Poco Wine + Spirits ★★☆☆☆I recently walked into Poco Wine + Spirits, a wine bar on Capitol Hill. Between 14th and 15th street on Pine, it’s burrowed amongst apartment buildings and office spaces. It’s easy to miss, unless you’re specifically looking for its sandwich board and it’s lovely outdoor seating area.
Entering Poco’s, you’ll find yourself in a two story bar with local artists artwork on the purple and grey walls. When I went in, I saw these beautiful cityscapes done in a modern day cubism. Coming in off the street, the bar is to the left lined with barstools. It seems like this is the most popular part of the entire place. Looking up, I could see to the second floor. Hanging in the middle of the room are these pretty candle-like fixtures. Walking past the bar and up the stairs, there are even more of these beautiful paintings. Finally at the top of the stairs, there’s an intimate space with a fireplace and several romantic table settings with flickering candles. Poco’s ascetics definitely have the charm for a date night. I first wanted to try the outdoor seating before going upstairs with my friend. Despite the small size, the outdoor patio was quite nice. The low hanging plants were a good touch to make it seem private and the fountain outside of the next door apartment building made me feel like I was in an Italian piazza. To get my first glass of wine, I went up to the bar and asked for a glass of Carménère. I was introduced to this wine about 2 months before this experience and wanted more. I remembered the very interesting fruity/herbal flavors mixing together in a magical way. Because I didn’t know the specific vineyard or winery on the label, I asked the bartender what he thought of it. |
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“Hmmm, I didn’t even know we had this—must be a new wine,” he replied. He went to search for the bottle and did not seem very confident in where it was at. Grabbing the menu to make sure I was saying it correctly and that he was hearing it correctly, he went to search for it again. Finally discovering an opened bottle, he poured me a glass.
I’d like to say this glass of Carménère was like my first experience, but it wasn’t. It tasted like a bottle that had been forgotten about for too long. You know, stale wine that tastes like any other wine with no perceivable flavors?! Not wanting to be rude, I took my glass with me and gulped down as much as I could then finally ordered a glass of Rosé. My friend’s Cabernet Sauvignon had a similar stale taste and ended up returning it for a Malbec.
After getting our new glasses of wine, the wine tasted so much better. The Rosé was dry yet refreshing with notes of citruses and peaches. We transitioned upstairs to finish our drinks and to soak in the relaxing vibes.
It can be difficult to own and operate a good wine establishment. There are just too many opinions about wines. (Hence the term: wine snobs.) However, no matter what one’s flavor profile is, there are essential requirements to a place serving wine:
1) carefully chosen wine selection,
2) properly stored wines, and
3) a knowledgeable/friendly staff
From our experience, Poco Wine + Spirits seems to have a good selection of wines. I have not tasted through their entire selection yet, but from first glance there are many good options for people to choose from. On the other hand, they should work on their wine storage and staff knowledge. I do believe if the Carménère was opened fresh, my experience would have been completely different. Or, if the staff had tried the wine before giving it to me, then he would have instead opened a new bottle or suggested something different.
My experience at Poco Wine + Spirit was below par—not the worst experience at a wine bar/winery and definitely not the best. If you end up strolling by, stop in and try some wine. I would suggest that you try the wines first and ask when the bottles were opened before officially ordering a glass.
If you want to check it out, here is a bit of their info:
Poco’s Wine Bar
1408 E Pine Street
Seattle, WA 98122
http://www.pocowineandspirits.com
206.322.9463
Hours:
Poco is open 4pm until 2:00am daily.
The kitchen is open 5pm-midnight.
Happy hour runs daily until 6:30pm
and also from 10pm-midnight Sunday through Thursday.
I’d like to say this glass of Carménère was like my first experience, but it wasn’t. It tasted like a bottle that had been forgotten about for too long. You know, stale wine that tastes like any other wine with no perceivable flavors?! Not wanting to be rude, I took my glass with me and gulped down as much as I could then finally ordered a glass of Rosé. My friend’s Cabernet Sauvignon had a similar stale taste and ended up returning it for a Malbec.
After getting our new glasses of wine, the wine tasted so much better. The Rosé was dry yet refreshing with notes of citruses and peaches. We transitioned upstairs to finish our drinks and to soak in the relaxing vibes.
It can be difficult to own and operate a good wine establishment. There are just too many opinions about wines. (Hence the term: wine snobs.) However, no matter what one’s flavor profile is, there are essential requirements to a place serving wine:
1) carefully chosen wine selection,
2) properly stored wines, and
3) a knowledgeable/friendly staff
From our experience, Poco Wine + Spirits seems to have a good selection of wines. I have not tasted through their entire selection yet, but from first glance there are many good options for people to choose from. On the other hand, they should work on their wine storage and staff knowledge. I do believe if the Carménère was opened fresh, my experience would have been completely different. Or, if the staff had tried the wine before giving it to me, then he would have instead opened a new bottle or suggested something different.
My experience at Poco Wine + Spirit was below par—not the worst experience at a wine bar/winery and definitely not the best. If you end up strolling by, stop in and try some wine. I would suggest that you try the wines first and ask when the bottles were opened before officially ordering a glass.
If you want to check it out, here is a bit of their info:
Poco’s Wine Bar
1408 E Pine Street
Seattle, WA 98122
http://www.pocowineandspirits.com
206.322.9463
Hours:
Poco is open 4pm until 2:00am daily.
The kitchen is open 5pm-midnight.
Happy hour runs daily until 6:30pm
and also from 10pm-midnight Sunday through Thursday.
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