If you’re one of those people who wants to drink great wine, but feels hesitant about utilizing the services of a sommelier or plowing through a big leather-bound wine list, take yourself out of the upscale restaurant and head over to Bacchus at the Elysium, the Euro-Greek wine bar-cum-cafe on Dunlavy just north of Westheimer.

Just a few months old, there’s a charm about the place that starts with the mosaic of marble tile floors (it used to be a marble showroom) and a colorful lounging area where orange and nest-egg blue accents are set against a textured curved yellow wall. During the day, the wall is more evocative of an egg crate, but as the sun sets, the dim lighting miraculously transforms the space, giving it an almost underground feel.

Drink enough, and you may feel like you’ve been whisked off to a cave somewhere in Greece.
Speaking of drink, this is the whole point of going to Bacchus. If you’re looking for an expert to help you choose a glass of wine, it’s as easy as asking the guy behind the counter for a recommendation. “Give me something fresh and fruity,” I requested.

“I’ve got just the thing,” replied Marc Borel, who proceeded to pour me a 2010 Domaine de la Garenne Rose, a Bandol wine. Sure enough, it was exactly what I wanted: smooth, fruity, fresh, chilled and perfect on a hot summer evening.

Borel was hired shortly after Bacchus opened, and since then he has revamped the largely Mediterranean wine list. A sommelier whose last stint at Samba Grille helped them earn a nod as one of Wine Enthusiast’s “America’s 100 Best Wine Restaurants of 2011,” Borel is someone who knows about wine and is happy to share his knowledge.

On the evening I was there, he gave me a brief education about Bandol wines. He also arranged our charcuterie plate, house-made hummus plate and tossed together a Greek salad. In between chatting and prepping Mediterranean-themed bar food, he mixed and mingled easily with bar patrons, an eclectic mix of people who included a local chef and her friend, casually dressed locals who looked like they had walked over from their homes down the street, and people like me, who just wanted to spend some one-on-one time with a friend.

And that’s the great thing about Bacchus. You can sit at the bar and easily get expert wine advice if you need it without the frills and formality of a formal sommelier visit to your table. Or you can come with friends, grab a table in the cave-like lounge or on the well appointed patio, and order a bottle of wine knowing that it wouldn’t have made it on the list if it wasn’t good to begin with.

BACCHUS AT THE ELYSIUM 2502 Dunlavy, one block north of Westheimer. 713-529-2330, bacchushouston.com