Wine Vault & Bistro is pleased to announce our annual New Year's Eve dinner. In years past we’ve always done an early plus a late seating but things tended to get a little frantic and a bit too rushed with two seatings. So this year we’re just going to host one leisurely paced seating ... and what an amazing dinner it will be! Chef pulled out the stops on this five-course menu and we’ve done the same with the wines!

We’ll start with salmon tartare paired with Champagne followed by lobster bisque paired with a rare Chateauneuf-du-Pape Blanc (think “fireplace white!”). Then we’ll transition into the reds with a complex Pinot from Brewer-Clifton paired with a giant raviolo followed by a creative beef trio paired with two amazing Spanish red blends served side-by-side: winemaker extraordinaire Chris Ringland's "Clio" which I've been sandbagging for over a year just for this dinner plus Juan Gil’s premium “Blue Label” also sandbagged for over a year. Dessert will be a decadent chocolate brownie cake with orange brandy followed by an eggnog nightcap. Should be a dinner (and wine pairings!) for the record books!

While there’s definitely going to be lots of fabulous menu items paired with lots of fabulous wines, we envision this to be a relaxing, leisurely-paced dining experience spanning the course of about three hours. So you’ll have plenty of time to get home to ring in the new year in the comfort and safety of your own home or, for the more adventurous, to get to another celebration!

Either way, we hope to see you here! Wine notes and bottle prices are at the end of this announcement if you're interested.

MENU

Salmon Tartare | Taro Chips

Mumm Grand Cordon Brut Champagne (4 oz. pour)

Lobster Bisque | Browned Butter Croutons | Cognac Infused Crème Fraîche

2020 Guigal Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc (4 oz. pour)

Game Bird Raviolo | Wild Mushrooms | Garlic Braised Spinach | Truffle Brodo

2022 Brewer-Clifton “Sta. Rita Hills” Pinot Noir (4 oz. pour)

Beef Trio: Smoked Carpaccio + Balsamic Redux | Seared Wagyu + Roasted Tomato | Braised Short Ribs + Blue Cheese Whipped Potato

2021 Juan Gil “Blue Label” Spanish Red Blend (3 oz. pour)

  vs.

2022 Clio Spanish Red Blend (3 oz. pour)

Valrhona Chocolate Brownie Cake | Mousse “Frosting” | Candied Orange Zest

Magdala Spanish Orange Brandy (1 oz. pour)

Nightcap: WV&B’s Legendary Eggnog (3 oz. pour)

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RSVP (IF ON A DESKTOP COMPUTER)

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RESPOND WITH THIS INFO

1. your cell number and best time to call so we can call you to update your credit card info

2. how many people are in your party, and

3. answers to the HEAD’S UP questions in the paragraph below if you’re a party of 1 or 2.

HEAD’S UP

Seating is EXTREMELY limited. We have a limited number of tables for couples who want to sit by themselves so please let us know if you’re willing to sit at communal tables as that will GREATLY increase your chances of getting in. We also have the two firepit tables on the patio for two (https://www.winevaultbistro.com/fire-pit) available if you don’t mind sitting at a lower, coffee table height table. Also, please consider inviting another couple or two to join you as if you’re a party of four or six there won’t be a problem getting your own table. We are currently limiting party sizes to a maximum of six.

LOCATION & PHONE

Wine Vault & Bistro is located in the heart of San Diego between Little Italy and Old Town at 3731-A India Street on the upstairs terrace. Follow the black handrail up the stairs from the sidewalk to our front door. Our phone number is (619) 295-3939.

PARKING

Metered and non-metered on-street parking is usually available within a 3-block radius. Try to find non-metered parking as the new meters are now enforced seven days a day until 8:00PM yet still only allow a maximum of two hours. You can also park in the free 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 usually parking on the side streets behind the restaurant, on San Diego Avenue one block in front of the restaurant and on the adjacent side streets just past the Chevron station across Washington Street. If you plan to drive here make sure to allow yourself plenty of time to find a parking space but ideally use a rideshare app like Uber or Lyft so you don’t have to deal with it.

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 SALES

Although some wines may be in limited quantities, all wines (and eggnog and Manhattans) 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 REVIEWS & PRICING

Mumm Grand Cordon Brut Champagne ~ $45

(France) Winemaker's Notes: 45% Pinot Noir, 30% Chardonnay + 25% Pinot Meunier. Exuberant bubbles and a brilliant, golden color testify to the vibrancy of this Champagne. Lush aromas of ripe peach, apricot and pineapple cascade from the glass, chased by hints of vanilla and caramel, yeast, dried fruit and honey. Intense, complex flavors of fresh fruit and caramel that morph into a long, lingering finish.

2020 Guigal Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc ~ $43

(France) 45% Grenache Blanc, 25% Roussanne, 15% Clairette, 10% Bourboulenc, 3% Piquepoul + 2% Picardin. ~~~ Review by Jeb Dunnuck ~ 94 points: One of the finest vintages of this cuvee. Brilliant stuff revealing fabulous aromatics of white peach, quince, honeysuckle and spice. Rich, textured, vibrant and lively style on the palate. A seamless, opulent and incredibly satisfying beauty perfect for drinking now through 2029.

2022 Brewer-Clifton “Sta. Rita Hills” Pinot Noir ~ $48

(Sta. Rita Hills) Winemaker’s Notes: Aromas of pomegranate, white tea and raspberry. Flavors of dried fig, white truffle and ripe cherry with a savory texture. ~~~ Review by Wine Enthusiast ~ 96 points: Lovely and bright aromas of red fruit and rose petals are lifted by minty herbs and peppery spices on the nose. A ripe cherry core enlivens the delicious palate, which is refreshing and engaging through zesty waves of green herb and black spice. ~~~ Review by James Suckling ~ 95 points: A suave, composed and subtle wine with great mellow fruit, spices and woodsy, savory accents. Medium-bodied, moderately tannic, aged in neutral barrels that Greg Brewer calls "exhausted." Hardly soft, though, it is alive with fresh acidity and lifted by fine-grained tannins.

2021 Juan Gil “Blue Label” Spanish Red Blend ~ $35

(Spain) Winemaker's Notes: 60% Monastrell, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon + 10% Syrah. This complex and elegant wine is made from selections from the oldest parcels, averaging 75 years old which are planted at 2,300 feet on sandy, chalky soils with extremely low yields. Parcels are fermented in small stainless steel tanks and then aged for 18 months in new French and American oak barrels separately before blending. This is a wine that will evolve over 2-3 years and drink well for many more. Blackberries and plums framed by licorice, vanilla and toast. Full-bodied and well structured, yet fresh with well integrated tannins that sculpt a long, lasting finish. ~~~ Review by Wine Spectator ~ 93 points: An aromatic thread of toast, licorice, vanilla and Mediterranean macchia winds through generous flavors of plum sauce and blackberry paste. Full-bodied but fresh and well-structured, this red is firmed by chalky, integrated tannins that sculpt the long, lasting finish.

2022 Clio Spanish Red Blend ~ $53

(Spain) 70% Monastrell (Mourvedre) + 30% Cabernet Sauvignon aged 24 months in French and American oak. Nose of dark red fruits, incense, balsa wood, dark florals and a touch of scrub brush and light minerality. The palate starts with dark red fruits enveloped in a viscous mouthfeel moderated by forward tannins and acidity. Notes of cherry cola, raspberry coulis and red fruit leather with hints of scrub brush, light spice, garden soil and a touch of minerality come next. Lean and focused with incredible depth. Fruit forward with deeply expressive secondary and tertiary elements creating a chorus of support for its complex body.

Magdala Spanish Orange Brandy ~ $35

(Spain) A Mediterranean orange liqueur made by steeping lots of orange peels in grape brandy carefully distilled in small batches at the Torres distillery in Barcelona. Ageing in old oak casks produces an aromatic elixir, silky in texture and exceptionally elegant. 

WV&B’s Legendary Eggnog ~ $39 (750ml bottle)

A highly addictive concoction we’ve been perfecting for over forty years now. It’s a decadent combination of super fresh eggs with bright orange yolks from an organic farm, pure Tahitian vanilla, cream, sugar and a pinch of nutmeg aggressively spiked with two kinds of rum, cognac and bourbon. We sell it in recycled wine bottles for thirty-nine bucks. And, according to lots of research I’ve done lately, it will actually keep for 1-2 years as long as it’s continually refrigerated. And it mellows and gets better with age. I know that it just sounds so wrong to keep anything with fresh eggs and fresh cream for more than a week or two, but once a certain level of alcohol is introduced, (and we’re waaaay above that level) all bets are off and it will keep for a much longer period of time as long as it’s continually refrigerated. I kept some of last year’s batch for six months and it was truly amazing but, out of an abundance of caution, I’ve somewhat arbitrarily listed the shelf life as the end of January. But I’ve had customers tell me that they’ve just now opened some of last year’s nog and that it was amazing a year later. (But then again, you’d have to have the self-restraint to actually keep it for a year!)

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!

Chris