Vini Culture

The falafel wrap here is the best. I am usually always disappointed by American falafel, but this place is legit! If you like a little spice try it with the jalapeño feta.
The have a pretty good wine selection and their staff is very nice and attentive. Its a good place to start out a Friday night or just meet up with friends.

I had friends from out of town visiting and we were exploring downtown Frederick when we stumbled upon this place. I’ve always seen it when driving by but never thought much about it. It is the cutest little café with table, comfy couches, and an outdoor patio. When we walked in we were greeted by Lauren who took wonderful care of us the entire time. She was so knowledgable of all the different kinds of wine. My friend told her what kind of wines he typically liked and she brought back samples for him which ended up being exactly what he wanted :). I can really appreciate a server who knows their stuff and can connect with their customers on a more personal level having casual conversation. Our glasses were never empty and that’s what’s important! Kudos to Lauren, she deserves a huge shout out! I’ll be back for sure.

Great find in Frederick and voted one of best wine bars in DC area.
Food is amazing too.

I didn’t think I would like this place cause it’s kinda pretentious and snobby looking. Maybe not really. Maybe I’m just not used to places with class? When I got to places like this, I often feel like the staff is talking down to me like I’m some uncouth barbarian who can barely stutter out the words «WHICH WINE DRINK ME GOOD?» The folks who work here are all pretty nice though.
The outdoor seating is great and the food is good too. I don’t know what a «pairing» is (my friends tell me I wouldn’t understand) but they did a pretty good job giving me the proper white wine to go with my falafel. The falafel was also tasty. My friend said the salmon was pretty good. I didn’t try it though. You’re just gonna have to trust her vicariously through me.
Can’t say I’d drive all the way out to Frederick to go here again, but I’d definitely eat here again if I found myself in town and hungry/​sober.

What a great spot for a relaxing after dinner glass… or three… of wine. They have some great couch seating at the front of the restaurant that gives some privacy and relaxation… the high back couch was my favorite. Our wine expert was Alex and she was great! We could tell her what we liked and she’d suggest a few to try… she was on point for all of them. Of course it helps that I love trying new wines, but for someone who’s not sure, this is a fun spot to find out.
We didn’t get any food as we went to Black Hog BBQ for dinner, but the option is there.
The prices vary depending on the wine, but they are very reasonable. Even better that you can choose between a tasting, ½ glass or full glass from the wine machines.
Glad we found this fun spot, def. worth a visit!

I always walked by Vini Culture when I’d go downtown to grab food with some friends, but never had the chance to try it out until now.
Let’s just say that their whole concept with wine tasting is very unique.
You start off by putting money in a card they give you (minimum $ 20), and with that you have the opportunity to try out the different selection of red and white wine they have on the floor machines. They’re quite tech-​savvy and it truly left a great impression. However, their selection of wine is minimal.
I really enjoyed the white wine that was provided over the reds, in my opinion. My friend and I ordered a cheese plate and flatbread to have on the side with our wines.
The only down part is that their food service is quite slow and lacking. I understand it’s a wine tasting bar, but the variety of food they offer is not much. And the employees are very slow at accommodating to your needs. I don’t think they even check every table and ask if we need anything…
When I was at the front desk trying to refill my card, it took over 20 minutes. Absolutely an unnecessary wait time when there were only two customers in front of me (they were also refilling their cards). This was because there was no employee positioned to work the front desk and receive customers. They’d always help one then leave to go to the back kitchen, keeping customers waiting in line until they come back. VERY unorganized.
Overall, I’d come back here to wine taste again. But they should really work on providing better customer service.

The concept of serving yourself a taste, half or full glass of wine, using a preloaded card is pretty cool. Their food service is seriously lacking, though. They are very slow and very inefficient. The waitress came to ask us how much we want to put on the card. Never having been there before we asked how much the wines go for. She briefly explained the price range and three different sizes, as mentioned above. We decided on an amount, got our card; and soon we were off tasting a variety of wines.
We ordered a cheese plate which was to have 3 cheeses and crostini. Instead, we were served the charcuterie (2 cheeses, 3 cured meats, pickles/​olives, jam, butter and mustard). We didn’t realize it was not what we ordered because the menu didn’t have a description. A little while later, as I am gnashing at the pickle, our waitress tells us this wasn’t our order. We agreed we would keep this and she would only charge us for the cheese plate. Nice of her. I’d hate to see good food being wasted. Now we had our wine and charcuterie, but no small side plates, utensils or crostini. We asked her twice. About ten minutes passed and some guy delivers the crostini. We asked him for utensils and he finally brought it to us. We also ordered the grilled cheese sandwich. Which didn’t arrive until we were paying the bill. It was a fancy sandwich since it has Brie and avocado.
Debating between 2 or 3 stars. Overall:
1 star for cool concept
1 star for nice wines and appetizers
1 star for service (lack thereof)
I think they should have one person loading the wine cards and another person serving the food.

Our waitress Alex was charming and gave great service. Falafel flatbread was delicious as was the feta jalapeño dip. The whole menu was tempting. We had wine from the bar– the whole card and sampling thing felt like too much work and too much drinking:). Bright, airy and the bathrooms are beautiful.

Went to this wine bar to celebrate a friends birthday. The staff were friendly, knowledgeable, & helpful. We added $ 20 to our card and sampled the wines. Most were good, but we ended up ordering from the bar as it was less expensive. We would definitely return — please offer a better selection of white wine!

Great place for wine lovers. Very cool concept. The wine dispensers are great but I would also ask the servers on their suggestions as they are very knowledgeable.

Going here was the first time I had seen a place like this, now I’ve seen a couple more. The concept is cool because it allows you to try a bunch of wines that you might never do. It’s especially good for people (like me) who are trying to learn more about different types of wines. If you get a taster glass of various types, you can at least have an opinion on what a Malbec tastes like, right?!

Great place! We stopped in after reading other reviews on Unilocal.I really like the idea of being able to sample as many wines as I’d like, and at my own pace. I wish I could have tried food off the menu because it looks delicious and the prices seemed reasonable but we decided to head back next time we visit Frederick.
I wish we had some place like Vini Culture in Baltimore (we have Sip, but it’s not as laid back). It was quiet and laid back on a Saturday eve and I could see myself doing work here while sipping some wine. Come open a wine bar in Baltimore!

Cute wine bar with wine dispensing machines. You buy an ATM like card and pick which wines you want to try.

While showing my sister and brother-​in-​law downtown Frederick and where I work we decided to stop for lunch. Vini Culture looked like a cute place with a nice atmosphere and they weren’t too busy.
The place is painted in bright colors with lots of colorful art on the wall and feels big for such a small space. Many of the wines you can get by the glass are one’s that are carried where I work at Spin The Bottle Wine Company so I know they are good! They have many craft beers to choose from including at least one gluten free beer.
I had their special when we went which was Tomato Bisque and a Tuna Melt. Both were excellent and everyone else in my group enjoyed what they had as well.
There were four of us and we all got sandwiches and two of us got soup in addition and drank water and the total was $ 70. Not a super cheap place, but the food was good and the service was as well. I would go back.

Came here for a nightcap with my girlfriend after dinner at Ayse. Very nice atmosphere and even better service. Did not eat here so I can’t review the food, but can imagine that’s pretty good as well.
We’ll be back next time we’re in Frederick!

I came here for lunch with my parents because my mom remembered the extensive menu of their vegan options. Georgia, the hostess and our server for lunch on a Saturday, was super friendly, helpful, and generally super sweet. She showed us how to operate the tasting machines and explained the tasting cards. Basically, you put money on the card and you can try any of the vacuum and gas kept wines. The white and reserve reds are kept along the wall and the reds are on a freestanding dispenser near the bar.
The food was very tasty and the wines were yummy. The staff is friendly and very knowledgeable. Overall it was a fantastic experience! We debated on buying gift cards the whole meal. I highly recomend!

Popped in for the tail end of happy hour. Very cute spot with varied seating options: regular tables, high tops, sofas, comfy looking chairs. We sat in the front alcove, almost looking over the street, nice view. House wine was on special so we each had a glass. It’s great that they have more than one varietal available at the house wine price. The food options looked great, but we didn’t eat. The wine technology is also pretty cool. You load a card and the use their automatic dispensers to serve yourself.
Group of ladies hanging out at one of the group areas was having lots of fun. We would definitely return.

You have to stop by Vino Culture for some wine and lite fare. If you’re lucky enough to get a beautiful fall day like today, come to Fredrick and bring along your four legged friend. We grabbed a table outside to enjoy the street band playing and quickly made friends with a couple seated next to us.
There’s a large selection of wine to choose
from. We tried a few wine selections along with some dates wrapped in prosciutto with a balsamic glaze and hummus, black bean dip, tapenade, and veggie plate. Truly a delightful time.
I look forward to returning next week to try some of the new wine selection!
Id recommend stopping in if you’re planning on a girls night, bachelorette party or birthday celebration.

What a great find. Was able to taste wine from California, New Zealand, Italy and France before settling on a lovely Sancerre. Space is warm, staff is friendly and food is fresh with ingredients that are often locally sourced… The flatbreads are my favorite. No wonder USA Today included Vini Culture in its Top 10 Wine Bars in the DC area! Only concern is that now that they have been discovered and I won’t get a seat at the bar!

Apparently this is not a new concept but I’ve never been to a self serve wine bar and really enjoyed the experience. You prepay a card ($ 20 is a good start) and you walk up to any of the 3 stations and select if you want a taste, pour or a glass and the machine fills up your glass. We also got a cheese plate which had a good amount of food so we’d get a taste and come back to the table to drink and eat and then would go back for more. They also have desserts and flatbreads so I’ll have to try those next time around.
The place itself is nice but a bit minimalistic. It was pretty empty when we came there so we didn’t have to wait for a table and all the times I’ve passed by it the place has been pretty empty– don’t let that discourage you from trying it.