​Well, when we first reviewed Domaine Artifact the wine industry was booming and they were planning on opening up a café in two to three years.  Well, the wine industry is in a serious downturn and the café never materialized – as planned – with a Chef and tri-tip sandwiches.  We have been back there often since – in fact, early this year they helped me study for my WSET Level 3 exam (which I passed with Merit).  So, when it came to decide what to do on Fathers’ Day – and with none of my sons and grandchildren around – I chose to return to Domaine Artifact.  Much to my surprise, in April they opened up a coffee bar where the café was to be!  As you can see below, it is a very nice facility.

​The food available at the coffee bar is pretty limited, but not to fear – a pizza food truck finds it way to their establishment on a regular basis:

​The tasting room décor has changed over time.  The tasting room is shown below, along with their current wine price list.

​But what about the wine, you ask?  Well, tasting prices are now $30 for four two-ounce pours.  That’s a lot of wine, and, as it is all very good, the coffee shop got some of our business….  At one time, their Grenache was about the only version that I liked.  Fortunately for Grenache lovers, other wineries have upped their offerings – even to Domaine level.  I suspect we’ll see more of this grape in the future, as Grenache vines have great drought resistance.

​Now I will take this occasion to claim to have discovered that their Rincon del Diablo, a Southern rhone blend heavy in the Syrah, is really outstanding.  As in most of my claims of discovery it is somewhat tainted by, well, the plaque shown below:

​I have attended many wine tastings and wine pairing events.  For the most part, the wines have been pretty mediocre and while the food has often been good it is usually a one-time event.  Enter Buon Cibo.
Buon Cibo is an Italian deli/wine shop in the Scripps Ranch area of San Diego, located just off Scripps Poway Parkway about a mile east of I15.  They opened a few months ago, and have started monthly wine/food tasting events.  I’ve attended both the April and May events, and, much to my surprise, the wines have been very nice and the food has been even better.  Unlike most other tastings, all of the food served is available, whether you dine at the deli or buy it to serve at home.  For June, they are holding a summer wine pairing event, at $75 per person.  Dates are June 11, June 18, and June 24.
The wines presented at the April event were quite unique.  They started out with a Sicilian white wine, Grillo, one we tasted at three wineries in Sicily, and one not grown locally. Quite a nice start, followed by Muscato, then an Italian Merlot.  Bit of a surprise there.  Next up was the dark red wine Aglianico, often referred to as the Barolo of the south.  Several wineries in Southern California are growing this grape with excellent results.
After these more common wines three unique wines were served, sort of.  The first was a Susumaniello, then a Pignatello and a Perricone.  I say sort of as Pignatello and Perricone are different names for the same grape.  The Susumaniello was new to me, and worth looking into if you want a good red wine, though personally I preferred the Pignatello.  Below are pictures from the April event.

​The May event was a bit more extravagant.  Seven wines were served – one white and six reds – two Chianti Classicos, two Super Tuscans, and two Brunellos.  I attended as a guest, explaining how the wines are made.  Did I mention that I am now a Level 3 WSET Sommelier?  Some pictures from the event are shown below.