There's an old wine adage that states: "if you want to learn about wine, drink a lot of wine".
The simple wisdom that permeates those words is usually easier said than drank, as choice selections can get expensive--plus, they're essentially wasted on you if you can't discern them from the swill. A great solution is a wine tasting. The best one in town is actually at 2 locations: Wine Steals Hillcrest and Wine Steals Point Loma.
Every Saturday from 4 to 6:30pm, Wine Steals opens up 15-20 bottles of wine--6-7 white, the rest red--and says "have at it". For only $10 you can taste a wide range of fairly impressive wines at reasonable prices. Feel free to ask for direction and explanation as the pourers are extremely knowledgeable. Just be sure to limit your time; there's usually a line behind you. While the event is all-you-can-drink, there are a few rules: only one 1 ounce taste at a time, no nursing one bottle (though you may come back to one if you really liked it), don't pour your own, and leave the occasional tip.
An important aspect of wine tasting is pairing with certain foods. Wine steals offers an excellent variety of cheese from the Hillcrest location's neighboring cheese shop "Taste". The Cheese Boards (including fruit, olives and meat) will treat you well for the night, but the "Brie and Raspberry" Panini is not to be missed.
Wine Steals encourages its clientele to relax, explore, and enjoy not only the wines but your fellow tasters. Mingle, be friendly and outgoing. People who are passionate about wine love to share their wealth of knowledge and this is definitely an amiable crowd.
Photo by: Devin White
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