I'm infatuated with the idea of wine bars. Elegant, usually aesthetically interesting, bars with eclectic menus of starter-sized food and a diverse, comprehensive list of by-the-glass wines. What better place to read a book in the corner for a couple hours? Why is it then, that this is yet another one of my dreams unrealized?
My first and biggest issue is usually the wine. You would think that an establishment so self-described would take great pride and care in selecting the actual wine, for which they are named. Not so, I have found. I'm not saying they, in general, serve bad wines, and maybe, like everything in life, my disappointment is a function of my expectations, but the wines are rarely distinctive. Rarely special...
Next, I've found, in my limited experience, that the stereotype of the aloof, exclusive wine scene is more or less perpetuated by the typical wine bar. I'm generalizing here, but can I get someone that isn't trying really, really hard to smush as many wine buzzwords into a sentence as possible? "...I think you'll find our Alsatian selections have a wonderful nose, but may be overly fruit-forward for the oysters..." I made that up and have no idea whether it makes sense, but you get my point...
On the Prinsengracht canal, on the western edge of Amsterdam's city center, sits Vyne. A few doors down from their high-end, concept restaurant, Envy, is a narrow, long room with a few tables and a bar. The dimly lit interior (alas, no book in the corner) and austere fixtures melded to create a library-like stillness (if there are libraries where it's too dark to read), at least on a Monday night. Not uninviting, but not exactly welcoming. But with 85 wines by the glass, how could I go wrong?
Marques de Grinoa, Toledo (Spain) Syrah 2002
Tiefenbrunner Alto Adigo (Italy) Gerwurztraminer 2005
Serano ham and melon granita
It's not that I went wrong. Both wines were solid. Good. Nice. Just nothing I'd seek out again. And therein lies the problem. Isn't that the purpose of a wine bar? To screen out the ordinary and deliver the sublime? Yes, I know there are practical considerations. There are distributors and small production vineyards that don't want to be left with the not-quite-sublime bottles. There are different palates and tastes. I get all that. Yet I left Vyne like I've left most wine bars, unsatisfied...
Of course, maybe I'm frequenting the wrong wine bars...
Vyne
Prinsengracht 411
Amsterdam
020 344 64 08
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