The Bottom Line
Pros
- Casual and non-intimidating
- Reasonably priced
- Several types of wine flights
- Attention to detail and atmosphere
- Nice beer selection
Cons
- Needs more wait staff on patio
- A little stingy with pizza toppings
Description
- Cuisine: Tapas, cheese trays, gourmet pizzas and panini sandwiches
- Type: Wine bar
- Ambiance: Warm, casual and inviting, it is the perfect type of bar for quaint Plymouth
- Service: Knowledgeable
Guide Review - Review: Great Expectations Wine Bar & Merchant in Plymouth
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After the success of the movie Sideways, it should come as no surprise that the new fad in bars following martini and cigar bars is wine-tasting. Grape Expectations in Plymouth proves that wine bars may be more than a passing craze.
The wine bar occupies a tall, narrow space in downtown Plymouth. It is painted in burgundy with large paintings adorning one wall and an enormous wood wine rack lining the other. The bar also has a terrace set high in the back of the lofty space for overflow seating. In summer, however, the terrace is hardly needed because a brick patio sits across the sidewalk from the bar’s front door on Forest Avenue, one of the quieter retail streets in the city. The patio is filled with tables of all sizes, and music lulls the patrons as they order from a menu filled with different types of bruschettas, gourmet pizzas, cheese trays, croquetas and panini sandwiches.
The chicken and brie pizza with sun-dried tomatoes was good, maybe even great when you snagged a bit of the excellent, but too few tomatoes. It was perfect as a snack for two people and to complement the wine.
In the end, though, it is all about the wine. Served in tastes, glasses or bottles, the choice is vast with a well-detailed menu that categorizes the selections. In the case of the wine flights, there are 10 of them distinguished by wine type. Each flight comes with three, 2-ounce servings of wine and costs about the same as a full glass. The "Big Red" flight includes a Shiraz from Australia, Syrah from Sonoma and a red Zinfandel from Amador County, California. With detailed descriptions of each selection listed on the coaster –- think cheat sheet -- you can wine speak with the best sommelier. Tip: Although the Shiraz had “hints of chocolate” that initially sounded intriguing, it paled in comparison to the red Zinfandel.
