I love movies that entertain, enlighten, or take you somewhere you’ve never been. One such movie that delighted and opened my palate was Sideways. I enjoyed the story, the relationships, and the actors but most of all I was intrigued by the wine. I even went up to Santa Ynez, doing what I call the “Sideways” trip. Hitting vineyard after vineyard, eating delicious California cuisine, and getting very drunk — all the while loving life! Now, I dream of visiting vineyards in France and Italy! So, you can imagine my surprise to find that Los Angeles is turning Sideways, too, capitalizing on the public’s penchant for something other than two buck Chuck. I set off to spotlight two places; one very new and one that’s an 88-year-old cultural, historical landmark.
French winemaker, Jean-Louis Vignes, brought the first European vines from his native Bordeaux to L.A. in1833! By the turn of the century, Los Angeles. was the premiere appellation for grape growing and winemaking. Santo Cambianica left Italy in 1917 to settle in the Italian-American community of Lincoln Heights to make wine. Dedicating his winery to Saint Anthony, San Antonio Winery was born. When prohibition shook the wine industry, the majority of L.A. wineries closed. Asking permission from the Catholic Church to make sacramental wines, Santo’s request was granted and the winery survived. In 1938, he enlisted his nephew, Stefano Riboli, to come from Italy and help with the business.
Four generations later, the San Antonio Winery is the last working winery in Los Angeles. This family-owned (Stefano, Maddalena, sons Santo and Steven, daughter Catherine, and grandson Anthony) operation is one of the best-kept secrets in L.A, offering tours, dining, and wine tasting at very reasonable prices. Maddalena still tells the kitchen staff how to make the delectable plates more attractive for her namesake restaurant while Stefano graciously greets visitors. Their daughter, Cathy, explains that the restaurant opened over 30 years ago, starting first as a deli, then expanding to a 450-seat eatery with the dining area created from the former fermentation cellars.
The food dishes, exhibited on two tables, consist of many Italian delicacies — Lasagna, Seafood Linguini along with steak, chicken and fish entrees and an array of enormous sandwiches. “This is a ‘line-style’ Trattoria,” Cathy declared. Customers first pick an entrée, take a tray to choose drinks, antipasti, and other mouth-watering dishes. The entrée is then delivered to the table by waiters, amidst sawdust floors and a pleasant atmosphere.
Winery tours are offered daily, displaying the original redwood vats, the bottling room, and educating customers on winemaking. The gift shop and wine tasting room are an enjoyable way to end your visit
Celebrating its second year anniversary, Silverlake Wine delights customers with their unique stock of indigenous varitels. These are wines made by “real” families from Europe and around the world. Owners George Cossette, April Langford and Randy Clement pride themselves on finding exceptional and unique wines. Overseeing the wine list at Campaniele for 4 ½ years, George, a former singer/songwriter, and his then assistant, Randy, decided it was time to venture out on their own. Joining forces with Randy’s girlfriend, April, they started with 15 boxes of wine, a door on top of two filing cabinets for a desk, no computer, and 20 people on an email list. In order to let people know who they were, they decided to have a wine tasting and emailed the 20 people; 8 showed up. And that’s how Blue Mondays started: “Blatant Low Key Relaxation.” One taster was Chris Pollan of The Cheese Store of Silverlake who now chooses the cheeses to accompany wines on Monday nights. The email list is now 2,500!
They only buy wines they like. “If we won’t drink it at our own table, we won’t buy it for our store.” Randy states. “People come to three tastings a week, buy wines with the Silverlake Wine label, knowing it was picked with great care and concern for the customer.”
With the success of Blue Mondays, came Sunday at 3pm, a more structured tasting which includes hors d’oeuvres complementing four wines, prepared by chefs from local restaurants. One Sunday, personal chef, Dj Olsen, prepared dishes to accompany wines from Spain including a delicious pork loin Bocadillow with Piquillo peppers in lettuce leaves. Reservations are a must as it’s limited to 35 people. Thursday Night Flights include samplings of three wines to compare, offering both red and white flights. And Humpday Tasting is on the 2nd Wednesday of the month when three wines are complemented by DP Parker’s gourmet cheese dips.
A unique wine store with an eclectic selection “gives people the opportunity to try things that would not necessarily be their ‘default’ wines,” April declares. With Randy and George proclaiming, “Our mission is to change the wine world, one bottle at a time.”
A metaphor for life; wine ages, becomes more complex, full-bodied, and eventually peaks and loses structure. From wine, comes passion, sharing, conversation with family and friends, and memories. At San Antonio Winery and Silverlake Wine, it’s a memory you’ll want to savor like…fine wine.
SAN ANTONIO WINEY (323) 223-1401.737 Lamar Street Los Angeles, CA 90031http://www.sanantoniowinery.com/All major credit cards accepted. Open 7 days, except major holidays.Wine Shop Hours Sunday thru Tuesday, 9:00 a.m. ~ 6:00 p.m. Wednesday thru Saturday, 9:00 a.m. ~ 7:00 p.m. Wine Tasting Room. Restaurant Hours: Sunday thru Tuesday, 11:00 a.m. ~ 5:00 p.m. Wednesday thru Saturday, 11: 00 a.m. ~ 6:00 p.m. Music Th-Sun. Best Bet: Any pasta dish, Roast Beef Sandwiches and don’t forget the wine! (Food prices: 7.25 – 17.50)Wine Tour Times Saturday & Sunday 11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. on the hour Monday thru Friday 12:00 – 2:00 p.m. on the hour Reservations required for groups of 10 or more. They also offer wine seminars – check out their website for more infoSILVERLAKE WINE (323 662-9024 2395 Glendale Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90039 http://www.silverlakewine.com/. All major credit cards accepted. Open 7 days. Hours: Sun – Wed 11 am – 9 pm; Th – Fri 11 am – 10 pm; Sat: 10 am – 10 pm Wine Tasting: Blue Monday 5-9pm ($12 per person); Thursday Night Flights ($8-$12 per person); Sunday at 3pm sharp ($20 per person); Humpday (2nd Wednesday of the month) 5pm –9pm. ($12 per person). Purchasing wines range anywhere from $5.50 – $575 a bottle. All prices include tax. Best Bet: Have one of the owners select a wine right for your palate; Come to the Sunday Wine Tasting to get a real sense of the place. Reservations a must for that but all others are come and go as you please. Get on their email list so you can get receive the flights for each tasting.
All photos except Riboli Family taken by Rona Edwards. All rights reserved and can not be used without permission of author. Copyright 2006
