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call 530-823-0320.

It’s Adieu to Foie-Gras with “Paris Prix-Fixe!”

With foie gras on the chopping block in California come July 1, we toyed with the idea of doing a full-on swan song for this French delicacy, but ultimately, Chef Alexander opted to simply say “farewell” to his immensely popular foie-gras mousse as the centerpiece of the May prix-fixe dinner.

The law, which was passed in 2004 to become effective in eight years, forbids raising ducks to be used for foie gras production, as well as the sale of any foie gras products in California. While it has enraged chefs and foodies across the state, what can you say except “c’est la vive” (such is life)?

Click here to see the full menu for week-long celebration of French cuisine, four courses with choices still priced at $40 per person plus tax and tip. Prix-fixe week starts Tuesday, May 22, and runs through May 26. Reservations are strongly recommended.

First course choices are Sonoma Foie Gras Mousse, Steamed Mussels “A La Bouillabasse” or Escargot. For the second course, choices are Chilled Spring Pea Soup or Roasted Beets. For the main course, California Petrale Sole Grenbloise, Lamb Confit “Printaniere” or Bavette Steak Frites. Finish with desserts of either Assiette of French Cheeses, Strawberry Mille Feuille or Chocolate Pots du Crème. Click here to see the specific preparations.

Vive la France!

Heard About Jana's Tastings? Give Her a Call!

Our intrepid Wine Club Manager and all-around go-to person during the day is Jana Kosmata. If you’re a wine club member you’ve likely spoken with her. Jana does much more than herd members. . .she has also developed a knack for hosting special tastings in our Wine Mine. She’s done a number of fun events, including a Ladies Only night and a Couples night.

All of the events she organizes are by invitation only. She selects a broker or distributor to come up with a compelling list and then she works with Chef Alexander to create a few pairings to help showcase the wines.

Jana typically invites folks whom she thinks will be interested in her theme for the evening. If you’d like to participate in a future event, drop her an email and she’ll get you in the queue. It’s janakosmata@carpevinoauburn.com.

We Could be First with Kindle-Powered Wine List

A wine shop and restaurant of our size just shouldn’t be on the bleeding edge of technology. . .but we are. Case in point is our latest advance: we will present our Restaurant Wine List on a Kindle Fire-powered platform. The list consists of more than 250 selections and represents about half of our total offerings in the store.

Continued >

Carpe Vino Ranks among Top National Wine Lists

Top Wine List Ranking Carpe Vino may be a 32-seat restaurant located on the distant edge of Sacramento, but its wine program is the equal of much larger establishments located in major cities across the country. The Old Town Auburn-based fine dining restaurant earned a spot among the Top 50 Restaurant Wine Lists by OpenTable, a leading reservations service representing some 12,000 establishments nationwide.

OpenTable’s “Diners’ Choice Awards” for this year are based on more than 10 million reviews penned by the online reservations firm’s clients from October 2010 to September 2011. Restaurants that made the list are located in 21 states.

Carpe Vino Named to OpenTable’s Top 100 Restaurant List

Below you’ll find the text of a news release sent to Sacramento-area media. Rather than re-write it for Window on Old Town, I’m taking the easy way out. I’ve got to add that I am desperately proud of our entire staff and all that they have accomplished that led to earning the recognition from OpenTable. We work in relative obscurity here, but we strive for excellence none-the-less. It’s tough to get the media down the hill to take notice, but when our customers acknowledge what we’ve accomplished in Old Town, it is oh-so redeeming. . .and oh-so sweet. My thanks to everyone who has ever dined at our tables or sipped from our Riedels. You folks are truly awesome and we love you all. –gary

Click here to read the press release >

Show the Love: Give a Wine Club Membership

No question about it, you’re showing the love when you give a Carpe Vino Wine Club membership to the special people in your world. Baseline cost is $240 per year for an every-other month, $40 club, but your gift just keeps on giving. For more information, click here, or just call the shop at 530-823-0320.

The Wine Mine Makes Memorable Special Events

Carpe Vino Private Events Just a reminder, if you’re looking for a place to host your own party or special event, consider using Carpe Vino’s Wine Mine, where we can accommodate 24 people seated for dinner. You’ll work with our staff to create a menu and select wines. Cost to use the room is a 10% surcharge on the total tab, a fee waived for Carpe Vino Wine Club members. Call 530-823-0320 to make your reservations now! Click here to view the Events Calendar >

And, don’t forget that Carpe Vino gift cards make perfect gifts. All you need to do is decide on the amount of the gift!

Make Your Reservations From the Carpe Vino Page

Are you checking out the Carpe Vino community? Getting hungry and ready to explore new and hard-to-find wine? Go to the "Reservations" link on the page and save your table.

Not a fan yet? Like us and join our fellow Carpe Vinians!

Click here and check it out.

Our Address
Carpe Vino, Old Town Auburn
1568 Lincoln Way Auburn, CA 95603

Phone Number: 530-823-0320

Make a Reservation Online >

Retail and Wine Bar Hours:
Tuesday: noon till 5 p.m.
Wednesday through Saturday: noon till 10 p.m.
Sunday and Monday: closed

Restaurant Hours:
Wednesday through Saturday, 5 p.m. till 10 p.m.

Get Directions to Carpe Vino Guest must be 21 years of age or older.

Reservations are suggested for preferred seating, especially on weekends.

When You Seek Wine Advice
Who Can You Really Trust?

Recently, a Sacramento Bee wine columnist suggested that his readers visit a Grocery Outlet store to score some great deals on wine, pointing out there were offerings from "name" wineries going for a fraction of their original cost. Although this particular writer does nice work, I just shook my head at this insider recommendation. No disresprect to Grocery Outlet or the folks who shop there, but any serious winery with wine it could not sell would rather dump the juice down a drain rather than diminish their brands in a discount chain. In fact, many wineries would never dream of selling to BevMo or Total Wines & More for the same reason. Once you violate the brand position and slash prices, there is no turning back.

That got me thinking about something even more fundamental, and that is "who do you trust" when it comes to taking wine-buying advice? Many people have their favorite newspaper wine critic. . .mine has always been Mike Dunne of the Sacramento Bee who not only has a vast knowledge of wine and food, but he is an absolutely excellent writer, he is fair and he is never, ever abusive. Though he is now "retired," he still contributes columns regularly, and I have absolute confidence in his recommendations.

With the proliferation of bloggers, social networking and reviews on Yelp and other services, there are unlimited sources of wine criticism. And one of the things I have observed widely is the disdain many have for recomendations from fine wine shops. The reason cited is because all wine shops are trying to do is sell you wine.

That may be true at some stores, but the flip side is at Carpe Vino, we have a very discriminating process for selecting wines that make into our racks. We not only deal with distributors and brokers to find new wines, but we often go into the field and attend industry tastings to find new wines that meet our valuie propostion. Last year, for example, I made trips to South Africa, Oregon and Washington, as well as numerous excursions in California.

Here's the difference when you get a recommendation from Drew and me: for every wine we bring into the shop, we taste 50 or more that don't make the cut. Furthermore, when we bring a wine into the shop, we put our money behind it. . .wine critics don't.

So that begs the question. . ."Who ya gonna trust?" You could ask Gina Langford for one; I just received this note from her: "Hi Gary. . .I have recently purchased several of your newsletter recommendations taste untried and just want to tell you how much I have enjoyed them. You really do make great finds and I'm happy to be a regular customer now."

--gary