Days of Wine and Antelope

The coming week ushers in a whole new slate of wine drinking opportunities around town.

On Monday Lou is serving up ... antelope. Antelope? Really? As in the cute slinky bovid, or that ex-urban, quasi-rural valley located off of Highway 14? Yeah, but this meat from Broken Arrow Ranch also apparently marries swimmingly with Clos Roche Blanche Touraine côt (Malbec), Occhipinti nero d'avola Sicilia and Keverson Dry Creek Old Vine Zinfandel. The three-course vernal equinox supper -- which also includes a springtime vegetable salad and Galante strawberry shortcake plus the five wines -- costs $55 and goes from 6-11:00 p.m.
724 Vine St., Hollywood, (323) 962-6369 or www.louonvine.com.

Vines on the Marycrest wines will be in the spotlight at Bottle Rock on Monday, April 20 at 7 p.m. It's a perfect way to experience a bit of Paso Robles in L.A.; these wines are, naturally, heavy on the Rhône blends and big doses of Grenache, Syrah, Cab Sauv, and Zin. The winery's 'Round Midnight, Summertime, Heart of Glass, Satin Doll, and My Generation selections also unite the music and wine lovers in all of us. This tasting is $20 per person, and advance reservations are recommended.
3847 Main St., Culver City, (310) 836-9463 or www.bottlerock.net.

Qupe is one of those gateway drugs that can get you hooked on Central Coast wines, especially given its relatively fair prices and its beautiful Art Nouveau-inspired labels. The Wine House's Upstairs 2 restaurant hosts a special winemaker dinner with Bob Lindquist on Tuesday, April 21, with a 7:00 p.m. reception followed by dinner at 7:30. Before starting Qupe in 1982, Lindquist spent some time in the right places with the right people; Zaca Mesa, Ken Brown and Jim Clendenen are highly desirable references to have on any Santa Barbara County-area winemaker's resume. The generous five-course dinner includes sea bean salad paired with '07 Marsanne and '06 Roussanne, pan roasted barramundi in a lemongrass broth served with two Qupe chardonnays, and pappardelle with wild mushrooms and duck ragu will go alongside two '07 Syrahs. If you can handle more, there's the fourth course of filet mignon, creamy polenta, rainbow carrots and black truffle foie gras butter matched with '01 and '05 Hillside Select Syrahs. And Spanish chocolate torte and cinnamon gelato will be available for those who are still able to lift a fork and glass to their mouths. The dinner is $89, inclusive of food, wine, tax and gratuity.
2311 Cotner Ave., West L.A., (310) 479-3731, or www.upstairs2.com.

Later this week Corkbar downtown welcomes winemaker Markus Bokisch from Bokisch wines on Friday, April 2, 5:00 p.m. Bokisch makes Spanish varietal wines in Lodi, California, three of which are always on Corkbar's list, while two will be special pours that night. The five-wine flight for $15 includes his Garnacha, Tempranillo, Albarino, Graciano, and Garnacha Blanca.
403 W. 12th St., Downtown, (213) 746-0050 or www.corkbar.com.