Cinco de Mayo Beer & Wine Tours
Happy Cinco de Mayo! May 5th is a holiday that owes a lot to beer.
First and foremost, it's the day that commemorates the long-shot defeat of well-equipped French forces by the far scrappier Mexican soldiers in 1862, and whether beer was involved at the time is anyone's guess. Cinco de Mayo, a minor holiday in Mexico, eventually became a day to celebrate anti-imperialism and multiculturalism in the United States.
But it really took off in the United States in the 1980s when beer companies got involved. That's when Anheuser-Busch created “Hispanic Marketing” departments and started sponsoring big Cinco de Mayo parties, and Grupo Modelo began exporting Corona, which quickly became a huge sensation in the U.S.
So while the fifth of May isn't Mexican Independence Day as some believe (that's September 16th), it has become a big, cerveza-filled celebration in parts of Mexico and much of the United States – especially the parts around the border – thanks to big beer companies and savvy marketing.
We're not complaining, though. Everybody wins when beer is involved! If you get the chance, forgo the big brands for newer, tasty Mexican microbrews like Guëra from Cervecería Tijuana or Minerva's Imperial Stout.
For local wines and microbrewery craft beer tours and parties this Cinco de Mayo weekend, San Diego Beer and Wine Tours has got you covered:
We'll pick you up and take you to the best fiestas in town. And we'll drop you back in Mexican Old Town, San Diego to party all night! We'll be running our safe, fun, and sustainable GREEN tours May 1-7, so check out our Winery Bus Tours, Beer Train Tours and Winery Train Tours for an over-the-top Cinco de Mayo Weekend Celebration!
And if getting a driver and party tour guide while you drink isn't enough, we're going to sweeten the deal: Buy cinco (5) Brewery or Winery Tour Tickets, and get a sixth one FREE* (*Good through May 7th, 2012, mention “Cinco5”)
Posted in Beer, Breweries, bus tours, Food and Vine, holiday, Local Business, San Diego Wine Country, Theme Tours, Tours, Wine, Wineries |
Don’t be an April Fool!
Expensive wines aren't always good wines. Who hasn't had the experience of being seduced by snappy packaging into paying way too much for a bottle of wine that is, quite frankly, mediocre? The same goes for beer. Even here, in the heart of craft beer country, there are great beers… and then there are duds.
This April First, don't be “fooled” by bad beer and wine in a beautiful glass! How do you learn to tell the difference between what's pleasing to the palate and what's just barely palatable? Often, learning which brands are delicious and which to pass on is a matter of trial and error or personal taste, but sometimes people don't know the signs of a corked wine, especially when it's being served to them in a restaurant. Here's a tip – if your wine smells like a lit match, a horse blanket, wet newspaper, or a basement, pour it out or send it back, and get a clean wine glass!
Craft beer is subject to issues of its own. While mass-produced beer is pasteurized, which stabilizes the product and makes it taste homogeneous, craft beer is often “alive,” which means it is still in the process of fermentation and therefore prone to infection (yes, that's what it's called.) If your beer tastes overwhelmingly of corn, butter, sulfur, or just plain skunkiness, toss it out. However, sourness and bitterness is usually intended by the brewer.
Want to know more? Join one of our walking or train tours and learn about wine and beer from our experts. If you don't feel like walking, we’ll pick you up and drive you to sample the superb wines of San Diego Wine Country.
No fooling!
Brooke B., SDBW Resident Writer
Sources: Huffington Post Beer Advocate Rate Beer
Posted in Beer, Breweries, Food and Vine, Health, San Diego Wine Country, Theme Tours, Tours, Travel, Walking Tours, Wine, Wine Train, Winemaking, Wineries |
Catch the Luck of the Irish!
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Saint Patrick's Day is on its way, and it's bringing a brand-new BEER TRAIN TOUR with it! Come celebrate the luck of the Irish with us as we sample the best brews San Diego has to offer. And in keeping with St. Patty’s Day, Go GREEN by traveling with us on this exciting beer tour by train! |
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Saint Patrick's Day commemorates the life of one of Ireland's patron saints. Here in the States, St. Patrick's Day is a party for two kinds of people –Irish and those who wish they were — and celebrated with green clothing, green beer, and traditional Irish food and music. Side Note: Our founder Shira Bliss was born on St. Patrick’s Day in Belfast Northern Ireland! |
The party doesn't stop at the border. Just a few miles south, Mexico celebrates its own version of Saint Patrick's Day. After Ireland's potato famine forced many Irish out of their home country, many went to the United States, joining the U.S. Army with the understanding that they would receive American citizenship for their service.
Some of those Irish soldiers were sent to fight in the Mexican-American war. Eventually, the soldiers balked at the idea of shooting Mexican soldiers, many of whom were the only friendly faces on the lonely and windblown border outposts. They defected to Mexico, where the soldiers of the Batallón de San Patricio fought against their former employers.
The United States rounded up and hanged most of these defectors, but Mexico still considers them heroes. To this day, you can find streets and towns named San Patricio and Obregon (O'Brien) and a Mexican flag flies in Galway, Ireland, to celebrate the enduring friendship between the two countries.
No matter what side of the border you're from, celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day, or any day with us, and tip back a pint on our Beer Train Tour*.
Sláinte!
Brooke Binkowski
Resident Journalist for San Diego Beer & Wine Tours
*Beer Train Tours run daily, year round, rain or shine.
Posted in Beer, Breweries, Company News, holiday, Theme Tours, Tours, Travel, Uncategorized |
Leap into Fun!
Ask us about our Saint Patrick's Day tours!
Leap into something new, turn your routine on its ear, and have fun doing it! That isn't just a suggestion – it's part of a long and storied tradition.
Leap years, as you probably know, occur only in years divisible by four (or, in the case of a brand-new century, by 400.) The extra day that gets added onto the end of February helps synchronize the Gregorian calendar with the solar year, keeping important dates, such as the spring equinox, from drifting off into other seasons.
Since it is out of the ordinary, the Leap Year is also the subject of colorful folklore. In the British Isles, back when gender roles were much stricter, February 29 th was traditionally the only day that women could propose marriage to men; if he turned her down he had to pay a substantial amount of money, either to the would-be bride or to the Crown. It all started, according to tradition, in Ireland sometime around the 5 th century, when St. Bridget complained to St. Patrick that women had to wait far too long for men to propose – and thus, “The Ladies' Privilege” was born.
Whether or not the story of St. Bridey's Complaint is true is anybody's guess. What is indisputable is that February 29 th is associated with good luck (babies born on this day are thought to be exceptionally blessed) and a happy break in the routine.
So, whether you need a romantic setting to pop the question, a decadent way to celebrate your singlehood, or just a way to enjoy yourself on a lucky day, this is the perfect time to shake up your schedule in the best way possible: by booking one of our popular tours and savoring delicious wine, beer, and tasty food with us. And if you miss the quadrennial, don't despair – there are plenty more tours coming up!
Cheers!
Brooke Binkowski
Resident Journalist
Posted in Beer, Breweries, Food and Vine, Happy Hour, Health, holiday, Theme Tours, Tours, Travel, Uncategorized, Walking Tours, Wine |
Every Day is Valentine’s Day
Every day is Valentine’s Day when you’ve got Love in your heart. Whether or not, you have a Special Other to join you in celebrating Valentine’s day, why not create a party just for yourself? When it comes to finding the Love of Your Life, he/she may be closer than you think. Look inside your heart. You may be surprised to find that all the Love you need is right there looking back at you in the mirror.
We’re much more likely to draw our Love Partner to us if we first cultivate a deep, accepting love for ourselves. One way to do that is to nurture yourself, as if you are hosting an honorable guest. On Valentine’s Day, which, by the way, is my favorite holiday, I pop open a bottle of bubbly and create a grand meal, whether I’m with another, or by myself. I’m going to share with you one of my favorite romantic dinner menus.
For the basic ingredients, you’ll need fresh halibut, bok choy, capers, lemons, and white wine (cheap stuff is fine, this is not for drinking!). We’ll serve our “Pan Fried Halibut with Capers” on a bed of sautéed bok choy, and alongside oven roasted gold and sweet potatoes. In the spirit of Love, I like to add heart shaped, red bell pepper to this main dish. A fresh, green salad with the addition of apples, berries, and caramelized pecans, drizzled with raspberry dressing will happily accompany the entree. I paired this delightful main dish with a wonderful, local San Diego white wine blend from Salerno Winery – Bianco Tosto 2007. Our romantic dinner wouldn’t be complete without a decadent desert. You’re going to love my tasty chocolate Fudge topped with red candy, shaped into a heart. (Recipes are below.)
So, this Valentine’s Day, and everyday, celebrate the Love you have in your heart for yourself, and watch how others are drawn to your beauty that radiates from within.
And if you feel like joining others on Valentine’s Day, we have wonderful romantic tours. Come as a single or bring a friend.
Shira Bliss, La Jolla Wine Tours.
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 10 oz halibut pieces
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 2 cloves garlic chopped
- 1/4 cup butter
- 2 Tbs Italian parsley chopped
- 1/4 lemon juiced
- 4 chopped spring onion (green only)
- 3 tablespoons capers, with liquid
- salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Fry the halibut on both sides until nicely browned. Remove from pan, and set aside. Sauté the bok choy in a little butter set aside.Pour the wine into the pan, and use a spatula to scrape any browned bits from the bottom. Let the wine reduce to almost nothing, then stir in the garlic, lemon juice, butter and capers. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Let the sauce simmer for a minute to blend the flavors. Return the fish to the pan, and coat them with sauce. Cook until fish flakes easily with a fork. Serve fish immediately with the sauce from the pan poured over it, on top of the cooked bok choy.
Oven Fried Gold and Sweet Potatoes
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2 tablespoons olive oil
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2 gold potatoes and 2 sweet potatoes sliced thinly
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2 large cloves garlic, chopped
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Parsley, marjoram
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Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Coat the potatoes with parsley, marjoram, olive oil, salt and pepper and freshly chopped garlic. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 mins. Turn once halfway through.
Valentine’s Fudge
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6 tablespoons butter
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3 1/2 cups powdered (confectioners) sugar or agave
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1/2 cup cocoa
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1 tsp vanilla extract
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1/4 cup milk
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1 cup chopped nuts (optional)
Directions:
Lightly grease a 5×9 inch loaf pan using a little of the margarine. Place the remaining butter, sugar, cocoa, vanilla and soy milk in a heatproof mixing bowl or the upper part of a double broiler. Place the bowl or broiler over simmering water and stir until smooth. Add the nuts if desired. Pour the mixture quickly into the prepared pan. Chill thoroughly, and cut into squares. Decorate with red candies into the shape of a heart. For a great pairing try San Diego's Witchcreek Winery Cool Cat sparkling wine!
Makes 2 to 3 dozen squares. 
Posted in Food and Vine, Health, holiday, Recipes, Theme Tours, Tours, Valentine, Wine |
A Spookily Fun Halloween Train Tour!
Happy Halloween! I'm sure our 9 guests had no idea what they were getting themselves into when a "Witch" met them at the train station shouting "La Jolla Wine Tours!" Instead of running away in fright, our guests were brave and approached their very strange looking tour guide.
Fortunately they did, because what a fun day we shared together! We started off with a delicious lunch where our gracious host won us over with Italian wine and decadent raviolis.
Our guests gathering around lunch at our first stop.
A Witchy Wine Tour Guide!
After lunch we enjoyed the breeze and a short, delightful walk to our first urban winery tasting stop. Low and behold, our guests were greeted by a SECOND witch on their wine tour! Fortunately, she was a nice witch too and poured our guests ample tastes of delicious wine!
The resident witch at our local winery serving us superb wines!
After our tastings, I showed our guests the inner workings of the winery. They had lots of questions and I had a great time teaching them all about the craft of making wine.
On top of the ample tastings served at our first stop, we shared a bottle of Tempranillo that our guest, Mark, had purchased. Thanks Mark!
Carolee, Valerie, Lorrie, Dot and Carole enjoying Tempranillo on the train. Thanks Mark!
At our next stop, our host, Ryan, served us wonderfully. His passion about wine and winemaking shone through as he actively offered up all sorts of neat tidbits and facts about the wines we enjoyed. He even opened up a special bottle of Malbec for our guests to try, per Mark's request. Thanks again Mark!
Our guests Sharon, Mark, Bob and Karen tasting at our third stop.
Once back on the train, our guests opened a delightful bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon that they had purchased at our second urban winery. It was a perfect wine to sip on the train as we enjoyed the coastal sunset along our way.
Our last stop was well spent enjoying chocolates, crackers, wine and trick-or-treaters. It was hard to say goodbye, but all good times have to come to an end, so I said my farewells and walked Mark and his lovely wife, Sharon back to the train so they could return to where they were staying.
I'm so grateful for the wonderful guests who made this Wine & Food Train Tour so memorable!
- Heather, Tour Guide
Posted in Food and Vine, San Diego Wine Country, Theme Tours, Tours, Wine, Wine Train, Winemaking, Wineries |
Drinking in the Dark
Our lovely Coaster Train Wine Tour today started off beautifully in a scenic north San Diego Village. We ate more than enough at our partner fine-dining Italian restaurant and learned all about wine tasting and the process of evaluating wine. Once full of delicious Italian fare, we strolled over to our first urban Winery and sampled a large assortment of their wine. Our talented winemaker, and his crew were busy moving things around in the winery in preparation for the harvest. Grapes are coming soon! Our hostess, Sherry, was nice enough to describe the basic wine making process and our guests enjoyed poking around the winery to check out all the fancy equipment. Once finished, we had some extra time before the coaster, so we walked down towards the water and just enjoyed the sights and sound of the ocean waves for a while. Very refreshing.
We caught the train south in perfect time. Little did we know it would be the last running coaster train for over 3 hours! We enjoyed window shopping in our next little coastal village before arriving at our next boutique winery. We tasted our way down their wine list while reports of the blackout started rolling in. Knowing that the trains were not running for a while, our winemaker invited us to stay. A winery is the PERFECT place to be stranded in a blackout! The power being out did not stop our guests from ordering lots of delicious wines. Together, they ordered a case of wine to be delivered to their home in Minnesota. We were the only guests there our winemaker and tasting host treated our guests with special off-the-menu tastings. We had fun conversations about winemaking and how long the winery could operate without power. The winemaker reported to us: “Only one day.” Good thing they got power up and running again quickly!
While waiting on the platform, we made some new friends. Lots of people ran out of gas and were hoping the Coaster could take them home to San Diego. One couple needed to get home to their dogs in Chula Vista. Our guests raved about the wine tour they were on and how much they ate and drank all afternoon. Our new friends were envious so we shared some leftover cheese and bread with them. Even after waiting an hour for the train, we all agreed that there are worse places to be stranded. Considering worst case scenario was to lay on the gorgeous beach there, watch the sunset, sip on a glass of Muscat, and dine on chocolate and cheese all evening…. I’m sure I was not the only one secretly hoping the Coaster would not come 
But alas, around 6:45pm a train pulled into the station. When the doors opened, a whole bunch of people exited the train shouting “freedom!” Apparently they have been stuck on the train since the power shut off around 3:40pm. Oh dear! Along the way south, we saw a broken sewage pipe in the road off to our left. The streets were completely flooded and blocked off by police vehicles. The news this morning reported that over 3.2 million gallons of sewage have contaminated our lovely beach towns. How unfortunate!
Next we arrived in a usually bustling town which was eerily quiet and deserted. Our final winery stop was closed but our guests were amazing and completely understanding. They enjoyed all of the wines and VIP treatment at our other stops. Before we hugged goodbye I gave them complimentary tickets for our winery that was closed so as they could experience that wonderful stop in the future. I left them with their dark chocolate bar to enjoy at their leisure and said goodbye. Their plans that evening were to drink Muscat and dine on chips and chocolate next to their hotel pool. Lovely!
Thanks to our tour guide Heather for the above blog post.
Posted in Food and Vine, Happy Hour, holiday, Local Business, Theme Tours, Tours, Travel, Walking Tours, Wine, Wine Train, Winemaking, Wineries |