Fine wines and cognacs make Vinoga a winner

  • 2004-02-05
  • By Laimons Juris G
RIGA - Imagine yourself sipping fine French cognac in a cozy, pleasant atmosphere. First you gently swirl the liquid around in your glass to bring out and intensify the aroma. Naturally, it has been served at the proper temperature (between 16 to 18 degrees Celsius).

Next you begin to breathe in the symphony of fragrances blended into the cognac. Then, finally, take a small sip, slowly rolling it around on your tongue and on your palate before swallowing it. The consistency, mellowness and velvet smoothness all help make up the body. After several minutes, if the taste still lingers on your palate, you know that you are drinking a good cognac.
For those of us fortunate enough to live in Riga's Pardaugava (the left bank of the Daugava River), the opportunity to experience such bliss is now possible seven days a week.
The Vinoga (Grape) is a brand new restaurant and wine shop, located near the Agenskalna market. It's a quick 10-15 minute trip with tram numbers 2 or 8 from the center of the city; get off at the fifth stop after Akmens Bridge and you're there.
Tucked into a snug corner in a wood-timbered building, it is easy to find as it is painted bright in orange. Instead of tearing down the small wooden structure, which is the usual practice these days, it has been carefully restored and redecorated. Inside, tables, chairs and a bar made of natural wood contribute to the congenial atmosphere. The warm and welcoming interior looks as if belongs somewhere in Switzerland.
The meals won't cost you an arm and a leg either. A generous portion of chicken and kiwi salad served warm costs only 1.40 lats (2 euros) while the most expensive dish, halibut fried with broccoli and almonds, costs a modest 4.80 lats.
The Vinoga serves a variety of international-style dishes ranging from a simple mixed salad (1.20 lats) to pork fillet marinated in Beaujolais wine with Dor Blu sauce (3.50 lats). A business lunch is available every Monday to Friday from noon until 4 p.m. Included is a mixed salad, the entree of the day, dessert and coffee or tea served with a complimentary chocolate treat. It's a delicious deal at 2.70 lats. The friendly service is an added bonus.
Getting back to that heavenly daydream, you can sample a goblet of prestigious A.E. Dor cognac for a mere 0.85 lats or, at the other end of the scale, buy a bottle of the best for some 141.50 lats.
If any further proof were needed that Pardau-gava is on the way up, Vinoga is surely it.