On my most recent trip up to the Bay area, I got to try a place called Vino Venue. A friend of mine said we would be wine-tasting and that it would be "kinda cool and different." He was right. We were buying "tastes" and getting them vended to us from machines.
At Vino Venue, you walk in and purchase a Tasting Card, which are available in different denominations. The staff hands over the Tasting Card and an empty wine glass. You take the card and walk around to various machines, stick your card in the slot, place your glass underneath the siphon that corresponds to whichever wine you want to try, and press the button. The machine spits out a little taste in your glass and automatically deducts the amount from your Tasting Card. It's sort of like a drinker's debit card.
The selection is fairly wide in terms of types, countries, and even prices. While the whites that I was trying were mostly in the $3-$4 per taste range, there were some wines in the back that were more than $20 for a sip.
It sounds sort of strange, almost a little cheesy, but fun nonetheless. It's also a good way to taste a pretty wide variety of wines. Just don't think you're at the Slurpee machines and try mixing flavors for your own creation!
Vino Venue
686 Mission Street
San Francisco, CA 94105
(415)341-1930
www.vinovenue.net
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