New Wine Buzz: Finca Wine Launches in San Diego Chris Lehoux, March 21, 2024 The unveiling of a local wine bar and retailer boasts a catalogue specifically influenced by Spanish and Californian wines. Additionally, Jean-George Vongerichten inaugurates his newest eatery while Anto Korean Steak House in Manhattan introduces a brand-new chef’s counter. The masterminds: The novel establishment, Finca Wine, located in San Diego serves not only as a wine bar but also has a retail department, was started by Dan Valerino and Joe Bower. Previously occupied as the general manager and sous chef at Juniper and Ivy– a ‘Best of Excellence’ award recipient from Wine Spectator, they also run Bottle Boon, a venture in the hospitality management space. Overseeing Finca Wine’s culinary department is the seasoned Ricardo Dondisch. Launch Date: 8th February 2024 Reasons to keep an eye: One could perceive Finca as either a promising, up-and-coming wine bar and restaurant (with an added bonus of a retail outlet), or as a residential wine store which also delivers food. In any case, Finca is an institution that emphasises community values and wine appreciation, serving a diverse range of reasonably priced bottles in tandem with tapas as meals. “Our aspiration was for patrons to enter and instantly feel ‘this is my spot'”, said Valerino, a member of the community. Finca hopes to be a place where one could enjoy a hearty meal, catch a quick snack with a glass of wine, or take a bottle home (marked up minimally). There are also plans to launch a wine club by the team at Finca Wine. What’s on the wine list: Finca had its grand opening with a choice of 110 labels, but the goal is to grow this number to around 180. The selection is exclusively composed of wines from Spain and California, with a special focus on wineries that employ sustainable practices. The majority of the bottles are priced below $100, a point that Valerino believes is vitally important in today’s world. The restaurant offers 14 wines by the glass or half-glass and includes Sherries and vermouths in its selection, with one vermouth even produced in-house. A range of esteemed selections such as Vega Clara Ribera del Duero Dacán and Torres Cabernet Sauvignon Penedès Mas La Plana allow diners to discover top Spanish estates. Offering great value are options like Avancia Godello Valdeorras Old Vines priced at $51 in the restaurant or $36 in retail. Many Californian options on the list have been influenced by Spanish wines, for instance, the Grenache Blanc by Ridge or the Grenaches produced by Santa Barbara wineries Clementine Carter and A Tribute To Grace. Guests can also look forward to Golden State Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, and Cabernet Sauvignon. Valerino suggests that if customers wish to sample wines not available by the glass, their team will open nearly any bottle for the price of a glass. Other customers can then purchase a pour from these opened bottles, which are displayed at the bar. Valerino also offers special discounts. For example, restaurant guests are only charged the retail price for any bottles purchased beyond the first, whether to savor at the restaurant or take home, rather than the typical restaurant markup. Culinary Approach: Finca Wine provides exceptional value to its customers through the variety on its menu while ensuring the check average is within range. Valerino, the chief connoisseur, marries the food and beverage offerings effectively, with tapas making up a noticeable portion of the menu. Among guest favorites are grilled sunchokes combined with gochujang sauce and Parmesan, an extra-large duck confit croquette with a side of cherry mustard dipping sauce, and uniquely plated fried chicken with caviar in a crème fraîche dressing. Guests can enjoy these delicacies with a well-paired glass of Cava. The neighborhood: Finca Wine takes its place in North Park, situated to the northeast of downtown San Diego and near Balboa Park. Valerino attests that the neighborhood’s prestige has fluctuated in recent years, but is currently on an upward trend given considerable investments, especially in the hospitality industry. The design: In this Instagram-worthy era of maximalism, Valerino emphasizes the need for balance between attractiveness and comfort. He narrates, “We wanted to create an urban restaurant in an urban neighborhood. Just because it may count among the prettiest restaurants around doesn’t mean it can’t have a bit of edge.” The restaurant’s design leans towards the industrial side, flaunting exposed ceilings. Its uniqueness is enhanced by mismatched decorative plates and artworks by Bower’s brother and Dondisch’s wife. The ambience is completed by sunlight streaming in from floor-to-ceiling windows, painting a scenic spectrum of orange and green hues. The central attraction is a wraparound bar that segregates the bottle shop from the dining space, alongside a cozy patio serving as an outdoor dining area. – Aaron Romano Who’s behind it: After about two years of anticipation, renowned chef and restauranteur Jean-Georges Vongerichten introduced his newest venture, Four Twenty Five, located at 425 Park Avenue in Manhattan. “This is a true full-circle moment for me“, wrote Vongerichten in an email to Wine Spectator. “In 1986, my culinary journey in New York began at Lafayette Restaurant in the Drake Hotel, located just steps away from [425 Park Avenue].” Vongerichten, originally from France, is a celebrated personality in modern fine dining and manages a worldwide restaurant empire. This includes the Grand Award winner Wine Spectator Jean-Georges, his flagship restaurant in New York City, as well as the Best of Award of Excellence recipients the Mark Restaurant by Jean-Georges and his namesake winning the Award of Excellence in Philadelphia. Over the recent years, Vongerichten has explored the dining landscape of Nashville; in 2022, he inaugurated the Tin Building, a dining-retail destination in the historical Seaport district of New York. When it opened: December 2023 The culinary approach: The cuisine, supervised by culinary director Jonathan Benno, encompasses French, American, Italian and Asian influences. The à la carte and tasting menus feature dishes like Nantucket Bay scallop tartare, sautéed langoustines with kombu-herb butter, squash agnolotti with brown butter vinaigrette, seared Wagyu tenderloin, and steamed black bass with mushrooms. What’s on the wine list: Jean-Georges Management sommelier and wine director Rory Pugh and chef sommelier Jamie Cohen put together a 50-page wine list featuring about 1,200 labels, representing a 9,000-bottle inventory. Except for the cellar at his flagship, this is the largest wine inventory among Vongerichten’s restaurants. The main regional strengths are France’s Burgundy and Bordeaux, Italy’s Piedmont and California. “The wine experience at Four Twenty Five fuses exploration and pleasure,” said Pugh, noting that many wineries in the program employ biodynamic or organic techniques. “Taking that a step further, we have done away with printing menus and offer a digital wine list to our guests.” Throughout the list are well-known names such as Napa Valley’s Corison and Piedmont’s Elvio Cogno. Acclaimed wineries from other regions across the globe include Bergström in Oregon’s Willamette Valley and Egon Müller in Germany’s Mosel. By the glass: More than 30 wines are served by the glass, including picks like Bourgogne Passetoutgrain (a blend of Pinot Noir and Gamay) from Robert Groffier and Rosso di Montalcino from Le Ragnaie, along with dessert wines such as Royal Tokaji Tokaji Late Harvest and Warre Vintage Port. Accompanying these wines are cocktails such as an Martini washed in olive oil (crafted with Vongerichten’s own olive oil cuvée) and a spiced sidecar made with rye whiskey and Château de Pellehaut Armagnac. Less common treasures: The list offers depth in verticality, hosting older vintage varieties from prominent Bordeaux châteaus like Latour and Leoville-Barton, alongside Yquem and Climens in Sauternes. The layout: The restaurant’s two floors were conceived by architect Lord Norman Foster. They are an ensemble of finely touched wood elements and an assembly of artwork pieces, including a massive 25-foot long painting by Larry Poons. Two exclusive dining areas are available for hosting wine-centric events.—Collin Dreizen The creators: Gori is a freshly introduced chef’s counter, positioned on the second level of Anto Korean Steak House, a winner of the Best of Award of Excellence, situated in Manhattan’s Upper East Side. Chef Jeong Muk Kim supervises this culinary space, while head sommelier Anibal Calcagno directs the wine programme. Why you should know about it: Kim is a renowned culinary expert in South Korea, previously serving as the head chef at the upscale restaurant Myomi in Seoul. In November 2023, he took over as head chef at Anto. Calcagno has a history of leading wine programs at award-winning restaurants such as Indian Accent and Oceans, both in New York. When it opened: January 2024. The culinary approach: Kim introduces his contemporary spin on traditional Korean cuisine through Anto’s à la carte lunch and dinner menus, and now at Gori, he presents an even more upscale experience with a regularly updated 10-course tasting menu. Some recent dishes include Dungeness crab combined with smoked trout roe and hamachi mulhwe (a spicy Korean fish soup), freshwater eel featuring a tricolor risotto and katsuo-butter foam, and Korean Wagyu served with eggplant, ginseng and black garlic. What’s on the wine list: Calcagno provides pairings for each of the ten courses, with the list changing alongside the menu. One staple is a blanc de blancs Champagne served with the Dungeness crab. For many of the dishes, Calcagno suggests Korean rice wines, such as pairing Sulseam’s Gamsa Blue Chungju with a truffle mushroom pancake and Shinpyeong’s White Lotus Makgeolli with freshwater eel and risotto. The design: Like Kim’s menu, the design at Gori (meaning “connection” in Korean) combines both traditional and modern elements. The dining space is cozy and peaceful, enhanced by cozy lighting from recessed ceiling and wall lights, along with comfortable elevated bar stools at the chef’s counter. Here, diners can witness and engage with Chef Kim and his team as they work on each plate. To accentuate the room, there are strategic elements like a model of a geobukseon (translates to “turtle ship”)—an important warship during the reign of the Joseon era that oversaw the Korean peninsula between the 15th and 19th centuries. Additionally, a contemporary art piece presents a Hibiscus syriacus, the national flower of South Korea, locally known as mugunghwa. There’s even more: Devotees of Anto ought to stay updated. The restaurant’s crew is orchestrating a second branch, slated to open in Midtown Manhattan in spring 2024. —Olivia Nolan About the Author: Chris Lehoux Meet Chris Lehoux, an experienced wine connoisseur and dedicated blogger with a deep passion for all things wine-related. With years of expertise in the industry, Chris shares insightful wine reviews, valuable wine tasting tips, expert pairing advice, and captivating tales of vineyard visits. Join Chris on a journey through the world of wine, where every sip is an adventure waiting to be savored! Wine