Rare is the wine bar with a friendly, youthful vibe and a soundtrack featuring Pearl Jam. Rarer still is the concept here: The bar is also a shop, and if a customer wants to buy a glass before taking home a bottle, no problem. Servers open it up, pour it, and write its name on the wall so others can also sample.

Non-aficionados might be intimidated by the idea of a wine bar, but BottleRock provides the perfect setting for learning. The basic wine list, printed on one thick sheet of paper, has wines from $5 to $15 per glass. Choosing a flight of wines from this list (three wines for $12) is a good conversation starter, perfect for keeping things going on a date. The owners and sommeliers are knowledgeable, friendly and more than willing to help out newbies: Ask for a flight of red and a flight of white and theyll set you up perfectly. Some of our favorite wines were also the most inexpensive, such as the always popular Jip Jip Rocks Shiraz from Australia, at only $5 per glass. Of course, for those who want to branch out, there's a huge wine list available, with equally huge prices. There are also plenty of upscale bar snacks such as terrine, anchovies, charcuterie and cheese. The choices are substantial enough that a full dinner could be created: Try the avocado and gouda panini. Service was a bit slow on our first trip, but that's a new-restaurant kink that's easy to solve. —Katherine Spiers