Solera Wine Bar & Lounge

A relaxing and cozy environment. Friendly staff, fresh flowers and candles on the tables. You can sit at the bar, at a table or at the window seat. Great prices, quality wine selection and wonderful side platters for pairing. Great place for a date, meeting with friends or for a group to gather after dinner.

The perfect intimate spot to enjoy a bottle with a side of delishiz lite bites. You do not have to decide on a bottle blindly. They are very gracious so feel free to taste before you commit.
We came here on a Tuesday nite with the intention to go to Cheshire, but alas, they were closed. And I am happy they were because I’ve been meaning to give Solera a re-​visit that’s been a long time a’comin’. The bar tender was green, but she more than made up in customer service and enthusiasm. Poor girl was running out of ingredients to make a proper cheese board (ok it was the bread). She asked if I minded the butts of the baguettes. Naturally IDC, so she made up a nice board for us at a discounted price… score!
Before deciding on a bottle, we got to try most of the red wines on the list. We ordered, and much enjoyed, the ’11 (or ’12) «La Ferma», which is an Italian dry Red. Can’t remember how much we paid for it, but it wasn’t a huge mark up.
I must also mention that if you are anemic or get cold easily, don’t fret. Solera is very warm. Not sure if the heat was set to over drive. One can probably blame the wine or the nice company. Either way… I was overheating!

Wow! What a fantastic find for an out of towner! This place can keep up with the best of them in major markets. The perfect blend of dark, friendly, speedy (albeit I was in on a slow night), tasty, medium sized, and variety. It would approach 5 stars if only there were more by the glass selections, maybe they could invest in one of those unsightly preservation systems so the volume could justify that? That and slightly more food selections, not many more, but a few more snacks would be nice. Whether you are local or visiting you should check this place out. It apparently has a wonderful cocktail bar upstairs (only open Thursday-​Saturday?) but I can’t vouch for that part since it wasn’t open when I was there.

This was my first visit. I loved the ambiance of the place. The exposed brick, the candle light. Our bartender Tyler was friendly and knowledge. I got to taste a few wines before settling on a glass which was a wonderful idea. No one wants to order a glass of wine and not 100% enjoy it. My friend and I sat out side with our wine, and enjoyed the Charcuterie Board. It was the perfect pair to our red wine.

It is a nice very quaint place. With a very wonderful old world charm. The bartender is very knowledgeable. I like the happy hour!
The cheese and cold cut boards are good! Good quality cheese… esp the one with mustard seeds. It could be a Friday evening regular hangout!

Came here for a 30^th birthday and it was great. The bartender with a big dark beard was very helpful with picking a wine. We had about 25 people filter in and out all night and it worked out great. The meat and cheese platter was good too.

Great selection of wine and food pairings. The olive oil flight, the bread spread were too much of a delicacy to handle with the wine served.
The bartenders/​sommeliers were very knowledgeable and gave great suggestions.
The mood is that of a Prohibition era speakeasy minus the magic word for entering.
Absolute premier choice if you want to take a date. Like I said, the ambiance is perfect for it.
Smells like vintage study rooms and has that Boardwalk Empire kind of a feel to it. Very 20’s and 30’s.
I think they should have a dedicated night for people to specifically dress up like in the Prohibition Era, with the waist coats, fedoras and the sexy flappers; the whole nine yards. It would elevate the experience 10 fold.

…Just amazing! Very beautiful and atmospheric spot. The wine and service is exceptional!

A great wine bar, a true gem. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable, the wines are not those you will see all over town. They work hard to make their wine list unique and interesting. The vibe is great, a perfect place to go for an evening or to pop in before or after dinner. Go there!

You walk in and no one greets you. Not a huge deal, but for first timers we had no idea to go straight to the bar.
Second, the hostess/​bar tender wasn’t very friendly or helpful.
The oddest thing, and I say this because I’m familiar with all of Rochester wine bars, is that you seat yourself. If you need help you have to ask for it. Not once in our hour long visit did anyone come to us and ask how we were doing.
Now, we ordered a bottle and the cheese platter. The cheeses were great as was the wine. However, they give very little bread and no refills. Again, strange compared to every other Rochester wine bar.
The competition is tough, and I just don’t see this place surviving much longer.

This place is too darn cute! Loved the wine selection and the service was awesome! Immediatly, you fit in with the regulars and it feels like the place has a lot of history. Can’t wait to go back.

Solera is a nice place to grab a glass of wine with your friends or to end a date. It’s beautiful inside, all dark wood and intimate tables and the wine selection is wonderful. I really like the romantic atmosphere. There is also outdoor seating for warm summer nights, which I love. The bartenders are friendly and knowledgable and I’m always happy with my selection. They also offer a delicious cheese plate to go with your wine, and that always makes me happy. It’s also a nice stop on your way upstairs to Cheshire if you’re feeling more like a cocktail than a merlot. It’s definitely a South Wedge staple!

Ok, so maybe I was bit harsh in my older review from 2010 (even though it was 4 stars). It must have been one of those (few and far between) moments that I was terribly full of myself. In today’s world (after having a couple of kids join my universe), I hope I am less of a snob, and for those few moments I get out of the house, I only want the best experiences to treasure.
I do find myself in Solera more often than many other places when going out for a drink. I love almost everything about it, the atmosphere is great and it has been one of the anchors for the South Wedge’s revival. The wine selection is very good, and the past couple of bartenders have been spot on with their recommendations.
I would easily give Solera 5 stars, but I have to ding it for the «traffic» through to Cheshire (the cocktail bar that is upstairs). Granted, I love love Cheshire too, but sometimes the overflow and traffic from the cocktail bar is a detriment to the experience I enjoy in the wine bar.

Location is good. Parking is terrible. Wine selection is great. Bartenders are OK… a bit snooty. In the South Wedge I have expectations of laid back, positive people who want to have a good time. No pompous attitudes.
Went for the Solera Anniversary so expectations were even higher that everyone would be in a great mood, ESPECIALLY the celebrating staff! I was very disappointed in the bartender. Next visit here will be to walk in and up the stairs to Cheshire… no service to Solera. Bartenders upstairs were fantastic!

I frequent Solera quite often, but to be honest, it’s usually to pass through and make my way up the stairs to Cheshire, their cocktail bar. Sometimes I’ll bring my drink back downstairs if it’s too crowded on the second floor.
But Solera seems to have solid offerings of its own. However, I’m not a big wine drinker so I can’t talk too much specifics. Some I’ve really enjoyed, but several I haven’t. I also haven’t received the best service from the bartenders.
The cheese plates are good and pair nicely with the wines. Also I enjoy the quiet, dim, cozy atmosphere.

Solera curates a killer list of wines — every bottle we got was a great choice. I especially recommend the Torcidas 2011 Malbec — delicious!
We went to Solera for my sister’s birthday and split four bottles between the 8 of us. The wines in the front of the menu are $ 28 — $ 32 /​bottle; the reserve list has a wide range. Our one beer drinker was a little disappointed in the short beer list, but he was DD anyway, so it wasn’t a big deal.
Downstairs, it’s wine and beer only; upstairs, I’m told they have a full bar. When we arrived at around 9 on a Friday, there were three couples there, and each was sitting at a table that could accommodate a group (leaving us with nowhere to go!). Luckily for us, one nice fellow noticed our conundrum and offered to switch to a smaller table.
The one real problem we had was — how do you tip? The bartender literally opened 4 bottles of wine for us and handed over glasses, so a $ 35 dollar tip (20% of the bill) seemed way out of proportion to the service we received. I’m not a skimpy tipper, so I looked it up online, which was no help (the consensus from forums was literally «there’s no right answer, but if it’s someplace you frequent often, make it 20% — and expect to receive EXCELLENT and attentive service.»). We settled on $ 10 or $ 15 bucks, but I’d love some advice for next time!

I love this place. From their great selection of ever changing wines to their cheese plates of which I could have two and be happy calling that a meal. A wonderful addittion to the South Wedge. And although I’ve been a half dozen times over the years (we like to meet others there before going out to dinner elsewhere), I am sorry to report that I haven’t made it upstairs to try some of the prohibition style cocktails in their speakeasy. Maybe next time. Or maybe we could find someoene to review that aspect alone. I don’t see any reviews to that effect.
I am, however, somewhat inclined to agree with Reagan B. about the staff. They and the owners are awkward. They do a great job in conversing with their friends, but they don’t know truly how to treat patrons. I like it inspite of itself because I know what I want and don’t need the recommendations. Although I flipped my reviews giving Solera a higher rate than Flight, if I was uninformed about wine and wanted some good advice, I would take Reagan’s recommendation and go to Flight instead. But the ambience there is all chrome and leather. Here it’s seedy and I like that as well. So get with it staff. Learn that you have to talk to everyone, not just your half dozen friends who crowd the bar!

As more of a beer guy than a wine guy (I do like wine, just not all that knowledgeable about it, on the other hand, I am a full fledged member of the Beer Geek Crew), I find Solera very comfortable and unpretentious. I love the fact that this place in not full of wine snobs like some other wine bars in town. The staff is knowledgeable and has never led me astray in their suggestions or descriptions of the wines, and I’ve asked about everything from Cabernet Sauvignons to Rieslings. They have some pretty decent beers available for those in your party who would rather partake in beer than wine. It is nice to see they appreciate good beer as well as good wine. Beer snobs and wine snobs need to realize that the arguments between the groups as to which is «better» is just as pathetic as a bunch of nerds arguing about D & D versus Magic the Gathering or something…
To my uneducated eye, the wine list is very good, and covers both styles and price ranges well. Glasses run $ 6 to $ 9, while bottles range from $ 24 to $ 200.
Solera is usually very low key and quiet, even on weekends. However, it is a relatively small place, so it can fill up quickly, and it has very limited space for large groups.
Street parking only, but it is usually not that difficult to find a spot in the area.
The charcuterie and cheese boards are decent to snack on wine drinking and conversing with friends, but if you want a full meal, you will have to go elsewhere. The cheese selections are always interesting, and the server always takes a moment to give you a run down of the cheeses and what to expect from each, which is appreciated, as totally against my will I seem to be a budding curd nerd.

Yay! Solera is a gem. Beautiful chandelier. High ceilings. Rich red on the walls. Not much seating, but that’s part of the charm. However, if you are in a party larger than 4, there are only 2 places for you to sit in there.
Wine list by the glass is small (7 – 8 choices) but cover all the bases– white, red, dessert, sparkling, and rose. Glasses are around $ 6 – 8. There is a more expansive bottle list.
For food, they have an olive oil flight $ 7, charcuterie AKA prepared meats («That’s charcuterie? I’ve been avoiding that on menus for years! They’re killing themselves with that name.») $ 10 and a cheese plate $ 10.
When I was there, they only had one bartender (no table service) but he was busting some ass to make it happen. I loved that I went on a Friday when bars and clubs when overflowing… Solera was full but wasn’t slammed. I loved being able to sit, talk and drink good wine!

You can never have too much wine. Well, maybe you can, but you can never have too many wine bars. I love the variety our little city offers and Solera is one on the top of my list. It’s a quaint spot, very rich looking with all that dark wood. «I have many leather-​bound books and my apartment smells of rich mahogany.» …I think that every time I walk into Solera. It’s reminiscent of an fancy study where you’d smoke cigars and read important books, while also feeling quite romantic and intimate.
I tend to come here on «off» nights, unintentionally, so I’ve never had any issues getting a table. They have a wonderful selection of wines, so many I wonder how the bartenders stay informed. I might add, they are the most intelligent bartenders. I am always blown away by their ability to speak to the quality of the wine without a second guess. I often ask for recommendations to try something new.
I’m a dry wine lover and I’ve enjoyed a glass or two of the Domaine de Pouy Ugni Blanc ($ 6) — dry and crisp white — along with the Kermit Lynch Cotes du Rhone ($ 8), which is a tasty blend with hints of pepper.
The cheese and charcuterie boards are also a must when coming here (3 choices for each, both $ 10). Love the addition of the assorted olives if ordering the meats. The bread is so delicious and once I tried the olive oil flight. I was shocked at the differences between the 3 offered. There really is noticeable flavor change in Spanish vs. Italian vs. Greek olive oil. I will definitely order that again.