52 New: #14 D'Vine Wine Tasting

Week twenty-one of 2021 and ideally I wanted to be blogging my twenty-first new thing.  Instead I am on new thing number fourteen.  I'm a little behind.  Big things have been happening.  My oldest son Graduated from High School.  My husband and I celebrated our twenty-first wedding anniversary.  My sister-in-law, brother-in-law, and my nephew were in town visiting.   The timeline on my 52 New Things List hit a temporary bump in the road.  But, I leaned into my goal with a recent date night, when Isom and I experienced Kailua Towns version of a wine tasting.  

New Thing number 14, Wine Tasting at D'Vine Kailua Wine Bar.  Hawai'i is known for many things---chocolate, coffee, scenic beaches, beautiful flowers, the spirit of Aloha, but grapes/vineyards/wineries...not so much.  I was excited to learn that there are more Wineries on O'ahu than I previously thought.  And although D'vine Wine Bar offers wine tastings, it is not really a winery.  In pre-covid times, it was a self serve/self pour experience.  Patrons would pay by the ounce or glass and were able to taste and sample wines from around the world.  

Now, however, nothing is self serve.  I prefer the new method.  We made our reservations ahead of time and on Sunday night we headed to the windward side to sip some wines.  Isom tends to prefer red wines so we decided to taste from two different "Wine Flights".  Between the two of us we sampled small tasters of seven different reds.  We tried varieties from Spain, France, Italy, Washington state, California, and Oregon.  From Chianti to Bordeaux to Merlot to Pinot.  Red, red, red, red, red!

Of course no wine tasting would be complete without cheese, chocolate, and fruit.  Luckily there was a Charcuterie sampler available to keep us nibbling while we wine tasted.  There are other food items on the menu, but we stuck to sample size snacks to go with our sample size wines.  

Overall, our experience was fun.  D'Vine was the perfect place for a date night.  Our service was great, the wines (even the ones that weren't my favorite) were enjoyable, and for a Sunday night wine flight in Hawai'i, I thought we got pretty close to having a true wine tasting experience.  For all the Sideways fans out there, it won't compare to that, but you can still have some fun (minus Paul Giamatti).  Since we won't be traveling to Napa in the near future, this community wine bar hit the spot for us.  We got to travel the world via wines...and extra bonus, without having to set foot in an airport.  

The favorite wine for me was the Seven Hills Merlot from Walla Walla Valley, Washington.  I loved trying this new (to us) place and sampling new (to me) red wines.  New place, new wine, new thing number fourteen was a success.  (And lucky Isom got to come along for the ride.)  

If you find yourself in Kailua or in need of a wine fix, I recommend stopping in to D'Vine.  You will no doubt leave feeling happier than when you walked in.  And whether you are a white wine lover or a red wine lover, D'Vine will definitely have something to suit your taste.  D'Vine is the perfect atmosphere for a girls night out, a date night, or participating in one of their many special events...I'm ready to go back for Sangria Saturday...or Winedown Wednesday.  

Cheers to new things.  Cheers to celebrating all the big (and not so big) moments in life.  Cheers to wine tasting in Kailua.  Cheers to a pre-anniversary date night with Isom.  Cheers to YOU if you stop in to D'Vine Wine Bar!

The Details:

What: D'Vine Kailua Wine Bar

Where: 573 Kailua Road #106, Kailua, Hawai'i 96734

Hours: Sunday 2 p.m. - 8 p.m., Monday - Thursday 4 p.m.- 9 p.m., Friday/Saturday 2 p.m. - 9 p.m.

Phone: 808-762-3996

Website: www.dvinekailua.com

Instagram: @dvinekailua

"Accept what life offers you and try to drink from every cup.  All wines should be tasted; some should only be sipped, but with others, drink the whole bottle." ~Paulo Coelho