Crave – food & drink
A Dark Surf Nightly subscriber recently took me to what she describes as a hidden gem — Abnormal Wine Company. AWC is a self-proclaimed “urban winery,” tucked away in the North County San Diego community of Rancho Bernardo. It’s situated west of Highway 15 at 16990 Via Tazon #123.
Abnormal Wine Company is a wine négociant. According to Wikipedia, négociant is the French term for a wine merchant that assembles the produce of smaller growers and winemakers, and sells the result under its own name. Négociants buy everything from grapes to wines in various states of completion. The négociant may perform virtually all the winemaking, or age the wine, or blend in other wines, or simply bottle and sell it as is.
Abnormal Wine Company selects, sources, vints and bottles wines from across the U.S. around the world, including California, Washington, Arizona, Mexico, Chile and Spain. At AWC, each bottle is vinted, bottled and labeled by hand. AWC vinted over 40 wines in its first year, including red and white, port and sherry, sweet and dry wines.
The staff at the AWC tasting bar are very friendly and knowledgeable. The tasting fees are $15 for 5 tastes, $25 for 10 tastes, or $35 for unlimited tastes. (The tasting fee is not applied to purchase.)
During my trip there, my companion’s favorite wine was the Red No. 18 Merlot. I found the highlights of the tasting to be the dessert wines. The No. 01 Chocolate Berry was my favorite, while my friend, who is a huge fan of Swiss Orange Chip ice cream, preferred the No. 02 Chocolate Citrus. The dessert wines are $36 a bottle or $10 a glass.
The rustic, old-world-style tasting room features a handcrafted bar, bistro tables and a lounge area. AWC also hosts a pop-up restaurant on occasion and holds fine dining/wine events. The tasting room is also available after 6 p.m. for private engagements, from business mixers to bridal showers to holiday parties.
AWC hours: Wednesday 2 – 6 p.m., Thursday & Friday 2 – 9 p.m., Saturday & Sunday 2 – 6 p.m.
