Wine Bar Warm-Ups

by Alison Bender

White may be winter’s preferred palette, but indoors it’s all about the color red: merlots imparting cherry aromas, cabernets that conjure blackcurrants and syrahs and zins hinting at black pepper and spice. Sample some of the area’s best wine bars and tastiest reds—after all, even if the weather outside is frightful, you’ll find plenty of places to sip something delightful.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE

Wines on the Lake

To some, the definition of “heavenly” means tree skiing during the day and sipping vino into the evening. Heavenly Village’s Wines on the Lake delivers with daily tastings of between 12 and 18 wines. Visit on Saturdays for special events that often include meet-the-winemaker sessions. Co-owner Kathleen Hood summons up her favorite winter red almost instantaneously: “Scott Harvey Red Label syrah,” she says. “It’s an incredibly well-balanced, well-rounded wine.”

Picchetti Winery

Award-winning Picchetti wines can’t be found in stores, restaurants or anywhere, for that matter, beyond the Cupertino winery and South Lake Tahoe tasting room. Customers line
up at the long bar; $5 buys a create-your-own 5-wine flight from the list’s 14 to 18 selections. All wines are bottle-aged, and most are limited production—between 100 and 400 cases. Manager Brock Thomas enjoys the Tahoe Red, a merlot– estate cabernet blend that “softens up nice and tastes great.”

NORTH LAKE TAHOE

Uncorked at Squaw Valley

After a day spent tackling KT’s black diamonds, there are few better ways to unwind than at Uncorked. Ski bunnies and boarder-bros alike gather at the beautiful, hand-carved bar as owner Kali Kopley pours about 15 daily samplings from her stock of 750 labels. She recommends the Robert Craig Affinity Napa Valley cabernet. “It’s from exceptional vineyards in Napa Valley,” she says, “and contains beautiful black cherry, mocha and
black tea notes. It’s great after a long day of skiing.”

Time for Wine

It’s a hard life for the Time for Wine staff, who collectively sample between 200 and 300 wines per month. That also means that a stop into the Tahoe City shop, located in the
Boatworks Mall, yields well-researched recommendations. The tasting bar pours at least 6 wines daily; co-owner Randy Alsop, who tries about 95 percent of the shop’s 300-label inventory, recommends a Halter Ranch syrah from Paso Robles. An organic bottling and a gold winner in the French Syrah du Monde competition, “it is rich, earthy and chocolaty, with nice berry flavors,” Alsop says, “great for relaxing, or après ski.”

TRUCKEE

The Pour House

Racks and racks of bottles line the walls of the Pour House, a small shop and tasting area that exudes the familiar, comforting feel of a wine cellar. Although owner Dean Schaecher
spends much of the winter backcountry skiing (he suggests taking along a tawny port, which, he says, doesn’t change its flavor in the cold and pairs well with trail mix), he can also be found behind the counter, pouring tastes of several reds and whites daily. As for après ski, Schaecher recommends a fairly well-bodied wine like a zinfandel from the Truckee River Winery, which “has a little bit of spiciness that warms you up.”

Trio Wine Bar

A montage of art, food and wine housed in a 134-year-old Victorian building, Trio offers between 40 and 50 wines, allowing customers to “create their own flight,” according to
manager Marcus Dallas. Patrons can order wines by the taste, glass or bottle, and the kitchen serves up food until 11 p.m. As for a good glass on a cold day, Dallas points out La Crema pinot noir and a zinfandel from D-Cubed Cellars, both “deeper,
more nourishing wines.”

Bacchus & Venus

An art gallery and tasting room in one spot, Truckee’s newest must-stop wine shop opened in May on Commercial Row. Patrons linger at the long, custom-carved cedar bar (as close as possible to the indoor fireplace) to try wines by the glass, or to order one of the four daily flights. Retail manager Jessica Norris suggests either a cabernet or merlot from Duckhorn Vineyards, which she says are “great winter wines—elegant,
smooth and perfect with a hearty meal.”

Grapes + Grounds

Earthly Delights

The Village at Northstar is home to two wonderful wine bars. Grapes + Grounds resides somewhat obscurely in the village’s high-end gear shop, True North. Customers can enjoy sipping while shopping, and Saturday afternoons during the high season, the shop pours complimentary tastings. Selections change every other month; in December and January, try the reds from Sonoma’s Chateau St. Jean. A gourmet deli, cheese and wine shop, Earthly Delights also sports a wine bar. Employees here recommend a pinot noir from Truckee River Winery, which they can perfectly pair with house-made hors d’oeuvres. While the wine bar is open daily, tastings are held Saturday afternoons.

RENO

L’uva Bella Wine Gallery

Located in Reno’s The Summit, L’uva has been pouring glasses and selling accessories to happy shoppers for two-and-a-half years. Tastings are offered daily; Thursday evenings, owner Debby Bullentini features five wines paired with appetizers. As for her favorite? “My go-to is Runquist petite sirah,” she says. “It’s really nice, thick, rich and well layered, with a leathery thread that runs through it.”

Vintage, A Wine Shop

The area’s most high-tech tasting bar, Vintage pours 44 wines by the-ounce from its card-operated stainless steel machines, which preserve taste and quality, as well as another 11 wines by the glass, says manager Rick Shamhart. The intimate 40 seat shop stocks 500 labels, about 80 percent from California,

and offers complimentary cheeses and Truckee Sourdough bread. For cold weather, Shamhart recommends the rich, barrel-aged tastes of Ladera Napa Valley cabernet sauvignon, a “fruit-forward wine.”

CARSON CITY

D’Vine Wine Tasting & Bistro

Famous for 5-wine flights and gourmet cheese boards, D’Vine offers patrons tables, a bar or its private room to enjoy one of 75 wines and American-style tapas. Owner Kim Donner
(you wouldn’t be the first to ask if there’s a relation) suggests a Rombauer zinfandel. “It’s smooth and fruity with a little pepper,” she says, “and would be great for cold weather and
sitting beside a fireplace.”

GENOA

Tahoe Ridge Winery

The picturesque wine tasting room and marketplace of Tahoe
Ridge Winery sits in the heart of historic Genoa, Nevada’s first settlement. Customers can enjoy complimentary pours of 12 different varietals, 10 of which are served beyond the
winery, 2 that are exclusive, says owner-winemaker Rick Halbardier. He recommends the reserve zinfandel for après ski. “It’s a serve-by-the-fireplace kind of wine,” he says. “Big and hearty—people tend to enjoy that.”