Relax, Enjoy, Laugh More = RELM

by Frank Mangio
RELM is an inviting, comfortable wine beer bistro in the middle of the downtown district of Carlsbad.
RELM was one of the first in the market to offer a large retail wine shop within the bistro.  Its energetic owner is Rene Fleming who, 4 years ago, decided to take her knowledge and experience in selling wine at the wholesale level, and set up a retail wine operation that would give smaller vineyards and wineries a place for customers to discover their brands.

Rene Fleming, operator of RELM Wine Beer Bistro in downtown Carlsbad

“Here it’s all about new small production wines to open our minds and palates to what’s new and wonderful,” she said. “What has helped this strategy is a younger wine demographic that loves to discuss new wines.  If you don’t know our wine labels, that’s exciting for us.”

The RELM name was a natural and underlines the feeling that Fleming projects, that of coming in, and having a home away from home . “I always want our bistro to be a family place with a sense of community.  We have people that have met here and became close friends”

Equally exciting is the growth of the small bites menu, created and shaped by Chef Aaron Ahlquist. The menu is seasonal although certain favorites stay by popular demand, like Prosciutto Mac and Cheese, house-made Hummus and Baked Brie with strawberry coulis.  The bistro encourages sharing plates and suggests wines by the flight for a multi-tasting experience.

Microbrewed beer has been a fast and trendy seller and RELM was quick to add some 5 draft and 6 bottled beers to the menu. “It’s really cool that San Diego is the micro beer capital.  We carry nut brown ale and amber ale from Stone

The interior of RELM Wine Beer Bistro is warm and inviting and a favorite meeting place
in downtown Carlsbad .

Brewing, the most popular name in micro brewing, that got its start in 1996 in nearby Escondido .  We get a big turnout for sporting events when lots of couples gather and ask for the beer list.  This trend is here to stay,” she declared.

RELM is now up to 15 employees and has added another location in San Elijo, which is doing just as well. A happy time to try RELM is at their Happy Hours from Tuesday through Friday from 4 to 6pm. All food items are 25% off.  A select number of white and red wines are $7. each and “happy beer” is just $5.

A recent wine tasting event brought some 40 wines to the show for customers to taste and Fleming promises more to come, as well as live music every Tuesday and Thursday from 6 to 9pm.  Cooking classes with wine are on the events menu as well as speed dating with Cloud 9.

It’s been a long road for Rene Fleming from representing wine companies, operating cafes and wine education, to the RELM model of Relax, Enjoy, Laugh More. To that we can add a comfortable destination for great food, drinks and a community spirit of giving. RELM has a “random acts of kindness” program that is unlike anything I’ve seen where giving back to community is just as important as financial success.  Get the full story on RELM and purchase event tickets by visiting www.thewinerelm.com.

Wine Bytes
Vittorio’s Restaurant in Carmel Valley San Diego is having a Super Bowl Party Sun. Feb. 2 at 12 Noon and showing the game at 3:30pm. Happy Hour the entire day and half priced bottles of wine. 30% off on delivery and take out. Call 858-538-5884.

Twenty/20 in Carlsbad at the Sheraton Hotel is planning a J Vineyards Wine Pairing Dinner, Wed. Feb. 5 from 6pm, with a 5:30pm reception.  Cost is $70. pp. with a 4 course tasting menu and 5 wine pairings.  To RSVP call 760-827-2500.

Meritage Wine Market in Encinitas has a Zinful Zinfandel wine tasting Fri. Feb. 7 from 6 to 8pm for $20. ea.  Call 760-479-2500.

A 90+ points Wine Dinner is happening at Capri Blu in Rancho Bernardo Wed. Feb. 5 at 6pm.  From Pinot Gris to Cabernet, enjoy the best with a 4 course dinner.  Cost $55.  Call 858-673-5100.

Temecula’s In-Demand Winemaker is Tim Kramer

by Frank Mangio
I first met Tim Kramer back in 2005 not knowing a lot about Temecula Wine Country or much about other California Wine Countries for that matter.  I had just made a name for myself by spending valuable time in the wine country of Tuscany Italy, then taking a writing job at the San Diego Union Tribune, creating TASTE OF WINE.

Kramer, at that time, was and still is the winemaker for Leonesse Cellars.  He was self-taught from books, kits, 5 gallon buckets and great volunteer experience from the Temecula wine-making legend Jon McPherson when he was with  Thornton Winery. From his Leonesse base, he was approached in 2005 to make wine for Monte De Oro and Robert Renzoni Wineries.

Temecula’s Monte de Oro Executive Chef Taylor Harris and Winemaker Tim Kramer 

at a recent Winemakers Dinner.

Eventually, his client list to make wines grew to the point that he now shares his winemaking abilities with many wineries under the name Temecula Valley Winery Management.

I managed a few minutes with Kramer at a recent Monte de Oro “Black Label” Winemaker’s Dinner that featured 5 special reserve wines and barrel samplings.  The four Cabernets and Syrahs poured, all showcased what the wines of Temecula can do. Kramer pointed to the last offering, the 2009 Synergy 65, a wine that I featured as “Wine of the Month” as being the one he was most proud of.

“We received a Best of Class in the Winemakers’ Challenge in San Diego on this wine,” he declared.  “It was barrel aged in new French Oak for 28 months. Our vines that were planted 5 or 6 years ago are coming into their own and really showing what they can do.  There are 5 varietals in this blend, depending on what nature gives us.” Last year, in the beautiful 2012 harvest, 238 tons of grapes were made into wine.  According to Monte de Oro G.M. Ken Zignorski, the red wine harvest came in at 25% more than forecast from the 72 acres under vine.

Kramer’s most recent client is  Fazeli Cellars that will be building a winery inspired by the ancient traditions of Persia, between Robert Renzoni and Keyways, on the DePortola Trail section of Temecula Wine Country.  Its wine is named for the ancient city of Shiraz, where some say this grape originated.

Wine is already being made and critically acclaimed.  The wines are the passion of BJ and Wendy Fazeli who recently opened a tasting room  on 4th Street, in Old Town Temecula. You’ll taste many selections of French style whites and reds, premium fruit with a lovely earthy flavor.

A sense of excitement ran through the diners at a recent private dinner at Temecula’s new Cellarz93.

The lineup of Fazeli Wines was poured, enhancing a chef-inspired menu hosted by Cheri Ellstrom, a principal investor and designer of Cellarz93.  She introduced the menu creator, Executive Chef Gary Stillman, who has impressive credentials, coming from the legendary Napa Valley French Laundry in the late 90’s where he developed his culinary skills from owner and world famous chef, Thomas Keller.  Fazeli’s “Khayyam Cabernet Sauvginon 2009 ($55.), a rich boysenberry and blackberry based cab grabbed the most attention of the wines served.

Cellarz93 will continue its local vintners series of wine dinners Thursday June 13 with an intimate event featuring winemaker Nick Palumbo of Palumbo Family Vineyards and Winery.  The evening will cost $75. pp.  RSVP at 951-296-9700.

Wine Bytes
Meet Jaime Orozco from Mi Sueno Winery of Napa Valley at North County Wine Company San Marcos, Thurs. June 6 from 5 to 9pm.  This special tasting event is $20. pp.  Call 760-744-2119.

Twenty/20 Grill & Wine Bar in Carlsbad has a Street Fare with a Taste of Spain Wed. June 5 from 5 to 8pm.  Live music, street food and house made Sangria for a $20. entry fee.  Details at 760-827-2500.

An Encinitas Night Out is being hosted by Meritage Wine Market Thurs. June 6 from 5:30 to 7:30pm.  Local speaker and humorist Ed Cozza will MC, personalizing his book “Nowhere Yet.”  Cost is $35. ea.  Call for an RSVP at 760-479-2500.

The Grand Del Mar is hosting The ABC’s of BBQ, Fri. June 7 from 7 to 9pm.  Discover tricks and tips with a BBQ expert and Chef Mathew Sramek.  Dinner and wine tasting included for $65.  RSVP at 858-314-1996.

A New Look at Carlsbad’s Twenty/20

by Frank Mangio
San Sebastian, in Spain, is an upscale lifestyle hang-out for the rich and famous and a lot of “wannabees.”  I have never been there, but I came very close when I visited the new look at the Sheraton Carlsbad’s posh Twenty/20 which declares itself to be a San Sebastian style restaurant and wine bar.

The new menu, shaped by Executive Chef Robert Carr, is where the “San Sebastian” spotlight shines.  With local produce, fresh seafood, grilling, spicy sauces and lots of Sangria cocktail choices, hanging out and filling up is a Spanish past-time you can easily enjoy at Twenty/20.

Executive Chef Robert Carr has orchestrated a menu direct from San Sebastian Spain, at the newly revamped Twenty/20 at the Sheraton Carlsbad.

Sangria is the house specialty, with a choice of house-made Red, White and Rose’.  The Red is a blend of Spanish Garnacha, Torres Brandy, cranberry juice and fruit such as blackberries and red grapes.
If a straight shot of pure Spanish wines is your choice, you will find plenty of favorites by the glass, including  Tempranillo from Rioja and Garnache from Calatayud.

I asked Chef Robert what seasonality there was in the menu now as winter winds down.  “We use a lot of root vegetables in the current menu.  You will see items such as beets, arugula, and tomatoes,” he revealed.   “We use braised meats in the entrees, but when the weather turns warmer, we’ll get into grilled meats, crab dishes, sardines and tuna dishes.”  He cooks his salmon with the skin on for a crispy effect, and likes an all-organic salmon out of Vancouver.

As in most finer restaurants, Twenty/20 offers a medley of flatbreads for an appetizer.  One you won’t find everywhere is the Carmelized Onion flatbread with toppings of Cebrales hot blue cheese and Arugula greens for $12.

The outdoor veranda of Twenty/20 is like a “restaurant within a restaurant” with custom designed fire and water treatments, relaxed and communal seating, state-of-the-art heating elements and an inspiring ocean view.  To make reservations, call 760-827-2500.

Wine and the Web: Still a Work in Progress
The total U.S. market for wine sales is somewhere north of 28 billion dollars. Wine shipments direct to the consumer make up just 5% of this amount, at about 1.35 billion dollars, including wine clubs and direct sales.  Take away that and the market for direct sales on the web from online companies is less than 1% of the wine market.  Meanwhile on-line retail sales of all products is forecast to be about 12% of total sales, up from 3% in 2007.

Beringer Winery in Napa Valley may look ancient, belng established in 1876.  But it has a very sophisticated  online “wine shop”  with a simple process of buying the wine you want with a 

“browse and buy” system.

Clearly wine is stubbornly resistant to the trend of buying online.  The problem to point the finger at, according to the Wall Street Journal,   is a patchwork of federal and state regulations regarding alcohol sales that makes shipping a “thorny problem.”  New York will fine you if you include any type of food with wine.  Shipping directly to customers in Utah or Kentucky could land you in jail, and Texas prohibits delivery by mail of beverages over 16% alcohol, killing the port and other dessert wine online business.  One leading online wine company had to pay 2 million dollars annually for regulatory compliance.

Two online websites and a winery do a great job of making things easier for the customer.  Beringer Winery in Napa Valley has a thoughtfully designed “wine shop” online with good prices, at www.beringer.com. Independents to try include:  www.wineexpress.com  and www.hookedonwine.com.  And for wine reviews, use www.cellartracker.com

Wine Bytes
Callaway Winery in Temecula presents Budbreak, a wine and dine event Sat. March 16 6:30 to 9:30pm.  The latest Muscat Canelli, Syrah, Dolcetto, Viognier and Sauvignon Blanc will be served up with culinary creations.  $95. pp.  RSVP at 951-676-4001.

A Saturday in Spain is the theme at Meritage Wine Market in Encinitas March 16 from 3 to 6pm.  12 wines with appetizers. Cost is $20.  RSVP at 760-479-2500.

Europa Village in Temecula has its Moulin Rouge Taste of France Thurs. March 21 with their own singing waiters.  Call for time and price at 951-506-1818.

Monte De Oro Winery in Temecula hosts a Black Label Winemakers Dinner Sat. March 23.  Meet winemaker Tim Kramer and enjoy Black Label Reserve wines with a gourmet 5 course dinner by Executive Chef Taylor Harris.  Tickets are $140. and includes a bottle of reserve wine.  RSVP at 951-491-6551 x 115.

Submit articles and news releases to Mike Bragg: WineClubber@Yahoo.com