Wine of the Times

March 18

I’m not necessarily educated in the ways of wine. Some people can sniff a glass of Merlot and tell you the exact varietals in play. I’m the guy putting the wine glass up to his ear, listening to what the wine wants to tell me. Not an aficionado.

Some people like to talk about wine the way others of us like to talk NCAA basketball and March Madness. For those in the former camp, I’ve got three downtown San Diego nightlife spots for you to shoot for, two in East Village and one on the fringe of the Gaslamp Quarter.

The East Village’s Cask Room is right off the trolley track at 12th Avenue and Market Street. They have 15-20 wines by the glass that change each week. And they offer jazz on Tuesdays. The interior feels legit—casks are everywhere (form so follows function here)—but the staff is not pretentious. How can you be when a trolley chugs by every 15 minutes?

It’s not easy to trip over The San Diego Wine and Culinary Center. They’re essentially on the “back” side of Harbor Club condos (facing the convention center) in the Marina District. This urban winery sells bottles of San Diego County wines at inexpensive prices, and also offers wine-making classes. The WCC is the new home to Dizzy’s live jazz club, as well as cooking classes by Sam the Cooking Guy, who’s helping put the cul in culinary.

And then there’s 57 Degrees. I love that from the street, the exterior looks a little Sanford & Son. But the inside is pristine. Modern art hangs above a granite bar. There’s an outdoor patio where fine cigars are encouraged. And the back room is enlivened by a poker table. 57 Degrees stores wine for collectors. I’ll give you one guess as to what’s the perfect temperature for storing wine.

Got a downtown wine story? Want to whine about something else? Reg and post, please…

Do you like what you read? Subscribe to San Diego Magazine »