If you want to get a feel for what dining in California’s wine country is all about, you don’t have to fly 3,000 miles or spend $500 on airfare. Just travel up Route 3 North to Exit 4 in Nashua and head to Murphy Drive. Once there, take your first left in the industrial park and head to Napa East Wine Lounge & Shop. It doesn’t look so enticing from the outside, but inside is a totally different story. The airy, comfortable lounge and wine bar, where 100 California reds and whites are displayed on tap – that’s right, on tap – will stimulate your senses and get those taste buds active. This is a serious wine place without the intimidation factor; it’s a place to learn about good wine and have fun.
The Wine Novice took a surprise expedition to Napa East in early May. My wife Mary Lee the Wine Goddess and my friend Mike Pigeon, the Wine Butler, went along for the ride not knowing what to expect. Well, this is quite a place. You can get wine by the sip (1 1/2 ounces), by a third of a glass, a half glass, and a full glass. You can sample wines at your palate’s content, starting at $2 a sip and going all the way up to $15 for a taste of the 2008 Cade Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain, which costs $240 a bottle. You can do your own wine tasting with friends, either at the spacious bar or at a table.
The concept is Napa Valley delightful to be sure. More upscale Eastern restaurants are giving customers greater wine choices through the tap system. As Napa East sommelier Christopher Riendeau explains, each bottle on display in a glass-enclosed casing is hooked up to an argon gas system that keeps the wine fresh and vibrant for 60 days. The first sip is guaranteed to taste like the last, he said. We tried several Cabs and they were aromatic and jammy, those deep black currants rolling over the taste buds in velvety style. Yum, yum.
Riendeau is quite a guy himself. He’s a certified sommelier, no easy feat, and is working toward his Grand Sommelier & Food certified rating which will put him in a rare group of talented individuals. He loves pairing wine with food and vice versa. On our visit, Riendeau gave us a nice tip on a Riesling/Viognier blend called Frisk that made our mildly spicy ahi tuna and noodles a superb match.
Napa East has just revamped its menu, adding more tapas style dishes and appetizers for the scores of wines it offers. The main entrees are decidedly Mediterranean, with a great pasta Bolognese. Steak lovers will find a great fillet mignon listed.
Dinner guests are offered an IPad from which they can check out wines and the winemaker’s tasting notes. It’s really helpful and fun to explore the many options.
Napa East also holds winetastings during the week in a special room off the dining area, beaming in California winemakers via satellite TV. Riendeau hosts the events.
There is also a small retail wine shop located on the premises.
Napa East was launched by the Mahoney Family of Lowell, which is another reason to take the 25-minute drive to this very pleasant and unique restaurant. If you mix and match, you can keep the bill below $100 for a couple but that’s hard to do only because there is so much to sample and enjoy. It’s worth a night out. Watch the video for an exclusive Wine Novice tour of Napa East.
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