I happened to score a tour of NYC’s City Winery from the wonderfully informative Ethel Berdah, the restaurant/music venue’s P.R. lady. Below are my top five reasons for loving City Winery.

1.)  The Barrel Room. Right up against the place’s huge windows, this 3o-seat tapas restaurant is an enclosed intimate space just perfect for a quiet dinner for two or a nice cozy-up to a smaller bar.

2.)  The actual barrel room. In the basement of the place Ethel snuck me in to where the actual barrels of wine are stored and also the tap vats. A truly amazing site…with a private dining room beyond for those small, super cool private occasions.

3.)  The variety of wines. Served on tap (something City Winery prides themselves on as it permits them to pour wines straight from the barrel to the glass with no preservatives or added sulfates). With French wine maker David Lecomte, all the Winery’s wines are made on premises in a vat room not to be believed (and one you can see from the front windows).

4.)  The staff. Now this is not something Ethel could have really shown me, but in this beehive of activity-with tight tables and music shows happening-from the wait staff, the people at the door checking names, the bartenders, I have never seen a group of young people so attentive and pleasant.

5.)  The acoustics. Built as it is for concentration of acoustic-based acts, anywhere you sit in the big winery space you are going to hear the performer perfectly…and the site lines are good too. While they do pack people in, it is a comfortable space to raise a glass and enjoy a band or solo performer.

City Winery is located at: 155 Varick Street or check them out here: http://citywinery.com/.