Robaina's

Robaina's
Robaina's plantation

Monday 22 July 2013

Casa del Vino Halo's-Palco (Miramar, Havana) Wine Bar

                I've often been asked what the wine situation is like in Cuba, that is to say what is the availability. From my experience and especially in Havana, the selection is acceptable. Of course finding wines from certain parts of the world will be more difficult than others but I've always been able to find a decent amount of wines from Spain, Chile and Argentina. Although you can find wines from say....Italy and France, they're going to be a little on the expensive side even by my Canadian (heavy liquor taxes) standards. I have no problem drinking the wines that are more readily available, you can actually find some very decent values.
                 One thing I haven't found is a Wine Bar, that is until now. On my last trip I was staying in Miramar close to the 'Miramar Trade Center' located between Calle 76-80 & 5ta-3ra. This is a huge outdoor plaza with a variety of businesses and eateries. On one of my walks through the plaza I discovered this Bar and decided to walk in. Unfortunately it was Sunday and it was closed but a couple a guys were inside taking inventory and didn't mind me shooting some pictures and asking some questions. Open 6 days a week, they only serve finger foods and offer only one white and red by the glass (not much of a wine bar). They do however offer a pretty good variety of wines by the bottle from several countries at what I consider fair prices. I was able to purchase several bottles and found them to have been stored properly when I tried them. They have a large screen tv and informed me that if there's a sporting event happening somewhere, they'll show it on their tv (Soccer has become a big deal in Cuba). The place itself is gorgeous, clean and kept very cool. You could transplant this bar in any major city in the world and it would fit right in. The back wall is all bar and the front is all window, the walls on either side of the room are lined with wine.
                  I wasn't able to sit and enjoy some time in the place but intend to visit on a future trip when it's open. For now, I hope you enjoy the pictures and now you know it's here. The unit is located near the Elephants.



Casa del Vino Halo's-Palco
Plaza del Edificio Barcelona
Miramar Trade Center
Playa (Miramar), Havana
tel (537) 204 2919
email  halosa@net.cu












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