Last night we were invited to The Grape in Raleigh for their Wednesday night Grape Crush wine flight tasting. Instead of the traditional experience, however, we were treated to a hand-picked wine flight by the owner, Thomas Sergio. We spoke on topics as diverse as tankers full of Yellowtail (bad), haunted cellars (spooky), and gritty, earthy, old world reds (divine).

An interesting aspect is the way they divide up the wines. Every wine is given a number from 1-10, with most wines falling in the 1-6 range. Wines are categorized by their fullness and body, so the whites are typically 1-3 and the reds 4-6. Sweet wines are 7, sparking wines are 8, and all varieties for special occasions are 9s and 10s.

Not only does this place have 120(!) wines by the glass, the small-portioned plates (don’t call it tapas!), cheeses, and desserts are excellent. The complimentary appetizers out on the bar for the wine flight tastings were a spicy hummus that even Eric liked, a tomato balsamic salad, and a cheese and fruit tray. We also sampled the chocolate fondue that took the typical fruit offering a bit further with toasted s’mores, macaroons, and blondies.

The Grape also has a retail shop within the restaurant, so the glass of wine you just enjoyed can come home with you in bottle form for it’s regular retail price. Their unique “3Sum” or 3 bottle discount is great—for those of us who are running out of space to put our ever growing collection of wine. (ahem.)

Thomas did an amazing job of picking out three delicious wines (whites for Eric, reds for me) based on what we told him our tastes were. I’m just happy I could explain myself beyond a “spicy medium-bodied red.” :)

We’ll be back.

Leandra’s flight: Nell Pinot Noir, Tempus Alba Preludio Tempranillo, Javier Asensio Reserva 2000 (Merlot)

Eric’s flight: Austin Hope Roussanne (bought a bottle of this), Treana White, Oriel Palatina (Riesling), Latour Chimay Pouilly-Fuisse (a nicely complex chardonnay)