Total Wine and More has a great selection of different wines, spirits, mixers and anything else you…read moremight need to make or recreate a cocktail. I love how they even have some of the harder to find stuff so easily accessible and at a reasonable price point. Their employees are always so friendly and knowledgeable about everything and are always so great with suggestions on what to get. They also have tastings and classes that you can sign up for which is really nice to have. Plenty of parking outside as well.

Never disappointed in a TW visit! I've come here many times but this time I participated in the…read morecomplimentary tasting. It was fun! I only took maybe 10 minutes but I enjoyed the addition to my shopping trip. I usually get a peach bellini from a Temecula winery but I was easily convinced to buy a peach liquor and champagne to make my own. He also had mango to taste as well. I learned about new wines, tried a true orange wine and met some cool people. TW cards anyone that looks younger than 30. I was carded! Cheers to young face lol. Anyways have your id because they will card any adult with you regardless of who is purchasing. At least that's what happened with me. They offer actual wine classes for a fee so I look forward to checking that out soon.

I'm a beverage geek at heart. Some of my best food and food/travel moments have been when there is…read morea huge educational component to a tasting. However it wasn't until 2020 that I fully embraced my passion in wine - while I have wine tasted in a few places around the world, Paso Robles in particular stressed the importance of education in the wine tasting experience. Many of the tasting room staff and sommeliers have at least a wine certification (usually WSET or CMS) and proudly boast it. So I figured if I'm going to spend quite a bit of time and money on wine, I might as well be an educated consumer in the process. Since I don't work in the industry (I'm actually in healthcare) and I don't want to work in the restaurant biz as a sommelier the Court of Master Sommeliers cert route was a no-go. Plus the CMS route emphasizes self-study and I prefer classroom learning. For a hobbyist who may in the future want to dabble in the industry on the side, the Wine & Spirit Education Trust was the way to go. Being based in SD Wine Smarties with Lindsay was the most practical choice. She offers three levels of the WSET plus the diploma - first level being just a 1-day class followed by the test followed by the 2 and 3 being 4 and 8 1x/weekly classes, respectively, with an in-person as well as an online option. She offers her classes in San Diego as well as Temecula. Having dabbled in wine and tasted wine in parts of CA/Mexico/parts of Europe for at least 5 years my knowledge alone was enough to skip L1 plus for the cost of the class (~$300) I would rather spend on wine club allocations. So I decided to start at L2. If you are not sponsored by your employer the cost is around ~$700 for L2 and ~$1300 for L3 and if you are taking the online portion you'll also have to purchase your wines separately. While you could also skip L2 and go straight to L3 in theory many people have advised to at least take L2 to get used to the WSET testing style and to also get used to the "systematic approach to tasting", which is essential if you want to pass the L3 tasting portion of the exam (L2 is only a 50-question multiple choice exam). Plus Lindsay does have a discount for L3 students who have taken her previously for L2. Lindsay was an awesome instructor who has such passion for wine and has a lot of experience gaining that knowledge from all over the world. She does have a propensity to go slightly off topic to talk about her travels but as a fellow traveler myself I actually enjoyed those anecdotes. But in the end I highly recommend to study off the WSET course material - after all it is the WSET that tests you at the end of the day. Even while handling a full time job and other activities I studied on an average a few hours a week. There was a miscommunication at the end regarding my exam date that I had specifically mentioned a month before in an email starting the class. While the original date wasn't honored she did work with me to schedule an alternate date to take the exam. Turns out that I did pretty well - got a 94% on the L2, which qualifies as a "Pass with Distinction". The best part about taking Lindsay's WSET classes? Getting introduced to wines that I have never heard of or tasted before. I thought I knew a little more about wine than the average consumer but this was before I had ever known about a carménère or tasted a meursault. Because of this class I consider those wines some of my most favorite wines along with the usual Paso or Valle suspects. For this specifically I am super grateful. Looking forward to taking the L3 with Lindsay in 2022 and will update this review as such to detail the L3 experience.

I've studied with Lindsay and taken many of her classes over the last year or two, including WSET 2…read moreand 3. No matter where you are on your journey to learn about wine, Lindsay always makes you feel great about your level of understanding. Lindsay is so encouraging, and her classes are so enjoyable, that you almost don't realize that you've also learned a ton! She has the highest level of certification available (Master of Wine), and within that certification, received the Bollinger Medal, which is awarded to one person each year for excellence in tasting and outstanding achievement! Lindsay is incredibly gifted at understanding wine, and sharing that knowledge. I'm so glad she is in San Diego.

BEST all natural wine spot downtown!…read more STAFF knows everything about the wine and will recommend anything you're looking for. Get it by the bottle or by the glass. Maggie, Sam, and Jack are the chillest people you'll ever meet. Indoor and outdoor seating, with a vibe inside that's unmatched. Meeting with friends, date night, or chilling solo. Local or traveling, this is the place to be.

My husband and I had some time to kill before my car was done being repaired at Evan's so we…read moredecided to explore little Italy. We love wine and we're looking for a good place to go and split a bottle. We really lucked out coming across vino carta and I highly suggest coming here. They have lots of wine options, old world and new, whites, bubblies, reds, and naturals. We picked out a bottle with the help of the host. She was very insightful and picked out a great bottle for us to enjoy on the patio. We spent a good amount of time enjoying the sunshine, the atmosphere and a bottle of red for 33 dollars.

The charcuterie boards are beautiful and delicious. I recommend preordering one of their curated…read moreboards. It was intimidating for me to go into the shop and create a board, so it worked better for me to choose one they created. I enjoyed the mixture of sweet and savory nuts, fruit, jam and pickles paired with delicious cheese. I have ordered two boards from them and they have both been delicious and reasonably priced.

A bit smaller than the Venissimo store on Washington St., but no less interesting and useful, this…read moreshop offers a range of cheeses that will make you a better host, or cook, or cheese snob, or binge cheese eater, wherever your interests might lie. But parking for this Venissimo is effed up since some genius replaced the few available spaces with picnic tables. Not sure how to deal with that, other than to park a few blocks away and Uber to the store, or simply drive over to Mission Hills for the more considerate, more convenient version of this shop.

Stopped in with a few friends on a weekday night, didn't get to check the entire place out just the…read morefront bar, it is a really nice setup. The owner was there telling us all about the wine choices. They have an orange rosé that was unique and tasted pretty good. Although I decided to stick with the regular rosé. They have trivia nights on Thursdays and comedy nights on Wednesdays. I for sure want to come back and do a trivia night!

Thought the wines were just okay. They offer a variety of wines, wine flights, and drinks like…read moresangria and froze. We were not too wowed by the different wines we tried including the ones offered in the flights. The sangria was okay and probably would not order again. They do offer food as well which we did not try so not sure how their food options are. The location itself is very cute, has both indoor and outdoor seating. The staff there was very helpful and kind. There is street parking available.

Chef Marty was amazing. So personable and welcoming. She shared her family history and Italy's…read morehistory while teaching us to make pasta made it enjoyable and educational. She was a lot of fun and easy to talk with. She was very hospitable and genuinely enjoyed teaching us how to make pasta, tiramisu and bruschetta. I definitely recommend this class to anyone for any occasion.

Chef Stacy was incredible! We had an amazing lesson on vegan sushi. Stacy was easy going and…read moreprovided excellent instruction, and made the most of our small kitchen space (don't feel like you can't do this if you have a small kitchen- ours is tiny and she made it work effortlessly!). My fiance bought this as a birthday present and it was by far my favorite gift! Now we have the skills we need to make vegan sushi at home any time. Stacy is a delight. Thank you!!!

One of my favorite spots for a glass of wine. They always start you off with a complimentary taste…read moreof one of their wines, it's a nice touch. The zinfandel is usually my go-to or I'll get the full bodied red flight. Everyone is very friendly and knowledgeable here and the atmosphere is inviting. I haven't tried any food yet but they offer small bites.

We were excited to find this tasting room when walking around La Jolla!…read more We came in about half an hour before it closed on Friday and received great service. Everyone working there was super friendly and attentive. We were greeted with a tasting of the rosé which we both really enjoyed and then I tried the lighter bodied red tasting and my friend tried the white wine tasting. Overall my favorites were the rosé and Pinot noir. The Chardonnay my friend had was also really good. Also love the sustainability aspects of it all being poured directly from the barrels.

Such a cute shop! Had a great experience for wine night with friends. The woman helping us was…read morewelcoming and knowledgeable. She recommended a delicious white wine that was also at great value. Ambiance was cozy with indoor and patio seating. I'll definitely be back to pick up the bottle she suggested and enjoy another visit. Highly recommend if you're looking for a spot with excellent wine and even better service!

What a cute little shop! Natural‑wine lovers, this is a must‑visit. Located in Normal Heights, Clos…read moreWine Shop has a great selection of natural wines (plus some vermouth) from all over the world. Many bottles have handwritten notes describing the wine and highlighting whether it's chillable -- super helpful when you're trying to find the right bottle. They also serve wine by the glass, and you can open a bottle in‑shop for a small corkage fee. It would be nice if they offered tastings. I was between two wines from their by‑the‑glass menu and asked to sample both, but the host mentioned they usually don't do samples, which felt a bit unusual compared to other wine bars and shops I've been to. Even so, she was very friendly and attentive, and every staff member we interacted with was knowledgeable and clearly passionate about wine. They also carry a wide selection of canned fish and some snacks you can buy -- such a fun touch. A charming, well‑curated natural wine shop that's definitely worth a visit.