Just back from a whirlwind trip through Napa Valley and Sonoma Vineyards, California Grill Chef Brian Piasecki and general manager Michael Scheifler went in search of the best of the best for the soon-to-open California Grill.
“We visited 15 wineries in five days,” says Scheifler. “It was a whirlwind, but we came home with some great new discoveries.” Like Tres Sabores, a small, organic vineyard in Napa where they discovered a delicious zinfandel. And Heitz Cellars, where they are bottling magnums of chardonnay just for California Grill – it’s resting in the bottles now and won’t be ready until fall, says Scheifler.
“We’ll offer club service, where we will bring the magnum to the table to pour by the glass, a really fun presentation” he says.
The new display case is a showstopper as guests exit the elevator to the 15th floor, with 1,600 bottles on display in an onstage, climate-controlled, state-of-the-art cabinet. In all there will be about 250 wines on the list, and out of those, 72 percent will be from California. Another 22 percent is Old World wines and 5 percent New World wines.
“We’ll have something for every palate,” says Scheifler, “from a first-growth Bordeaux to a boutique wine from Oregon or South Africa.”
There will be 80 wines by the glass, up from 50 on the previous wine menu. And sommeliers will be there to help you select a pairing, with more than 20 on staff.
Scheifler is just as excited about the expanded sake program to pair with the expanded sushi menu, with 10 varieties on the list, from a light, sparkling sake to “cask strength.” And craft beer is back, with eight brews on the new menu, mostly from California.
“We can’t wait to debut the new beverage lineup,” says Scheifler. “Drinks span from classic cocktails to wines you won’t find anywhere else, the beverages are a great complement to Chef Brian’s new menu.” Stay tuned for menu updates coming soon!
Comments
Although not confirmed, I’ve read that booking for late November may be opening soon…
The suspense is killing me! Please tell us when we can make a reservation to California Grill. Thanks so much!
Opening date yet? All the family will be there in October and we’re anxious to book our favourite restaurant
When can we book a reservation? Planning on a trip in December/ January.
Soooooooo looking forward!!
Bummer….clicking on the ‘soon-to-open’ hot link above only takes you to the original article…….any ‘ball park’ idea? I can’t imagine the revocations will be going on too much longer (????) since they closed almost 5 months ago? Thx in advance Disney blog peeps!!
I have not been able to find out when they will start booking reservations. The people at WDWDINE said to check here, but I don’t see any news. Can any one shed any light on this for me, please?!
Really looking forward to this. Hoping we do not need to break our streak of visiting California Grill every trip to Disney. We are visiting Sept 12-22 and I hope to make a reservation soon.
Please stop teasing the locals. We are soooo excited. When can we make reservations?
I am so looking forward to this. Nothing but great expectations!
Had some wonderful wine at Napa Rose; hope they share some labels. When will you be opening slots for ADRs?
When is the expected reopening ? Looking forward to it!!
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