Fine Dining Restaurant Awarded Five Diamonds

Article and Photo by Frank Mangio

They’re toasting one another at the posh Addison at the Grand Del Mar as this signature fine dining restaurant has earned one of the most coveted awards of all: a Five Diamond rating from AAA.

It was not too long ago that I visited the brilliant young Wine Director at the Addison, Jesse Rodriguez, who launched the ambitious wine program there.

Jesse gained fame as lead sommelier at the renowned French Laundry Restaurant in Napa Valley . He’s now a non-stop advocate for Addison and its 21,000 wine collection. It’s not unusual to see a coveted 1961 Mouton Rothschild on the list and a large number of French Burgundies to enhance Chef William Bradley’s creations, featuring an artisan approach to French style cooking with seasonal influences.

Since opening in October of 2006, the thirty-million dollar dining venue has enjoyed critical acclaim from the major wine and dine publications. The five diamond accolade is the first one for a San Diego restaurant, proving the high level of excellence and service that Addison displays.

I recently renewed my friendship with Jesse at the San Diego Bay Wine and Food Festival, where he was selected to be one of the sommeliers on a Blind Tasting panel designed to show expertise in breaking down a wine’s components and identifying it by visual, nose, palate and taste evidence.

Jesse Rodriguez, director of wines at Addison at the Grand Del Mar.

Jesse and the others elected were able to pinpoint the country of origin, region, varietal and vintage of the wines selected for analysis. I always marvel at the wine wisdom these sommeliers possess. It’s a devotion to wine nurtured by many hours of research, tastings and notations of what they have learned. When it all culminates in a world-class rating as in the Five Diamond award, this devotion to excellence deserves our applause and our dining loyalty. Visit the web site: www.thegranddelmar.com.

More Food/Wines for Holiday Tastings
The Pinnacle Restaurant on the grounds of Falkner Winery in Temecula is a Thanksgiving experience with a special menu and wines including roasted turkey and all the trimmings. Falkner’s Amante Super Tuscan is worth ordering, with mostly Sangiovese, some Cabernet Sauvignon and Franc and Merlot. The ’04 is amazing with the ’05 giving it a run. $39.95. www.falknerwinery.com.

Try the #1 wine in ’08 awarded by Wine Spectator: Casa Lapostolle Clos Apalta from Chile . A lovely red. $75.

Pinot Noir always adapts to whatever is served as the main entrée, from turkey to fish and I have two for you: the 2006 Joseph Drouhin from Beaune France, a great Burgundy appellation ($20.); and 2007 Gioia (“ joy” in Italian) from Santa Barbara County, a small handcrafted wine vineyard, aged in French oak with a deeper ruby color than most. $38.

Over at Wine Street Carlsbad , they debuted the latest Chiaramonte Sicilian Nero D’Avola, a 2006 for $16.99. A different style of Italian red, it had rich cherry fruit with strong acidity. Excellent wine!

R Collection 2006 Monterey Chardonnay. Gotta have one chardoannay in the mix. This one is out of Raymond Vineyards of St. Helena Napa Valley. Exhibits tropic fruit overtones, an old style of Chardoannay. $14.

If you’re counting calories, wine is kind to your waistline. Roughly 3.5 ounces (about a third of an average stemmed glass) is 76 calories for a white wine and 44 calories for red. This compares with 200+ calories for a similar size glass of beer. Still another reason for make the switch to wine.

Wine Bytes
Bacchus Wine Market downtown San Diego has its occasional “Drink Yourself Blind” tastings Fri. Nov. 28 from 4 to 8pm for $15. ea. Try eight wines that are bagged, and guess the grape. Prizes for closest calls. Call 619-236-0005.

Bernardo Winery in Rancho Bernado presents the Ira Liss Big Band Jazz Machine Sun. Nov. 30 at 6pm in the Winery Courtyard. A 17 piece music concert that’s FREE to all. Food and beverages available. Call 858-487-1866.

Holiday Wine Cellar in Escondido has a couple of heavyweight tastings: first one is Thurs. Dec. 4 from 5:30-7:30pm with a Port Wine tasting for $25. ea. Next is Thurs. Dec. 11, when Holiday presents a Napa Valley pouring from Jarvis. Try Chardonnay, Merlot, Cab and more. $25. Call 760-745-1200.

Callaway Vineyard & Winery in Temecula is planning a Candlelight Dinner on Sat. Dec. 6 from 6:30 to 9:30pm . A sparking wine and hors d’oeuvres followed by a four course gourmet dinner prepared by their new Meritage Restaurant with chef Mike Henry. Each course has a perfectly paired Callaway wine. Live holiday music. $100. pp. RSVP at 951-676-4001.

Thanksgiving a Celebration of Food and Wine

by Frank Mangio

If you’re like me, about this time ahead of Thanksgiving, I start planning a menu and the wines that will crown the celebration. It’s the ultimate family/friends gathering with the focus on the dining table.

This year, more than any other, wine should play a more dominant role in your menu choices. After all, wine consumption in the U.S. has risen every year in the past 15 years. Interest and demand has been strong, especially with the “20 and 30 somethings” who have embraced upscale wines and wine events.
Now that the dollar is getting stronger, you may want to check out some great French and Italian wines that should have come down in price, probably something like 15% to 20% since last Thanksgiving.

Some broad traditional wine match ups will help you decide which wines may resonate better with your turkey or other choices. This is only meant as a broad-brush guide to help you decide what may be good with your menu choices.

Most cooks will highlight an oven-baked or grilled turkey with all the trimmings like potatoes, greens, sauces, breads and more. I would pair a lovely Chardonnay or for the more adventurous palate, a Viognier. For the red wine lover, a Pinot Noir or a Beaujolais, which is a seasonal “drink-now” favorite from the southern part of Burgundy, France. If your menu has fish as the main course, I would choose a Sauvignon Blanc.

Orfila Vineyard and Winery in Escondido has a “Lot 67 Lotus Estate” Viognier (pictured above), for turkey dinner. For more, www.orfila.com.

If beef is your main course, two great mates, Cabernet Sauvignon or a beautiful California Zinfandel would go well. For lamb pairing, an earthy wine with herb hints works best with the gaminess, so I always think of my Italian Tuscan favorites like a Chianti Classico or a Brunello.

What’s a Beaujolais?
From the vine came the grape and from the grape came the wine, all within one year….that’s what Beaujolais is all about. The ‘08’s are released on the market, again in time for Thanksgiving. The grape is the Gamay red from the south of Burgundy in France, a fruity easy-to-drink-now wine with non-existent tannins
that will wash down that turkey without a pucker. I would refrigerate it about a half hour before serving for max flavor.

Beaujolais is a budget value wine, rarely over $20.00 a bottle. Taste will offer flavors of cherry, strawberry and raspberry. Look for Beaujolais Nouveau which should be just appearing at your favorite wine shop or market.

Sneak Preview Wine Spectator Top 10 Wines
Wine Spectator, the most influential wine magazine in the world, has just released the number 10 through 7 wines in its top 100 list for 2008 and they are:

10- Seghesio Zinfandel Sonoma Ca. 2007, 93 pts. $24.
9- Mollydooker Shiraz McLaren Vale Australia 2007, 95 pts. $90.
8- Chateau de Beaucastel Chateauneuf-du-Pape France, 2005, 96pts. $95.
7- Chateau Pontet-Canet Pauillac France, 2005, 96 pts. $100.
The complete list of the top 100 wines will be published in Wine Spectator November 17.

Wine Bytes
Holiday Wine Cellar in Escondido presents a Cakebread Napa Valley tasting on Thurs. Nov. 20 from 6 to 8pm. Their famous Chardonnay and others will be served. $30. pp. Then on Sat. the 22nd its annual Grand Holiday Tasting happens from 3 to 6pm, for $25. ea. Call 760-745-1200.

The 5th annual A Taste of Oregon with wines from Duckpond will be at the Sheraton Hotel & Marina Harbor Island San Diego on Sun. Nov. 23 from 6 to 10pm. Food included. $85. a head. Auction items included. Details at 800-245-ALUM. ]

California whites rule at Mellow, a Wine Bar in San Diego Tues. Nov. 25 from 6 to 11pm. Served with appetizers. 619-223-3348.

Wine Street in Carlsbad has its Zin and Syrah night on Fri. Nov. 28, 4 to 7:30pm. Wines from Turley, Cujo, Opolo and more. $15. More by calling 760-431-8455.

News from Temecula Valley Wine Country

by Don McAuliffe

Temecula Wineries Join San Diego Wine, Food Festival
Seven wineries from the Temecula Valley will among more than 700 participating in the 5th Annual San Diego Bay Wine & Food Festival on Nov. 12-16 at Embarcadero Park North in San Diego. Falkner, Maurice Car’rie, South Coast, Stuart Cellars, Thornton, Wiens and Wilson Creek wineries from Temecula will take part in the international showcase of the world's premier wine and spirits producers, chefs and culinary personalities and gourmet foods. The event benefits the American Institute of Wine & Food culinary arts scholarship program. Over 700 wineries, 60 of San Diego’s top fine dining restaurants and 30 gourmet food companies and exhibitors will participate in the 2008 festival.

Wine Country Chefs Roll Out Fall Menus
As the final grapes are plucked from Temecula’s vines, Wine Country chefs are making seasonal changes to their menus that reflect heartier fare and the cooler weather.

Steve Stawinski, executive chef at The Smokehouse Restaurant at Ponte Family Estate Winery in Temecula has a new menu that captures the tastes of autumn.
“The focus for this menu was comfort food,” he explains. “I enjoy experimenting with fall produce and preparing dishes that include the heartier meats and flavors that this season has to offer.” In keeping with the tradition of using local growers and suppliers that use sustainable practices, the spiny lobster featured in the lobster and butternut squash risotto is from a local vendor.

Other new dishes include smoked trout fillet with pumpernickel bread points, shrimp fritter with kabocha squash purée, and duck confit with manchego cheese blini and cilantro pesto. New entrees are a pizza featuring duck leg confit with mozzarella and goat cheeses, and a main dish with duck leg confit, turnip and carrot risotto, and mirepoix oil.

Meanwhile, Executive Chef E. Dennis van Rumund has added some seasonal specialties to the fall menu at the Pinnacle Restaurant at Falkner Winery. Beginning Nov. 1 new items on the menu include ahi tuna tapas, stuffed portobello mushroom, Calabria scampi pasta, the 1 pound pork porterhouse steak, or the Beef Filet Mignon in a cognac green peppercorn demi-glaze. Finish your meal at the Pinnacle with the new mascarpone cheesecake.

Harvest Festival a Great Bargain for Wine Tasting
Join nearly two-dozen award-winning Temecula wineries as they celebrate one of the best harvests on record with two-days of entertainment, art, wine and food tasting. The annual Harvest Celebration, which starts at 10 a.m. and runs until 4:30 p.m. on Nov. 1-2, is a great opportunity to visit 22 award-winning wineries and sample great wine and wine-friendly food.

Travel from winery to winery and taste barrel and tank samples of new and unreleased wines. The two-day event also is an incredible value for wine lovers. With tastings at individual wineries each costing $10, this is a great way to try wines from 22 Temecula wineries for $89 – the cost of a ticket for the weekend event.

The Harvest Celebration is about more than just great wines paired with gourmet food samples. It’s a great way to relax and experience a weekend among the vines and wineries that are a short drive from San Diego, Orange and Los Angeles counties. Enjoy live music at several wineries as you tour through wine country.

Stuart Cellars will host tractor rides for $8 a person and Falkner Winery will have an art show with artist demonstrations. Keyways Vineyard & Winery, Southern California’s only woman owned and managed winery, is using the occasion to mark the contributions of women to Wine Country with a female chef and musician. Tickets for the Harvest Celebration can be purchased online at www.temeculawines.org or by phone at (800)801-9463.

A Rose in Temecula Wine Country

article and photo by Frank Mangio

About a year or so ago a new winery emerged at an out-of-the-way location in Temecula Wine Country, operated by a husband and wife team, Dorian and Les Linkogle. They called their winery Briar Rose. Since opening their doors, this fascinating winery has made great strides in leaping forward with lovely, quality wines in small batches that command respect in the premium market.

I asked Les if he was comfortable with the description of Briar Rose as a cult winery, with a different, contrarian approach to making and presenting his wines.

“Oh yes,” he responded. “We are very different and like to feel we are like those smaller, premium boutique wineries in Napa. We follow our palate! Sure, in areas like PH and alcohol level we follow the rules, but in all the other dynamics of winemaking, we want wines with their own personality and characteristics. I’ve been making wine 12 years now and have found that great wines take a lot of work. They have to be handcrafted with the highest quality grapes and the best barrels. I use my own methods which can be contrary to anyone else in the valley,” he said confidently.


Photo:Les and Dorian Linkogle of Briar Rose Winery in Temecula Wine Country, producers of ultra premium handcrafted wines.

“I do straight varietals, like Cabernet Sauvignon and Petite Verdot, which no one else around here touches, Cab Franc, some Malbec and Sangiovese.” His small batch, barrel enhanced Cabs are what are turning heads in the wine world. Les and Dorian brought their wines by invitation to a white house Library of Congress dinner for world leaders, where they got to meet the President Bush and Vice President Cheney, including a 1997 Cab that sells for $350. a bottle. They have poured wines at their European cottage style tasting room for Jay Leno and other wine-wise celebrities who have caught on to the special qualities of Briar Rose wines.

Not one to rest, Les is constantly creating. “I’m working on a wine lager made with beer yeast that actually has a head on it, with 12% alcohol. It’s possibly going into sports stadiums.” He also has a white wine that combines Viognier grapes with lemon skins that he calls Citronier. It’s an estate wine harvested in 2007, and he advises drinking it with ice. It’s available for $20. His cabs start at $46. for a 2004, club prices.

The winery is on 23 acres with 18 acres of vineyards and is open for tasting by appointment only with 14 varietals. As Dorian says, “it’s not just a wine tasting at Briar Rose, it’s a wine experience.” Call 951-308-1098. www.briarrosewinery.com.

Salerno Winery of Ramona Now Selling in COSTCO
Cheers for Salerno Winery in Ramona, run by Herman and Rose Salerno and their General Manager Angelo Abril as they have their wines in most COSTCO locations in San Diego County. Herman, a trained opera singer from Italy and a winemaker of many years, is now appearing on selected dates at COSTCO, signing bottles and promoting his lovely Petite Sirah, Barbera, blends and ports.

Salerno winery also has a closeout special on the beautiful 2004 Inspiration, a gold medal winner of petite sirah and ruby cab that is being deeply discounted at 50% off the retail price for a limited time only. Call Angelo at 760-504-1274 for orders of 6 bottles or more.www.salernowinery.com.

Wine Bytes
North County Wine Company in San Marcos is pouring “Nothing But Racy Blends” on Sat. Nov. 15, including 5 hearty wines from Napa, Lake County, Chile, Sonoma and Argentina. 6 wines for $10. Call 760-744-2119 for details.

Falkner Winery in Temecula is holding a Wine Appreciation class Sat. Nov. 15 from 10:30am to 2:30pm. George Myers, the in-house sommelier is doing the teaching. Cost is $45. pp. Call 951-676-8231 for more.

The Wine Loft in Carlsbad is serving Wines for Thanksgiving at its Sun. Nov. 16 tasting. From 3pm to 6pm. 10% discount on wines you’ve tasted that you wish to purchase. $20. fee. Call 760-944-1412.

Wine Street in Carlsbad is planning an adventure in Spanish wines Fri. Nov. 21 from 4pm to 7:30pm with new releases and special guest Rory McMahon of Adventures in Wine. $15. fee. Details at 760-431-8455.

Eli’s Wine & Food in the Del Mar Highlands Center opens premium champagnes for tasting on Sat. Nov. 15 2pm to 5pm. The lineup includes Dom Perignon 2000, Krug Cuvee, Veuve Cliquot and more. $20, fee. Phone Eli’s at 858-481-2323.

Holiday Wine Cellar in Escondido has a Cakebread Cellars tasting on Thurs. Nov. 20 5:30 to 7:30pm, with Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Cab and Merlot. $25. pp. advance, $30. at the door. Call 760-745-1200 x 228.

Meet Delia Peju of Peju Wines in Napa at Vino 100 in San Marcos, Fri Nov. 14 & Sat. Nov. 15 from 5-9pm. Her great wines will be tasted for a $15. fee. 760-591-9113.

Frank Mangio is a renowned wine connoisseur certified by Wine Spectator. Reach him at mangiompc@aol.com.

Tickets Going Fast at The 2008 San Diego Bay Wine & Food Festival

You won't want to miss the 160 world-class wineries, 60 fine dining restaurants, gourmet foods, celebrity chefs, wine dinners, cooking classes, wine tasting classes, olive oil competition, live and silent auctions, personalities, and whew, more food and wine than you know what to do with!

Come join more than 6,000 tastemakers including legendary winemakers, celebrity chefs and others with great taste (just like you!) on November 12-16, 2008 in sunny San Diego. NOTE: All tastings / samples are included in ticket prices - there are no additional fees for tasting.

The San Diego Bay Wine & Food Festival (held November 12-16) is an international showcase of the world's premier wine and spirits producers, chefs and culinary personalities. Produced by World of Wine Events, the festival benefits the American Institute of Wine & Food culinary arts scholarship program.
Now in its fifth year, the San Diego Bay Wine & Food Festival has quickly grown into a world-class wine and culinary extravaganza. The five-day festival features wine tasting seminars, cooking classes by James Beard award-winning chefs, and an elegant Reserve Tasting & Silent Auction. The festival culminates on Saturday, November 15 at the star-studded Grand Event and Fine Wine/Lifestyle Auction.

Held on the magnificent San Diego Bay, the festival's Grand Tasting event is flanked by a backdrop of sail boats and sandy shores which perfectly set the event's tone.

To Buy Your Tickets Online Click here

To Buy Packages online Click here

by Mike Bragg
Chef photo by Frank Mangio
Festival photo by Matthew Meier