There’s a reason that Winebelly, a relatively unassuming little place in South Austin regularly lands on lists of the best wine bars in the city or country. Most recently listed by Timeout Austin and previously by Wine Enthusiast magazine, Winebelly deserves its spot on every one. I simply can’t resist a nicely priced list, so Winebelly does it for me in that regard. But, there is far more to it for the not so cheap crowd. They have a full range of whites, reds, rosés and sparkling wines. From old world to new, and from familiar to novel, they have it covered. My husband and I just went this past Monday and not knowing that it was half price bottle day, I had to question whether the list placed in front of us showed prices by the glass or the bottle. I wanted to shriek with joy when I was informed that the $14-$26 prices were for the BOTTLE. All day Sunday and Monday, Winebelly offers a rotating, special list of half priced bottles. One might expect such a list to have two reds, two whites and a rosé, but this list was a full-page and included mostly old world selections from France to Italy and Spain, but also had a Moroccan Syrah, a Moravian Rivaner and a Gruner Veltliner from New Zealand. At these prices, one can take a tour of new countries and grapes. Perhaps bring a friend or two so that you don’t have to finish the multiple bottles that you can afford by yourself.
Winebelly has a full menu of tapas, and during happy hour (4-6 PM Tuesday-Thursday) there are nine $5 bar snacks to be had with the $5 glasses of house wine. We always start with the marinated olives and roasted nuts for a salty, savory beginning to our meal. Next up were tasty little anchovies simply garnished with a salsa verde that made us feel as if we were at a tapas bar in Barcelona or San Sebastian. And, for our larger plates we chose the broccolini and the Arctic Char. The broccolini was a hearty and well-balanced dish with perfectly grilled broccolini topped with a silky mozzarella ball and sprinkled generously with golden raisins and breadcrumbs. This was a perfect pair for the bottle of “Flying Solo” Grenache Blanc and Viognier blend from the Languedoc. Simple citrus notes with a silky and round mouthfeel complemented the texture of the mozzarella and the slight sweetness of the raisins. We finished the meal with the Arctic Char. It was gorgeously presented with crispy skinned fish atop carrots nestled in a celery root puree. Sprinkled about were brussel sprout leaves providing a touch of bitterness as well as microgreens and salmon roe for saltiness.
Against our better judgment, a second bottle was ordered, this time a red, Figure Libre Freestyle Rouge from Pays D’Oc IGP. A bit of a southern French kitchen sink blend, this wine is predominantly Syrah, with Grenache, Carignan, and Mourvedre. It had dark red and black fruit flavors in addition to green herbal notes often known as “garrigue” in Southern France. Structurally, it featured a smooth mouthfeel with nicely integrated tannins. The intent was to take the remainder of this bottle home, but we made a friend at the bar and very shortly found the bottle to be empty. Next Monday, perhaps we’ll show a bit of restraint, or perhaps we’ll instead end with one of their many dessert wine offerings paired with a chocolate mousse or the fig bread pudding.
