Wine shop(s) in San Diego?

[Eric]

does anyone know of good wine shops in the San Diego (southern California) area?

is there magic price level(s) (for white and red) below which one wouldn't typically find a quality smooth wine?

thanks in advance!

[wondersofwine]

Welcome to the board. On the first question, Winoweenie informed several of us about Vintage Wines at 6904 Miramar Road. I've been there twice now and highly recommend it. It's in a strip shopping mall and may not be very visible from the road but watch for the address. The website is http://shop.vintagewinessd.com/ They have a good selection of California wines and some good international wines as well including sometimes older vintages that are not easy to find. They also have tastings and sometimes offer flights of wine such as several Italian reds in small pours. As to price point, higher prices do not always indicate higher quality wine. First growth Bordeaux or premier cru and grand cru Burgundies can command higher prices because they have a reputation through the years of delivering outstanding wines. However, in the case of a poor vintage year or with less careful and talented producers in Burgundy, the wines may not live up to the reputation of the vineyard. Some real bargains are to be found among Spanish and Italian wines. Look under the best buy thread for some suggestions of good QPR wines (good Quality to Price Ratio). I don't buy many wines less than $15 a bottle (but have enjoyed some Spanish and Australian bottles for less than that). Others on the board rarely spend over $15 a bottle. IK and Drew and Hotwine have all reported on bargain finds that are good dinner wines.

[This message has been edited by wondersofwine (edited 07-15-2005).]

[winoweenie]

Hi Eric and what WOW said is rite on. I'm picking up a load from John next week myself. Great store and as competitive on pricing as any store I've found in the west. And the big plus is the whole staff knows their business. WW

[Kcwhippet]

There's also Varietals Wine Merchants (www.varietalswine.com)on Rosecrans, between Old Town and the airport. It's owned/run by Brad Harrington the host of www.westcoastwine.net. I've never been there - just offering another alternative.

[lizardbrains]

Eric, are you looking for wine shops just in San Diego? Or would you be willing to travel a bit? A friend of mine has been raving about this excellent wine shop in Temecula, with a fantastic owner who really knows his stuff and is very nice to work with. He even offers tastings - my friend did a "tour of the Rhone" tasting and said it was fascinating. I could find out the name of the shop if you're interested.

-Elizabeth