Photo by Marie Leonard
Photo by Marie Leonard
Photo by Marie LeonardA love for good wine and food inspired partners Luis Gomez, Jaime Ramirez and Amy Vasquez to open d'Vine Wine Bar nearly five years ago in Cypress Village Station at Skinner Road and Hwy. 290. Although there are other options in the area, none provide the full dining experience and wine bar concept like d'Vine Wine does, Vasquez said.
"A lot of the places to go to in this area are big chain restaurants, and we wanted to bring something a little more unique to the area," Gomez said. "A lot of people who want to go somewhere nice have to go to midtown or downtown, so we're trying to bring some of that eclectic feel here."
The owners like to get to know visitors who come to the wine bar on a more personal level, which they believe sets them apart.
"Everybody who comes here says it's like the high-end 'Cheers,'" Gomez said.
To select the hundreds of bottles of wine on display at d'Vine Wine, Gomez, Vasquez and Ramirez do wine tastings with suppliers and winemakers about three times a week. The wine bar offers different varietals at all price points from various regions around the world.
"Every bottle of wine we have has been hand-selected by Luis and myself because we think they are the best wines we can give to our guests," Ramirez said. "Although Cypress is still developing, we've found a lot of our guests are into wine—they love it and are very knowledgeable."
The wine bar is still an option for those who are not big wine drinkers, as the bartenders and owners can help visitors pick a glass they can enjoy.
"That's the most fun, when you have a novice wine drinker," Ramirez said. "We have such a versatile wine selection for all palates, being able to introduce different wines to new wine drinkers is what makes it fun for us."
More than 30 different wines are offered by the glass at d'Vine Wine, and guests can first try a sample before committing to the whole glass.
"We never want to serve a glass of wine that you won't enjoy, so we always taste everyone on the wine before we serve a glass—try before you buy," Gomez said.
d'Vine Wine Bar also offers a full dinner menu in addition to its vast wine selection, including salads, tapas, flatbreads and entre options. Favorites range from the jumbo lump crab cakes to the blackened pork chop to the cilantro mussels. Lighter bites, such as cheese trays, salads and ceviche, are also on the menu. Tableside bananas foster is a sweeter favorite, along with the crme brulee, which has been on the menu since the wine bar opened, Vasquez said.
"We are happy to be here and serve good food and wine," Ramirez said.
New caf concept
The owners of d'Vine Wine Bar plan to open a second business in the same shopping center later this spring.
Hanan's Caf will offer the gourmet coffee experience with breakfast, lunch and dinner items that reflect a farm-to-table experience. There will be a core menu, but the owners hope to switch the items up and frequently bring in new and healthy items and dishes for customers.
Locker Member Club
VIP members of d'Vine Wine's Locker Club have a space at the wine bar in which to keep their own wine bottles purchased from the bar. The wine bar hosts monthly member's locker tastings during which members have the opportunity to taste six to eight wines to add to their lockers.
"They buy the wine from us, store it in their lockers and then whenever they come in they can grab whatever bottle they want," partner Jaime Ramirez said.
Special events
Social Hour
Every weekday from 4–6:30 p.m., d'Vine Wine Bar has specials on wine and tapas. House cabernet, pinot noir, chardonnay, pinot grigio and sparkling wine are available for $5 per glass. There are eight different tapas—small plates of shareable food—available for $5 each as well.
Wine dinners
Every other month, d'Vine Wine plans wine dinners that are hosted by wine makers from around the world. Each glass of wine is paired with a different course designed specially for the event, and guests get the opportunity to visit with the winemaker throughout the evening.
d'Vine Wine Bar
25202 Hwy. 290
Cypress 281-213-4656
www.dvine-winebar.com
Hours: Mon.–Thu. 4–11 p.m., Fri. 4 p.m.–midnight, Sat. 4 p.m.–1 a.m.
