The Blue Coast

Living in San Diego means having excellent access to a wide variety of California wines, yet for the most part lacking a local base of production. San Diego County does posses several wineries, some open for tasting, scattered throughout the back country (many of these may be found referenced on various vintners' association websites), especially in the hills surrounding Ramona. While I'm fond of Shadow Mountain Vineyards, tucked off of Highway 79 just outside Warner Springs, few of the other wineries I've visited or sampled wine from have proven very impressive. The closest wine region to San Diego is undoubtedly Temecula, just over the Riverside County line, which at last count featured over two dozen wineries within the valley. Unfortunately, Temecula wines are, by and large, a complete joke, the absolute antithesis of viniculture - outrageously overpriced, flabby, heavy on sickly-sweet whites and anonymous rose. The tasting rooms often revel in the very definition of kitsch, with more attention paid towards hawking puppy dog calenders and pricey bean dips than wine. And the area positively reeks of a bachelorette party / real-estate frat boy atmosphere - I once counted five Hummer limousines in one very long morning.

So, for all practical purposes, "local" wine in San Diego means Santa Barbara (still recovering from "Sideways"-inspired overexposure) or even Paso Robles (off the beaten path, and still an area where free tastings and a wine-as-agriculture mentality thrives). What often goes forgotten is that the closest wine region is actually south of the border, in the beautiful and largely undeveloped Guadalupe Valley of Baja. On the winding road leading between the beach community of Ensenada and the sleepy border town of Tecate lie numerous small family-run wineries (and a few larger corporate operations) offering rustic reds and old-world atmosphere. I've only once been able to sample these wines, and arcane border regulations limit American citizens to one bottle of wine per person per crossing. The wines are even more difficult to locate in area wine shops - I've spoken to several shop owners and distributors expressing frustration with their inability to import and make available these quasi-local products.

So it was with some relief that I stumbled across a wonderful bottle of wine that claims both Baja and California pedigrees. A side project of Christopher Cameron Vineyards, Costa Azul produces wine just up the coast, near Carlsbad, yet sources some of their grapes from the Guadalupe Valley (others hail from Sonoma - they do get around). I picked up their recently-released 2006 Grenache, of which a mere 150 cases were produced, and brought it home to sample (I'll admit that the beautiful label caught my eye - I have judged wines by their bottles before...). Both Jane and I were suitably impressed. I splashed a bit into a pan for a dark vinegar-based sauce, and we enjoyed the rest. The color was an attractive light red, the nose offered cracked pepper and hints of raspberry, and the mouth feel was warm and pleasing. We both agreed it was one of the more pleasant wine surprises we've shared in some time.

This release is quite limited, and can be found in only 5 or 6 wine shops or restaurants in the San Diego area. In both craft and availability, it represents the best in regional agriculture. I came across my bottle at Ocean Beach's Third Corner, the finest wine bistro in the city, hands down (and quite possibly the finest wine retail store, too). They're closed on Mondays, but I'll be heading down tomorrow to pick up a few more bottles, if any are left.