WINE TASTING AT KOI ZEN CELLARS URBAN WINERY
Wine Tasting at Koi Zen Cellars Urban Winery was a fun and lively experience. The tasting room when we visited was quite busy because of a local event being held there. Typically the wine tasting at Koi Zen Cellars is a relaxing tranquil experience. Koi Zen Cellars is an urban winery located in the heart of Carmel Mountain Ranch. Koi Zen Cellars sources their grapes from Napa, Sonoma, Santa Barbara and Paso Robles, then crushes, ferments, blends, ages, and bottles onsite at their winery.
In 2017, Koi Zen Cellars was voted “San Diego Best Local Winery”. The owners Darius and Lisa, husband/wife opened their urban winery in 2014. The Winemaker Darius specializes in Bourdeaux style wines. But their Blends, Malbec, Pinot Noir, and Chardonnays are quite popular. Koi Zen Cellars wines have received numerous Silver and Gold Awards at both regional and state wine competitions.
Koi Zen Cellars offers wine tasting flights as well as wine by the glass, bottle or barrel. The wine tasting flights of Current Releases cost $10 for 5 tastings. Special Private or Barrel Tastings are done by reservation only and prices can vary. Our red wine flight included Pinot Noir, Red wine Blend, Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot. Our favorites were the Cabernet Sauvignon and 2015 Central Coast Pinot Noir. We bought a bottle of the Pinot Noir to enjoy at home.
The Wine Tasting Room at Koi Zen Cellars has high top barrel tables, regular tables, comfy couches and two bars to enjoy sipping your wine. Cheese plates are available to enjoy with your wine. The Wine Tasting Room is pet friendly. Guests were observed sipping their wine while their dog sat beside them.
We used our San Diego Urban Wineries Passport which costs $35 and is good for free wine tastings at numerous participating San Diego Urban Wineries. We have used this VIP Passport and enjoyed wine tasting at several San Diego Urban Wineries over the past several months.
A Wine Club is available at Koi Zen Cellars if interested. In addition, several different wine classes are offered at various times and their venue is available for special events.
We enjoyed our wine tasting at Koi Zen Cellars Urban Winery and look forward to returning.
Cheers!
Located at: 12225 World Trade Dr., Ste P, San Diego, 858-381-2675
Tasting Room Hours: M/T: Closed, Wed/Thurs 2-8:00 pm, Fri/Sat 12-9:00 pm, Sun 12-6:00 pm
DID YOU KNOW??
- You should hold the wine glass stem so the hand does not raise the temperature of the wine you’re drinking
- You can drink wine to make other people more interesting
- The best wines are the ones you drink with friends
- You can start the day with a smile and finish it with a glass of wine…still smiling!!