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Wine Vault & Bistro:Ridge Wine Dinner #1 W/Eric Baugher & Christina Donley

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    Sun, November 4, 2018 (5:00 PM - 8:00 PM)

Wine Vault & Bistro
3731-A India Street
San Diego, CA 92103
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Cost: $79.50 + tax and gratuity

Wine Vault & Bistro is pleased to announce our second ever Ridge Winery Dinner. Winemaker Eric Baugher and Regional Sales manager Christina Donley will both be here to personally host this epic dinner from this iconic winery. Eric joined Ridge as a chemist in 1994 where he was instrumental in developing sophisticated analytical tests that supported Ridge’s traditional winemaking practices. He was promoted to winemaker in 2004 and eventually to Chief Operating Officer last year. With over two decades of hands on experience at Ridge, Eric promises to deliver lots of cool insider info that you won't find elsewhere.

Christina celebrated her 15th year with Ridge this May, bringing her dynamic and fun approach to connecting the wholesale world with Ridge Vineyards. A native Californian, she joined the newly constructed Ridge Lytton Springs facility in Healdsburg in 2003 and became the Tasting Room Manager shortly thereafter. Her aspiration of becoming Ridge’s first Regional Sales Manager came to fruition only a few years after and now works closely with the top wholesalers and accounts in 13 states and 20 wholesalers.

Founded in 1962, Ridge produces mostly Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel. (Their 1971 Monte Bello Cab was featured in the Judgment of Paris in 1976 where California Cabs beat out French Bordeauxs in that now legendary blind tasting. When that same tasting was re-enacted thirty years later with the exact same wines and exact same vintages, Ridge came in first place, definitively proving to the French that that California was a force to be reckoned with!)

But for this dinner we're concentrating on their Zinfandels and Zin blends. And since Zinfandel is spectacular with BBQ'd and grilled meats, we put together a vegetarian's nightmare of a menu that includes pulled pork, brisket, kielbasa and baby backs. Oh, and we're serving a Toasted Almond cocktail with a giant bon-bon for dessert. While we understand that this menu might not be for everyone, we think it will be amazing with these wines. Hope to see you here!

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 are unable to accommodate vegetarian requests.

Pulled Pork Slider | Toasted Ciabatta | Au Jus Dip | Creole Spiced Fingerling Potato Chips
2016 Ridge "Lytton Springs" Red Blend (5 oz. pour)

Smoky Pepper Crusted Brisket | Corn Bread Stuffing | Crispy Shallots
2016 Ridge "East Bench" Zinfandel (3 oz. pour)

Grilled Housemade Kielbasa Sausage | Roasted Potato + Bacon Lardon Salad
2016 Ridge "Paso Robles" Zinfandel (3 oz. pour)

Glazed Baby Back Ribs | Kansas City BBQ Sauce | Ham Hock Collard Greens | Sweet Smokey Baked Beans
2016 Ridge "Geyserville" Red Blend (3 oz. pour)

Giant Bon-Bon: Tahitian Vanilla Ice Cream | Milk Chocolate Crust | Amaretto Cherry Drizzle
Toasted Almond 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 is $79.50 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 enough 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 dinners begin promptly at 5:00, but we HIGHLY, HIGHLY, HIGHLY recommend that you arrive earlier to better your chances of getting a closer parking space. The bar opens at 4:15 if you'd like to mingle with the winemaker and enjoy an adult beverage before dinner.

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 on Sunday. 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) totaling 14 ounces plus a 3-ounce Toasted Almond cocktail, or the equivalent of about 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
2016 Ridge "Lytton Springs" Red Blend ~ $40
(Sonoma) Winemaker's Notes: 69% Zinfandel, 23% Petite Sirah, 6% Carignane + 2% Mataro (Mourvedre). Complex aromas of vanilla, raspberry and black pepper. Full bodied with firm acidity, focused blackberry fruit and an elegant lingering finish. 95 points from Vinous Media.

2016 Ridge "East Bench" Zinfandel ~ $30
(Sonoma) Winemaker's Notes: 100% Zinfandel. Blackberry, cocoa licorice on the nose. Full-bodied palate with fig and plum fruit, chalky tannins, mineral and chaparral notes on the finish. 92 points from Wine Advocate.

2016 Ridge "Paso Robles" Zinfandel ~ $32
(Paso Robles) Winemaker's Notes: 100% Zinfandel. Deep garnet color. Black cherry fruit aromas and scented barrel spice. Rich bramble fruit on entry, medium body, integrated tannins and lively acidity, a long, opulent finish. 92 points from Wine Spectator.

2016 Ridge "Geyserville" Red Blend ~ $40
(Sonoma) Winemaker's Notes: 73% Zinfandel, 17% Carignane, 7% Petite Sirah + 3% Alicante Bouschet. Saturated ruby in color. Plum and black cherry fruit aromas, mint, and gravelly earth. Ripe bramble fruit on entry, balanced acidity, and elegant tannins. Long finish. 95 points from Wine Advocate.

Toasted Almond Cocktail
A decadently rich cocktail made with Kahlua, Amaretto and heavy cream. True to its namesake, it tastes exactly like toasted almonds. Served on the rocks.

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!

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  • 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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