend for the night/visit. You will also be handed a wine glass that you get to keep throughout the visit. That is the glass you fill up at the various wine stations. We started out with $40 for 2 people and it turned out to be a good amount for beginners. Since I am more of a beer drinker it was just the right amount of wine (beer and other drinks are available for purchase at the bar as well, and of course, you can also order your favorite bottle of wine once you have found your favorite). We both got to taste about 3 different wines. Every wine has a different price per ounce, so be careful to look at the prices as you fill your glass.

The system that allows this type of experience is called an “Enomatic Dispensing System” and is to my knowledge the only one in use in Central Florida. Through the system the Wine Room allows its guests to sample over 150 types of wines. Maybe that is why the Wine Room has quickly become such a popular place. In fact, when we got there Friday night (around 9:00pm) we had to wait for 5 minutes outside the bar because it had already reached full capacity.

Other highlights at the Wine Room:

  • Go down the steps and discover the vault! The building used to be a bank and you can still find the remainders of that in the basement. The vault can be rented for special events.
  • The Wine Room also offers Wine classes in case you want to become more familiar with wine.
  • Gift baskets are available for purchase and make a great holiday gift.

For more info visit their web site at TheWineRoomOnline.com

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