San Diego is a city known for sunshine, beaches, incredible restaurants, and the hugely popular annual Comic-Con. People flock to San Diego for its stellar craft beers with over 130 breweries located in the county. While beer seems to reign supreme, wine lovers have not been forgotten. Hence, there are a handful of establishments holding it down for the San Diego wine enthusiasts. Such wine bars and restaurants include the Wine Vault & Bistro, the Wine Sellar & Brasserie, 57 Degrees, and Vin de Syrah to name a few. In addition, sunny San Diego is now home to the annual SommCon!
SommCon
SommCon is an annual 3-day educational conference for wine industry professionals and serious wine enthusiasts. The conference offers two locations in order to reach as many wine enthusiasts as possible. Washington D.C. hosts SommCon for the East coast wine lovers and San Diego hosts the conference for those of us on the West coast. Sommeliers created the conference for their colleagues and those with an unending thirst for wine knowledge. Thus, attendees can expect all 50 sessions and 50 various presenters and panelists to be top notch.
I did not have the funds to participate in the 2017 conference because I had just returned from a long trip to Europe. Though I definitely hope to participate in the 2018 SommCon. However, Vino Carta, my favorite wine bar in San Diego, hosted a fun-filled party for SommCon. Guess who was lucky enough to attend?
Vino Carta
Vino Carta is a laid-back wine bar and bottle shop located in charming Little Italy in downtown San Diego. The wine shop offers a diverse selection of small production and natural wines. So you have the opportunity to discover a completely new wine every time you visit. Also, each of Vino Carta’s employees is extremely knowledgeable and more than happy to help guide your wine selection. Vino Carta is typically bumping groovy tunes, making wine tasting that much more fun. Do yourself a favor and check out Vino Carta next time you’re in San Diego!
SommCon Party at Vino Carta
So, Vino Carta hosted a bumping party for SommCon during the 2017 San Diego Bay Wine + Food Festival. The party was open to sommeliers and San Diego wine lovers alike. My friends and I attended the party and were not disappointed! Vino Carta was pouring super unique wines for SommCon. I tasted varietals completely new to me and fell in love with new wine producers. Additionally, I learned so much about natural wine production that night. Bumping elbows with Master Sommeliers was also awesome because their knowledge level is insane! Here are the tasting notes I jotted down for some of my favorite wines I tasted.
Ameztoi 2016 Txakolina, Basque Region, Spain
I couldn’t get enough of this unique Basque wine because I had never tasted a wine like this before! The Ameztoi vineyards are located along the Northern Coast of Spain on the Bay of Biscay with views of San Sebastian. Consequently, it was like the crisp, ocean air was emanating from my glass. Also, I’m looking forward to creating a tasty food pairing for this gem. Likely some sort of Basque pinxtos. Stay tuned!
Scribe 2017 Nouveau Pinot Noir, Corners, California
I have been dying to make it up to Scribe winery for one of their guest chef dinners. Even more so after tasting this distinct wine!
Ochota Barrels “Texture Like Sun”, Field Red Sector Blend Three 2016 South Australia
Blonde by Andréa Calek, Vin de France
