Silverlake Wine's newsletter will tip you to the vibe of this wine shop, promising “Disco Inferno–interesting Loire Valley whites” that are “as much fun as throwing a TV set off your balcony.” And for the cost of one hotel bar cocktail ($12-20) the weekly tasting events have become attendance-required for both oenophiles and wannabes, with food pairings by chefs from places like Heirloom L.A. and a popular Thursday night residency by Let's Be Frank. This year, Silverlake Wine added offsite tastings — Wednesdays are in the lobby of the Standard Downtown — and convinced Barnsdall Art Park to let hundreds of people bring their toddlers and tubs of Trader Joe's hummus to the Hollyhock House lawn every Friday with glasses of Viognier dangling from their fingertips. Co-owner Randy Clement assures us that they'll be back at Barnsdall next summer, but until then, a new experiment with monthly beer tastings in the park kicked off in September, with in situ screenings of Swingers and Chinatown. If all jives with Barnsdall's schedule, those will start up even earlier next summer. That's like throwing two TVs off your balcony. 2395 Glendale Blvd., L.A. (323) 662-9024, silverlakewine.com.

—Alissa Walker

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