Wine

Spotlight on… Café La Rue! We've been talking about some of our favorite places to get eats as well as drinks lately.  Right now, it's Café La Rue's turn!   Café La Rue is a relatively new place in an old haunt – the bar and bistro reopened last year at La Jolla's historic La Valencia Hotel, which is known as "The Pink Lady," after closing down for a makeover and taking over the space of an iconic bar called The Whaling Bar – traces of which still live on in its décor and some of its drinks. Café La Rue has also updated its menu, favoring simple foods but with a European flair: their dishes include smoked cheddar bratwurst – made with IPA beer cheese – and pork belly confit poutine.  Delicious!  Even their french fries are simple yet superb: they're…

It’s officially time for the Christmas countdown! Even if you don’t celebrate Christmas, you can’t help but get caught up in the holiday spirit – lights are twinkling against our gorgeous California sunsets, the malls are full of specials (and people!) and there’s just a certain feel in the air as the days get shorter and cooler. It’s also a great time of year to start switching up your wines.  This cooler weather is not only welcome, it lets you consider completely different tastes and flavors!  Light and fruity, for example, is nice enough in the heat, but what you really want during a December downpour is a good, bold red or a hearty white. Luckily, the jamminess and spiciness that chilly weather really demands is readily available from California wines!  Here are some good picks for sitting inside and…

It’s almost holiday season. Well, actually, since holiday season starts right after Halloween these days, we guess it IS holiday season! This the time of year that we tell all of you how thankful we are for all of you.  We couldn’t be in this business without you, our fellow beer, wine,nd food aficionados, and all the good things you bring into our lives. We’re also thankful we live in such an amazing corner of the world, where fine, locally-produced food and drink is available everywhere we turn! Since we know you appreciate good meals and drinks just as much as we do, we thought we’d share some tried-and-true suggestions with you to make your Thanksgiving Day as delightful as it can possibly be. First, to the food.  Do you have too much to drink hanging around the house? Is…

Heading to the racetrack doesn't always have to be a summertime affair. This year is an unusual one, because for the first time since an unsuccessful one-year run in the 1960s, the autumn horseracing circuit will be at Del Mar instead of Hollywood Park, whose racetrack closed down for good at the end of last year. You know what that means?  We get to wear our big hats and party like it's summertime for the next few weeks. The Bing Crosby Season lasts from November 7th until the 30th, and it promises to be an exciting time, just like always! But people don't just go to the races to watch the horses, although that's of course the main draw. The Del Mar racetrack is also home to great food and drink. There's something for everyone, whether you're looking for burgers…

It’s the spookiest time of the year! Halloween is on its way.  Kids are donning costumes, scary movies are all over Netflix, and ghosts are wailing in the trees (or is it just the Santa Ana?). But we haven’t forgotten about that other celebration of All Saint’s Day and All Soul’s Day: Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead.  That’s the Mexican celebration of the dead, where you can go to the graveyards and talk to your loved ones who have passed on. We are so close to Mexico here in southern California that we would be remiss if we didn’t mention Baja California’s vibrant beer and wine scene.  But you shouldn’t have to cross any international borders to sample them, if you don’t want to! First up, let’s talk about the craft beer scene, which in no…

Today is National Red Wine Day! And what a glorious day it is. It’s the day when we take a moment to sit back, take a sip, and really appreciate red wine. What, you say? That’s every day? Well, read on for tips on how to appreciate it more! First of all, wine is history in a glass. No matter what you drink, you’re sipping on the sun, the sky, the soil, the climate, and the temperament of the place your wine was born. It contains the minerals that nurtured it, the light that warmed it, the chill of the starry nights that helped the grapes grow. In short, it embodies the character of a place like nothing else you could eat or drink, and in the most delightful and delicious way possible. And while people have been fermenting beverages…

We know we're called San Diego Beer and Wine Tours, but we don't just deal with beer and wine. In fact, we never have. We understand that beer and wine without wonderful food pairings is like having peanut butter without the jelly, ice cream without the sprinkles, yin without yang – you get the picture. All of our tours, as a matter of fact, include food tastings to go with your beverages – the equivalent of a full meal. We don't just tour the finest wineries and breweries in San Diego. Our tours are filled with the best food this town has to offer, no matter what you're in the mood for! It's a great way to savor the best gourmet, farm-to-table fare while you sip without having to commit to the price of a full meal. Plus, you get to…

The temperature's a-changing and fall's on its way. We have talked at length before about our love for southern California in the autumn, haven't we? Well, we'll talk about it again. It's one of the most beautiful times of year – drought notwithstanding – because while we don't get the spectacular rainbow-hued leaves and chilly weather you might find elsewhere, we have our own unmistakable signs that the seasons are changing. One such sign is the marine layer. It lingers a little longer this time of year, making the mornings just a little cooler and more overcast. When the sun finally peeps through the coastal clouds, it's not so warm. In fact, the conditions are perfect for a day at the beach so that you can watch the rays sparkle on the waves. Further inland, the mountains and foothills are…

It's Labor Day! If we lived anywhere but this absolutely beautiful part of the world, this would be the unofficial end of summer and beginning of fall. But since we're in southern California, the march of the seasons are a good deal more subtle. However, this is a great time to start planning outdoor barbecues and backyard parties with friends, and we're all for that! Labor Day is actually a day to celebrate the rights and achievements of workers, long pressed tightly under the thumb of the manufacturing industry. After the Industrial Revolution, the average American worked more than 80 hours a week, with no days off, simply to put food on the table, and children as young as 5 were already working in the mines. Labor unionized and revolted, organizing strikes and rallies. On September 5th, 1882, thousands of…

It's wedding season!  Actually, we know that you can get married any day of the year, but here in southern California, the summer is the season of love! June through August seem to be the magical months. That's when the skies are bluest and the beaches are the most beautiful — the winning combination for amore. We love weddings! But, marriage isn't all about the wedding: It starts with a proposal. (I’d cut this next line: And while there are very few bad places to ask the person of your dreams to spend your lives together, some are more unusual than others.) Here's our list of romantic places to propose to your soon-to-be life partner: 1.     Balboa Park. Get an eyeful of San Diego's history, culture, and lovely architecture. If you stop in the middle of the bridge,…