Wine Affairs

Full disclosure: I worked here for a few months & loved it. IT may seem like the focus is wine but there's really just as much great beer to be had here. 12 taps with Pliny & Double Jack almost always available & fresh, plus they've really started to step up their game and get some rarer kegs every once in a while. You'll see a good mix of hoppy stuff, classic Belgians, pale ales, etc. that change with the seasons. The staff is pretty up on their beer & make good recommendations, plus proper glasses are usually used if possible. You can also buy around 60 beers in bottles to have there or to go ($5 off for bombers), despite what the place page says above. The place is pretty relaxed, 2 TVs usually playing sports and medium volume music, never too loud. The crowd is fairly young but a good mix of beer & wine people, pretty friendly overall. A great place to come after a Sharks game or with a significant other for the monthly beer & wine tastings. Food is small plates but a class above most pub grub & not too pricey. Definitely come for happy hour & beerfest on the last Monday of every month. A great spot for beer in the south bay that keeps getting better.

 

 

 

Wine Affairs has a tremendous amount of potential. The space is interesting, with high ceilings, a long bar, some tables and several booths with comfortable seating. The food is quite decent tapas-style small plates (the panini sandwiches were excellent). Unfortunately the atmospere is marred by the presence of two large TVs mounted above the bar broadcasting sports. The overall atmosphere, food and drink selection is about the farthest thing from a sports bar, so the TVs seem incongruous at best. Why does it seem that practically every bar or restaurant in San Jose (with the exception of Teske's and Trials) has to make itself into a sports bar to get patrons?! The service also leaves a bit to be desired - but they may just have been short-staffed on the night I went.

The real reason to go here is the beer and wine selection. They have both beer and wine tastings every week and you can join a beer or wine club and receive special monthly offerings each month. The wine offerings are very diverse and broad and the beer selection includes some of the best domestic and import craft breweries. The high point? They take $5 off the bottle price for anything over 375ml that you take away. I bought a bottle of Rodenbach Grand Cru, a bottle of Rue Saison from The Bruery, and a bottle of Stone's Cali-Belgique to take home. With dinner I had Firestone's Double Jack IPA, Delirium Noel and He'Brew's Jewbilation 15, all from the tap. I'll be going back, although possibly just to buy some bottles to take home. To enjoy with friends absent the distraction of a TV...

This is fast becoming one of the best beer spots in the south bay. Taps were recently expanded to 10, and they have a good bottle selection on top of that. They are always getting different beers, with the only staples being Trumer Pils and Pliny. They also have beer tastings each Monday, which are free if you're a beer club member. I'm a member and get 3 22oz bombers a month.
Atmosphere is more wine-ish than beer-ish, but not snobby. Two TV's always have local sports teams on. I've found the patrons to be easy to talk to, especially on a tasting night.