Nestled within the backside of Old Town’s Urban Market Food Hall is one of San Diego’s most unexpected and fleeting wine bars, a place that offers a welcoming stay-awhile feel even though it might not stick around after Jan. 1.
The Wine Shop by Cucina Migrante is something of a nomad considering that its owners opened the venture in June under a six-month lease.
“We are a pop-up wine shop,” explained Francesco Bonsinetto, an enthusiastic gourmand from Sicily who jointly operates the shop with friend and business partner Adisa Ziric. They took over the indoor-outdoor venue from a previous owner who ran it for about a year.
It is yet to be seen whether the shop will stay beyond the new year, move to another neighborhood, or vanish altogether.
“We are going to decide in December,” Ziric said.
The duo also also runs Cucina Migrante, a successful company that conducts private dinners and cooking classes around town. They launched it seven years ago and tagged The Wine Shop’s name with the brand.
The Wine Shop by Cucina Migrante
2548 Congress St., Old Town
thewineshopsd.com
Ziric is originally from Bosnia and takes the role of creative director for both businesses. “But I like to make fresh pasta for some of our cooking classes,” she said while crediting Bonsinetto and a small team of chefs the company employs for menu development.
The Wine Shop has served as a versatile, advantageous sidearm to Cucina Migrante. Its temporary status hasn’t stopped locals from taking advantage of what is a relaxing wine-centric sanctuary from Old Town’s constant bustle.
Not only does the shop offer public cooking classes each month—plus live jazz on Sundays, and vinyl-spun music on Mondays—but it also presents happy hour from 4 to 7 p.m. daily. During that time, customers can enjoy the rare amenity of free cheese and charcuterie, which is part of what lured me in on a recent Saturday afternoon.
Ample outdoor seating on a multi-tier patio leads to the entrance inside, where a modern design splashed with colorful art and a couple of turntables for playing records flank a communal table. The nearby shelves are stocked with global wines, some of them made from lesser-known grapes. Think Godello from northern Spain (a white grape) and reds ones such as Frappata from Southern Italy and Tannat from Uruguay, though originally from France.
“You won’t find our wines at Costco,” Bonsinetto insisted while pointing out that the shop carries about 80 different labels. Nearly 15 of them are available by the glass on any given day.
The shop is also where you can purchase the owners’ cookbook “Happiness is a Red Tomato.” It contains more than 30 Mediterranean-inspired recipes, including one for making limoncello.
I started my visit with a glass of New Zealand Pino Gris by Tinpot Hut. The wine’s crisp, cool notes of pear and peach were the perfect come-on to a warm afternoon. My next choice was a glass of deep-purple Cabernet Franc by Fanatic Wine Company. It too was served chilled, an anomaly for this varietal. But I didn’t mind considering that it elevated the rich, fruity undertones of the wine. Bonsinetto seemed to know this when plucking it from the glass-door cooler.
Glass prices range from $10 to $18, depending on the label. And even if you hang around for only one glass during happy hour, you will receive a tray of artisan meats and cheeses—or some type of nosh.
My tray included shaved prosciutto di Parma, Sicilian truffle cheese, roasted cherry tomatoes, herbed olives and more. It was entirely satisfying. Outside of happy hour the tray costs $10. The offerings change regularly based on what the shop has in stock.
Much of The Wine Shop’s appeal lies in its breezy structure. There are no hard rules as to where you can sit, how long you can linger, or whether you need reservations for certain cooking classes and events (they are preferred but if there is room for drop-ins, no problem). A communal, easygoing vibe pervades no matter when you visit. It is that exact carefree concept combined with a prime location that has kept the shop afloat, all while further branding the Cucina Migrante name.
“For us hospitality and environment are super important,” Bonsinetto noted. “But right now we still don’t know if we’ll stay here in Old Town or create this in another neighborhood.”
Until then, The Wine Shop has several cooking classes and dinners on the docket. They include: “cuisine from Rome” on Nov. 15; a four-course “secret foodie dinner” with a masquerade theme on Dec. 1; Tuscan cuisine on Dec. 6; and Milanese food on Dec. 20.
For prices and further details, call 619-414-0691 or visit the web site at thewineshopsd.com.
Top photo: Owners Adisa Ziric and Francesco Bonsinetto
