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Wine Vault & Bistro: 12th Annual Cass Winemaker Dinner With Ted Plemons

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    Sun, July 14, 2019 (5:00 PM - 8:00 PM)

Wine Vault & Bistro
3731-A India Street
San Diego, CA 92103
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Cost: $69.50 + tax and gratuity

For the twelfth year in a row, Wine Vault & Bistro is pleased to announce a 5-course wine dinner featuring Cass Winery from Paso Robles. Cass makes premium quality, limited production wines, focusing primarily on Rhone varietals. Winery co-owner Ted Plemons will be down from Paso Robles to personally host this dinner.

As we did the last two years for this dinner, we’re featuring an Asian-inspired menu. Did you know that Asian foods typically pair exceptionally well with Rhone varietals? While Asian flavors can sometimes overpower delicate or high acid wines, and while tannic wines can sometimes clash with the robust flavors of Asian food, Rhone-style wines (both whites and reds) typically pair well because their fruitiness and lack of dominate oak influence make the perfect foil for Asian foods. So we designed this 100% Asian inspired menu to pair with these wines which we are confident you're going to absolutely love. We even went "old school" for dessert and are serving Trader Vic's Scorpion Cocktail (still found in nearly every San Francisco Chinese restaurant) for the finale with some toasted coconut ice cream. Yum!

We hope you'll be able to join us for what will surely be a fun evening of tasting great wines paired with great food. Wine notes and bottle prices are at the end of this announcement if you're interested. Here's the line-up:

NOTE: Due to the complexity of this menu we regret that we will be unable to accommodate vegetarian requests.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Thai Shrimp Cocktail: Curry Roasted Shrimp | Panang Coconut Curry | Coriander + Cumin Oil
2018 Cass Viognier (5 oz. pour)

Asian Style Duck 3 Ways: Duck Leg Confit + Mushroom Fried Rice | Crispy Skin Duck Breast | Roasted Duck Demi Glace | Scallion + Crispy Garlic Oil
2015 Cass "Rockin' One" Red Blend (5 oz. pour)

Slow Roasted Pork Belly | Sprouting Cauliflower | Toasted Salsa Matcha | Green Onion Pancake
2017 Cass Mouvèdre (3 oz. pour)

Sesame Basted Hanger Steak | Toasted Shallot + Garlic Stir Fry
2016 Cass "Vintage Ted" Red Blend (3 oz. pour)

Housemade Toasted Coconut Ice Cream
Scorpion Cocktail (3 oz. pour)

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
RSVP ~ (619) 295-3939
Please make your reservations directly with Wine Vault & Bistro at 619-295-3939. We're very good about returning calls promptly, so please leave a message with the best time to return your call if you get the dreaded voice mail.

COST
Cost for the complete dinner including all five courses and all four wines and the cocktail is $69.50 per person. Sales tax and an 18% gratuity will be added to the cost of all dinners. Due to limited seating, CREDIT CARD RESERVATIONS ARE AN ABSOLUTE MUST. We accept Visa and MasterCard only.

SPECIAL DIETARY NEEDS
Due to the complexity of this menu we regret that we will be unable to accommodate vegetarian requests. If you have any other special dietary needs, please let us know when you RSVP, not when you arrive. We will do our best to accommodate special dietary needs if we can and if given advance notice. Please be aware that last minute menu aberration requests without advance notice will be impossible for us to accommodate.

CANCELLATION POLICY
You may cancel your reservation up to 72 hours in advance without penalty. NO REFUNDS WILL BE ISSUED WITH LESS THAN 72-HOUR NOTICE unless we are able to replace your cancellation at the last minute. (See below for groups over 4 people.)

LARGE GROUPS (OVER 4)
If you want to come with a group of friends, please make one reservation for your entire party so we can reserve a block of seats for you ... however, in the interest of fairness to others, we reserve the right to limit the number of people on a single reservation at our discretion. The cancellation period for canceling the ENTIRE reservation without penalty is doubled from the standard 72 hours (see above) to 144 hours (6 days). If you need to cancel only 1 or 2 people, the standard 72-hour notice still applies.

WHEN
The bar will open at 4:15 for a pre-dinner reception until 5:00. Dinner will then begin promptly at 5:00, but we HIGHLY, HIGHLY, HIGHLY recommend that you arrive well before then to better your chances of getting a closer parking space and to beat the last minute rush.

WHERE
Wine Vault & Bistro is located in the heart of San Diego between Little Italy and Old Town at 3731-A India Street on the upper terrace. Follow the black handrail from the sidewalk up the stairs to our front door.

PARKING
Valet parking is available for $8.00. The drop-off point is two doors south of our entrance in front of Shakespeare Pub at the corner of India and Winder. On-street parking is also usually available within a 3-block radius. Remember that it’s OK to park in yellow commercial zones on Sunday and that meters are also not enforced. You can also park in the lot behind Shakespeare Pub two doors down, but do not park in El Indio's lot unless you want your car towed! If you can’t find parking next to the restaurant, there’s always LOTS OF PARKING on San Diego Avenue and the adjacent side streets just past the Chevron station across Washington Street. So please don't drive yourself crazy endlessly going around in circles waiting to pounce on that perfect spot when there's TONS OF PARKING less than three blocks away!

WINE QUANTITIES
We'll be pouring 3-5 ounce tasting portions of wine (see the line-up above) plus a three ounce cocktail totaling 19 ounces, or the equivalent of well over three-quarters of a bottle of wine per person. Pour buckets are provided for designated drivers.

WINE SALES
Although some wines may be in limited quantities, all wines poured at this dinner will be available for purchase at the restaurant until sold out. We reserve the right to limit sales of any rare or allocated wines at our discretion.

WINE NOTES & BOTTLE PRICES
2018 Cass Viognier ~ $18
(Paso Robles) Winemaker's Notes: Perfume and exotic spices usher essence of crushed pineapple, wild flowers and fresh apricot to the nose. On the palate, a bright acidity underscores notes of banana custard, minced mango, lemon cream and citrus blossom. The delicate finish resembles cracked coconut, ripe nectarine and zesty tangerine.

2015 Cass "Rockin' One" Red Blend ~ $30
(Paso Robles) Winemaker's Notes: 39% Mouvèdre, 31% Grenache, 20% Syrah + 10% Petite Sirah. Mourvèdre captures the lead of this enchanted blend, followed by Grenache, Syrah, and Petit Syrah. Dark fruit abounds, surrendering blueberry brush, blackberry glaze and fleshy plum. Qualities of caramelized bacon, smoky cinders, orange oil and briar spice are nestled by ultra fine tannin and juicy acidity. The finish is neatly knit with threads of wild raspberry, hazelnut coffee, cracked white pepper and the lightest wisp of mint sprig. 91 Points, Wine Enthusiast.

2017 Cass Mouvèdre ~ $28
(Paso Robles) Winemaker's Notes: Savory spices emanate from the glass releasing aromas of baked blueberry, grilled plum, sweet paprika and star anise. A buoyant acidity rides alongside polished tannin, seamlessly complimenting rich elements of stewed blackberry, cherry cola reduction, warm mocha and English toffee. Tiers of pink peppercorn, cracked caraway seed and roasted vanilla bean persist.

2016 Cass "Vintage Ted" Red Blend ~ $42
2015 NOTES (Paso Robles) Winemaker's Notes: An original, hand crafted blend featuring select barrels of Cabernet Sauvignon (70%), Mourvèdre (25%) and Petit Verdot (5%). Vintage Ted welcomes you with intoxicating aromas of mulberry, black cherry, cigar box, and cassis liquor. Elements of pipe tobacco, wild raspberry and dusted violet play well with essence of plum compote and smoked vanilla. Savory cocoa and fresh milled coffee give way to a lasting, memorable finish. 400 cases produced.

Scorpion Cocktail
According to cocktail legend, the Scorpion had its beginnings in the '30s in a little bar in Honolulu called The Hut, where some unnamed barkeep poured rum, citrus, orgeat syrup, and brandy over ice, garnished it with an orange, and dubbed it the “Scorpion.” Vic Bergeron (of Trader Vic's fame) picked up the recipe a decade or so later at his bar in Oakland, tweaked it a bunch, multiplied it by about four, and created the Scorpion Bowl, a large-format cocktail still served in Tiki bars and Chinese restaurants around the world. One of the beautiful things about a Scorpion is that no one can agree exactly on how to make it. Vic himself changed his recipe constantly, eventually publishing at least three versions of the drink. We experimented with many versions and finally, after much research came up with our own version. Ours contains light and dark rum, cognac, freshly squeezed orange and lemon juice and orgeat (almond) syrup.

THE FINE PRINT
Due to fluctuations of supply, we reserve the right to make substitutions of equal or greater value in case any of the wines or foods become unavailable. Please, ABSOLUTELY POSITIVELY NO ONE UNDER THE AGE OF 21 ... even if your babysitter flakes out on you at the last minute!

Hope to see you here. Buon appetito and cheers!

Tags

  • Event
  • wine
  • Wine Vault & Bistro
  • San Diego
  • Things to do in San Diego, CA
  • California Wine & Food Events
  • San Diego Wine & Food Events

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