District Wine Bar in San Jose

This past weekend, I had the pleasure of getting to know a wine bar in San Jose that I’d never been to, District Wine Bar on San Pedro Ave. In this blog, I’ll share my wine tasting experience with you. I hope it inspires you to check out this wonderful place.

What Is District Wine Bar?

Here’s what they say on their website: “Located in downtown San Jose, in the heart of San Pedro Square and just a few blocks from SAP Center, District brings together a menu of small, shareable plates, pizza and house-made charcuterie with one of the city’s most extensive and diverse wine and whiskey programs. The result is a one-of-a-kind tasting experience that you can share with friends and family in a vibrant and communal setting.

“We love big flavors at District. Come in to District and see what Executive Chef Bob Cina has on the menu today. Our dinner menu specializes in tasty and sharable small plates such as oysters on the half shell, Ahi Tuna Poke with taro chips, artisan style pizza and an associated variety of delicious charctuterie.

“What makes District stand out from the rest is that everything on the menu is made in-house from fresh, local and seasonally inspired ingredients. Come in today and pair one of our menu items with one of our many wines, whiskeys and cocktails.”

What Did I Love About District?

My friend Matt and I each enjoyed a flight of wines. I got the Wispy Whites, and he got the Earth, Wind and Funk. Okay, for starters, we loved the names of their flights – and the tastes of their flights. I’ll describe my flight in the next section. Matt loved his flight too.

Beyond the flights. We got French Fries and Patatas Gravas and have never tasted better potatoes in our lives. Yes, we OD’ed on potatoes, but we were in seventh heaven. I would go back there every day for those potatoes.

On top of the potatoes, we got to sit outside on a lovely patio, and we got served by a wonderful young man named Victor.

My Flight

The Wispy Whites flight was great. Here’s what was in it:

• Buzzinella, Ribolla Gialla, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy 2018. Friuli-Venezia Giulia is a wine region in the northeast of Italy. This was a light-bodied wine with nice acidity and lovely floral notes. It tasted a little like an unoaked Chardonnay but was a little livelier.
• Domaine Pastou, Sauvignon Blanc, Pouilly-Fume, France 2016. This was a fabulous Sauvignon Blanc. According to North Berkeley Imports, “The petite village of Sury-en-Vaux, north of the legendary Sancerre vineyard ‘Monts Damnés,’ is where you’ll find this extraordinary source of character-rich white wines from the Loire Valley. The family Pastou maintains excellent flint-rich vineyards in Sancerre as well as a superb perch in Pouilly-sur-Loire for their expressive Pouilly-Fumé. The theme that runs through all the domaine’s wines is freshness: here, you can’t be but floored by the energy of Sauvignon Blanc from these remarkable terroirs.”
• Molitor, Riesling, Gheingau, Germany 2017. This is a very inexpensive wine, but I loved how dry it was.

Please check out District in San Jose. And if you think about it beforehand, please invite me 🙂