After passing Vine & Table hundreds of times on my way to and from work, I finally stopped in here on a random weekday and found out there’s more than just your basic wines and cheeses in this store!
Once you enter the building, you have the option to go into the Food section on the left-hand side of the store or the Wine & Spirits section on the right-hand side. Once inside either one of those sides, both sides connect and have common checkout counters.
During my first visit to Vine & Table, I intended to both check out the store and ask about two specific wines that I like and had only been able to find thus far in the Vino Volo locations in various airports. After walking in, I was immediately greeted by a store employee and asked him about two specific wines, but after checking a few databases, both wines appeared to be specific to Vino Volo, and unavailable to other retailers.
Determined to still get a wine or two to try while I was there, I then was given a brief tour of the shop and ended up buying just a couple of bottles. I briefly walked through the food section before leaving, noticed some interesting wine-infused cheeses that would be fun to try, and also made a mental note that they have some nice pre-made gift baskets that would make fantastic last-minute gifts. At checkout, I learned that there was a store-wide tasting event coming up soon, and made a note to attend.
The Tasting Event
My second visit to Vine & Table was during the tasting event, and the place was packed! There were so many people there, I had to park in a separate lot and walk over. I had envisioned maybe 15 or 20 people sampling several bottles of wins at a couple of tables, but this was more of a wine festival than just a tasting event. There were literally hundreds of different kinds of spirits (not just wine) available to sample all across the store, with each sampling table manned by representatives that were very knowledgeable about the products and were able to recommend specific samples based on other brands you like.
After the first few samples, I definitely figured out that I had to pace myself in order to make it to all of the drinks I wanted to try. Of the items I sampled, my favorite under $20 picks were the Anna Codorniu Brut Rosé & the Innocent Bystander Pink Moscato — both on the fairly sweet side. My favorite of the day was the Ruinart Blanc de Blanc Champagne, but at $80, I decided to save that purchase for a special occasion. I also ended up purchasing some things I already knew I liked, like the Rhinegeist Bubbles Rosé Ale.
I waited until after I had gotten through all of the wines, beers and mixed drink samples before continuing on to the food samples. There was a variety of breads, crackers, spreads, cheeses, and chocolates to try, and I honestly didn’t taste any food samples that I didn’t like. I even found a new favorite snack in the Fig & Cocoa Spread on top of Oat Crackers with a piece of brie.
After the event, I now have a new list of affordable wines, and I was happy to have had the opportunity to sample some more expensive brands to keep in mind for special occasions. If you haven’t visited Vine & Table, I’d highly recommend a trip during one of their special events (check their Facebook page for dates and times) to try some new foods & spirits, as well as have a great time increasing your knowledge about wineries and breweries local to Indiana.
