I love wine. Big fan. You know how it goes, you open a book one day and you bite the apple and…read morewoooosh, there's no way back.
Although I now work for an independent wine merchant in Didsbury and am considered a bit of a fussy geek by my friends, I have longed for a good wine bar in Manchester pretty much since I arrived in town over 6 years ago, well before wine was a big thing for me. A few places have attempted it, half-heartedly for some, but none had so far succeeded.
Then came Salut wines, first baby business of a lovely couple who like me love good wine and thought it deserved proper representation in the City Centre. An ambitious project that was, not without hurdles. But tenacity paid off and behold, a superb, clean, warm and welcoming wine bar where odd ins once was.
Enomatic machines a-go-go, 32 wines are available by the glass at any point in (opening) time. That's 16 whites and rosés and 16 reds. Thanks to these machines you can enjoy a vast variety of wines, all of which are way above your house plonk from most pubs/bars/restaurant. And that's not all. 3 measures are available: 50ml, 125ml and 175 ml. The first one is my favourite. I can play to my heart's content and try a lot of wine before it's time to call it a day.
Most wines are between £1.20 and £5 for a glass but you can also try some of the fancier stuff that would NEVER be available by the glass otherwise. Risk-free.
Whilst they do not cater, a range of nibbles and tapas plates are available and it's perfectly suitable for a light lunch or diner. Cheese, cured meats and Mediterranean veggie plates, all made with very good ingredients.
Music is top notch, not your average lounge "elevator" type nor your bass-boosted frenzy. Blues, jazz, pop, electro...
To sum-up, great atmosphere, best wine selection in town, excellent service.
The bottle prices to take away are on the steep side of I'm honest but I'll put that down as the location.