Beer, Wine & Spirits in San Jose

The young crew behind ONEHOPE Wine believes wine can do more than dance with flavor and stain frocks fashioned from fine white camel hair. Each bottle has been instilled with beauty and a rich taste to complement its selflessness. One ONEHOPE gift box yields one bottle each of California merlot, cabernet sauvignon, chardonnay, zinfandel, and sauvignon blanc ($120 for gift box or $18.99 each). The 2009 merlot is aged in a combination of French and American oak barrels, resulting in flavors of toasty spice and a versatile drinkability.

Sherman Cellars serves as the exclusive tasting room for the red, white, sparkling, and dessert wines from Creekview Vineyards, a small-production winery. Many of these wines emerged with gold, silver, bronze, and best-in-class awards in 2011 at such events as the San Francisco International Wine Competition, Monterey Wine Competition, and Grand Cru Wine Competition. The Cellars' wine educators exhibit their detailed knowledge of the wines as they provide guided tastings of each varietal's flavor and bouquet in an intimate atmosphere, and also point out historical facts such as which grapes descended from dinosaurs. The wines they pour at each tasting draw their styles from a range of global regions, but have all been crafted from local grapes. Many staffers are also pairing aficionados, and channel their passion into regular tasting pairings, which include chocolates from local chocolatiers in Napa.

After immigrating to America early in the 20th century, Emilio Guglielmo saved up for years before he was able buy a plot of land for his winery in 1925. In the years since, three generations of his family have run the vineyard and kept its Old World style alive. Large wooden beams, stone walls, and terracotta tiles surround guests in the tasting room, where they can sample carefully selected vintages. Each year, the winery produces nearly 40,000 cases, including the award-winning 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon and Estate Petite Sirah, each of which took home gold medals in San Francisco’s International Wine Competition.

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.

Agave52's monthly parties expose of-age taste buds to more than 33 tequilas and mezcales from distilleries such as el Jimador, Don Pilar, and Casa Noble. Sip samples of the south-of-the-border spirits and put out mouth fires with glasses of Honrama Cellars' gold-medal-winning cabernet sauvignon. Bodies sway amid the couches, lounge chairs, and lush greens of Myth Taverna's private open-air patio as DJ Martin Collins' turntables pump out beats that pulse as loudly as the heart of a terrified artichoke. Wander indoors to behold the glow of a vast interior bedecked with rows of tufted booths, wall-mounted waterfalls, and a backlit bar, or remain outdoors to uphold conversation in the close purview of nosy neighboring skylines.

1933 was a banner year for Phillip and John Bargetto. Prohibition finally ended, and the brothers were able to reopen their winery in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Originally from Piedmont, Italy, Phillip and John embraced their passion for growing northern-Italian varietals, twining their hillsides with vines of dolcetto, nebbiolo, and refosco grapes.

Now run by the Bargetto family's third generation, the winery continues to cultivate these same grapes as well as two of Santa Cruz's more well-known varietals, chardonnay and pinot noir. Its most heralded wines hail from the 40 acres of trellised vines at Regan Estate Vineyards, which produces balanced yet concentrated fruit thanks to its sunny hilltop location, loamy soil, and cool breezes from thousands of naturally occurring ceiling fans.

Controlled aging in new-French- or American-oak barrels imbues some of the winery's reds with lingering finishes and toasty sweetness, and stainless-steel barrels ensure that the whites retain their vibrant acidity. Although most of the wines display a more approachable style, the La Vita line embraces the family's Old-World routes, featuring complexly tannic and age-worthy blends of Phillip and John's favored dolcetto, nebbiolo, and refosco grapes.

Odonata's winemaker, Denis Hoey, combines old-world methods with modern ideas and techniques to create subtly complex wines in the traditional French style. A focus on sustainably grown, organic local grapes helps to create the food-friendly wines, which can be enjoyed immediately but also age well.