Wine! Expensive sports cars! Forget today’s depressing economic indicators and join me in a late nineties day-trading fantasy world of conspicuous excess!Actually, I snapped this picture a few weeks ago at the Classic Car Show. All drooling aside for the shiny roadster parked in front – let’s concentrate on Mission Wines, the charming shop in the background. Don’t assume South Pasadena’s wholesome Mayberry reputation requires tea totaling. Hardly. This is definitely a wine drinking town. It boasts several wine bars, any number of restaurants with great wine lists, a true French café, a specialty French gourmet food and wine shop, Bristol Farms and – get this—two killer wine shops within walking distance of each other on Mission Street. (My husband and I joked that the reason there is such an abundance of wine here is because so many South Pasadena residents are the parents of young children. Even our little 1350 square foot house has a wine cellar!)
Mission Wines is a fantastic boutique wine shop specializing in “small production, hand crafted, artisan wines from around the world.” In other words: great finds from cool little wineries you have probably never heard of. And don’t think you have to be George Soros to afford the selections – with help from the knowledgeable staff, you can find something special for $10 and under.
Wine tasting is available during business hours. (Walk to Busters or Kaldi for coffee afterwards…) You don’t even have to live in South Pasadena to enjoy the great selection. If you’re a US citizen, you can shop online.
