Thursday, June 12, 2008

Eli’s Wine and Food Has Loyal Following

by Frank Mangio

Every Saturday afternoon at Eli’s, in the Del Mar Highlands Center, the loyal followers gather for the weekly ritual of wine swap, tasting and wine talk.

Eli Shemirani, the smiling host and owner, provided incredibly great wines to taste for a very nominal charge. The Saturday I went, his Master Pouring Manager was Chris Faust who’s a regular, and he was introducing the new releases from Nickel and Nickel and Far Niente. Believe me, you are staring at spectacular wines with that Napa duo.

But that’s not what really got me. Eli’s followers were swapping tastes of their favorite wines, offering tastes to anyone who wanted to try them. Wines like Rubicon Cask, Denner Syrah and King Estate Oregon Pinot Gris were taste-tested.

At the same time, Eli was offering a knock-out deal of a Montepulciano D’ Abruzzo ’06 for $9.99 with a second bottle for a penny! Every Saturday tasting from 2 to 5pm is an event, with wonderful premium wines to taste.

Saturday June 14 is the new 2005 releases from Dominus! Cost is $10. To get the latest names offered, call 858-481-2323.

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