I came in on a Friday afternoon when only one other customer was there. I have to admit, if you come here when it's slow and empty, you WILL get the full attention. I was greeted and welcomed very politely. They have all sorts of wine, from Pinot, to Savignon Blanc to Cabernet to Merlot and even Syrah. However, they only carry 3-10 different brands from each type of wine. I really like the fact that you can get a varieties of wine from outside of Napa. I bought one Silenti (New Zealand), Arauco (Chile) and Louis Martini (Sonoma). They even carry wine from France, Italy, Germany and much more. They somehow have wine from Livermore for some odd reason. Overall, I was satisfied, but not completely satisfied with their selections.
This is a good place to chill and "unwind" after work, but definitely for the locals. If you're from outer San Jose, this might to too small for your taste.
Went here last night with a large group for MNO and it was great! Not pretentious at all like some other wine bars or ran by a bunch of 20-somethings who stand around talking about last night's party and roll their eyes when you request service.
All the wait staff helped us equally (not the annoying, "I'll get your waiter") and everyone who worked there was friendly, accommodating, very knowledgeable about the various wines, and they put up with our loud, raucous group. (what can I say? We had fun)
I've already recommended this place to three people in less than 24 hours!
Three years later, I am compelled to write another review for these guys as they are under new ownership and are revamping things to make them even better than they were.
Rory was wonderfully welcoming and energetically passionate about their offerings, and regaled me with certain plans to make their patio even more hang-outable as this Spring gets into swing. Love to hear that Almaden is coming alive again. He also mentioned that there has been more business since the farmer's market has started up here, and now they are open on Sundays to cater to the crowds.
What is not to love? Great chatting with Rory, and being able to pick up a bottle of "Grapeful Red". Oenophiles unite! Head to Unwined!
This place is great.. My gf and I have been coming here the last few weeks, and we enjoy how friendly service is. Everyone is down to Earth, and very knowledgeable of products. We have decided this is our every Friday date night, date night place. Go try it out and enjoy what we do every Friday night.
J & T
This place was alright. The waitresses are really nice. There was a live jazz band that was crazy loud. Not going to lie... It was pretty difficult to have a conversation with the person sitting across the table from me.
Their wine selection is good though. Their cheese on the other hand was reminiscent of grocery store discount cheese...
This place is a bit pricey and caters to an older crowd...
It's an okay hang out spot... But definitely a last resort and not a top pick.
I think this place is super cute. Â The decor is great. Â The service is great and best of all, the wine is great.
I had the Sauvignon Blanc flight and my friend had the Merlot flight. Â You definitely get your money's worth. Â I did not expect them to put that much wine into each glass but no complaints here :)
i really just enjoyed the ambiance of the place. Â a great place to just catch up with friends and enjoy life!
Good wine, good place. I had no issue until 'Raul' decided not to serve us last round of wine since it was 10:28, only to find out 20 mins later that he was happily serving wine to another customers. Upon asked, I got the answer "life is not fair, your are not welcome here!" I do not consider this as racism ( I am from India ) but mentally reatrded behavior, in this day and age in bay area. Â First such experience in 20 years and never going back to this place.
Review Source:Ugh. I went here with my fiance after getting a <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Frestaurants.com&s=8b83bf0ff8b716aae84527dc95577a310f201b166dcca25c8ca3824b15703869" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://restaurants.com</a> coupon. My fiance and I are 30, and we were at least 20 years younger then anyone else in the place. Which is fine, I guess, but then we noticed the owner walking around introducing himself to every table, every table but ours. He literally looked at our table and walked away. We knew he was the owner because our waiter pointed it out. When we got the check and gave the waiter the coupon he rolled his eyes... really? Â Clearly you need business or you wouldn't offer them. Then, the people giving us the check couldn't figure out how to use the coupon and instead of telling us there was a problem they ignored us for over 20 minutes until my fiance walked over to the bar to ask what was going on. So bad, never again
Review Source:This was my 4th or 5th visit and I left disappointed.
All our past visits have been great, service prompt and the food tasty. Â This visit the service was slow and the food was bleh.
Upon arrival, the place was not busy, 2 customers at the bar and another 2 at a table. Â We sat and waited at least 10 minutes before anyone even acknowledged we were there.
SP, I think had the Cab or Zin flight and I the Pinot flight. Â The wine was good, as usual, no complaints there.
We ordered the Bruchetta, which is something that I make at home and love, but when it came out it wasn't Bruchetta at all, it was marinara sauce served with slices of baguette. Â We gobbled it up because we were hungry and it didn't taste horrible, it just wasn't Bruchetta.
Will I go back, yes......will I order the Bruchetta , no........
Hopefully the service will be a little better next time too.
I was pleasantly surprised by this hidden little gem in Alamden. I had no idea it existed (and I've lived in SJ for 25 yrs) until a friend invited. What a cute little place! They have outdoor seating for when the weather is nice and live music some nights- very nice! Great food choices and quality selection of wines. We really enjoyed ourselves!
Review Source:Ok, you may think I am in a cranky pants kind of mood. No I am not. really I am not.
So Unwined is in a on lifesupport strip mall that houses not much else aside from CVS.
Next they lost a star because they are closed on Sundays...I understand cutting hours means less time to pay staff to work and the staff does work ...i think.
Now I have been here a total of 4 times and I would give you the benefit of the doubt if I wasn't inlove with Vintage Wine Merchants and Cava Wine Bar. Seriously, both of these other stores are in more difficult places than you and they still have ambiance and its April you might want to change the rotating message board from your events in March to what is happening in April.
Secondly, by offering a variety of cheeses you might have more success than "the cheese plates are premade" schtik so you are telling me the cheese plates are basically from Safeway deli? Call me crazy but instead of sticking people to the $6.50 per plate why not make it two cheese your choice.
Next the Cesar salad. I love your mom its great that she is working still because Social Security is bankrupt but the whole lettuce and croutons and calling it a Ceasar salad because of the dressing...not cool. not even when its served by your Nana.
The clientel is all the teachers from Leland and housewives that are "waiting for their children" to finish their Kara-tey class because they went to kickboxing earlier so they can indulge in the $16 dollar glass of Pinot which is way past warm .
I actually had a white and if I wanted to I would of had more but the specials highlighted were for the month of March not April.
I will come here but I fear it won't be open up for much longer...Nana needs a day off.
I wrote the first review right after getting home from Unwined. Naturally, I was in a very good mood. A few things are coming back to me....
The service was very slow. The bartenders and everyone else working there was very nice and made sure we had a great experience, but there just weren't enough people to make sure all the customers were taken care of in a timely manner. We did have to wait a long time for our bottle of wine, and our salad, and our food. A few times we did wonder if they forgot about us.
I would still go back because we did have a great time. I do wish the service faster.
Had a <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Frestaurant.com&s=c5fe485af4df376130bee54f875814d79c4d7913e1258123b1206d2bdbf4873b" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://restaurant.com</a> for this place and always wanted to try it since it is literally a block away from my house and finally got to. Â It was a nice experience but definitely could have been better.
What I've Had: Â Brie/Fig Jam, Mandarin Salad, Caesar Salad, Antipasto Plate, Pesto Turkey Panini, Kahlua Cheesecake, Wines
I really liked the fact that there were categories for each wine on the menu and you could taste sets of 3. Â I've never seen that before and thought that was a really nice touch. Â What I think should happen though is at least some sort of a discount if you order the set of 3 which wasn't the case but the wines weren't that expensively priced or anything. Â I ordered the set of Riesling and the one from Germany was absolutely amazing and one that I'll definitely be purchasing on my own even though I'm not a huge drinker. Â One was pretty average and the rose colored one was very good as well.
The food was OK and probably where I was expecting a bit more. Â The antipasto plate was good and tasty but I think a bunch of the stuff was just from the local grocery store and could have been better. Â The brie with fig jam was the BEST thing for sure and why I'll be coming back here. Â Very high quality brie for sure. Â The panini was also very good and the salads were tasty but I like when salads are pre-tossed with the dressing. Â Overall, the food was solid but unspectacular and I really think wine bars that only serve a very limited menu should really work hard to produce a food menu that is really superb. Â Just my 2 cents there.
Atmosphere was nice and cozy and the staff was very friendly and nice and attentive. Â This is a solid wine bar to use a <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Frestaurant.com&s=c5fe485af4df376130bee54f875814d79c4d7913e1258123b1206d2bdbf4873b" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://restaurant.com</a> coupon, get a nice deal and have some nice conversation but there are obviously some higher class options elsewhere. Â Sometimes, however, you'd like to just enjoy some wine and good conversation without all the glitz and glamor.
My cousin and I are members here and have been members for 2 years now. Â We love Leticia, her husband and all of their employees. Â They have great snacks and lots of wines to taste. Â Their prices are fabulous compared to a lot of other wines bars in the area. Â We always have a really great time there. Â During the summer you can even sit out on the patio and bring your puppies. Â
I would also highly recommend having an event at Unwined. Â We held my cousins wedding shower there and it rocked. Â We had rave reviews from all of the guests, not to mention, Leticia was so helpful in making sure that it went off without any problems.
Definitely recommend!
This place is just "meh".
It's in the middle of nowhere in South San Jose. I wouldn't have gone here if it wasn't suggested by someone else. Their flights are a bit on the pricy side and their tastings are PUNY. We all felt so gypped. I did enjoy their antipasto plate (olives, cheeses, meats), but I did not enjoy their service. Our server was a bit unfriendly and not warm at all. She seemed annoyed to have us in there for whatever reason.
Also, their credit card terminal was down so we had to wait for what seemed to be 30 minutes for them to sort out our bill.
So I went here on a Saturday night about 2-hours before they closed. Â There were only a few people in the place, and the wine selection was about average. Â The real saving grace here is that their staff is super nice and welcoming. Â
My date and I took a while ordering and gave them a hard time about their TV channel selection (I think they had the movie Predator on one of them). Â But seriously, who puts on an action movie like that at a wine bar? Â Odd... Â So here's the overall review:
Food / Wine: average (3 out of 5)
Atmosphere: Meh.. Small place, somewhat tastefully decorated with a few TVs in the place which are usually tuned to ESPN (from what the staff says. Â Apparently when Predator isn't on). Â The location in the Almaden Valley is unique, as there aren't too many restaurants or wine bars anywhere near that area.
Price: About average for a wine bar, which is to say overpriced. Â But they gotta make $$ somehow.
I'd go here again if I lived closer, but it's not worth a special trip out there.
My husband & another couple went there last night. Â Service was fantastic. Â We had so much fun! Â I never knew this place existed..thanks yelp!! Â
We loved the wine. Â It feels like a cross between a winery and a small (but classy) bar. Â The music was a nice touch. Â We will definitley go back.
Afterward we hit the restuarant next door (Elements) and had a great dinner there. Â Since everyone had a little too much to drink, we took a cab home and it was only $15. Â
So glad we have options for a nice night out, in Almaden--yeah!!! Â Usually we hit the (boring) Oakridge Mall for dinner out.
I come here almost every 2nd and 4th Thu for Jazz and love love Don Balistreri. The people here are very friendly, not only the staffs but the customers as well.
Great place to catch up with friends over a glass of wine.
Great wine selections and the food is good too.
Great live Jazz playing.
Unwined (my new fabulous local wine bar) has an impeccable selection of red wines and this why they won me over! It's a bit small compared to other wine bars I have gone too but the ambiance and decor is what keeps me coming back (and of course their reds). Once you go inside, you can grab a seat at a few round tables or sit at the bar - I prefer the bar since its near the flat screen TV's. The employees are always friendly and fun (we once chatted about the new website we saw on their tv about <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2FCougarlife.com&s=eaa4f2ed2613fed312fe825af3e2b15c46a0831713def3b3db9e4d1eaeee6a3b" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://Cougarlife.com</a> - I'm serious; young dudes can find cougars in our area now.... Oh jeez...) I definitely recommend this place to people who know their wine pretty well and loved trying different varietals - you must try their flights; a little taste of all their outstanding picks!
Review Source:Very impressive establishment with reasonable prices. Â A comfortable, unpretentious, yet knowledgeable atmosphere. Â My boyfriend and I wanted a light meal with some interesting wines and that's just what we got. Â I had the Zin flight and he had the Old World Chardonnay flight in nice size tasting glasses - very important to me as a sommelier. Â Our order was mixed up a little but the server made everything right with a complimentary taste. Â
For food, we shared a cheese dish appetizer with yummy Dutch crunch bread and then shared two 'large plates' - a Mandarin salad and a pesto, turkey, swiss, sun dried tomato panini. Â Just the right amount of food. Â I was satisfied but not stuffed - kinda the way I feel when I travel in Europe...a healthy way to eat. Â We will definitely be going back on a regular basis!
Not bad, not great. Very pricey for a wine bar. Came here with a friend and she seems to really like it, but I got a weird vibe from the lady working behind the counter. No complaints on the wine though. Not a great place for a younger crowd, but in Almaden you can't really expect that.
Review Source:What a wonderful selection of wines, and such great service! My friend and I came here from the other side of town expecting it to be dead on Sunday, but it was packed because of a fundraiser event they were having.
Despite the huge crowd swelling up, we experienced very attentive service during our entire visit while we sat at the bar. We ordered about 8 tastes and an appetizer between the both of us. They kept bringing us more bread (good thing too, we needed it). With each taste, they gave us a new glass, which is nicer than and different from winery visits. The owners of the place (husband and wife) were so helpful and very pleasant to talk to! It's a bit of a drive coming from north San Jose just to go to a wine bar, but we will definitely be back with more friends! :)
A little treasure of Almaden, this bar-shaped wine lounge used to be an Ice cream store. Â Now fitted in swathes of medium bodied wood, and hosting live jazz in the evenings, it carries a selection of reasonably priced wines for by the glass consumption, as well as pricier selections available for in house imbibing (with a corking fee) as well as for take-away goodness.
Friendly, reasonable service does wonders for the mood, though I wish they'd dispense with the television.
Oh, and ask Raul about his name... Â :)
Yeah, I am kinda getting bored with these same ol' same ol' wine bars. You get some random art, a few viney touches, throw in some generic furnishings, and voila - You're in business and here come the cougars!
I am disappointed that there wasn't more of an experience involved. There was no sharing of tasting notes or anything like that without some prodding from me and then it was still very minimal. Seriously, the reason wines are offered in small tasting sizes is so you can try several wines while enjoying the different stories or tasting notes that go along with them.
This felt more like a cougar den/ bar to me.
On a positive note, the guy behind the counter was trying his best to be helpful even though he seemed quite busy and he was definitely the best looking decoration in the place.
Unwined... a perfect name for a great place to relax and sample a flight of wine or a glass or two. Â In addition, they have great cheese plates and tapas, that are visually appealing at extremely reasonable prices. Â My girlfriend and I really enjoyed our two flights: the Bordeaux Blend and the New World Chardonnay. Â Also, we thoroughly enjoyed the triple cream brie with fig orange jam and the Gouda with Gruyere. Â We spent a long time lounging and sipping our wine, nibbling our cheeses. Â Everyone working was attentive and genial, we almost didn't want to leave... Â This is a great little place that I hope is very successful.
Review Source:One of the gems of Almaden Valley. Â I recall when I was in middle school, this location used to be an ice cream store called Mela Magees (major spell check here) and then an ice cream store called Sweet Retreat. I love that it is now a lovely wine bar that I can visit whenever I visit my parents. The couple who own this wine bar are extremely friendly and helpful. I've been able to try some very unique and tasty wines here paired with some of their assorted cheese and small plate offerings. A recent find was the Crist family Meritage which I really enjoyed. They even serve cheesecakes from Charlie's cheesecakes (a local favorite). On Wednesday nights, this place offers great tasting opportunities with wineries in the past like Ridge and Silver Oak.
On a side note, I come here often with friends and observe that we are usually out of the age demographic attributed to the average customer - which is completely fine because we always have a great time!
We live in Almaden so we are very happy to have Unwined!
Great little place to catch up with your spouse over a glass or two of wine. The waiter always remembers us and we've only been there twice! We usually end up running in to someone from the the neighborhood which seems unusual these days.
Great selection of wine. They typically will have a Jazz trio or something on weekends.
Wonderful, down to earth wine bar. Â It feels like a neighborhood place to mingle with the locals and share reviews of the wines. Â They have a wonderful selection of wines and it feels so comfortable to be here. Â
Dining tip ... a great place to visit if you have just come from dinner at Elements next door. Â Great way to top off the evening
This is a great place to go after eating dinner next door at Elements. I went on a Saturday and there was a great live Jazz band playing. We shared three tasting flights, the pinot noir, red blends and the local reds, the last two were the best! Service was a bit slow, but we were really in no hurry. They also have two flat screen tv's with sports on, just in case the man needs to catch up on something! My only beef? Unwined closes at 10!
Review Source:Dan and his wife are great. Â They staff are very knowledgeable about the wines. Â They have lovely events and a good selection of small plates to chose from. Â I learned of this location for our Master Sommelier instructor who often sets out looking for a particular wine that is local and not on the Peninsula.
One Sunday, I go in and check it out. Â I actually passed it once not thinking it was in a small mall. Â I really enjoyed my visit here, enough to return on several occasions. Â I have always met nice people here and shared good conversations. Â Their wine tastings are really fun. Â
This is a quaint styled wine bar in San Jose off the beaten path. Â Definitely worth checking out.
I love this wine bar. The owners are great and the staff is very helpful. They have a good selection of wine that changes periodically. The menu is mostly appatizer plates. I've had most of the cheese plates and the best is the one with blue cheese. The best night to go is Saturday when they have live music. They have artwork from local artists on the walls that are for sale. I would have loved to take a few pieces home with me. It is a little hidden away in a strip mall, but don't let the outside scare you away. If you are looking for a place for a date night or a place to meet up with friends this place is great!
Review Source:Very cute little wine shop/tasting bar in Almaden Valley situated in a strip mall next to some restaurants and a supermarket. Â From the outside, it doesn't seem to be much, but once you walk in, it's a completely different story.
A couple of friends and I stopped in hoping to do some wine tasting and cheese eating. Â However, they had a benefit event going on and the place was pretty full. Â Although the bar was still open to the public, we didn't want to intrude on the event. Â Instead, we ended up just checking out the selection of wine they had and spoke with the owner for a bit. Â The owner is a very nice guy who will help you out with selecting the wines based on your specific interest. Â The wine selection here is limited, but the selection they have is great. Â
Just like Kelly P. mentioned, they do have a bunch of little vino souvenirs up front, but nothing too drastic. Â Just some wine bottle corks, openers, etc. Â I didn't get a chance to go into the bar and tasting area, but the walls were all painted with grapes and a wine theme. Â The decor is very nice and has a quaint, homey feeling to it.
I'll definitely come back sometime to get some wine tasting in.
The owner mentioned that they have Wine Tasting events every Wednesday and Jazz sessions on Fri and Sat.
Hidden wine bar in a strip mall in San Jose? Love it! Especially the name, I could "unwine" here anytime. Stopped by here with the boy after a great meal at next door Elements restaurant.
Ordered a flight of the Sauvignon Blancs ($12) and a flight of the Unique Reds ($18). Out of the two, we liked the Chilean white and the Spanish Red the best, but all of the selections were pretty interesting, and good pours. For dessert with our wine, we decided on the Manchego and Parmesan cheese plate, which came with delicious blanched almonds, figs, french bread and apricot jam.
The bartender, Cesar, is super friendly and knowledgeable about the wines, and encouraged us to come to the next tasting (they different tastings/events daily). For future reference, he mentioned tastings run about $15-20 each but you get great pours on their special featured vinos.
Don't be turned off by the Frass-Valley/Sutter home souvenir shop at the front of the store, or the overwhelming cougar-skewed crowd at the bar (you're in SJ, afterall) this place is definitely worth visit, even if it's a ways off your beaten path.
I stumbled on this Wine Bar when I had an hour to kill last week. Â It opened up in June. Â It's very nice, and the owners are friendly and helpful. Â They have a great selection of wines to drink or taste. Â You can taste their pre-selecting "flights" (group of three wines) or mix and match your own. Â And then take home a bottle of your favorite. Â Check it out!
Four stars instead of five because sometimes the service was a little slow.
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