Like most other nerdy couples, The Brit and I went to see the latest blockbuster movie. We heard that you can get wine at the Century Cinemark Theater in Napa so we decided to go there and write about the experience.
It is a beautiful theater. New and nicely appointed, they have every modern convenience. You can buy the normal movie popcorn, giant sized candy and bonbons along with your bucket of soda to wash it all down. Another option is to get coffee drinks from the Starbucks kiosk. I like that as a great option when I am watching a movie as I don’t drink soda, The Brit hates the smell of popcorn (so I am deprived), and water just bores me. The last option was one that interested me: The wine bar. It doesn’t matter that it was only 11:30 a.m. on a Saturday morning. Wine! I have to tell you that The Brit was so excited to get wine at the theater. He was like a little kid getting ice cream at the movies.
Let me warn you, the wine isn’t cheap. The wine they sell (by the glass) was $8.00 – $13.00. It looked as though they had 10 or 12 choices of wine. I had the Hahn Pinot Noir which retails for around $10 per bottle, and The Brit had the Trinity Oaks Cabernet Sauvingnon which retails for $6.99 a bottle. The pours were very small. I would say about 3 ounces. Even though they had the bar set up with nice wine glasses what you got was a really cheap plastic cup. Meh. They didn’t even use the plastic disposable wine glasses. Double Meh. Then, to top it off, the wine wasn’t kept well, nor was it good quality for the price of the wine. Mine was ok, but The Brits was barely drinkable. I think it was headed to being vinegar.
Just a note, they also sold beer. That was between $6.00 and $7.00 a glass. I didn’t see if it was on tap or by the bottle as we were really focused on the wine. They also sell nibbles plates.
The other annoyance is that they give you these ridiculous green arm bands to signify you are over 21. I just rolled my eyes. Seriously? Who is going to go to the cinema and drink that cheap wine to get drunk? One glass was more than enough.
The wine ended up to be more expensive than our 3 movie tickets for a matinee. I know concessions at theaters are always expensive, but I guess I just didn’t feel the value there. I think I will stick with the in-house Starbucks and be happy. Nice idea, though.
P.S. The movie was pretty good. The Brit was happy. I guess that is all that counts!
