Tasting Room of the Week:

WINE SPECTRUM SHOP+BAR

 Sue Straight, The Wine Wench
Santa Rosa’s historic Railroad Square is home to one of the hippest wine bars I’ve ever seen. This iconic spot is called Wine Spectrum Shop+Bar. The name fits, because of the broad spectrum of wines available for sale and by the glass (usually at least 40!), including unusual and very difficult to find cult wines available by the glass; the unique artwork on the walls is ever-changing and they offer a wide variety of delicious, wine friendly foods.
On a drizzly, rainbow-strewn Thursday evening, I decided to check out happy hour at Wine Spectrum, and I’ve gotta tell you, I think I just found my new hang-out!
This place just oozes cool vibes. Soft music is always playing in the background (they offer live acoustic music on Sundays), cozy couches and chairs are strewn around the sitting area, the long bar is outfitted with plenty of comfortable leather barstools and there are bottles and bottles and bottles of wine everywhere you look.
When I arrived, the bar was full, except for a couple of seats. I sat down and dove into Thursday’s blind tasting competition, which is big fun, by the way! For a mere $10, patrons taste and try to identify five wines, which are served from brown-bagged bottles. After the blind tasting, I ordered a big glass of delicious Pinot Noir and enjoyed it with one of the best spinach salads I’ve ever had. My fellow bar-mates were very friendly, and conversations and laughter flowed comfortably all around. I even made a couple of new friends!
Wine Spectrum Shop+Bar, opened in May 2006, has already amassed a loyal following of regular customers. These customers enjoy personalized service from a staff that considers themselves “wine geeks, but not wine snobs.” Shawn La Sage was my host and he really knows his stuff. He gave me a tour of the wine vault “the pride of the shop,” and happily explained the high-end cult-wine offerings therein. He also told me that occasionally, a patron with a thick wallet will buy a high-end wine from the vault and share it with the other patrons. Wow! I want to be there when that happens!
There is something for everyone at Wine Spectrum Bar+Shop. Some of the special offered features include a “Wine 101 Class,” scheduled winemaker tastings, blind tasting competitions and a wine club. This is a very comfortable establishment for women, as well as men. In fact, you may just find me there!
Wine Spectrum Shop+Bar is located at 123 Fourth Street (cool, huh?) in the heart of Santa Rosa’s historic Railroad Square, walking distance from a handful of nice, local hotels. They are open daily from noon to midnight, except for Mondays. For more information, call (707) 636-1064, 1-800-811-5703 or visit their website at www.winespectrum.com.

Related Information

• Wine Spectrum