San Diego Wine-Wine Vault & Bistro: 6-Course South American Wine Importer Dinner

Dinner starts at 5:00

$49.50 + tax and gratuity

RSVP: (619) 295-3939

Wine Vault & Bistro is pleased to announce a great new wine dinner featuring six South American wines paired with a delicious six course authentic South American dinner. Importer Alex Guarachi, a native Chilean and founder/president of TGIC Importers, will be here to personally host this event. We're pouring some incredible wines, including two premium wines from Santa Ema, both 'Ultras' from Kaiken, 'Quimera' from Achaval Ferrer, and the almost cult status 'Purple Angel' from Montes. If you're unfamiliar with any of these producers, here's a little background info on each.

Montes/Kaiken:

Aurelio Montes, who Wine Spectator calls one of the deans of the Chilean wine industry, makes his Montes wines in Chile and also crosses the Andes mountains to produce Kaiken in Argentina. He is responsible for introducing world-class Chilean wines to the rest of the world with his icon wines like Purple Angel.

Achaval-Ferrer:

From Robert Parker: Founded only in 1998, Achaval-Ferrer is already established as one of Argentina's benchmark wineries. Made by award-winning Italian winemaker Roberto Cipresso, the Achaval-Ferrer wines display a uniquely wonderful combination of classic old-world winemaking with the best of Argentina’s terroir.

Santa Ema:

Established by Pedro Pavone, the son of Italian winemakers over half a century ago. He moved from Italy to Chile in 1917, planted his first vineyards in 1931 and then went on to launch the winery with his son Felix in 1955. Santa Ema focuses mainly on value Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Sauvignon Blanc but also produces a limited amount of premium reserve wines. (These are the ones we'll obviously be serving!)

Anyway, we hope you'll be able to join us for what promises to be an exceptional evening. Wine notes and bottle prices are at the end of this announcement if you're interested. Here's the line-up:

Ceviche Lenguado | Salsa China de Rocoto

(Citrus marinated halibut with a sauce of green onions and rocoto chiles)

2007 Santa Ema 'Amplus' Sauvignon Blanc (5 oz. pour)

Seared Pulpo | Confit Potatoes | Kalamata Olives | Smoked Paprika

(Baby octopus poached in olive oil and then seared; Yukon gold potatoes poached in duck fat and then fried)

2006 Kaiken 'Ultra' Malbec (3 oz. pour)

Char-Grilled Skirt Steak | Chimichurri | Arroz a la Plancha

2006 Kaiken 'Ultra' Cabernet Sauvignon (3 oz. pour)

Adobo Arequipeno | Roasted Sweet Potatoes

(Braised pork belly glazed with a tomato, onion and garlic adobo sauce)

2005 Santa Ema 'Catalina' Bordeaux Blend (3 oz. pour)

Braised Lamb Shank | Crispy Noquis (Gnocchi) | Almond Herb Vinaigrette

2006 Achaval Ferrer 'Quimera' Bordeaux Blend (3 oz. pour)

Sancochado

(Rich, hearty, gumbo-style stew of braised meats, yucca and corn)

2005 Montes 'Purple Angel' Carmenere (3 oz. pour)

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

RSVP ~ (619) 295-3939

Please make your reservations directly with Wine Vault & Bistro at 619-295-3939. We're very good about returning calls promptly, so please leave a message with the best time to return your call if you get the dreaded voice mail. Due to limited seating, CREDIT CARD RESERVATIONS ARE AN ABSOLUTE MUST. Sales tax and an 18% gratuity will be added to the cost of all dinners.

SPECIAL DIETARY REQUESTS

If you have special dietary requests, please let us know when you RSVP, not when you arrive! We're pretty flexible (within reason!) with substitutions and can usually accommodate most special dietary requests if given advance notice.

CANCELLATION POLICY

You may cancel your reservation up to 72 hours in advance without penalty. NO REFUNDS WILL BE ISSUED WITH LESS THAN 72-HOUR NOTICE unless we are able to replace your cancellation at the last minute. (See below for groups over 4 people.)

LARGE GROUPS (OVER 4)

If you want to come with a group of friends, please make one reservation for your entire party so we can reserve a block of seats for you ... however, in the interest of fairness to others, we reserve the right to limit the number of people on a single reservation at our discretion. The cancellation period for canceling the ENTIRE reservation without penalty is doubled from the standard 72 hours (see above) to 144 hours (6 days). If you need to cancel only 1 or 2 people, the standard 72-hour notice still applies.

WHEN

The bar will open at 4:00 for a pre-dinner reception from 4:00 to 5:00. Dinner will begin promptly at 5:00, but we HIGHLY recommend that you arrive earlier to better your chances of getting a closer parking space.

WHERE

Wine Vault & Bistro is located in the heart of San Diego between Little Italy and Old Town at 3731-A India Street on the upper terrace. Follow the black handrail from the sidewalk up the stairs to our front door.

PARKING

On-street parking is usually available within a 3-block radius. Remember that it’s OK to park in yellow commercial zones on Sunday and that meters are also not enforced. You can also park in the lot behind Shakespeare Pub two doors down, but do not park in El Indio's lot unless you want your car towed! If you can’t find parking next to the restaurant, there’s always LOTS OF PARKING on San Diego Avenue and the adjacent side streets just past the Chevron station across Washington Street. There's also a huge pay parking lot ($1 per hour) at the Mission Brewery Building two blocks south at the corner of Washington & Hancock. (You'll have to take San Diego Avenue to Noell to Hancock to get there due to the one-way streets.) So please don't drive yourself crazy endlessly going around in circles waiting to pounce on that perfect spot when there's TONS OF PARKING less than three blocks away!

WINE QUANTITIES

We're pouring 3-5 ounce tasting portions of wine (see the line-up above) for a total of 20 ounces per person. Alcohol-wise that's the equivalent of over three-quarters of a bottle of wine per person. Pour buckets are provided for designated drivers.

WINE SALES

Although some wines may be in limited quantities, all wines poured at this dinner will be available for purchase at the restaurant until sold out. We reserve the right to limit sales of any rare or allocated wines at our discretion.

WINE NOTES & BOTTLE PRICES

2007 Santa Ema 'Amplus' Sauvignon Blanc ~ $16

(Chile) Very aromatic nose of orange blossom, pink grapefruit and sweet citrus. Full throttle, intense attack of crisp white peach, sweet key lime and ripe tangerine flavors perfectly balanced with a spicy honeysuckle acidity in the evolution and very long finish. A great example of just how good premium Sauvignon Blanc from the Southern Hemisphere can be.

2006 Kaiken 'Ultra' Malbec ~ $19

(Argentina) Review by Robert Parker ~ 91 points: The 2006 Ultra Malbec was aged for 12 months in French oak. The oak influence is apparent in the attractive perfume which also has notes of violets, black cherry and a hint of chocolate. This is followed by a structured wine that will benefit from 2-3 years of additional bottle age. The fruit is mouth-filling and has good depth and the firm finish lasts for more than 45 seconds.

2006 Kaiken 'Ultra' Cabernet Sauvignon ~ $19

(Argentina) Review by Robert Parker ~ 90 points: The 2006 Ultra Cabernet Sauvignon received 12 months in French oak. More refined in style with aromas of cedar, tobacco, coffee, and black currant, it reveals plenty of lush, sweet, spicy dark fruit, excellent balance, and a lengthy finish. It should evolve for several years in the bottle and drink well through 2020.

2005 Santa Ema 'Catalina' Bordeaux Blend ~ $29

(Chile) Winemaker's Notes: Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenere + Cabernet Franc. Intense ruby red color with aromas of black cherry, prunes, blueberries and black currant combined with leather and vanilla. Full bodied taste and rounded structure. Intense yet soft tannins are evolved and persistent. Complex finish with a touch of chocolate.

2006 Achaval Ferrer 'Quimera' Bordeaux Blend ~ $36

(Argentina) Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Merlot + Cabernet Franc. This Bordeaux-style blend has a fruity nose reminiscent of blackcurrant and earth, and a medium-to-full-bodied palate with complex flavors of black fruits, dusty minerals, dried herbs and silky tannins. While the 2006 is as of yet unrated, the 2005 got 92 points (Wine Advocate) and the 2004 got 93 points (Wine Spectator).

2005 Montes 'Purple Angel' Carmenere ~ $55

(Chile) 92% Carmenere + 8% Petite Verdot. Winemaker's Notes: Intense youthful purple color, typical from concentrated Carmenere. Delicate with hints of chocolate and cigar box aromas. The Carmenere provides elegance and spiciness while the Petit Verdot adds structure and the wildness of black berries. Full bodied, with a considerably amount of ripe tannins giving grip and structure. Mouthfilling with a very long finish. (Carmenere resurfaced in Chile only in 1993, after being believed extinct since phylloxera hit Bordeaux, its original home, around 1880. In Chile, its sole home at the moment, we consider it our Chilean variety and call it the 'Jurassic Park' grape returned from extinction.)

THE FINE PRINT

Due to fluctuations of supply, we reserve the right to make substitutions of equal or greater value in case any of the wines or foods become unavailable. Please, ABSOLUTELY POSITIVELY NO ONE UNDER THE AGE OF 21 ... even if your babysitter flakes out on you at the last minute!