Wine Tasting Goes High-Tech in New York

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After a week-long trip to the Napa Valley region earlier this year, I returned to New York with a newfound interest in wine.

New York does have a bevy of wine bars with decent options and modest prices, but I found myself unusually interested in new varieties from different wine-producing regions of the world. Thankfully, I stumbled upon the newly opened Clo Wines, which is, for my money, the best spot in the city to sample a glass of wine.

Overlooking Columbus Circle from its perch on the fourth floor of the Time Warner Center, the contemporary styled Clo is a wine taster's dream come true. Each wall is equipped with multiple tasting stations that each house eight different varieties of wine -- from chardonnay to merlot, cabernet sauvignon to sauvignon blanc, from riesling to chianti -- for a grand total of more than 100.

Simply swap your credit card for a tasting card at the counter, insert it in a wall dispenser, and select the wine you want to try. In seconds, your perfect 2-ounce pour is in your glass and ready to taste. Each pour is priced separately, with a range that starts at $3 and goes as high as $90, depending on the vintage and style of wine.

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While wine connoisseurs will say the enormous wine selection is the main attraction at Clo, nearly every visitor is wowed by the bar's interactive tabletop. A flick of your finger across the surface quickly flips through the entire wine list at Clo, complete with a computerized image of the bottle, information on the region the wine grapes are grown and their vintage, the different subtleties of the taste and the perfect food pairing.