The Urban Winery

Cute yuppie winery and wine tasting bar. Very fun place to go in silver spring, definitely part of a new hip downtown SS. The wine tasting menu is fun, although albeit a little too pricey. Have not yet sampled the food but have heard good things. Stellar service.

This was a terrific surprise! I had passed by this place before but it did not make an impression and I was hesitant to try. Last week my friend wanted to try it out so we went.
I like said: Yay! I’m a fan.
Wonderful wine selection, I tried wine from Poolsville??? who would have known. Their in house made wine is superb. The little Mezza platters compliment the wine and hangout atmosphere. One of the pluses for me: I can walk there. Needless to say, I will be back.

Love this place! Have been here a couple of times with a group of friends and it’s always been a great time. We’ve shared the wine tasting, a bottle of wine, and several of the charcuterie plate items. Everything is mostly reasonably priced and the staff is helpful and knowledgeable.

I’ll preface this review with the comment that, as a Silver Spring resident who can easily walk to The Urban Winery, I really want this place to succeed. There’s nothing else like it around. I hope they can improve. I also note that many Unilocalers have had terrific experiences there so I’m hoping mine, which was a bit disappointing, is not the norm. That said, a large part of their business model is wine education and they offer a cozy, dedicated tasting room that groups can rent as well as hosting weekly small group tastings that anyone can sign up for. It’s a pretty good date idea. Or, one can rent the room for family, work group, or friends. As for my Unilocal contribution, I visited a week ago on a cold Tuesday evening. The room was nearly empty with only one other table occupied. That made for both a quiet room and attentive service. It was, however, quite cold inside. Not a huge deal but customers should be able to expect indoor temps to be within the 68 to 74 range. It was no more than 64. (No, I did not ask for the temp to be raised so I cannot comment on how the accommodating the staff would have been.) Food wise, the dolmades (with meat) were excellent. The greek meatballs were inexplicably served warm, not hot. Not sure why since there was only one other table occupied. They were, however, also really good. But the focus here is the wine. My hat is off to their noble plan to produce wine in Silver Spring (from grapes and or juice trucked in from California). The results, however, are less than good. And made worse for the relatively high prices. We each had a flight of 3 wines from their more expensive Fig Tree line — Carroll County (MD) unoaked Chardonnay (decent), Philotimo red blend (decent), and a Syrah (lacked integration, blah). I won’t describe each one since I’m not a professional wine evaluator. But I spend a lot of time with wine and at $ 5 per small tasting pour — I’m guessing 3 oz. (a standard pour is 5 oz.) — it just seems an expensive way to drink mediocre wine. And, yes, I’m aware of the old saw — «The food was terrible and the portions were too small!» — but if The Urban Winery wants the public to embrace their wine making, bringing that wine in at a more attractive price point could only help. So, here’s hoping their 2016 releases rise in quality.

This place is a fresh new alternative to the ever evolving downtown Silver Spring. An easy walk from the Wayne Street garage (free on weekends) to Bonifant street — just loop around the beautiful new Silver Spring Library and take a short walk up the street, past all of the little Thai places. I love the reclaimed wood throughout and the intimate, comfortable atmosphere. It’s not too loud, and you never feel rushed, so feel free to sit and sip and chat and nibble.
We started with the dipping oils, which was nice, but I would replace the toasted bread rounds with fresh soft bread that would be easier to dip. Then we moved to the prosciutto platter (with deParma) and the gouda plate. Both were very nice, but I would skip or reduce the amount of sweet dried dates, dried cranberries, dried apricots, and jam, and amp up the savory mustard, cornichons, olives, and perhaps add some fresh herbs or greens of some sort. Seedless grapes, please, if you are going to include them. Spitting out seeds is not so romantic, IMO. The fresh out of the box crackers should be replaced with fresh bread. My husband did enjoy the raisin bread slices with gouda, but it just wasn’t my thing. EXCELLENT service! Nice wine — we loved the Philotimo, but would save the Chardonnay for summer time.

It was the evening prior to my review most likely around 8pm. There was a pregnant woman and a male working the bar. My boyfriend and i sat to the side of the bar. I appreciate your comments regarding the chicken… but it was raw. I showed the male bartender… clearly. it was raw. Terrible. The female had been mainly serving us and was very pleasant up to that point. Frankly i was surpised it wasnt addressed better. I can only assume they were embarrassed but imagine how we felt.

What a treat! The atmosphere is warm and cozy with a cool hip feel. It was packed and we still felt well taken car of. It’s truly a happening place in downtown Silver Spring. We had a wonderful Maryland wine (who knew?) and and outstanding mac’n’cheese. The service was personable and knowledgeable. Just an all around perfect evening! We’ll be back for sure! Cool place.

I’m honestly surprised more people haven’t reviewed this place. My boyfriend and I went here last night and had a fantastic evening.
The place was quiet, but still busy. It was nice to find a place to sit and enjoy one another without having to try to shout over blaring music or tvs. We had two appetizers and two charcuterie plates — more than enough food. The staff was extremely friendly and gave great suggestions on items to try. The wines were great! They let us try a few of them before we settled on which ones we wanted to drink for the night. Very much appreciated.
We will be back soon for another date night. We can’t wait to try one of their wine making classes!

Ate here for the first time this weekend. The setting is nice, and the service was friendly. My three stars is based mostly on the food, which I found a little disappointing. They do have a good wine selection, as you would expect, though I am doubtful that their local wines are much good. Certainly the one local wine I tried was nothing to recommend.
For now, if I just wanted wine and olives I would be happy to return; if I wanted to eat as well I would head over to Adega.

Love the look of this place. Lots of reclaimed wood, rustic and dim lighting. Food is incredible and I was told that the chef is the owner’s wife. Love the fact that it’s a couple who runs this place. The dolmades are the best! I love warm grape leaves. These do taste homemade. The lamb meatballs were also yummy. It’s been a while so I don’t remember the red wine I had but it was the most popular one. Overall, a nice place for happy hour that’s walking distance from home.

Review just for the wine. Un-​freaking-​believable! Great staff. I told them I enjoyed sweet wines. They recommended the Green Apple Riesiling. It was amazing! I have never tasted such a refreshing wine with an amazing fragrance. I asked where the wine was made and I was shocked when I learned it was created in-​house. Price of the wine was higher than a chain restaurant, but not unexpected for a small business in the DC Metro area. Absolutely no complaints for the quality. (They need to keep the lights on.)
I wish this small business the best of luck.

Dear Urban Winery,
I’ve been anticipating your opening for awhile and today, I finally have the chance to check you out through a Happy Hour occasion with my co-​workers. Sadly, you’ve decided to go on an extended trip for grape-​picking without any warning. Several folks arrived and got turned away by your chalkboard sign but please, if you do decide to go for another extended grape-​picking in the future, please POST SOMETHING ON YOUR WEBSITE so that folks won’t be disappointed. (And frankly, we rarely have such a group occasion so gotta wait awhile to check you out again – that is, if my co-​workers aren’t making fun of me for crying wolf)
P. S. Neutral rating is for: 1) I won’t be able to share my sentiment unless I give you a rating; 2) that’s my equivalence of baseline for a place that I HAVEN’T (although frankly COULDN’T this time) tried as it’s usually thumbs-​up or thumbs-​down from there…

This place ROCKS!!! The customer service is superb! The owner is personable not to mention very knowledgable. The staff is super attentive and the atmosphere is quaint. They are fine tuning their wines and I like where this is going. If you haven’t been, you MUST come check this spot out! I highly recommend it!

Love this place. The owner is super nice – very knowledgable and loves to talk about his wine. Glad that this place opened up in my hood. Will definitely be back!

Came here to celebrate a friend’s birthday. It was the perfect spot to sit, chat, and enjoy some delicious wine. All four of us thoroughly enjoyed each wine we tried. The service was fantastic and I really appreciated the time they spent interacting with us.

The Urban Winery was the absolute best place to have an intimate birthday dinner. They were so accommodating from reservation to closing out the tab. Their wines were delicious and their servers are like sommeliers with their knowledgeable presentation. Eventhough there was an open mic night that forced us to quiet down toward the end of the evening; we still enjoyed the venue and the vibes.

As an update to the review posted below… The Urban Winery did reach out to me and offer an apology which I accepted and asked to discuss it with me the next time I come in. An apology will get you everywhere with this girl. I would go back and give them another try.
My son and I are brand new to the area living almost around the corner. We were wondering around on a Saturday looking for a place to have lunch and found this cute spot. I opened the door and thought how cool! The hostess was nice and there didn’t seem to be anyone sitting at the tables so we sat at the bar. The hostess explained they opened a few days prior and a little about the wine but the bulk of what I learned was from the owner himself… explaining it to every OTHER patron that entered the establishment except me. He didn’t even acknowledge my existence. Every single other guest the entered got a warm hello, an explanation of the business, even information on his wife and children. I sat there partly shocked but also angry. Mind you, this wasn’t an issue of race. The other visitors were all colors. It wasn’t an issue of money. I actually spent some and others did not (they were just checking a new place in town out). He was rude to me, seemingly for no reason at all, save the fact that I was younger than everyone else. Newsflash, young people (I’m pushing 30) buy wine too. We love farm to table food. We go on date nights and always look for cool new places to do so.
Additionally, I sent them a message on Facebook which they read yesterday (I know because FB time stamps) at 9:22 am and did not even take the time to respond to it with a simple apology.

Absolutely fantastic. The wine (made in house from grapes brought in from various vineyards) is good and eminently drinkable. The staff, including the owner and his wife, is friendly and efficient and the food is great. We love the Greek meatballs, the cheese selection is well crafted, and the chicken sandwich was excellent. The desserts are stupendous, particularly the mixed berries and greek yogurt and the bananas foster.
They will be adding more wines going forward and doing classes and events. It is so nice to have the winery experience without having to leave Silver Spring. A welcome addition to the neighborhood that I hope is here for many years to come.
They have done a great job with the décor, having made much of the furniture from spent wine barrels and accenting the walls with wood, murals, and informative diagrams of the wine making process. All in all, this is one of my favorite places to unwind after a long day at the office or retreat for a peaceful meal. I often find myself lingering and enjoying one more glass of wine… which is good for my soul, even if it is a little problematic for my liver and my wallet.

As a disclosure, I was a Kickstarter backer of Urban Winery. There was just something about having a place in the DC Metro area where I could make my own wine and have a private tasting party with friends that spoke to me. As a Kickstarter supporter, I and a guest were invited to come in and sample the wine and menu.
I had a glass of the Silver Spring Red, which was smooth with notes of cherry and chocolate. My friend had the Sauvignon Blanc, which was mild and delightful. I am super excited to come back and try another wines.
We split the Mezza Plate appetizer which is a sampler of Middle Eastern foods (hummus, a cucumber-​feta dip, olives, peppers, anchovies, meat, pickles and bread). It was delicious, and we ordered some extra bread as there was plenty of dip and hummus. We also had the wings. The six wings were very meaty and came with three options on the side of hot sauce, blue cheese and a spicy dry rub. All three were great.
There is a lot of care put into both the wine and the food and it shines through. Service was prompt despite it being very crowded for the event.

This place is awesome! I came here for dinner last night and got two glasses of their red wine (the Silver Spring red and the Cabernet franc), the Greek meatballs, a salad, garlic bread with maple butter (delicious), and the bananas foster for dessert. Everything was delicious and I’m excited to come back and taste more wines and have more food.
The atmosphere is great, and the staff were incredibly nice and attentive the whole night. I’m excited to come back and see how this place grows now that’s it’s finally opening!