Yn Wine Cafe

Ah… what I consider the best wine bar in town.
They have flights… a nice selection… staff is engaging and the lighting is sexy.
Small in size, yet big on all the things that matter in a wine bar.

Cozy little wine bar hidden behind 131 Main on East Blvd. What a find… a great place to chill and relax — it has that wine cellar feel to it. The wine selection was good — can get pricey so pay attention to what your ordering. They have $ 5 apps from 5 to 7 Monday thru Friday from 131 Main — I recommend the artichokes huge huge portion and they were amazing. Tuesdays they have $ 6 and $ 10 glasses of wine and on Mondays half price bottles and on Sundays all their weekly specials are available… I think that is a pretty cool idea. They pretty much have a deal 7 days a week so check them out of the web. I’ll be a regular here I’m sure of it :)

I like tucked away spots that stay hidden from the masses but still put the Q in quality for what they’re serving. Yn is exactly this, particularly given that it’s front door is actually in the parking deck and it has no street frontage.
Like the literal pronunciation of its name suggests, this is primarily a wine bar with a small but well-​cropped selection of wines across the spectrum: sparkling, white and red. You can get a half glass, full glass, or just buy the whole bottle. There are also a number of flights available if you want just want to discover.
I have found all the servers to be knowledgeable about their wines and adaptable to your level of wine expertise. Even if you don’t know exactly what you want, if you can describe your preference they can find a suitable fit amongst their stock. That’s usually lacking in a lot of restaurant service, so I’m glad to see it here.
I also have been impressed with the appetizers and small bite selection offered. Yn shares the kitchen with 131 Main, so many items are crossovers. I’m a big, big fan of their Double Dip, which is composed of a house-​made pimento cheese dip and guacamole served alongside crispy tortilla chips. I usually hate pimento cheese, but this stuff is creamy and punchy– a definite step up from any store-​bought spread. Given that all apps are just $ 5 from 5 – 7, this is a must stop for after work drinks. They can also get you just about anything off the 131 menu, don’t be afraid to ask.
Ambiance inside is dark and low key. Thankfully they have forgone placing large flat screen TVs around the bar or anywhere else in this space. I love the stubbled copper bar top and dark woods used throughout. There is a small couch and chair arrangement right at the front door, but most other seating is atop stools on smaller bar tables that can seat about 4 – 6 comfortably.
Whether you want to just stop in to pre-​game with drinks or make a full night of getting into the bottom of as bottle, I think Yn will fit the bill in spades. Happy to have found it.

Tried this place for after-​dinner drinks and dessert this weekend. Loved that they had live music, loved the ambiance and yeah for the great service.
Yes it’s not cheap, but it’s fair. We got a bottle of malbec and the brownie a la mode — yummy! The place is cozy and I would definitely go again. We don’t have that many choices for wine bars here in CLT — so far, it’s on top for me!

This place is pretty cool. I’ve wanted to go in a try it… it was incredibly busy on Saturday night and they kept running out of beers… but I guess that’s to be expected on a weekend night. Plus I think their specialty is wine anyway so next time I visit it will be all about the vino and not so much beerage.
Atmosphere was good… dim lighting and cool ambience. There was a good energy in that place probably because people were celebrating a birthday in big group style.

Yn has some fabulous features, but the price is high and it isn’t always my first pick. I wrestled between giving Yn a 3 or a 4. I was really in between. Read on…
I absolutely love the location. It is easy to find and parking has never been a problem. The ambiance is fabulous. There is both an indoor and outdoor section. The bathrooms are clean and modern looking. Everything feels very sleek, however, the inside is a bit small. It reminds me of a smaller Starbucks — a bar, a few tables, and some comfy chairs that can be hard to obtain if it is busy.
You need to be prepared to spend a decent amount of money here to spend the evening at Yn. Wine by the glass is generally $ 8 or above and increase substantially. On weekend nights, there is no entertainment (i.e. live band) and people do not mingle. It would be a good first date scene but definitely not for a singles crowd.
I think you definitely need to try Yn if you are in the area or live near Charlotte. However, I can’t say that I return on a regular basis. There just isn’t anything that really draws me in.

Gorgeousness.
From the stubbly copper-​clad bar to the dark heavy-​wooded interior to the bottles of loveliness tucked away behind the Winekeeper glass, Yn was just pure. From a wine girl whose head swirls around at the word Turley, who eats up AVA descriptions like candy, who can spot the bold black-​and-​white Charles Smith label from across the bar, who savors the words «St Helena» like a cartographer would drool over a hidden treasure map, this is pure perfection.
Options? Yes. The wine list is organized by flights (sparkling, and multiple reds and whites), but for each glass in the flight you can also simply purchase it by 2.5 or 5 ounce pour, or the entire bottle. Yn offers an excellent mix of wineries you probably think you heard of once somewhere in a New York Times article a year ago and told yourself you should check out one of these days but never did: just off the beaten path, with cred and substance. For the flights, you get a little diagram of fruit and fullness (good for the novice), but also a nice taste description complete not only with AVA but sourced vineyard (s) and winemaker, perfect for someone like me who loves more information
Additionally, there’s a nice little tapas and full plate menu (from the restaurant next door, 131 Main) in case you need to simultaneously nibble and imbibe. (You can also order cocktails from next door’s bar if wine or bottled beer isn’t your thing.) Nimbibe, immible, whatever… It’s all good. Take a minute to also check out the sinks in the bathroom: Seattle architecture has nothing on these.
Finally, a shout-​out to Laura, the wonderfully skilled bartender/​wine expert who made our night so perfect! I wish I had someone in my town who knew (simply from walking by and remembering my flights) which two glasses of wine I was struggling to choose between and saved me by suggesting a half of each… Brilliant!
My glass: an ’04 Falcor Syrah, if you must know. And love. Like me…

Yn’s name makes me chuckle a little. Clever, but kind of reminds me of Chemistry or something. This is a nice little spot, tucked behind 131 Main on East Blvd. I like the cozyness of it. My friends and I went with some wine flights. You get 3 glasses of wine from a selected family and get information about the flavors and what they go with. Equivalent to about 1.5 glasses of wine and price ranging from $ 13 – 18 (If I remember correctly) so pretty affordable. The bar staff was very helpful and cheery. Be sure to ask them for their opinion on what you’d like based on your tastes. They told us that Tues evening all glasses of wine are $ 6 and appetizers are half off. All in all a great way to spend an evening!

This place reminds me of a great wine bar back home. I love it. The décor is intimate and cozy. The dark woods and hammered copper bar top are very sexy. The guy behind the bar was a wealth of knowledge… he starting talking about the dirt the grapes are grown in… and I think I checked out for a moment.
I like Chardonnay dry Chardonnay. I like a sophisticated bottle now and then but honestly I’m the girl that picks up a $ 6 bottle from the gas station and enjoys it just as much in my tubbie.
He recommended a non-​booshie Northern Cal. It was cold and wet just the way I like it. They have flights for the more adventurous. I do want to try the sparkling wine flight sometime.
Any-​who, go, drink, eat and be merry… Cheers!

This is a great place to hang out with friends and get some good wine. They have multiple flights so you can experience all different varieties of wine. Good prices for the Charlotte area as well.
The waitress/​bartender was very friendly and excited to answer any of our questions about the wine menu. We all ordered a different flight and it came with a description of where it was from and what to pair it with. That little touch just made the experience so much more enjoyable. I would definitely recommend this place to everyone.

Loved this little wine bar!
It’s sort of tucked away– it can be difficult to find if you aren’t looking for it.
We had EXCELLENT service. Our server was knowledgeable, friendly, and patient. We gave him flavor profiles we tended to enjoy and he brought us out several tastings from which to choose from.
Bring your wallet — my choices were expensive and 3 glasses set me back over $ 50. There are inexpensive options but just be warned if you follow their recommendations without looking at the menu (completely my fault) you could be in for a little surprise.
Very cozy ambiance. It is a bit on the small side crowd wise — but that just means you get more personal service.

Hello Batcave. But really, it IS dark in Yn! Yn is practically situated in the garage portion next to its yummy partner, 131 Main.
I strolled into Yn on a very uneventful Monday afternoon and it wasn’t very surprising that it was fairly empty. By the time I left at 7 pm, the post work crowd was slowly trickling in.
As for the ambiance, besides the dim lights, Yn is a very nice yet small wine bar. The bartender was well educated when it came to the wine and spirits and easily recommended a delicious red flight -«That One Red»…which included a great sangiovese, shiraz and malbec. I paired the tasty little flight with a meat & cheese platter. The platter was pretty generous and appetizers were $ 5 until 7 p.m. — a great price for the mini mountain of meat and cheese.
As for other promotions, Yn offers ½ price bottles of wine on Mondays. That makes for a great Monday if you ask me…
I will definitely stop back in at Yn! Great wine offerings, nice little snack pairings and superb service!