I have a big crush on wine, no pun intended (but I admit I enjoyed it.) I say crush because I know a lot about wine, but not nearly enough to call myself a wine expert, or even an advanced wine drinker. But I’ve been to a few classes, and know my way around a wine menu, and if I have a haven in this town, it’s the wine bar. Today I’m talking about Tria, one of four wine bars featured in Philadelphia Magazine’s top places to drink in Philly. Here’s what Philly Mag has to say about Tria, located on 18th and Sansom, just north of Rittenhouse Square:
According to one regular, “Though I’ll drink by myself pretty much anywhere, I truly believe Tria is the best place in the city for a woman to drink alone. It attracts the most harmless jerks of any wine bar in the city.”
Tria was already one of my favorite places to have a drink in Philly before I started the project, so I won’t pretend I haven’t been there a million times.
But let me highlight exactly what makes this tiny spot so worth a visit. (I tend toward the one on the corner of 18th and Sansom in Center City, but there are locations in the Gayborhood [1137 Spruce] and West Philly [3131 Walnut] as well.) The bar is tiny and usually quite full whether you stop in on weekend brunch hours, Friday happy hour, or a weekday after 8, but somehow I’ve never been uncomfortable or experienced poor service, and I think only one time I did not find seats for two. The staff is appropriately wine-savvy and the menu is mapped out with clever descriptions (“Funky Reds", for example, describe their more adventurous, bold reds, a category I like to frequent.) They have a fantastic craft beer menu for the non-wine drinker and a dependable list of small plates and cheese options to pair with your drinks. My favorite? Truffled Egg Toast with Fontina Cheese. Toast smothered in smoky fontina and topped with egg yolk and truffle, it sounds simple and kind of offbeat, but It’s a savory, melty punch of flavor you should definitely put in your mouth ASAP.
I would happily recommend taking a tour through the wine, cheese, or food menu on any given night at Tria, but the night I visited soooooo begrudgingly in the name of this blog, I had a glass of Lechthaler 2009 Teroldego Rotaliano from Trentino, Italy.
And it was lovely.
Tria is a cozy, friendly spot to learn about new wines from a knowledgeable staff or to just sip the “zippy white” you picked out arbitrarily in ignorant bliss. And if you aren’t so into wine, no fear. The boyfriend has consistently found a fantastic new (or old reliable) craft beer to sip on every visit. The best part is that if you want more than ignorant bliss, each weekend Tria hosts “Sunday School” for those who want to be served great drinks and knowledge at the same time. Each Sunday, a beer, wine, and cheese are featured and served at half price, along with a lesson about the grape, vineyard, brewery, and cheese origins.
A top spot for a great glass of wine or beer (or an awesome selection of bubbly by the glass, my personal favorite), a place to learn about exactly what you’re imbibing, and an all around cozy bar, my arbitrarily selected grade for Tria is definitely A+, with a gold star.
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