Wine Vault & Bistro is pleased to announce a San Sebastian style pinxtos (pronounced peen-chos) crawl featuring nine pintxos paired with nine Spanish wines. (Actually, one cocktail plus eight wines.) If you’re not familiar with San Sebastian, or pintxos for that matter, you’re in for a real treat. San Sebastian is a town in the Basque region of northern Spain on the Bay of Biscay only a stone’s throw from France. It is best known for its culinary scene and boasts the second greatest number of Michelin Star restaurants on a per capita basis of any city in the world. But it’s perhaps better known for its pintxos, elaborate tapas/appetizers that are prolific in its historic old town quarter. (Hint: Google San Sebastian Pintxos Tour if you want to get a feel for what this dinner is going to be like!)

A favorite pastime for both locals and tourists alike, is to wander the quarter, visiting as many pintxos bars as possible as each one has a specialty pinxto. Those of you who went on our Northern Spain tours in 2016 https://www.winevaulttours.com/spain-2016 will have fond memories of eating here. In fact, we’re going to do an almost duplicate of both the wine (Txakoli: pronounced Shock-oh-lee) and the appetizer that we enjoyed at Txomin Etxaniz winery (pronounced Show-man Et-chen-is) for the dinner. You can read about it and see pictures in the link above.

Anyway, we’re calling this event a “crawl” instead of a “dinner” because the menu was designed to mimic some of the foods and wines you’d enjoy as if you were actually strolling through the quarter and stopping at various pintxos bars along the way. And we’re obviously making the food and wine portion sizes smaller (just like in San Sebastian) so that you’ll be able to enjoy all nine courses and beverages without going into a food coma!

All of the wines (and even the gin) are from Spain, and most are produced within 150 miles of San Sebastian so this promises to be a very authentic and local experience. Anyway, we hope you'll be able to join us for what surely promises to be a fun evening of tasting the wines of Spain paired with some amazing pintxos! Wine notes and bottle prices are at the end of this announcement and the menu is below.

NOTE: Due to the extra courses and complexity of this menu, we are limiting seating to 60 guests instead of our usual 80 so you can enjoy a nice, relaxed dining experience!

MENU

Amuse Bouche: A Play on San Sebastian’s Iconic Gilda Pintxo

Nordes Gin Tonic (3 oz. pour)

Tapas Trio: Pan con Tomate | Sea Salt Roasted Marcona Almonds | Jamón + Manchego Skewer

NV Codorniu “Clasico” Cava (3 oz. flute)

Salmorejo | Jamón

2025 Txomin Etxaniz Txakoli Rosé (2 oz. pour)

Montadito: Chili Oil Preserved Tuna | Anchovies | Grilled Scallions | Marinated Tomatoes

2024 Shaya Verdejo (4 oz. bottle per couple to share)

Chicken Chorizo Stuffed Pimiento del Piquillo

2023 Alto Moncayo “Zismero” Grenache (2 oz. pour)

Garlic Butter Braised Mushroom Stack | Smoked Almond Jus | Crispy Rice Cake

2019 Vina Pomal “Reserva” Rioja (4 oz. bottle per couple to share)

Short Rib Stuffed Leek "Cigar" | Idiazábal (Basque Sheep's Milk Cheese)

2022 Sierra Salinas "Mira" Monastrell (4 oz. bottle per couple to share)

Aragón-Style Lamb Albondigas | Rosemary Butter Beans

2023 El Nido “Clio” Red Blend (4 oz. bottle per couple to share)

Tahitian Vanilla Gelato

Hidalgo Pedro Ximenez Sherry (1 oz. pour)

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RESPOND WITH THIS INFO

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

HEAD’S UP

We have a very limited number of tables for couples who want to sit by themselves so please let us know if you’re willing to sit at long communal tables (“Last Supper” style) as that will greatly increase your chances of getting in. (Yes, we understand that this is a Valentine’s dinner and that most folks will want a private table and, yes, we will do our best to accommodate that but at some point we max out on private tables!) We also have a firepit table for two (https://www.winevaultbistro.com/fire-pit) available so let us know if you’re OK with that table if you want to sit by yourselves. 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. 

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 NOTES & BOTTLE PRICES

Nordes Gin ~ $40 (liter bottle)

(Spain) Distiller's Notes: A fresh, fruity nose, with citrusy notes from the lemon verbena and Albariño base, green herbal tones, as well as white fruit aromas and a whiff of sea salt. On the palate, fruit-forward and spicy, featuring white peach and the subtle undertone of juniper, with beautiful balance and a smooth profile.

NV Codorniu “Clasico” Cava ~ $13

(Spain) A dry sparkling wine made from the traditional cava varietals of Macabeo, Xarel·lo and Parellada in equal proportions. Produced in the laborious Méthode Champenoise method where secondary fermentation occurs in the actual bottle, not mass produced in a bulk tank. Fresh fruity and delicate aromas with a fine, elegant mousse ending with a pleasant, fresh, dry and balanced mouthfeel.

2025 Txomin Etxaniz Txakoli Rosé ~ $21

(Spain) 100% Hondarrabi Beltza. Tangy nose full of chalk and lime aromas. Fresh and bright on the palate with a subtle sweetness that balances the bright acidity.

2024 Shaya Verdejo ~ $16

(Spain) Vibrant nose of citrus fruits, green apple and floral notes. Crisp, refreshing palate with flavors of lemon zest, white peach and a hint of minerality ending with a bright and lively finish.

2023 Alto Moncayo “Zismero” Garnacha ~ $18

(Spain) 100% Grenache. Nose of blackberry, ripe plum and dark cherry with flavors of violets, licorice and warm baking spices. Full-bodied, lushly textured midpalate with concentrated fruit. Long, powerful ends with mineral and savory notes.

2019 Vina Pomal “Reserva” Rioja ~ $19

(Spain) 100% Tempranillo. Aged 18 months in American oak barrels followed by 24 months in bottle. Nose of ripe red and black fruits intertwined with delicate notes of vanilla, sweet spices and a subtle smokiness reminiscent of an autumnal forest while a hint of dry leaves adds depth. Refined, balanced palate with smooth tannins supporting the fruit and ending with a harmonious, lingering finish.

2022 Sierra Salinas "Mira" Monastrell ~ $17

(Spain) 100% Mourvèdre. Intense nose of blackberry, plum and dark cherry layered with herbal garrigue, balsamic hints and a light French oak spice. ​Rich, concentrated palate or ripe dark fruits balanced with polished tannins, fresh acidity and earthy-mineral notes in the long finish.

2023 El Nido “Clio” Red Blend ~ $56

(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.

Hidalgo Pedro Ximenez Sherry (500ml) ~ $27

(Spain) Made from 100% Pedro Ximenez (PX) grapes that were dried on straw mats before fermentation to 9% and then fortified to 15%. Next, they were aged in solera for 12 years. The finished wine has aromas of dried figs, raisins, maple, toffee and nuts with a dense palate balanced with fine acidity. An unforgettable texture with beautiful concentration and a long finish that is rich, sweet and mouth-filling yet never cloying. A fantastic dessert wine to pair with blue cheese or simply pour over vanilla ice cream. Once opened, bottles will keep at least six months if refrigerated.

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