The wheels of my little pink bag stopped dead in their tracks as my jaw dropped and my eyes gazed upon this new wonder. Never before in my travels had I seen such an oasis. The burnished mahogany, the smell of warm delights and the siren call of fine wine. I was elated to stumble upon this scrumptious find in such an exclusive location. In fact, security is so tight here only those with a special ticket and no more than 3 ounces of any one liquid can even hope for a seat.
With the Pink Lady securely stowed underneath the spacious bar, I am greeted with a smile and a menu. It reads like any good wine bar menu should with a wide choice of chardonnays, pinot noirs and roses at excellent prices. Well, good selection and excellent prices for an airport. Yes, this posh new little wine bar is located in the exclusive neighborhood of SFO's new Terminal 2. The San Francisco International Airport opened their gorgeous new, eco-friendly terminal in April, which boasts some wonderful shops and high tech conveniences such as laptop stations and trendy lounge style seating. Terminal 2 even has some delicious vegetarian and vegan food, which is nearly impossible to find in most airports.
Nestled comfortably on my garnet leather perch, I order the sustainable wine flight, of course. Vino Volo, a San Francisco based company, is opening up these well appointed, TV-less wine bars at airports across the country to cater to those looking for a classier experience than the traditional airport pubs. Their small bites menu is paired for whites or reds. The sustainable flight had two whites and one red, so I went with the warm Brie and prosciutto on ciabatta with fig jam and salty gherkins. Although I could ramble on for hours about this exquisite pairing, I think the ingredients say it all.
The definition of “sustainable wine” is still a little loose and fast in terms of what qualifications a wine needs to be called sustainable, which is different than USDA Organic. Although there is no standardized requirements yet for sustainable wine, it mostly means that the grapes were grown, harvested and/or bottled in a way that is as gentle to the environment as possible. But unless the wine is certified by the USDA as organic, the sustainable practices involved is really up to the individual label. Then, once you add in the US Department of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, which regulates wine labeling, things can get really fun!
My wine-tenders Michelle and Tyler made my two-hour wait fly by, no pun intended. A small part of me considered missing my plane to LA to stay for just one more round, but alas I pulled myself away from Vino Volo and vowed to return on my next Virgin America flight out of SFO.
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