Wine tasting adds excitement to shopping center

If you didn’t know, some real excitement happened Wednesday at the Village Pointe shopping center.

The annual "Vino at the Village" wine tour took place.

And Omahans Aaron and Jennifer Roberts were abuzz about it.

The couple sampled, sipped and savored wine from eight restaurants they hardly visit.

"It’s great outdoor event," Aaron Roberts said.

"There are so many restaurants and stores out here that we haven’t had a chance to visit," his wife added.

"This was a great way for us to get out."

Kim Jones, spokeswoman for Village Pointe, said "Vino at the Village" was created as a way to promote the area’s fine dining experience and draw people to storefronts.

Eight locations — Johnny’s Italian Steakhouse, Kona Grill, Mimi’s Café, Funny Bone Comedy Club, Firebirds Wood Fire Grill, Cheeseburger in Paradise, the Melting Pot and gourmet food store Harry & David (which offered nonalcoholic beverages) — participated in the pay-as-you-go wine tour at the open-air mall near 168th and West Dodge Road.

Wine samples varied in price from $3 to $6.

Dozens of people — mostly couples and women in their late 20s and early 40s— attended the walking tour.

"The best place I went to was Cheeseburger in Paradise," said Cindy Urban. "It was fun and they had fun drinks."

At just after 8 p.m., the restaurant was packed.

Once you stepped onto the patio, you were immediately greeted with colorful leis, island music and stiff drinks.

Very fitting for a restaurant’s theme. Cheeseburger in Paradise was inspired by Jimmy Buffett’s song and offers a tropical atmosphere with murals of palm trees, grass hut booths and a burger and seafood menu.

You had your choice of four sangria flavors — spice berry, rock melon, blackberry, and mango — at this location. Some were brandy concoctions, others were Chardonnay and fruit juice mixtures.

Wine enthusiasts Cindy and Jimbo Urban were pleased with the selection.

They sipped a few then hopped on a trolly to hit up another wine-tasting location. At each stop, they received a different colored bracelet for purchasing either an appetizer or wine sample.

By the end of the night, their wrists were covered in bracelets.