Halfway into my first glass of red wine at the new V-NO in Fells Point, I wondered: What took so long?
Why is it only now that Fells Point has a cute, clean bar where food comes second to wine? It seems like a no-brainer. Either way, I'm glad V-NO, which opened last fall by the harbor on South Ann Street, seems to be doing well.
With its soft yellow walls, hanging bulb lamps and large front windows, V-NO has the relaxed feel of a European cafe. The tall, black wine shelves, concrete floor and metallic bar could easily be on display at an IKEA store, which isn't a bad thing.
V-NO is a charming place you can drop in before or after dinner, sip a glass of wine with friends or a good book, and, if you're so inclined, nibble on a cheese plate. And with summer coming, V-NO's outdoor seating will soon be prime real estate.
At V-NO, wines are grouped by color and adjective. Signs above the shelves and notes on the menu help you find a bottle or glass based on how the wine hits you. You can pick from juicy, blush, rich, lush, crisp, bubbly ... the list goes on.
A few friends and I grabbed a table at V-NO on Saturday and ordered from the list of about 20 wines by the glass. They ranged from $6 to $13 and came in 6-ounce pours.
You can also build your own mini-wine tasting by picking three wines. The server will bring a decent pour of each and charge you the average price of the three. The wine list isn't laminated because it changes every week, our waiter told us.
My friends and I ordered reds and swapped glasses to sample as many as we could. We weren't big fans of the Antonietti malbec ($7), but we enjoyed the smooth St. Vincent Cotes du Rhone ($8.50) and loved the Cline Cashmere Meritage ($9).
A small suggestion for owners Mark and Kristina Bachman: Since times are tough, it would be nice to see one or two $5 glasses of wine somewhere on the menu. Wines by the glass can add up after a while.
Beer drinkers aren't ignored at V-NO. There are seven suds available, including a 750-milliliter bottle of Ommegang and Samuel Smith's Winter Warmer. Most hover around $4.50 a bottle.
If hunger or curiosity strikes, you can ask for one of the six food menu items. We pecked at the cheese plate ($12), because nothing goes better with fancy wine than a baguette (from neighboring Bonaparte Bakery, we were told) and a few wedges of cheese.
