Wine Travel

Date Night at The Wine Room, Edmonton

This week I am eager to share with you my little slice of heaven on earth.

The Wine Room, located at 10525 Jasper Avenue in Edmonton, is an absolute passion project of the owners and it shows through in every aspect of what they do.

Brody and I were fortunate enough to find this place during one of our weekend getaways when we were still doing long distance, and it became an instant favourite that we return to for many a special occasion.

Whenever we are there, it feels like we are transported to another world, where time stops and wine flows and there’s nothing but romance in the air.

Let me walk you through it, and hopefully I can convince you to check it out if you haven’t already.

The Setting

Walking through their front door is akin to walking through a closet into wine-Narnia. You are immediately removed from the outside world and all of your troubles get left at the door.

There are no windows, and the room is dimly lit. Soft jazz music from times gone by and old show tunes play gently in the background. There’s no need to yell at your dining partner in order to be heard in here, it’s always quiet and serene.

The ceiling is actually one of my favourite aspects of their design plan. I don’t know why, but for me, a good ceiling always shows that extra attention to detail, and this one is one of the best. It’s actually shaped to mimic the inside of a wine barrel, as if you are dining inside of one.

The bar, too, is an example of how far they have taken the theme. It’s supported by old barrels, and the trim is made from what appears to be repurposed wine boxes.

When you take your seat in one of their booths, you will also find that they are spacious, comfortable, and allow for a little bit of privacy from their semi-circular design.

I love the feeling of being tucked away in a little nook inside a wine barrel with my love.

And on your way out, don’t forget to check out the wall beside the door – it’s covered in hand-written notes from winemakers and winery owners who have visited.

The Staff

What’s really nice about the Wine Room is that I’ve never seen it exceptionally busy, which means the staff are able to take the time to talk to you about their *very* extensive wine list and make recommendations if you are feeling completely lost.

As I get better at reading wine lists and recognizing names and regions, I am starting to really enjoy picking out my wines, but often I find myself narrowing it down to a top few and then asking for their advice. I have always loved the results.

Once, Brody was even convinced to order a glass of white (as a strictly red wine drinker at the time), and he actually enjoyed it more than the glass of red he ordered as well! That was the beginning of his journey into white wines and now he enjoys them just as much!

So if you want to dip your toe into a new aspect of wine that you’re not familiar with, maybe you should head over to the Wine Room and see what they’ve got available!

The Food

There are small plates available at the Wine Room, but I am way too obsessed with their charcuterie boards to order anythinge else.

If you know more about specific cheeses and charcuterie than I do, you will have a great time picking out each individual peice to add to your boards, but for me, I like to leave it to the chefs discretion.

Brody and I will choose an amount for the two of us (usually 3 cheeses and 3 meats), and request that they set us up with whatever the chef loves and/or will pair well with the wines that we’ve ordered.

It has been a smash hit every time.

I like to make little charcuterie boards at home but mine will never compare to the decadence of a Wine Room charcuterie board. Never.

The Wine

Okay. This is the real reason you’re here, isn’t it?

The absolute best thing about the Wine Room is their wine list selections. HOLY SMOKES. I have never seen such an extensive wine list IN MY LIFE.

The whole thing is organized on an ipad for your scrolling convenience, and is organized by reds, whites, roses, and by the glass or the bottle.

I love doing smaller pours by the glass so I can try as many different wines as possible while I’m there, but unfortunately on this particular trip their by-the-glass system was down, and we had to order a full bottle instead. Don’t worry though, you can take home whatever you don’t finish (not a problem for us, but hey, some pepole are better at moderation than us).

We decided to opt for “Black Magic”. I had actually heard about this wine a few months ago during a WSET lesson. Our instructor (shoutout Samantha Wall!) mentioned that she had recommended this wine to a previous class and it subsequently sold out! So obviously, I had to try it too.

It’s on the pricier side, sitting at $180 a bottle on their wine list, but we decided to splurge since we weren’t buying 6 individual glasses instead.

What I found really interesting about it was that I was kind of expecting a really big, tannic, meaty, leathery wine based on the name, but what I got was big and very fruit forward. It was practically bursting with rich, ripe red and black fruits. The tannins were super silky and it went down veerrrrryyy well.

All in all, it was another fantastic visit in the books, and I’m already looking forward to going back again. Maybe we will see you there!