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Wine Vault & Bistro: Austin Hope Winemaker Dinner With JC Diefenderfer

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    Sun, June 2, 2019 (5:00 PM - 8:00 PM)

Wine Vault & Bistro
3731-A India Street
San Diego, CA 92103
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Cost: $65.00 + tax and gratuity

For the first time ever, Wine Vault & Bistro is pleased to announce a winemaker dinner with Austin Hope Winery. Director of Winemaking Jason "JC" Diefenderfer will be here to personally host this dinner.

In 1978, Chuck Hope left his job in beverage distribution to become a farmer, settling his family, planting apples and grapes, and learning how to farm in Paso Robles. In time, the Hope family became one of the area’s top grape growers. Austin Hope grew up working alongside his father, inheriting his love and respect for the region. He led the family’s move into winemaking in 1995, and further exploration of Paso began. In 2000, Austin created the Austin Hope label, making very small productions of Rhône varietals. These wines are produced from vines grown at the family’s estate property, where soils and climate have similarities with Rhône Valley vineyards. They remain small yet extraordinary productions. Each bottling holds onto a unique intensity and softness, expressing a special side of Paso.

A Central Coast native, Jason “JC” Diefenderfer has been on the winemaking team at Hope Family Wines since 1998. No stranger to agriculture, JC grew up on his family’s ranch in Templeton, just south of Paso Robles. He and Austin Hope attended high school together and forged a friendship that remains today. JC managed farm and ranching operations for King Ranch until 1997 when he began working with the Hope family to design and build their crush facility in Paso Robles. Over the past 20 years, JC’s approach to winemaking has combined his extensive knowledge of the AVA and continued experimentation with new techniques. His winemaking philosophy is summed up as follows: “My passion for winemaking in Paso Robles is driven by my never ending quest to produce the best wines possible from the ground to bottle. By pushing the boundaries, we sometimes produce and extraordinary wine unlike any other, and that is my ultimate goal.”

JC apprenticed under then-winemaker Chris Phelps before becoming assistant winemaker for Liberty School in 1999 and then winemaker in 2006. Today JC works closely with Austin Hope to craft the blends of all the brands: Liberty School, Treana, Quest, Troublemaker and Austin Hope. JC oversees the production team, including Director of Vineyards on vineyard selection and vineyard practices, fruit ripeness, and harvest decisions, as well as our Winemaking and Production Department.

He brings the whole package to the table: a fifth generation local with agricultural roots; familiarity with the wines and winemaking of the Old World and the New; and over two decades of experience with Hope Family Wines’ growers and wines. We are honored to have him here to host this dinner and share his wealth of knowledge!

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 will be unable to accommodate vegetarian requests or extensive menu aberrations.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Tunisian Bay Scallop Tagine | Turmeric Pearl Couscous | Cinnamon Scented Vegetables
2015 Treana Blanc (5 oz. pour)

Confit Chicken Thigh | Rösti Potatoes | Olive + Caper Relish | Garlic Chipotle Oil
2016 Austin Hope "Quest" Proprietary Red Wine (5 oz. pour)

Grilled Skirt Steak | Toasted Dried Herb Ciabatta | Crispy Parmesan Cheese | Charred Onions | Au Jus
2015 Treana Red (3 oz. pour)

Pan-Fried Boneless Pork Chop | Black Pepper + Thyme Spätzle | Caramelized King Trumpet Mushrooms | Roasted Onion Soubise
2016 Austin Hope Cabernet Sauvignon (3 oz. pour)

Caramelized Cognac Infused Peaches | Peach + Brown Sugar Caramel Ice Cream
Peach Infused Cognac (1 oz. poured over)

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
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 $65.00 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 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 17 ounces, plus peach cognac 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
2015 Treana Blanc ~ $21
(Central Coast) Winemaker's Notes: 45% Viognier, 45% Marsanne + 10% Roussanne. A stunning example of a new world Rhone blend with aromas and flavors of pineapple, dried apricot, peach and Clementine orange that combine with floral notes of honeysuckle and elderflower. Sweet notes of marzipan, honey, graham cracker along with cinnamon and vanilla round out this complex, full-bodied and racy wine.

2016 Austin Hope "Quest" Proprietary Red Wine ~ $24
(Paso Robles) Winemaker's Notes: This wine is dark ruby/purple with a claret meniscus. It bears aromas of vanilla, caramel, cassis, and red fruit. The palate has rich clean berry flavors with firm tannins, and finishes with a long toasty, French vanilla. This wine displays the lushness of Cabernet, the foundation of our blend. But just like Paso is made richer by the diversity of its land, so this wine is made equally distinct by its mix of grapes – a combination that is concentrated, soft, supple and expressive.

2015 Treana Red ~ $32
(Paso Robles) Winemaker's Notes: 75% Cabernet Sauvignon + 25% Syrah. This wine is a deeply colored wine with a purple-black core that fades to a ruby rim. Intense aromas of freshly picked blackberries, muddled black and red currants, along with dried cranberries give way to underlying tones of dried rose petals, violets, potpourri and clove, while caramelized oak notes are spiced by a hint of cinnamon. A velvety rush of ripe blackberries and pomegranate fruits envelop the palate, while subtle nuances of baking spices, cocoa powder and dried vanilla beans add to the wine’s complexity. Full bodied and rich with a beautifully balanced acidity, Treana Red will age gracefully for 10 -15 years.

2016 Austin Hope Cabernet ~ $42
(Paso Robles) Winemaker's Notes: Deep ruby in color, this wine expresses intense fragrances of black currants, ripe black cherries and blackberries with subtle notes of violets, mocha and dried spices. It’s a big, powerful, modern-styled wine with velvety tannins and heaps of juicy blackberry and cherry fruit, while nuances of cedar, clove and vanilla bean round out the long, smooth finish. It’s full bodied, rich and balanced by fresh acidity with a supple, polished tannin structure.

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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  • San Diego
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