Wine has a way of making us do things that we don’t expect. Get ready to have an unexpected adventure with wine at the Barrel Room.

Wine has a way of making us do things that we don’t expect (we’ll refrain from personal examples). Take Sarah, who was on track to earn her PhD in laser physics at UCLA before she discovered wine and changed the course of her life. Or Nikki, who studied fashion design at Cornell before falling head over heels in love with wine. Or Carolyn, who was considering photography before she, too, fell under the delicious spell of reds, whites and rosés. And thank goodness for the rest of us, these three enterprising ladies finally got together to share the wine love at The Barrel Room, their jointly-owned wine-tasting grotto hidden inside the entrance to the Fitzgerald Hotel.

This is no ordinary wine bar. The Barrel Room ladies set out to showcase interesting wines from around the world, and their specialty is themed flights that will educate and delight tasters on a wide range of wines. They rotate their wine menu every six weeks to show off their stuff, and this month’s “Island” theme includes wines from Corsica and Greece, among other far-away locales highlighted on the handy map tucked inside your menu. And let's not forget the food menu, which features such temptations as chocolate-dipped figs and prosciutto-wrapped dates.

With its antique furniture, glowing fire and mellow ambiance, the Barrel Room is a place for conversation, chillaxing and wine exploration. Sarah says they love to answer questions, whether from a novice wine-tasters or from experts. “This is a place you go to have an experience with wine." As for us, we're happy to have an experience with wine, all night long.

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Menu Highlights:
Corsican exploration flight, $13
Spanish island reds flight, $14
Greek island whites flight, $14
Pesto flatbread with parmesan, roasted red pepper, olives and basil, $8
Prosciutto-wrapped medjool dates with smoked almonds and blue cheese, $8
Figs infused with port wine and dipped in Scharffenberger chocolate, $8

Hours:
Daily, 5 p.m. 'til late