Blonde wood, dim lighting and an abundance of wine beckon visitors to stay, drink and repeat at Brecksville's 750ml Wine Bar. A floor-to-ceiling wooden wine rack stretches an entire wall and showcases some of the boutique and bar's more than 1,000 selections from throughout the world. "I wanted to create that Napa Valley experience, with clean lines, light wood, intimate setting and a carefully curated wine selection," says co-founder Karla Walters, whose honeymoon to the California wine region inspired the opening of the first 750ml five years ago in Akron. Prices begin in the teens (from a Clos Du Val chardonnay at $19.99) and venture into the hundreds (Bond Estates cabernet in the mid-$400s). If you can't decide, just ask the sommelier for suggestions or try the One Three sauvignon blanc ($24.99) — a Walters' favorite made exclusively for 750ml by Napa's Buoncristiani brothers, who stem from a long lineage of Italian winemakers. "A lot of guests say that they feel like they've been transported to another place because of our West Coast feel," Walters says. 8903 Brecksville Road, Brecksville, 440-526-8100, 750mlwines.com
Grape Expectations
Sip and savor the fruit of the vine at one of these five local wine bars.
SWIRL WINE BAR / Each Monday, this bucolic spot harbored in an 1850s house in Solon's historic district sells any bottle of wine at approximately its wholesale value, which can be 30 to 50 percent off the regular price. 33325 Bainbridge Road, Solon, 440-349-6900, swirlsolon.com
87 WEST / With Monday ladies' night ($4 house wines), Wednesday date night (appetizer, two entrees and a bottle of wine for $40) or all-day Sunday happy hour ($4 house wines, $4 small plates), you'll be a regular at this Crocker Park destination in no time. 287 Crocker Park Blvd., Westlake, 440-250-2334, 87west2.com
BATTERY PARK WINE BAR / Set beneath the smokestack of a remodeled battery factory, this upscale location invites you to loiter on Tuesday during an all-night happy hour (3-11 p.m.). The $5 pours of rotating white and red options are generous, with at least 6 ounces of vino swirling in your glass. 7524 Father Frascati Ave.,Cleveland, 216-631-9463, batteryparkwinebar.com
LA CAVE DU VIN / Come here for a candlelit, romantic rendezvous. Choose from a list of 50 rotating wines, ranging from a popular Cleebourg Gewurztraminer Alsace ($7 per glass) to the more unique, effervescent Cascina Ca'Rossa Birbet ($7 per glass) grown in a Northern Italy estate vineyard. 2785 Euclid Heights Blvd., Cleveland Heights, 216-932-6411, lacaveduvin.com
D'VINE WINE BAR / Drink in downtown's energy at this streetside Warehouse District spot while toggling between the four glasses of your wine flight selection ($15-$18). Twenty-five whites and 42 reds from throughout the world are included in the 15 different flight combinations. 836 W. St. Clair Ave., Cleveland, 216-241-8463, dvinewinebar.com
