Beer, Wine & Spirits in San Jose

Drinking wine often makes people believe they’re funnier, smarter, and two feet taller than they were when they first saw Matthew McConaughey star in Scorpion King. Heighten up with today’s Groupon: a three-wine flight of your choosing for $9 at Unwined Wine Bar (worth up to $22). Surround yourself with live music and 50 different wines while you learn about the lives and times of society's treasured squashed grapes.

The Tet Festival's organizers describe it as New Year's Day, Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, and Christmas all rolled into one. Fair enough, but the celebration?the first day of the Vietnamese Lunar New Year?may have a leg up on all these holidays. For instance, does New Year's Eve have taekwondo? And does Thanksgiving have a traditional dragon dance? Outside of these spectacles, there's Vietnamese food, drink, and a performance by The Wings of the Hundred Viet Dance Company, who translate the country's myths, legends, and history into elegant dances.

The cooks here source their seasonal ingredients from local farmers and producers, so the fried egg that accompanies the slow-roasted pork sandwich comes straight from Glaum Egg Ranch in Santa Cruz, and the bread that stars in french toast comes from local Le Boulanger. As far as libations, each is blended with house-made syrups, purees, and juices—try a bottomless mimosa made with fresh-squeezed orange juice.

Pass through the patio’s archway, and you’ll find a marble fountain bubbling pleasantly beside a cluster of umbrella-topped tables. The hearty dishes here include parmesan gnocchi and cornish hen glazed with honey-garlic sauce. Just remember to save a little room to share the chocolate torte with fresh berries.

At 2,600 feet up in the Santa Cruz Mountains, one might expect to find sprawling views of the ocean and surrounding forest and not flourishing vineyards. Yet there are more than 70 wineries dappling the hills at various altitudes, privy to the dewy, cooling breezes of the sea and the richness of the rocky soil. The San Francisco Chronicle speaks to their scattered presence, deeming them "less a cohesive wine region than a patchwork of vineyards." Still, this characteristic isolation has resulted in "a perfect laboratory for winemaking not held hostage to fashion"—no one style dominates in this rustic setting.

Pinot noirs and chardonnays populate the western front, and the east yields cabernets, merlots, and zinfandels. The majority of the vineyards are small and family owned—a fact reflected in their meticulously bottled libations and the matching sweaters of their holiday photos—but though they exist in chosen hermitage, many of them welcome visitors to their scenic sites. They host weddings, festivals, and open events such as Pathway to Pinot Paradise, a self-guided tour of the pinot noir hotspots.

Treat a friend or the alien you found in the woods to a luscious and luxuriant evening of nightcaps in a welcoming, Cheetos-stain-free environment. Today’s deal gets you $35 worth of wine, spirits, desserts, and small-plate fancies at A Perfect Finish for $15. You may purchase up to two Groupons for yourself, but you will have to use them on separate dine-in visits.The feared animal uprising never happened and Americans embraced jazz and jazz musicians, often giving them colorful nicknames, such as Fancy Fingers and Ol’ Skin Bag. Jazz faced its toughest challenge in 1936, when it was stolen by the French, who attempted to use the improvisational music to power a series of submarines. France and the United States sent their five best warriors into an ancient temple to battle for the future of jazz, but all 10 fighters became friends and moved in together. Thereafter, jazz returned to the United States on its own, where it remains popular today.