Bubbles & Wines

Bubbles & Wines is a great example of why it is so valuable to research a city online before visiting. Tucked away in a little alley, we would have never happened upon this swanky Amsterdam hangout had we not read online about someone else's visit there.

We’re always up for a little bubbly, and Bubbles & Wines had everything we could want in a champagne bar: a good selection, cool vibe and tasty nibbles.

According to their website, Bubbles & Wines is one of the first wine bars in Holland to use the Enomatic System, which means that upon opening, a bottle is put into the system vacuum. After each pouring, a small amount of nitrogen is introduced into the bottle to keep the wine free from oxygen. This process preserves the integrity of the wine and means that you can safely order from the "by the glass" menu, since nothing is worse than paying ten bucks for wine by the glass only to get something that is oxidized. Okay, maybe it isn't the worst thing, but you get the drift.



The bar is long and narrow, with low tables in the front and cocktail rounds in the back. From our place at the bar we had a perfect view of the "kitchen": a small refrigerator and microwave.


Champagne flight - 19,50 euro

Billecart-Salmon Brut Reserve, Mareuil-sur-Ay, France
Pommery Wintertime Blanc de Noirs, Reims, France
Veuve Clicquot Rosé , Reims, France

Champagne turns any moment into a celebration, and when I saw my fave, Veuve Cliquout, on the menu, I wanted to toss some confetti in the air. Who needs water when you have a flight like this in front of you? I simply love the Rosé's coppery pink tone and refreshing sparkle.


Pinot Noir wine flight - 13,50 euro

Louis Jadot Couvent des Jacobins, Burgundy, France, 2004
Salentein, Mendoza, Argentina, 2003
Walter Schug, Carneros, U.S.A., 2005

J really liked the one from California because it reminded him of Domaine Drouhin from Oregon and had that green, leafy marijuana smell. (After all, we were in Amsterdam, right?)


An assortment of Dutch and foreign cheeses, served with fig, hazelnut and raisin bread - 13,50 euro

With selections from Holland, Switzerland and England, this cheese plate was amazing, especially when coupled with a glass of Kopke Colheita Port (7,50 euro, photo not available--we drank it too fast).



Buzzed and giddy, we stumbled out of Bubbles & Wines in the early hours of the morning, when the coffee shop next store was still going strong. As we began our walk back to the hotel, we snagged this photo of the bikes lined up outside. If you have been to Amsterdam yourself then you know how positively gorgeous and supermodel-esque the locals manage to look on these old, rusty cycles. I can imagine that even after a few glasses of bubbly, they still look cool on their way home, whereas we probably looked like stumbling, mumbling idiots.

The charge for Bubbles & Wines just went through our checking account the other day, and though the dollar is so weak, I still can't believe our tab by the end of the night was only $97. It is probably a good thing that we don't have access to Bubbles & Wines on a regular basis: we'd be broke.

Bubbles & Wines
Nes 37
Amsterdam, Netherlands
info@bubblesandwines.com

Technorati Tags: Amsterdam - Wine Bar - Champagne Bar - Bubbles & Wines - Gourmand Syndrome