Summer Wine Events at the Cohn Restaurant Group

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WINE SALE July 21st Island Prime

The Wine Sale is one of the best events of the year. I go through the wine cellars at all of my restaurants and clear out inventories. Everything is sold at Island prime. The private dining room is turned into a 3 hr wine shop. All the wines are laid out across the room and put up for sale at well below retail pricing, we call it PRIME CRU pricing. We pass out hors d’oeuvres and sample some of the selections. Anything you buy can be taken next door to C-level and enjoyed sans corkage. Arrive early as the line builds up and supplies begin to disappear rapidly.  Here is a  Sample Wine Sale List for July 21st, 2018.

CORKS AND CANVAS at The Prado at Balboa Park August 4th

This is the 4th annual CRG art and wine show. I gather all the artists who work within our restaurant group all who are servers, bartenders, hosts, cooks and managers many of which are artists. They show their work and I pair each artist with a wine. There is a method to this, you can read more about it in a previous article of Pairing Wine and Art.  The Prado will provide tray passed hors d’oeuvres, wineries will feature their paired wines, and artists will talk about their work and how the wine pairs with it.  All of the wines and the art will be available for purchasing, again at those deep PRIME CRU prices.

WINE ON THE LANAI Vintana August 11th

Still not enough wine, then visit us in North County at Vintana, directly above the Lexus dealership for our Wine on the Lanai event.  Chef Chris Barre will send out endless hors d’oeuvres while you greet and meet with winemakers and representatives from different wineries from California. Enjoy Aperol Spritzers at the Aperol cart, try your hand at blind tasting with Jackson Family Wines or guess the vintage of some of the wines from the cellar of our owners’, David & Lesley Cohn.  Acustic world rhythms will be played by our guests, Javid & Naoko. Our wine director, Mike Lewis will also have some wines pulled out for you to take home, again at Prime Cru prices!

COASTERRA WINE FESTIVAL September 8th

Mark your calendars and keep this Saturday saved for the best wine event of the year. I like to think of it as an adult Chuck e Cheese. Coasterra’s ballroom and Skyline patio will be converted into the ultimate wine festival. There will be well over 30 different wineries and all of them hosting a table with an interactive element. There will be blind tasting, grape tasting, grape stomping, live art, wine Family Feud, disgorging champagne, aroma wheels, music and wine pairing, the effects of color and wine, and plenty of wine tasting.  At each table you will earn participation tickets which will be redeemable at the festival wine shop for swag and wine.  Again you will see some unique selections form our cellars there. Chef Deborah Scott will provide live taco stations and tray passed hors d’oeuvres. This event is super fun and should not be missed and the best part it is in the best location in San Diego overlooking the bay and the city skyline.

Upcoming May Events Not To Be Missed

It’s getting to that time of the year where I turn my attention to hosting wine, beer and spirit events. I am fortunate to have access to many different venues to host a variety of events. You may be a wine drinker, beer drinker or spirits drinker; no matter what, I will have something for you. Here is  a quick look at what CRG has coming around the corner. Mark your calendars and get ready to have some fun!

MAY 5th:

Cinco de Mayo! Take your pick, head close to the border and have a party on the ocean next to the last pier in the western United States at Sea 180.  Or stay urban, and head for another amazing view at Coasterra’s floating event center for tequila tasting and a margarita making contest.

MAY 15th: FRANCISCAN WINE DINNER

Join us at Vintana Wine + Dine as Chef Chris Barre, prepares a delicious meal with the wines from Fransican Estate in Napa Valley.  Leading the dinner will be winemaker Marla Carol. Menu coming soon.

MAY 17th: DOWN UNDER WINE DINNER AT INDIGO GRILL

Join Deborah Scott as she wrangles with the wines from Australia and New Zealand. She will use her signature spice combinations to match with the exciting wines from down under.  See what she can do with spicy Barossa Sparkling  Shiraz, herbacious Sauvignon Blanc and unique whites and reds from ancient vines. Menu coming soon.

MAY 23rd: BONNY DOON WINE DINNER

Do you know who Randall Graham is? If not, then you need to. Randall Graham is the man behind Bonny Doon Winery in Santa Cruz. He is one of California’s wine pioneers. He has led the movement for bio-dynamic wines.  His ideas are a bit nutty and it fits his personality perfectly. Join us at 333 Pacific for a dinner with Bonny Doon.  Menu to come soon.

May 24th: Balboa Park’s 150 th Anniversary Botanical Garden Dinner

This is the dinner of a lifetime. Close your eyes and transport your self to Balboa Park. You are sitting on the lawn in front of the Botanical Gardens, harpists are playing and Gloria Ferrer is serving Sparkling wines. Yes, this is all true. This dinner is put on by Chef Jonathon Hale from The Prado at Balboa Park to raise money for the Balboa Park’s conservatory. We are celebrating 150 years of Balboa Park’s Botanical Garden with an elegant outdoor extravaganza.  BUY YOUR TICKETS NOW!

May 25th: SEA 180 LUAU

Can you believe that summer is already here? Just in time for our yearly Luau in Imperial Beach. There will be live music, fire dancers, roasted pig and plenty of wine and cocktails from Pernod Ricard.

MAY 25th: GREENBAR SPIRIT DINNER

Can’t make it to the South Bay? No worries, I have something for you in North County. Join Vintana Wine + Dine for a spirit dinner featuring the organic spirits from LA’s Greenbar distillery.

CRG Wine Month: Explore What You Love About Wine

What do you love about wine? Is it the romanticism of drinking something that took a year to grow? Is it because it is a beverage balanced with alcohol, acidity and sweetness?  Or maybe you love that each time you drink wine you learn something new? Whatever the reason maybe, we all have one. Some of you may not be in love yet.  Hopefully, this month I can give you a reason to fall in love with wine.

I bring to you, CRG WINE MONTH. This September fall in love with wine. And for those of you who are already infatuated, its your chance to explore your feeling on a deeper level.  CRG WINE MONTH is a celebration of all things wine. My restaurants are offering promotions and specials such as roses for $5 a glass, $.10 glasses of wine and deep discounts on bottles during SD Restaurant Week.

Food and wine lovers can experiment with thought out wine dinners.  Georges Daou will be at C-Level sharing his Paso Robles wines while overlooking the SD harbor and paired with Deborah Scott’s creative dishes. In north county, experience wines from high elevation vineyards. Stonestreet Winery from Alexander Valley teams up with chef Steven Zurkey at 333 Pacific for a culinary experience in taste and elevation. I will be at Vintana Wine + Dine teaching how to blind taste, followed by a Blind Wine Dinner.  You won’t know what you are drinking, but if you guess correctly you can win some fantastic prizes.  Wine is meant to go with food, and I plan on celebrating this to its core.

Learning is always fun. No matter how much you know about wine, there is always more to learn. To help you get on your way, I am holding a class on how to pair wine with food. There is a catch, I will be serving only Australian Wines. If you haven’t heard what is going on down under, then you are in for a surprise. See what I am talking about here.

We cannot kick off a wine month without a festival. Whether you are looking for true love or a one night stand, The CRG Wine Festival is for everyone. Not only will we have live music, food, photo booths and wine tastings; but we are taking it to another level. There are interactive stations where you will get a chance to hone your skills and win tickets redeemable at the wine shop.  Get your friends together and participate in Family Feud. You can visit the bind wine tasting table, blind grape tasting table or blind aroma table. Maybe you ‘d rather learn how to make wine or challenge yourself to blend my Baja wine, Costa Tierra. Afterwards, the wine shop will have wines for you to buy at ridiculously low prizes.  I guarantee when September is done, you will be on cloud nine with wine.

California Wine Month 2016

September is just upon us and it is my favorite month of the year.  The kids have gone back to school, the beaches are not so crowded and we get to celebrate California Wine Month again!  Last year I hosted wine dinners, tastings and promotions in all my restaurants.  This year I am going bigger!   Check out what I’m up to!

WINE DINNERS

If you are the foodie who wants to see what our chefs perform under fire, then the wine dinners are the best option for you.  I am hosting 5 wine dinner/lunches in September, each different and all with California wines.

The first dinner is on September 1st at 333 Pacific featuring Napa Valley wines.  Steve Zurkey, the talented chef at 333 will blow you away.  His Mondavi dinner in June was one the best meals I have had in San Diego.  I do not say this because he works for my company, but because it was the god honest truth.  Everyone walking out from that meal was awestruck.  He is back again and this time pairing the Napa wines of Cliff Lede, Alto, Kuleto and Merus.

Why not stay in Northern California and see what makes Napa and Sonoma so different from each other.  After attending the Napa dinner in Oceanside, head to Escondido the following week and try the wines of Sonoma at Vintana Wine + Dine.  Foley Wines will be showcasing their Sonoma wines from some of their top vineyards.  Chef Bryan Brown is an old hat at these dinners and is always outdoing himself.  He gets to play with flavors from the kitchen and pair them with the wines of Schug, Mazzocco, Roth and Chalk Hill.

September 11th we get socially responsible.  Bo Beau Kitchen + Garden in La Mesa will have chef Tyler Shipton pairing organic produce and meats with Frog’s Leap Winery from Napa.  Our Organic Wine Dinner features the wines of John Williams, pioneer of organic farming since the 80’s.  Frog’s Leap continues to produce high quality wines using sustainable farming techniques which restore and promote the ecosystem.  Unfortunately September is a tough month for winemaker’s to get away from harvest, John will not be able to join us.  He will be there in spirit and Gail & Dan Berquist who distribute his wines in San Diego for the past several decades will be on hand to discuss them.

Sometimes you want to have wine during the day, so Indigo Grill has just the thing for you.  Enjoy a Sunday afternoon in Little Italy and join Chef Deborah Scott for a Luncheon on September 18th.  This will be an intimate lunch with two of my favorite wines from San Diego County, Orfila and Stehleon.  Both Justin Mund, winemaker for Orfila and Al Stehly, owner of Stehloen share their experiences with you over lunch. If you have not tried the wines from your back yard, this is the time to do so.  These wines are fantastic and soon will put San Diego on the map.

We then will head down towards Southern California on September 22nd and host a Paso Robles wine dinner at OB Warehouse with Adam Lazarre.  If you are looking to have a good time and get away from stuffy pompous dinners, then this is the one for you. Adam is one of the craziest wine makers I know. He is all about having fun while making delicious wine.  We will feature several of Lazarra wines along with some of his friend’s wineries such as Cypher and Broadside. OB is the perfect place for this event.

WINE TASTINGS AND SEMINARS

September 1oth Coasterra will host a VIP viewing area of the Fleet Week Sea & Air Parade and California Wine Tasting on the new Harbor Float overlooking the San Diego Bay and the city skyline.  The Sea & Air show is a spectacular event where the US military parades its air crafts and battleships on the San Diego Bay.  To make this even that much better I have invited 20 California wineries to pour their wines and commemorate California Wine Month.  Chef Deborah Scott will provide action food stations and passed hors d’oeuvres.  This event is a walk around event is standing room only.

September 17th Sea 180 Coastal Tavern has invited California sparkling wine producers to come and pour their sparkling wines as we pair them with oysters.  We call it Oysters and Bubbles! There will be tray passed hors d’oeuvres, oyster shucking demonstrations, cocktail sauce and mignonette making and best of all oyster and bubbly wine slurping.  All this will take place on the poolside patio overlooking the white sands and blue waters of Imperial Beach. To add a little vibe, Adrian Ahearn, our favorite steel drum player, will provide the mood with his island tunes.

Finally, after all this celebration I tone down the partying and get serious about education.  On Saturday September 24th at Island Prime Restaurant I will hold a seminar and tasting on the History of California Wine.  I teach a 3 week course at SDSU’s Business of Wine Program titled the California Wine Intensive.  This 2 hour seminar is a condensed version of that course.  We will taste 10 wines which exemplify California’s history.  This is a classroom style tasting, hors d’oeuvres will be served following class and all the wines will be available for purchase.

PROMOTIONS

From September 6-15th, I have several of our restaurants participating in my favorite promotion of the year, WINE & DIME.  For ten days, there will be a list of ten wines for $.10.  Come in and buy 1 glass of wine at the regular price and get a second of equal or lesser value for $.10!  What a deal. The wines are all high quality wines from several of my partners such as Foley Wines and Treasury Wine Estates. The list will vary from restaurant to restaurant with a few staples at each location. Participating restaurants are 333 Pacific, Bluepoint, Bo Beau Ocean Beach, Bo Beau La Mesa, Gaslamp Strip Club, Indigo Grill, Island Prime & C-Level, Melting Pot, OB Warehouse, The Prado, Sea 180 & Vintana Wine + Dine.

We finish off the month with Restaurant Week.  This year Restaurant Week is from September 25th-October 2nd.  Our restaurants will offer special prices on bottles of California wine starting at $20 per bottle to be enjoyed with our Restaurant Week offering. What a great time to visit more than 1 restaurant a week, get a fantastic price on your meal and compliment it with a ridiculously low priced quality wine.

So much is going on in September!  Keep me in mind when you plan your month.  I have something for everyone. Happy California Wine Month!

September Is California Wine Month, It Is The Law

The Governor of California, Edmund G. Brown issued a proclamation that September 2015 is California wine month.  Wine and California is like peanut butter and jelly, Ferrari and Italy, Pele and Brazil; the two can’t live without the other, they are one.  Gerry Brown understands this and being at the forefront of California politics he understands the need for people to drink wine in September.  But did you know that September 15th- October 15th is Hispanic Heritage Month? It cannot be more perfect.  California’s first wines were in Baja California and eventually moved up to San Diego and Los Angeles, eventually flourishing in Sonoma and Napa.  But it all started in Mexico.  So it only makes since that if we are going to celebrate California wine month, we celebrate both Alta and Baja California wines.

I take California wine month very seriously. After all, I teach the California Wine Intensive Course at SDSU’s Business of Wine, it only makes sense that I am involved in promoting the mandate passed down by Gerry.  There is rich wine history in California. California has been the catalyst for many trends and at the forefront of “wine technology”.   Think back to the beginning when we were planting Mission grape and making brandy.  Then immigrants brought with them traditions which changed winemaking.  They discovered how well Zinfandel, Petit Sirah, Carignan and many other grapes made for excellent field blends.  We then learned to plant single varieties and began to rival the best French wines with our Cabernets and Chardonnays of the ’70’s.  We put Merlot on the map and took it off the map.  We replaced it with Pinot Noir, showing the world that Pinot Noir can have many faces.  We learned to use science and chemistry to manipulate wines and make it taste any way we want year after year regardless of vintage.  Today many winemakers are looking to the past and coming around full circle.  More and more are moving away from wine manipulation and are taking a vested interest in natural wines and wines made in the vineyard and not the laboratory.  California has really come around.

To celebrate this endearing region, I will be featuring promotions, dinners and tastings throughout our family of restaurants all month-long.   Take a look at what the Cohn Restaurant Group has planned.  I hope to see some of you at 1 or 5 of these events!

WINE DINNER SERIES

To kick off the month we partnered with Foley Wines and three of our restaurants to explore the major regions of California.  Sea180 Coastal Tavern will host a Sonoma Wine dinner, Vintana Wine + Dine will host a Napa Wine dinner and OB Warehouse will host a Santa Barbara Wine dinner.  Each dinner will feature wines from Bob Foley’s California wine empire with wineries such as Kuleto’s, Firestone, Lincourt, Altvs, Lancaster and Chalk hill to name a few.  Best of all, attendees will automatically be registered for the Foley Food and Wine Society, an elite wine club.  As members of the wine club they can take advantage of discounts on wine trips, winery visits, hotels and other accommodations around the world.  They automatically qualify for special discounts when buying wine on-line, and wines can be shipped to any of the 50 states. This little perk, is our thank you for supporting our wine dinners.

Do you have a favorite region?  Is it Sonoma, Napa or Santa Barbara?  What! You don’t know?  Well, then try all three dinners and see if one stands out.  What a way to kick of a long month of California wine.  If you are interested in attending one or all of these dinners, call the restaurant directly to make your reservations. Click on the thumbnails below to view the menus.

Tuesday, September 1st, SONOMA WINE DINNER

Wednesday September 2nd, NAPA WINE DINNER        !!SOLD OUT!!

Thursday, September 3rd, SANTA BARBARA WINE DINNER

WINE AND DIME September 8th-17th

Next, we run a ridiculous promotion at most of our restaurants.  Wine and Dime is where you get a chance to save money when drinking wine by the glass.  For ten days, order one glass of wine and get the second glass of equal or lesser value for $.10!!!  I know, what you are thinking, the wine must really suck.  But I have my reputation on the line and there is no way I would push wines that suck.  Each restaurant will have a unique list of California wines for you to choose from.  I think this is way better than Bev Mo, have you seen the wines they offer for 5 cents?  Here is a sample of what you get to try for $.10:  Lancaster Sauvignon Blanc, Voces Petit Sirah, Lincourt Courtney’s Vineyard Chardonnay, Milagro Farm Meritage, Roth “Heritage” red, Carucci Family Viognier and Chateau St. Jean Pinot Gris.

This promotion will go on for ten days!  We start on September 8th and go through September 17th. Stop in at one of our Cohn Restaurants and partake in the delicious savings.

Justin Isosceles Blending Seminar September 12th

The red blends of California have been regarded as some of  the best wines in the world.  California’s unique microclimates, varying soils and warm sunshine allows winemakers to plant many different types of grapes.  The Meritage blend was created in Bordeaux, but perfected in California.  A Meritage blend is a blend of at least two Bordeaux grapes such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot and Malbec.  Blending wines to make a master wine is a difficult process.  It takes days to find the perfect blend.  Winemakers need to taste barrel after barrel, wine after wine and try to put those wines together to make a wine that stands out from the rest.  One of the California wines that has stood out over the years is the sought after, Justin Isosceles from Paso Robles.

On Saturday, September 12th, 333 Pacific we will hold a blending seminar where you will get a chance to try your skills at blending the Justin Isocelese.  The class will be led by Justin’s head sommelier, Jim Gerakaris. You will taste the different wines that make up the Isosceles and try to see how close you can come to creating an Isosceles.  Guests will compete to see who comes closest to making the Isosceles. Special pprizes will be given out to the winners.  Appetizers will be provided by 333 Pacific for you to enjoy on the patio terrace.

To make your reservation contact 333 Pacific.

 The Alta & Baja California Wine Tasting Tour September 19th

We now come to the middle of the month, September 19th and it all comes to a peak.  I will be hosting over 25 Alta and Baja California wineries at our newest Cohn Restaurant, Coasterra.  If you have not seen Coasterra, you will be blown away.  There is not one venue in San Diego that has the view that Coasterra has to offer. It sits next to Island Prime on the San Diego harbor directly facing the San Diego skyline.  The place is amazing!

We will be featuring traditional California wineries such as Hanzell, Ancient Peaks, Sebastiani, Swanson, Chalk Hill and Kuleto to name a few. Bringing Hispanic Heritage month together with California Wine month, wineries such as Renteria, Delgadillo, Voces and Robledo will be there to represent the Mexican-American roots of California.  Going one step further and bring back the history of California wineries from the birth place of California wine, Baja will be there too.  Meet the wineries from the Guadalupe Valley such as Monte Xanic, Santo Tomas, Lechuza and Cava Maciel.  Finally, to bring it all home, we will also have local San Diego wineries, Stehleon Vineyards and Vesper Vineyards showing off San Diego grown fruit.

Chef Deborah Scott will provide Mexican hors d’oeuvres from Coasterra’s modern Mexican kitchen.  This an event not to be missed.  Buy your tickets now on-line by clicking the link below.

Restaurant Week September 20th-27th

September is also San Diego’s Restaurant week.  This gives us an even better reason to continue celebrating Gerry Brown’s proclamation.  Each one of our restaurants will offer a California wine list with special prices.   Some restaurants will feature wines starting at $20 a bottle and others at $30.  What a great way to try a new restaurant and drink a delicious bottle of wine without spending a fortune.  Going out for dinner should be for everyone.  Many people reserve dining out for special occasions.  It gets expensive eating out all the time.  Restaurant Week is the time of year that people get to spoil themselves without going into debt.  To make the spoiling even more fun, offering wine at value prices allows you to enjoy a meal the way its should be enjoyed, with wine. That is, California wine.

Visit our website for a look at the different menus and make your reservations soon.

By A Bottle Take One Home September 28-30th

Are you wined-0ut yet? California Wine month comes to an end, and then what do you do?  You have been drinking California wine for an entire month, but you have not gotten sick of it. In fact, you now crave more.  I came up with this last promotion to help you through your withdrawals.  Come to Island Prime or C-level, Prado at Balboa Park, Vintana, Sea 180, Bo Beau Ocean Beach, 333 Pacific or Draft Republic and buy a wine to drink in the restaurant from my selected list and take a second bottle home with you.  My intention is to allow you to revisit the fabulous wines you tasted in September again and again in October and November at your own leisure.  The wine lists are subject to change based on availability.  Each restaurant will have its own unique list.

WOW!  What a month!  So much going on in September. Clear your calendars out and pencil in a few of these events.  It will be worth it.  I hope to see you drinking California Wine in September.  If you have any questions feel free to leave a comment and I will get back to you as soon.