There are around 100 wine bars in Washington. The majority are in Seattle, Redmond and Bellvue.
So what defines a wine bar as opposed to just a bar? This is open to interpretation, and can include restaurants and wine shops too. Here is our stab at it:
1. If only "Red Wine" and "White Wine" is on the menu, it's not a wine bar.
2. If there are more beer tap handles than wine bottles in view, it's not a wine bar.
3. If the wine is poured from a bottle out back or from a box, it's not a wine bar.
4. If the wine is served in a shot glass, or poured to the brim, it's not a wine bar. It doesn't have to be in a Reidel, but they must have decent stemware.
5. If you ask what their corkage fee is and they give a blank look, it's not a wine bar.
Note: A tasting room is not a wine bar. Tasting rooms focus on selling wine for one winery. Their objective is to get you to try their wine and buy a bottle or case. A wine bar's objective is to get you to buy a glass, try a flight, order food & socialize.
Excerpt from www.gotastewine.com
