Apres Wine Company

Food is nice — but the owners/​bartender is not welcoming. We decided to try them out for a small meeting (six of us) of a local non-​profit after our annual event. We ordered apps and wine and we were chatting and the owner actually told us to be quiet because there was a guitarist playing. None of us were tipsy. Apparently we were expected to whisper or not talk at all. Needless to say we left asap.

The smell from the kitchen permeates throughout the little unit and does it smell good! The service was great. Young lady behind the bar was very friendly and knowledgeable, she never bothered us too often asking too many question. However, the prices are a bit high thus the three star rating. If you’re looking to blast money on wine, here’s a great place to try.

I can’t believe I found a five star restaurant that doesn’t require you to dress fancy.
My hubby and I were looking for a somewhat healthier option when we got into Lake Tahoe and Apres came up on Unilocal.We decided to try it out, because of all the 4 – 5 star reviews and we are so glad the reviews were right on.
It was about 8:30 in the evening and we seated ourselves at the bar. There was only a party of 4 in the restaurant when we walked in and it looked like things were simmering down.
We were greeted by the lady at the bar and were handed menus and after only 3 minutes of looking at the menu we knew what we wanted to eat.
We started off with a glass of riesling for me and a $ 20 cabernet for my husband. The wines were wonderful and complimented our meal perfectly.
I had the chicken piccata with a touch of capers and quinoa instead of pasta and my husband had the rack of lamb with grilled asparagus and mashed potatoes.
Then we ended our meal with a chocolate lava cake with a hot gooey marshmallow on top and it was a perfect ending to our foodie fix.
The lady helping us was very professional yet warm and welcoming and told us a little bit about the area. She gave us suggestions on what might interest us on our visit, which added another layer of hospitality.
Our whole evening went better than expected and I can honestly say that this place should be a first on everyones list when they enter South Lake Tahoe.
From the quality of the food to the outstanding service this little gem needs to be on every Unilocalers list! Trust me on this… you won’t regret it!

Great little gem in South Lake Tahoe. We were pleasantly surprised by the excellent «foodie» approved menu. We started with the scallop appetizer special and the goat cheese stuffed figs — both were prepared perfectly and were delicious. I ate the halibut with quinoa — which was flavorful, but a little dry on the edges. And my boyfriend had the Colorado lamb — which was tender and flavorful (deff getting that next time).
It’s cool that the restaurant is in the back of the wine store, and there are plenty of wines to choose from to enjoy with your meal or on their own.
One complaint is that they do not serve espresso, which is usually my go-​to post a decadent meal with wine.
Overall, great spot!

3.5 stars rounded up to 4 for great service.
I was a little confused walking into this place because the front half is basically a souvenir/​wine shop and you have to walk past all that to get to the actual restaurant and bar. My bf and I were greeted right away by the friendly waitress who told us we could sit anywhere we liked and then showed us the wine and lunch menus. We decided to order the stuffed figs, beef stew in a bread bowl, and the meat & cheese sampler as well as one glass of wine each.
The stuffed figs were pretty good, but not as amazing as some of the reviews made it out to be. I think it’s worth a try though. The dish comes with 4 pieces of stuffed figs each topped with a piece of bacon– perfect amount for 2 people.
The beef stew in a bread bowl was tasty, but nothing really special and it was a little smaller than I expected considering the price.
I liked the meat & cheese sampler except for the fact that 2 out of the 4 cheeses were my least favorite: goat and bleu. *cringe* Loved the cheddar and brie though. I also liked how it came with a spoonful of honey to eat with the cheese. The meats, salami and prosciutto, were really good and came with dipping mustard. There were dried apricot and walnuts as well.
At first, I thought we ordered way too much food, but we weren’t even that full after. The portions were kind of small, but it’s a cute and cozy place. I’d suggest this place if you’re looking to grab a glass of wine and a snack, but not a whole meal.

I am a huge fan of Apres Wine Company! Apres has so much to offer — it’s a Wine Bar, Restaurant, and Retail location. I will review all three of its offerings because I am a true fan of every aspect this business.
First — Wine Bar. The wine bar utilizes several hi-​tech storage systems (sometimes referred to as a «Wine-​on-​tap» program) that allow Apres to hold DOZENS of bottles of wine to choose from. JP, the owner is very versed on several different types of wines and regions. If you cannot find a wine that pleases your palate, I’d be highly surprised.
Secondly — The Restaurant. Holy Cow grab a glass from the wine system (or two or three) and order ANYTHING off the menu. Although polar opposites, I am a huge fan of the vegan carrot croquette and the sliders :)
Furthermore — The Retail location. While the retail location offers many great items that can be purchased as souvenirs. Once again, the shining start is the wine selection. While they offer wines at all price points. I am always stunned of the high end bottles they acquire from wineries such as Quintessa, Pahlmeyer, Willams-​Selyem, Ladera, and more. Also, if you are staying a private residence I highly suggest perusing their full or half bottle champagne selection for hot tub time.
Lastly, and most importantly — the PEOPLE. I love coming back because there is always a good glass of wine, great conversation, and amazing people behind this place. Not only are the owners and staff sweet and knowledgeable. I’ve met some amazing co-​patrons as well.
If you are in or going to the Tahoe area this is one of my top recommendations.

Visited this place with a friend of mine and here is the scoop:
The stuffed figs are overrated!!!
Pros:
Nice & comfy feel
Good HH prices & selection
Pleasant waitress but …
The HH Chardonnay was nice, buttery and tasty but when I ordered a third glass it tasted «funny». I immediately said that to the waitress and she said «there cannot be anything wrong with it because I just opened it… why don’t you give it 10 min». I looked at her with disbelief that she expected me to continue drinking it. Finally she told the owner about my complain, he tasted the wine from freshly opened bottle and confirmed it was a bad bottle.
Additionally, while my friend and I enjoyed the drink a young guy came out of the kitchen, looking like a cook, wearing a dirty white outfit and served us the stuffed figs. Then, the same dude came out, went behind the counter, opened himself a beer and went back to the kitchen… this looked weird to me as I wouldn’t expect the kitchen people just coming out looking unhigenic and grabbing a beer.
The place lost in my eyes a bit. Just thinking that the cooks are boozing in the back created a negative opinion in my mind.
I will go back, would love to check their food and other wines one day, but because of this odd experience I am hesitant to give it more than 3 stars.

Discovered this great little wine bar and bistro on my recent ski trip to Lake Tahoe. My friends and I were pretty impressed with Apres Wine Company. They have a very extensive list of wines offered by the bottle, by the carafe or by the glass. We chose a bottle of Cote du Rhone which was good.
As for the food:
We tried two of the appetizers: the roasted brussels (bacon parmesan and balsalmic reduction) were delicious. And the figs w/​bacon which were fantastic. Both I would order again.
As for entrée: I had one of the daily specials which was the meatloaf wrapped in bacon over mashed potatoes. I really liked this a lot lots of flavor, really tasty mashed potatoes. Just a good hearty comfort food dinner.
If you are in South Lake Tahoe and looking for a nice restaurant with fantastic wine selection, definitely check this out. The dining room isnt big so it is advisable to make a reservation.

Such a cute wine restaurant with wonderful food!
My husband and I discovered this place on our first trip to South Tahoe. The service was great and the meal was excellent.
We started out with stuffed dates, lamb meatballs and tomato bisque. I can’t say one bad things about these items, in fact we both wanted to order more but thought against it with the main course on the way.
For dinner we had the New York steak with Chumichuri and the Chicken Makhani. Both were great, I don’t believe we left a spec of food on the plates.
Definitely find time, lunch or dinner, to enjoy a meal here!

We really enjoyed this place when we visited earlier this year. We went for dinner first and enjoyed a small intimate pre-​fixe meal with great wine pairings.
We enjoyed it so much we came back the following evening for more tasting. We’ll be sure to return next time we’re in Tahoe.

This place is definitely going to be one of our go-​to stops when we visit Tahoe from now on. We ordered: New York steak with chumichuri, Chicken Makhani, stuffed dates, lamb meatballs, and tomato bisque. Every single one of these things were incredibly delicious. Surprisingly so. The wife doesn’t usually like lamb and she really enjoyed these meatballs (ZING!).
The steak was cut-​with-​a-​butterknife tender and tasted great. The chumichuri sauce had great flavor. The dates are no joke, and obviously extremely popular. When we ordered them with the meatballs the waitress very cheekily replied «huh, never had that ordered before». She gave great service though and was fun to deal with. I’m a sarcastic type of person and she picked up on that right away and we had a fun time. The wife enjoyed her chicken dish very much.
I’m not 100% sure if the beef is grass-​fed or not, as the website for the ranch the meat comes from talks all about how the cows are fed and grazed and pastured, but doesn’t say anything about supplemental feeds and whether they’re used or not.

Driving from Reno to Tahoe means driving through the beautiful mountains. Although scenic, it’s actually pretty stressful if you’re from the Midwest and only used to driving on flat land. Thankfully, I wasn’t allowed to drive the rental car, so my co-​worker had to take on this stressful task.
As the co-​pilot, I was responsible for finding the dinner destination. I stumbled upon reviews of Apres and thought it would be great. I mean, I was pretty sure that the driver would need a glass of wine after the drive.
We were greeted by the super friendly bartender/​waitress and she made us feel right at home. She explained that since we were there during the off season, not many places were packed with tourists. There were a couple patrons sitting at the bar, sipping wine and chatting, but that was pretty much it.
The wine menu was extensive and we were able to sample whatever wine we wanted. The glasses were reasonably priced ($ 7 — $ 10, depending on the wine) and I settled on a crisp pinot grigio. We were starving and decided to sample the cheese and charcuterie plate. The cheeses were fab and I loved that it also came with pâté. For my main dish, I ordered the chicken makhani (butter chicken). SO GOOD. It was pretty much my favorite meal of this trip!
We loved the atmosphere here — everyone was so genuinely nice. We even contemplated bringing back some of their wine home with us (since they have an amazingly huge selection!), but we were so stuffed at the end of the meal that we just forgot. Fail. Oh well. Great experience!

Apres Wine Company is a delightful little wine bar/​restaurant/​wine shop in South Lake Tahoe.
The perfect combination of quality, service and value make this a great place to stop in for a meal… or to pick up a special bottle. This review is based mostly on eating and drinking at the wine bar however.
With around 6 dozen bottles set up on enomatic wine dispensing machines, there is a lot of good wine to sample at Apres. The staff is wonderful and quite friendly. They are more than capable of assisting you in your selections. If you are purchasing a bottle they don’t mind offering a couple of free 1oz tastes to make sure you’ll be happy with your purchase ahead of time.
The menu at Apres is inviting. It is organized for sharing or tasting which makes for some wonderful food-​wine pairings. I enjoyed the BBQ sliders a great deal with Paso Robles, Rhone Style Red – Troublemaker. Troublemaker is a great blend at the price… drinks at a considerably higher price point, and drinks well with lots of full-​flavored food. I would feel confident ordering most items on the menu. We also enjoyed the lamb meatballs, cheese and charcuterie plate, and the savory strawberry & mozzarella balsamic bruschetta. I want to try the grilled polenta next time.
They offer a 4-​course wine paired menu on Friday & Saturday, and they also do specific wine tastings on Tuesdays.
Two of us had a lot of great food with more than a bottle of wine for just under $ 100 before tip. There are few places in Tahoe with that quality and value. I have spent twice as much multiple times at different Tahoe establishments for meals that I did not enjoy as much.

Yes! Found this place by Googling wine tasting options in South Lake Tahoe. I thought it was just a bar/​tasting room, but figured out there was also a nice little restaurant by checking it out on Unilocal.When we arrived we noticed there’s also a mini wine shop in the very front (quite a three-​fer for such a small space).
We didn’t partake of the awesome-​looking tasting carousel, since it was a bit later in the evening by the time we found the place ( Unilocal location was a little off), but I would definitely come back to try it with friends. We were told by the blonde gal behind the bar to sit wherever we liked so we took a spot at the bar and went straight for a carafe of the Tempranillo, which we enjoyed, and the stuffed figs. So good! (But can you really get cheese and bacon wrong?)
BF ordered the rib eye and I got the salmon cakes and a glass of the pinot noir. The salmon cakes were incredibly flavorful, not huge in size though, and BF’s plate was so small I couldn’t bear to ask him for a bite (he didn’t complain though so it must have made up for its size in taste). I thought our service was pretty good, though there was a party in there who seemed to either be locals or regulars, so the bartender was understandably attentive to them, and the only server. She was nice enough to offer us a couple tastes before committing to a glass, so that was appreciated.
Apres is a bit on the pricey side and I wouldn’t come here if you’re super hungry, but there are plenty of cheapo restaurants in South Lake where you can get a gutbuster meal… This is a nice upscale option.

The service was horrible.
I was here about a week or so ago. 2 – 3 tables were full and 4 people at the bar. We sat at a table right next to the entrance and immediately the server told us — it was reserved already. Which I understand, but she immediately told to «just sit at the bar» even though there were plenty of other table options. But hey I’m a nice guy so I said okay, sure.
And that was how our night started. She poured me a second glass of wine without me asking, she forgot our appetizers, and I felt she was rude to me and my partner all night. And after we paid we notice the table that was marked «reserved» still was empty.
If and when I go back to tahoe — I’d definitely would not go back to this place. Maybe it was only me with the bad experience but hey that’s all it takes.

After trying to make last minute reservations for two at a few well-​reviewed places in Tahoe and failing miserably, my boyfriend and I stumbled upon Apres Wine. I’m SO glad we didn’t end up at the first few places we tried — Apres Wine was awesome!
The front of the store/​restaurant is a little shop, selling cute wine-​themed items and nick nacks — perfect little gifts for wine lovers.
The wine tasting/​dining area has a small bar and about 8 or so little tables. On Fridays and Saturdays, there is a four course tasting menu/​wine pairing available for $ 44 – 60, which I think is a much better deal than getting everything separately, seeing as how many of the wine tastings were a steep $ 5 – 6 each. The names of all wines tried that evening escape me, but they were all quite good: P
We started with crackers served with lemon-​herb infused goat cheese and tart green apples drizzled with honey. It was paired with a crisp white wine. — so good!
We then had a salad with bacon and blue cheese, and another sample of vino.
I had the short ribs, which were unbelievable tender. They were served with crisp green beans and artichoke hearts.
My boyfriend had the rib eye, which he loved.
Dessert was a house made chocolate bark, laced with almonds and dried cranberries, served with a sample of port. It was the perfect end to a meal.
We also ordered coffee (no espresso drinks! Wah!) which was less than impressive, especially considering there was no milk/​cream available.
Service was fast and friendly.
I can’t wait to go back!

I snagged a coupon off Living Social for a romantic getaway for two and included in the package were two $ 10 gift certificates for wine tasting at Apres Wine Company. I was excited to try this place out. Of my many, many years of going to Tahoe, I have never gone wine tasting. So this was a first for sure!
Apres is a small spot tucked in the corner inside a shopping complex on Lake Tahoe Blvd and Ski Run Blvd. When you walk in, you immediately get that cozy, warm feeling. We were greeted and told we could sit anywhere we would like. The lady served us water and asked if we’ve ever visited Apres before. The five of us said no. We were totally clueless on how this worked because the staff does not serve you the wine selections. The wines were placed in this enomatic wine dispensing machines. You put money into a wine card (like a credit card) and insert the card into the machine, pick a wine, wait a few seconds and the machine pours you a sample. It was pretty neat. I like reds so I sampled a lot! From what I remember, the wine was good.
We also ordered some appetizers. Stuffed figs were my favorite. The strawberry and tomato bruschetta was also really well prepared and packed on lots of flavor. The fig honey truffle butter and pita points were also very good. We didn’t try anything else but the menu sounded good!
The staff was nice and inviting. They helped us when we were confused and answered all of our questions. The restaurant is nice and clean and has a variety of wine selections to purchase.
Would I go back? It was a fun experience but I probably won’t go back unless someone wants to go wine tasting in Tahoe. Then I’ll take them here!

Finally after all the trips to Tahoe we went to Après! We got there and the waitress was extremely friendly. We opted for Lemon Chicken Picatta and Salmon Cakes for dinner and the got a $ 20 refillable card to use on the fun little wine dispensers. The waitress showed us how to use it and we went to town. The prices per «pour» are anywhere between $ 1.25-$ 4.00. Our food came out and was simple yet delicious and $ 20 of wine tasting was plenty between the two of us. Great little place, I’m definitely coming back!

This place was pretty legit. We came here to use our free wine vouchers we received from Avalon Lodge. We’re from the bay and are avid wine tasters… but this was a new experience for us. When we sat at bar, the server explained to us how the «card» worked. She placed $ 20 on the card, and showed us this machine that dispenses 1 oz pours from about 15 bottles behind us (each pour ranges in price from about $ 1.25-$ 4.50). It was pretty cool… but coming from a place where we have someone telling us the history behind the wine and being able to ask questions is always nice. I felt the experience although cool on a tech level, a little unpersonalized.
The menu looked amazing! Had we not made reservations at the Chart house 20 minutes later, I would have loved to sit down with a glass of wine and try some cheese platters. This will be on our list of foodie places for our next visit.

We came here for the wine tastings. We were greeted by a very friendly, cute blonde woman (who’s name I did not get). The tasting offers a selection of several different wines which are all dispensed with the push of a button. The wine bar and store are tiny, but provide much to choose from.
We each tried at least five different wines, but my favorite was a chardonnay. His was a red. We also tried the Big as the Lake Platter appetizer which was quite good.
I will most definitely be back the next time I’m in S Lake Tahoe.