Local Wine Bars

The Wine Encounter

690 University Avenue
619-543-9463 | thewineencounter.com
Rich dark woods offset by soft lighting are but a few of the fine details creating the appealing atmosphere of this casual yet elegant wine bar. With a warm and cozy atmosphere, this friendly establishment offers not only tastings but pairings with cuisine from California's wine country. For business or romance, there are also semiprivate rooms.

Wine Steals

1243 University Avenue | 619-295-1188
The unique concept is simple: combine wine buying with wine tasting in a casual and fun atmosphere. Customers can sip, nibble, or drink at the traditional zinc-countered bar while shopping for affordable, off-the-beaten-path wines in the retail store. The focus is on unpretentious wine exploration. Whether you're a novice wine drinker or a well seasoned one, there's something for everyone. With the help of the knowledgeable staff, clients can customize a flight of wines and cheeses to match, pick out a glass to sip on, or choose the perfect bottle of wine.

Sogno di Vino

1607 India Street
619-531-8887 | sogno-divino.com
Located on India Street in the heart of Little Italy, Sogno di Vino conveys a taverna rustica ambience with rose-pink walls and wooden tables. Outdoor seating is a wonderful way to join in the weekend party while enjoying one of the wines from the sophisticated cellar, including Blanquette du Limoux Brut, the oldest sparkling wine style produced in the world, or the Sensorium Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa. A showcase at the retail counter is filled with delicacies, so you can take home not only your favorite libation but also miele amaro (bitter honey) or bottargo, grey mullet roe prepared according to an ancient recipe.

The Cask Room

550 Park Boulevard, Suite #2104
619-822-1606 | caskroom.com
Located near Petco Park, the Cask Room is perfect for gettogethers before and after a Saturday Padres game. The family-owned bistro, filled with club chairs, sofas and the jazz of Coltrane and Vaughn, has become the cozy gathering spot of the East Village. To complement the intimate atmosphere, The Cask Room offers boutique wines from historic regions around the world, such as the 2005 Ottella Trebbiano or the 2003 Pellegrini Cabernet Sauvignon from the Alexander Valley region of Sonoma. Not forgetting the beer lovers in the crowd, they also handpick a selection of microbrews. Artisan cheeses and sweet somethings from Extraordinary Desserts round out the menu.

Fifty-Seven Degrees

1330 G Street
619-234-5757 | fiftysevendegrees.com
An awning out front with white lights and a pale granite bar contrasting with the black walls (punctuated with colorful oil paintings) greets visitors to the hip wine spot in East Village. The wine list is an eclectic - but not eccentric-mix with 50 wines and $10 flights of six selections. Unique to Fifty-Seven Degrees, the main mission of the business is wine storage. Collectors, worried that their home storage system is inadequate, can rent storage space in the 110,000 bottle cellar.

The Grape

823 Fifth Avenue | 619-238-8010
This classic, late-19th-century bar (in the Hubbell Building, circa 1887) is a dark, intimate narrow space. Cocktail-table rounds for four are in front and more expansive seating in the back, with outdoor tasting on Fifth Avenue. The grape theme is carried out with grape murals on the ceiling and a large mural of a barrel cellar on one wall. Other walls are personalized with photos of exuberant patrons celebrating Halloween and other occasions.

San Diego Wine & Culinary Center

200 Harbor Drive, Suite 120
619-231-6400 | sdwineculinary.com
SDWCC works with local winemakers, growers, chefs, restaurateurs and quality food purveyors to bring clients the finest locally produced products. Wine tastings, chef demonstrations, product sampling, classes, seminars, banquets, tours and excursions take place on a regular basis at the Center. The retail shop features a great selection of local boutique wines for purchase. SDWCC is walking distance from the Hilton, Hyatt, Omni and Marriott hotels, and just steps from the Gaslamp District and Petco Park. The tasting room is open to the public six days a week. Enjoy sunset wine tastings on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

The Vine

1851 Bacon Street
619-222-8463 | theobvine.com
Set in the midst of Ocean Beach, the town redolent with a '60s vibe, The Vine combines the laid-back seaside atmosphere of its neighborhood with a knowledgeable staff and extensive menu of great wines and crafted beers. Where else in San Diego might you see surfboards leaning against the wall-and a bottle of Veuve Cliquot on the table? However, the primary mission at The Vine is to showcase the fine-quality, low-production boutique wines that are often difficult to find. The beer selection draws raves, and the food menu is also wide-ranging, from artisan cheese platters to seared salmon to black-and white gelato.

Gaffney’s

897 South Coast Highway 101, in the Lumberyard, Encinitas
760-633-1011 | gaffneyswinebar.com
If they made a Cheers TV show with wine drinkers, this could be the place. Regulars, some in wine-related T-shirts, belly up to a bar lined with the remnants of hundreds of wooden wine cases, the burned and stamped labels conjuring up memories of great vintages past. The walls are accented with wine-country and wine-label posters. Gaffney's gets semiformal some evenings, when they bring in chefs from leading regional restaurants and match wine with the cuisine (call for information and reservations; these nights sellout quickly).

Meritage Wine Market and Tasting Room

162 S. Rancho Santa Fe Road, Suite A-1 0
Encinitas (corner of Encinitas Boulevard) | 760-479-2500
First, this isn't a wine bar. It's a super wine store, offering a range from good values to rarities, in one of the more orderly and elegant displays you'll find in the county. It's included in this list because these folks are particularly strong in selection and knowledge of California wines available in the store-and served in the tasting room (one of the owners formerly worked for a leading wine wholesaler in the Bay Area).

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