All you can drink craft beers for $10 on Thursdays from 7-9! Â Great deal and friendly staff! Â Same concept as Wine Room on Park Ave. Â Buy a card, load it with money and sample different wines that they have set up around the room. Â You can also order by the glass or bottle and they serve cheese platters as well.
Review Source:I recently discovered this place and absolutely love it here! Will be returning with more friends. It has a very calm and pleasant ambience and the place is awesome if you just want to chill and have conversations with your friends while sipping on some great wine. I wish there were more places like this in Gainesville!
Review Source:It's a neat concept and a nice atmosphere, a pleasant change of pace for Gainesville. The staff was very friendly. As previously mentioned, the $5 card is kinda sucky. My wife doesn't drink wine, but she knows I enjoy it, so she suggested we check it out. We didn't want to blow much money here, so just $20 on the card. We soon discovered that $20 does not go far at all. I wasn't particularly thrilled with what I had from the dispensers. I enjoy Cabs and Shiraz and I found nothing I enjoyed. I'd like to see more Chards, so that was a disappointment. The liquor dispensers have some nice selections of Scotch and Jameson Gold, but ridiculously overpriced.
So why 4 stars since I've obviously not said much positive about the place? You expect to get overcharged at a place like this. You pay for the atmosphere and the ability to sample different wines (they also have champagne and beer behind the bar). I'd like a better selection at the dispensers, but for what it is, it's executed well.
*Consumers beware: If they recommend the blueberry wine for non-wine drinkers. DO NOT get it. It's extremely floraly and dirty. Save your money, pick a flower off the ground, dirt/roots and all and just eat that. It'll save you a couple bucks.
Pretty fun and relaxing place just to hang out, especially for non-wine drinkers because we can taste smaller portions to see which ones we liked.
It's a little confusing for the first time going because there's no one really to help you or greet you. You just have to go to the bar, buy the $5 card, grab your own glasses, and you're ready to go. Other than that, it's fine to go around and have everyone try the wines together in a nice atmosphere.
As other reviewers have said, the $5 card is a bit odd but fine if you're a local or planning on drinking here often.
The good: Wide selection of wines BY THE BOTTLE for purchase, as well as options for beer and sangria. Easy, self-serve environment with multiple price options and size choices.
The bad: While the by-the-bottle selection is deep, the number of choices in the dispensers for by-the-glass purchase leaves a bit to be desired. I love red wine -- In fact, I am even more specific in that I love Cab, Malbec, Shiraz, and Monastrell. Most of the whites are Riesling or ice wine (which is fine, but some of us also like a Chardonnay or a Sauv Blanc after dinner) and the reds are blends, pinot, or merlot.
Now, to be fair, two of the dispensers weren't working tonight so I will be eager to give this place another shot. And, given that I DO have my favorites, it's nice to have the opportunity to test out a few types I had yet to try.
Long story short, great concept, solid execution, but those of you who know what you like and might only want a glass or two might be out of luck given the selection. Definitely trying again.
It wasn't easy becoming the Duke of this fine place but I'll take it! Â This place has an awesome atmosphere that makes you feel like you are in a big city. Â I enjoy trying the different wines without the commitment to a full glass. Â Some of the wines are over the top expensive but most are moderately priced.
Not a big wine person? Â They have some beers on tap and aren't afraid to play sports on the tv so don't let the wine theme scare you.
I highly recommend putting this place on your next downtown experience.
Great addition but needs a few improvements.
You come in and have to purchase a $5 card, which will work as a debit card. Load it up with cash and you can re-use it as many times as you want. I think the $5 charge for the card is a bit steep. I think it should only be like 1 or 2 bucks. That's just my opinion though; I found it to be a bit of a turn off. For example, if you were just a passing visitor, it would probably not appeal to you since you will only get one use out of it. Just the other night we were thinking about coming here, but our friend isn't in town often and didn't want to spend the extra $5.
Anywho, the bar has a nice self serve setup. Each machine tells you how much it is for a taste, half, and full glass. The ambiance is nice and if you're really into wine, or just want to try a lot of different kinds, it's worth checking out.
A fairly new wine bar located in the heart of downtown Gainesville. The atmosphere is comfortable, relaxing, and modern.
Half Cork'd has a dispensing system where you can sample over 50 different wines. Each wine is priced differently and you can try them by the ounce, half glass or full glass. Just as Ling mentioned, you purchase (or refill) a card where you load money before sampling the wines. From what I remember, there was a greater selection of red wines compared to white wines.
I think it's a great addition to downtown Gainesville and would definitely come back if I wanted a relaxing night on the town!
In one sentence: with over 300 bottles of wine and 50+ wines by the glass, Gainesville finally gets a nice lounge/wine bar with a trendy atmosphere and a wonderful staff to boot (caution - no entrees, ... yet)
Full review: billing itself as a wine bar, Half Cork'd does a nice job filling that much needed niche in town and excelling at it. Â As mentioned above, there are about 300 bottles to choose from (as well as about 20 or so beers). Â You also have the option to have a taste, half glass, or full glass from over 50 bottles of reds/whites and 4 dessert wines, all of which are constantly being switched out on a weekly basis. Â 3 months in, there's still a lot of changes occurring, not just the weekly swap out of wines by the glass. Â Tapas items are also constantly being interchanged (as mentioned above, no entrees) and soon the restaurant will be getting an app where you can find out more about the wines you're trying as well as keep track of the ones you've tried. Â There are currently no happy hours, which is surprising, but I was told this is expected to change in the near future.
The wine by the glass system is similar to other establishments, which is set up as a "self-serve" with stations throughout the place - you pay a one time fee of $5 for a wine-card that's basically like a gift card; you then move from wine station to wine station, swipe the card, and select the amount of wine you'd like. Â The $5 fee for a card may seem like a nuisance, but it's offset by the fact that the place does not accept tips whatsoever.
In my opinion, it's a little on the pricey side, which is best reflected by talking straight-up numbers. Â A bottle of Hogue late harvest Riesling can be had for about $10 around town; a bottle here will run you $14.50, which is totally reasonable. Â A bottle of Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough 2008 will cost you about $20 around town; at Half Cork'd it's $40.50. Â I have no idea about anything higher end than that - I'm just a grad student on a grad student budget :) Â A taste of the Kim Crawford runs you $2.70; a "half" glass is $4.85, and a full is $8.65. Â I was told a half glass corresponds to 2.5 ounces, and with about 25 ounces in a bottle, you're paying a slight premium on the half glass versus buying the whole bottle, but it's not too bad. Â As a mostly white-wine drinker myself, I was surprised that there were no European Rieslings (especially no German ones), and no European Sauvignon Blancs. Â The selections in those two categories in particular are mostly California and New Zealand, but again that seems to be changing periodically.
The food there is appetizers and desserts, and the selection is somewhat sparse. Â There's the usual cheese and meat pairings, as well as a great honey-glazed goat cheese with bread/crackers, and a brie wheel. Â Other appetizers I remember were nachos, pate, and bruschetta. Â It would certainly be nice to see the appetizer list grow over time, and also into more daring avenues. Â Prices for appetizers range from $4 to $10, with most hovering around $6.
Atmosphere-wise, the establishment is swathed in dimly-lit black, with splashes of purple and red and an overall slightly industrial/trendy feel similar to a number of the places downtown, while still maintaining a relaxed tone. Â The bar has LED lights embedded, and there are various decorative pieces made entirely out of cork. Â The lounge areas have ample seating, and the whole place feels spacious. Â This is good, as there's quite a bit of traffic as people mill about to choose wines. Â The people working there were both friendly and helpful, and seemed knowledgeable about wines as well as the place. Â The crowd tends to be on the 25+ side, probably with an average age in the mid/late 30s.
Overall, this place is a great addition to downtown Gainesville. Â It's great to see that they are still actively evolving and working on improving, and I'll look forward to updating this post in a couple months to see what changes have occurred.
The place is small and has a classy feel to it, and not really catered towards a typical college crowd.
When you go in, you pay a one-time $5 fee for a reusable card that you can load money on to. You then walk around and insert your card into a dispenser, and you can choose to have a taste (~$1-4), half glass, or full glass (~$7-50).
Overall, I felt choices were limited, but the concept is great. It can also get expensive. We were very happy to discover a menu that offered bottles of wine because we weren't too into the choices they had at the dispensers (which I was told changes every week); plus it was more affordable this way. You also receive a 33% discount if you buy a second bottle to take home.
Also, good location and friendly staff.
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