San Antonio rolls out the “red” carpet: Valero Texas Open, April 4-April 7, 2024
Click on map for location details
After conducting my own online research, I was fortunate to connect with Ed Casey, manager of a great wine bar/retail store in the Pearl called High Street Wine Co. (see below). We talked like old buddies about the best places to find wine during the Tour stop in San Antonio, not least because turns out we grew up about 10 miles apart!
Signature at the La Cantera Resort and Spa has a killer list that covers some 26 easy-to-read pages, a welcome approach akin to playing from the senior tees for someone who is usually squinting at a wine list in the dark. It’s really deep in chardonnay and pinot noir with lots of surprises, including a great chenin blanc selection. It’s expensive but there are plenty of good options if you want to spend less. Limited high-end menu, I might have to go for the antelope loin just to say I did.
Maverick is billed as a “Texas Brasserie” and offers a small but good cross-section of French-inspired dishes. The wine list, on the other hand, is expansive and inspired, offering a little bit of everything including varietal rarities like gringet and listan negro. Anyone with gringet on the list is a friend of mine.
High Street Wine Co carries an outstanding carefully curated selection ranging from off-the-beaten path varietals at excellent prices up to big-time trophy wines. As a wine bar plus retail concept, it offers the ability to drink on premise or take out. Relaxed, friendly, and knowledgeable staff are a difference maker.
J. Saglimbeni’s Fine Wines gets some strong local reviews but their website doesn’t list inventory so we couldn’t confirm it. Ed says their European offer is strong. The store is now listed as JS Wines. Kind of inscrutable, “Just Sayin.”
