Just Another Day of Wine in LA

For those who’ve never been, I’m going to let you in on a little secret: Los Angeles is not the prettiest girl at the party when you compare her to some of the world’s other major urban destinations. But as with everything else, thank goodness, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. And if you’re willing to squint a little, what LA has to offer far outweighs the sea of strip malls that stretch out as far as the eye can see and the inconvenience of a little traffic.

There are few other major U.S. cities that come close to the gastronomic variety that can be found here. I’d even go as far as to say that only New York comes anywhere close. Even just considering Asian cuisine alone, there are not only restaurants but also grocery stores where you can find dishes and ingredients from so many different countries and subregions. But we aren’t here to talk about food today.

If you’re into wine, LA is a pretty great place to be. As a culinary destination, the city has no shortage of top chefs and sommeliers who know what they’re doing when it comes to pairing food and wine. Not to mention the growing number of wine-focused restaurants, wine bars and specialty wine shops. When most people think of the LA wine scene, the first places that come to mind are probably Beverly Hills and Santa Monica. A quick Google or Yelp search and you’re well on your way to knowing where to go to spend your wine dollars.

A lesser-known but equally fabulous part of the city for wine lovers is LA’s northeast district which includes neighborhoods like Los Feliz, with its views of the Hollywood sign and Griffith Park observatory, Atwater Village, Highland Park and my hometown of Eagle Rock, nestled in the foothills of the Angeles National Forest. One part hipster. One part artistic. One hundred percent original. It’s no wonder this is the place to discover hard to find wines.

Here’s a short list of my top three go-tos for great wines by the glass there...

Colorado Wine Company (Eagle Rock) - These guys always have a rotation of wines by the glass that surprise me... in a good way. I discover a new-to-me producer every time I go, which is often! A good place to go if you’re into funky, natural small production wines or interesting skin-contact whites like I am. I’ve tasted my way through several countries here and love hearing Ben’s take on their selections. @cowineco

Bar Covell (Los Feliz) - I’ve gotta be honest, the first time I saw the name I thought it might be Catalan... pronounced ‘cubell’ in my head, which also happens to be a Catalan wine term for the vessel where wine is separated from the solid mass of skin, stems and seeds known as pomace. Made sense to me anyway! But alas, its real meaning is completely unrelated but equally interesting. You can read all about it and its owners Dustin and Matthew on their website. These guys know their stuff. Our favorites were a central Italian skin contact white from Umbria and a surprisingly light-bodied California Cabernet Franc produced by Halcyon Wines with hints of cherries and spice and everything nice. @barcovell

Otoño Restaurant (Highland Park) - Two words: Hello Catalunya. Boquerones, escalivada, fideuà and gambas a la planxa. Sign me up! Full disclosure: neither the cuisine nor the wines are exclusively from Catalunya, but you can find a nice range of both here. For wines by the glass, we ventured outside of Catalunya and opted for a Listan Blanco from the Canary Islands and a Mallorcan red blend of Callet, Mantonegre y Fogoneu and a little Syrah to pair with the house made squid ink bread and pulpo a la brasa. Executive chef and co-owner Teresa Montaño and co-owner Andrea Uyeda have created a feast for the senses in this little LA enclave that’s not to be missed. @otonola

So next time you find yourself in the City of Angels, I hope you’ll give yourself plenty of time to explore hidden gems like these in northeast La La Land.

Per Carla Gordillo @polyglotsomm