Coronado is full of locals who appreciate a good glass of wine, whether it’s on their front porch, on the grass at Concert in the Park, or at one of the many wine prominent restaurants in the village. National Wine Day is on Saturday, May 25, and many of Coronado’s restaurants and programs are celebrating! Below are a few options.
Coronado Clean Wine
Sarah Shadonix founded Scout and Cellar in 2018 on a mission to discover the world’s most delicious clean-crafted wine and deliver it right to the customers. Coronado’s Christine Van Tuyl was introduced to Scout and Cellar by a friend in North Country. When she tasted the wines she thought, “Am I just giddy, or are these super good?!” Being environmentally minded, and knowing first-hand the difficulty that goes into finding out what’s in the wine you drink, Christine loves all the components of Scout and Cellar.
Christine has one of those personalities that even upon just meeting her, you feel like she’s a good friend. Not only is she passionate about this journey, she’s done the research and asked the tough questions to make sure she understood – and now everyone can benefit! Christine shares that she tends to seek out foods and beverages that are organic and is frustrated that ingredients are not listed on wine. Christine voices her initial discontent, “I thought, ‘Why can’t I find anything out?’ Then I went down the rabbit hole looking into wine and learning about everything that goes in it.”
So, does clean wine make it “better”? Christine says that without the added sugar and dyes she sleeps better, the wine is cleaner, and there are no morning headaches!
Since bringing Coronado Clean Wine to Coronado, Christine shares that the response has been overwhelmingly positive. She created the Facebook page Coronado Clean Wine in February 2019 and in only a few months she has hosted numerous tasting parties, donated a wine raffle at the Bloom Bash in April, made gift baskets for silent auctions, and has been part of new business grand openings in town.
Wine Club
Coronado Clean Wines offers a Wine Club membership with options including 1, 2, or 3 month delivery cycles with either 6 or 12 bottles per shipment. Six bottle memberships run $149-$179 and the twelve bottle membership is $299-$345. Find Coronado Clean Wine on Facebook to learn more.
National Wine Day Special
On Friday, May 24, Coronado Clean Wine is hosting a private luncheon at noon for National Wine Day. Text Christine for details at 858-405-7264.
Wine a Bit
Wine a Bit celebrated its 12th year in Coronado last month and shows no signs of slowing down. While the wine selection rotates from options around the world, there is a California focus which gives it a local and homey feel.
Owners Patti and Dale set up their wine boutique to be unintimidating and to counteract a common issue of being overwhelmed when choosing wines – “you can get lost in a grocery store.” The boutique is set up so even wine lovers who struggle with the difference between a merlot and a pinot grigio (one is red and one is white right??) can find what they like. Opposed to the traditional layout of finding a wine by region, Patti and Dale make it easier for customers by grouping the wines by taste. This allows customers who know the flavors they enjoy to find other options and expand their knowledge without going completely out of their comfort zone or getting lost in the sea of wine.
Wine a Bit has live music Friday and Saturday nights at 6PM and their wine bar is open 7 days a week. When asked about possible expansion, the pair explained that they are not looking for an exit nor an expansion, “Our customers are happy and this is a good environment to continue business.”
Wine Club
Wine a Bit’s wine club is $39.99 a month which includes two bottles of wine, two tastings for two, and other perks. Learn more here.
National Wine Day Special
Patti and Dale share that for National Wine Day they are looking to bring tastings for both members and non-members with a variety of new wines. Reservations are not required but always appreciated – call (619) 365-4953.
Nado Republic
Less than a year open now and Nado Republic has made a splash on the Coronado wine scene. With a vow to rotate in new wines every two weeks during the summer, Nado Republic has found its niche and continues to deliver to the community.
It is one thing to know the wine, but when you really reach success is when you know your customer base and can match wine with customers. Sandro explains, “It’s a nice crowd of people in Coronado. There are a lot of travelers and many locals are open, interested, and responsive to try new things.” He continues that he likes to talk about the origin of each wine with their customers, “once you know the story behind the wine, everything is a bit more special. Drinking wine is like traveling to a specific place. The soil, climate, everything goes into creating each wine.” As a writer, my greatest joy is bringing the words off the paper (or screen!) to tell a story. At Nado Republic they bring the wine out of the glass to tell its unique story.
This summer, Nado Republic is rolling out their anticipated sorbet selection. These extraordinary drinks are made with Prosecco wine and Nado Gelato’s gelato. The featured “Nado Sorbet” includes Nado Gelato’s lime flavor and is topped with a cherry. The stir stick is dual purpose as it is used for the cherry as well as mixing the drink to prevent separation. Other recipes in the works include kiwi, raspberry, mango, mojito (yum!) and even a chocolate combination! While these are coming soon, Sandro enjoys the flexibility of working with Nado Gelato, “when inspiration comes we can mix it up!” Summer hours are extending, opening earlier at noon and staying open later, midnight on Friday and Saturday. They will also begin to be open on Mondays.
National Wine Day Special
On National Wine Day, Nado Republic will be doing a special three-wine tasting with paired food bites. All of the products will be from Sandro’s hometown of Vento, Italy – more commonly referred to as Venice. Have a seat on their patio couch and enjoy the treat. Info & Reservations: 619-996-3271.
Bluewater Boathouse National Wine Day Special
On National Wine Day, May 25th, customers at Bluewater Boathouse restaurant pay just 50% for their first bottle of wine. The offer is an extension of Bluewater’s everyday no-corkage-fee policy.
“Every day is National Wine Day at Bluewater,” said Jimmy Ulcickas, co-founder and co-owner of Bluewater restaurants. “We want our customers to fully appreciate how well certain wines pair with our seafood and shellfish, so we wave the corkage fee 365 days a year.”
Primavera Ristorante National Wine Day Special
The popular Italian restaurant, located at 932 Orange Ave, will celebrate National Wine Day with a three-course wine pairing dinner, available exclusively on Saturday, May 25. The dinner, priced at $70 per person, will begin with polpo al limone, grilled octopus with fresh herb and lemon dressing, paired with Banfi San Angelo Pinot Grigio.
The entrée course will feature vitello piccatina al limone, veal medallions with mushrooms, lemon, butter, capers and white wine sauce; paired with Irony Pinot Noir. The meal will conclude with a limoncello mousse, topped with mascarpone crème fraiche and fresh berries; paired with Inniskillin Vidal Icewine.
Make your reservation by calling 619-435-0454. More information is available at www.primavera1st.com.
