Five Vines Wine Bar — Restaurant in San Juan Capistrano

Summary: Not the cheapest wine bar, but a pretty good value. Great selection. Friendly and attentive staff, as long as you don't ask for water. Great cheese ball. Wifi didn't work and cell reception sucks, so hard to get discounts for checking in to FB, Instagram, etc. Parking in big lot next to train station.

My wife and I went here with my Mom after doing a BOGO tasting at Hamilton Oaks and being disappointed. We saw that Five Vines was just down the road and made our way over. We found some parking in the large lot for the train station (which full, but we got lucky with a car leaving just as we arrived). We walked to the shop and down the stairs that lead to the tables. It's a small tasting area with a bar, a couple of longish tables, and a lounging couch section. The couches were the only thing available so that's where we sat. As we walked in, I noticed that there were $1 off discounts for checking in through various social media platforms and a wifi password just above it. Since cell reception was limited while being subterranean I was hopeful about staying connected through their wifi, but neither myself, my wife, or my Mom had any luck connecting. Oh well.

After being seated, we were handed the tasting menus and told what the daily specials were. We perused through the pages inside and read the descriptions. You can either purchase a 2oz pour, a glass, or a bottle and all of the prices were right next to each wine. There were a number of flights available, but they were the same price as each of the glasses' prices totaled up. After reading through, we made some selections and were soon sipping down our first round.

The pours were decent sized. At a range of $4-$7 for 2oz, they should be. Glass prices are not super cheap either, but a decent value. We tried a variety of tastes, my Mom got a class, and my wife and I shared a flight. We also tried the homemade cheese ball and really enjoyed it. Highly recommended.

As our tasting wound down we asked for waters from one of the servers, but they went behind the bar and forgot us. Then my Mom asked the other server, and he brought out one glass for the three of us. She asked for a refill and finally they got the hint that we all wanted to hydrate after trying a bunch of their wine. Really, it shouldn't have been that hard to deliver after the first request.

Despite the difficulty attaining non-alcoholic fluids, we had a good time, spent a good chunk of money, but tried a good variety of wines. We'd likely come back and stick to the specials more since they are the...

We planned our rehearsal dinner at Five Vines all the way from Phoenix as we were having a destination wedding. We took a keep of faith and chose to have our rehearsal dinner without having the opportunity to visit first. And it was one of the best decisions we made for our entire wedding weekend. Five Fives in a family owned and operated wine bar in downtown SJC and it was evident from the beginning how much love and care they have put into making their establishment welcoming, beautiful, fun, and delicious. Through the planning process we worked directly with Suzy, one of the owners. She was fast to communicate and helped us plan the exact style dinner we were looking for. We held the dinner in the private area upstairs which also has a private balcony which guests really enjoyed. Having not been there before we brought some of our own decorations, which frankly we did not need. The room was beautifully set up with plenty of decor. We will be traveling back to SJC just to eat/drink there again. Everything was delicious. But what really made the night special was that they allowed us to play some of our families favorite songs on high quality speakers and dance together. It was such a wholesome and happy memory we will truly cherish forever. The bartender was Suzy’s son and he made the yummiest cocktails, made everyone laugh, and gave us phenomenal recommendations for must try local spots. Suzy and her family are kind and welcoming people and Five Vines completely exceeded our reherseal dinner...

It’s always nice to have a great to have a local wine bar nearby. I came for the bar experience and am not reviewing any food this time, but I hope to be back for dining.

The wine collection is very thoughtful and curated and the service was warm, attentive and knowledgeable. It’s clear that a lot of care went into both the wine and overall experience.

For the beer lovers, they currently lacked a West Coast IPA on draft, which is expected at a bars like this, especially in its native region.

The live music is a plus. Not too loud and adds to the overall cozy vibes. Tonight, they featured a guitarist/singer.

One small note for the maître d':

A softer lighting ambiance, especially in the dining area, would elevate this establishment to much greater heights. The light fixtures are cleverly made from wine barrels, but the lights themselves could be updated, or at the very least,...