http://www.riverbendwineryky.com/
Rarely do I think a mistake is made in deciding to be adventuresome. Eating out based on the review of the LEO Alternative Weekly or google.com reviews (which compiles reviewers input from other sources such as Yelp.com and urbanspoon.com) is always a hit. I have found scrumptious eats at Eiderdown, Mr. Pollo, Café Istanbul, and other local gems that represent a worldly, varied, yet inexpensive local dining experience. When I ventured out to River Bend Winery last Saturday evening I had high hopes of a wonderful time – and with reason! I was going with a large group of friends, it’s a winery so we’re drinking wine and therefore going to be jovial. However, I was met with some of the most inconsistent service and worst wines I had ever had in my entire life. This is coming from someone who has sampled homemade Kentucky wine, been wine tasting at three other local wineries, and who traveled to Beaune, France to travel the “gold coast” of wine making in the Bourgogne/Champaign region of France. I know my white Gewürztraminer’s from my Liebfraumilch’s, my red Cote-Du-Rhône’s from my Tempranillo’s.
While I am known for my affection towards sweet white wines, the white wines I tried at River Bend Winery were all disgusting. The ones that weren’t sweet (KY Lady and Trifecta) were dead in terms of depth of flavor. They tasted like water with a slight floral motif. The sweet wines don’t deserve to be commented on – the Rhubard, Riesling, and the dessert “ice” wine, as well as the Rosé. They are overly sweet and have some yucky after-tastes.
The winery was out of the bourbon barrel red, one of their two reds so we gravitated towards the Meritage. Little did we know – as it does not indicate on the menu, as they did not state in person, or write on their website – that they would charge mandatory gratuity on our going up to their in-house “store” and grabbing the bottle of red that we paid for at our dining table. A very bizarre policy not written up anywhere. Hmm.
The food there was good – we had the Pork Osso Bucco, which was tender and flavorful. Other people didn’t care for their crab cakes as much or lobster bisque, but the appetizer items and the salads disappeared!
This restaurant/winery simple needs to screw its head on its shoulders correctly. You can venture to the Bristol, to 732 Social, to the Blind Pig (as we did afterwards) and find sensational, local brews of all sorts at a much more reasonable price. I place this spot on the “to be missed” list of Louisville eateries and wish the owners luck in recharting the wine-recipes, making explicit its silly tipping policy (since when do you walk up and buy something and are charged a mandatory tip on it!), and getting servers who pay attention to when you are finished with an item or would like to pay your own bill.
For some hot nods to a good wine, visit Michael's blog at: http://michaelholladay.blogspot.com/2011/01/look-at-those-legs.html?showComment=1296490563256#c7775275020894367285 He reviews a Cabernet Sauvignon called Guenoc. Enjoy!
