 "Photo: Karli Cadel / Staff Photographer")
 "Photo: Karli Cadel / Staff Photographer")
Lance Owen trusts his taste buds.
A 1993 San Diego State business graduate, Owen is the part owner of Kensington Vine, a dainty wine lounge nestled on the corner of a tiny strip mall on Adams Avenue.
“When I was studying the business, a man I met gave me some great advice: ‘Taste as many wines as possible,’” Owen said.
Now, two years later, Kensington Vine is a bustling, little wine bar offering a shop with more than 70 exceptional bottles of wines and a dining area that serves more than 50 wines by the glass. Owen has tasted every bottle in the shop since its opening.
“The Vine,” as locals have been known to call it, is the perfect place to wind down after a long day. Homey doors welcome passersby to stroll in at their leisure and pull up a comfortable, padded dining room chair or relax along the wall-length booth. The L-shaped bar in the lounge area invites conversation and laughter as the bartender and manager take turns chatting with regulars and introducing new customers to each other. Art pieces are positioned sporadically along the walls and flower arrangements bring color to an otherwise low-key room that truly focuses all attention on the wine.
“The environment is relaxing and comfortable,” Owen said. “It’s a great place to enjoy great wine with great people.”
A range of wines is served in the lounge areas in an oversized glass or by the bottle. Whites range from Pinot Grigio and Viognier to Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc, from $7 to 14 a glass.
Reds range from Seductive Red blends and Pinot Noirs to Zinfandels and Shiraz.
Jenny Rabago, a manager at Kensington Vine, recommends all of the reds from the shop. “Petite Sirah is my absolute favorite,” Rabago said, “and all the Zin’s (Zinfandels) are fabulous.” Red glasses are also moderately priced from $7 to 19 a glass.
The Vine offers an assortment of food complements for customers to mix and share while sipping and chatting. From Greek olive plates and classic bruschetta to combination cheese platters and Pannini grilled gourmet pizzas, Kensington Vine is the perfect alternative to a standard three-course meal.
All appetizers are moderately priced from around $7 for small accompaniments and an average of $12 for a crisp pizza, hot off the grill.
The Small Cheese Plate in particular, complements almost all of the wine choices. On a modern square, oversized plate, gorgonzola, honey goat and French hard cheese are portioned and placed around an assortment of nuts, plump grapes and mini tomatoes. The dish covers a span of cow, goat and sheep milk cheeses, and some prosciutto and dry Italian salami can be added to the dish for $3.50.
“It was always important to (have) quality across the board,” Owen said. “I wanted to offer people prices across the spectrum so they can pick and choose as their affordability changes.”
Customers enjoy light fare on deep red, wooden tables while soft music plays in the background. And the candlelit tables allow for an arty flickering glare off the wine glasses in the mid-evening.
A sweet treat case gleams with perfectly portioned, layered, circular mousses that tower toward the top of the case on tiers. Dessert wine and bubbly can be paired with these sweets for $10 to 14 a glass and $7 to 15 a glass, respectively.
The wine house also offers extended happy hour from 3 p.m. to close on Mondays; retail “take-away” priced bottles on Wednesday from $19.99 and up, and $3 Tapas Thursday from 6 p.m. to close. Guests can enjoy a flight of three different wines, either reds or whites, each served in 2-ounce portions for $11 every day.
“It’s great when someone in the local community has success,” Owen said. “I attribute a lot of my success to what I learned at SDSU and I hope to be an inspiration; a story to give those optimism of what can be.”
Kensington Vine is located at 4191 Adams Ave. This fabulous wine house can be contacted at (619) 282-VINE (8463). More information can be found at www.kensingtonvine.com.
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