September Specials and How to Pair Them

September is the month the kitchen gets to have it both ways.

September is the month the kitchen gets to have it both ways. Tomatoes are still coming in at their peak, corn is at the tail end of its season, and there's enough range in the wine program to follow the food in any direction it wants to go. This month's specials are on the board at every City Winery location, and there's a pour, or a few, in each market's wine program built to sit right alongside them.

Roasted Tomato Stracciatella Bruschetta — $25

Aged balsamic, crostini, basil. Vegetarian.

Late-season tomatoes are sweeter and more concentrated than anything you'll find in July, which is exactly what roasting is built to draw out further. Stracciatella brings the creamy, pull-apart texture a good bruschetta needs underneath it, and the aged balsamic adds the acidity and depth that keep the dish from tasting one-note sweet. Basil at the finish is there to remind you it's still technically summer for a few more weeks.

Pours that work:

  • Sauvignon Blanc (Lake County, CA). Ruby grapefruit, lime, and guava give it enough acidity to meet the balsamic head-on.
  • Rosé (Méditerranée, France). Strawberry and watermelon sit naturally alongside roasted tomato, and the wine's brightness cuts through the stracciatella.
  • Chardonnay (Sonoma Mountain, CA). Tropical notes of smoked pineapple and apricot give it the body to stand up to the cheese.
  • Grenache (Sonoma County, CA). Its black olive and bay leaf character leans into the same herbal, Mediterranean register as the basil and balsamic.
  • City Bubbles Cava (Penedés, Spain). Peach, apricot, and lemon zest, with bubbles that clean the palate between bites.
  • Roussanne Reserve (Alder Springs, Mendocino, CA). Apricot and buttery baking spice give it enough richness to match the stracciatella, while the fruit echoes the roasted tomato.
  • Cotau "Kintsugi" Marsanne St. Joseph Blanc. Brioche and toasted hazelnut alongside stone fruit, with the acidity to keep the dish from feeling heavy despite the wine's richness.

Fried Calamari — $24

Cherry peppers, arrabbiata, remoulade.

This is the specials board's answer to the first cool nights of the month: something fried, something with real heat, something that wants a drink with enough acidity or bubble to reset the palate between bites. The arrabbiata brings a genuine chili kick, not a background note, and the cherry peppers push that further. Remoulade cools it just enough to keep the fork moving.

Pours that work:

  • City Bubbles Cava (Penedés, Spain). Peach and apricot notes with a mouthwatering finish, cutting through the fry and resetting the palate before the next bite of arrabbiata.
  • Sauvignon Blanc (Lake County, CA). Crisp grapefruit and lime, built to cut through fried food.
  • Riesling (Finger Lakes, NY). Fragrant and lightly spiced, it meets the calamari's heat on its own terms instead of fighting it.
  • Albariño (Lodi, CA). A weighty, mineral-driven white with enough presence to stand up to the remoulade.

Tuna Sandwich — $31

Sushi grade tuna, wasabi mayo, pickled vegetables, dressed greens, brioche bun. Contains fish.

Sushi-grade tuna on a brioche bun is a dish built on contrast: rich, buttery bread against clean, cold fish, wasabi mayo bringing heat, pickled vegetables cutting back through with acid. It's a sandwich that rewards a wine with enough brightness to keep up with the vinegar and enough restraint to let the tuna stay the point of the plate.

Pours that work:

  • Albariño (Lodi, CA). Orange peel, coriander, and squash blossom, with a long mineral finish built for raw or lightly seared tuna.
  • Sauvignon Blanc (Lake County, CA). Guava and lime keep pace with the pickled vegetables without overwhelming the fish.
  • Riesling (Finger Lakes, NY). A touch of spice and tropical florality tempers the wasabi's heat rather than competing with it.
  • City Bubbles Cava (Penedés, Spain). Bubbles cut through the richness of the wasabi mayo and brioche, keeping the sandwich from feeling heavy.
  • Cotau "Kintsugi" Marsanne St. Joseph Blanc. Its own brioche note mirrors the bun, while stone fruit and fresh acidity keep pace with the pickled vegetables.
  • Roussanne Reserve (Alder Springs, Mendocino, CA). For the table that wants something richer, its apricot and baking spice stand up to the wasabi mayo rather than getting lost under it.

Hanger Steak — $31

Salsa rojo, elote corn salad, crispy tortilla.

Hanger steak has more character than a filet and more chew, which is the point. It wants a red with enough structure to match it and enough fruit to stand up to the salsa rojo's char and heat. Elote's sweetness and the crispy tortilla's crunch round the plate out into something built for a wine with real depth behind it.

Pours that work:

  • Cabernet Sauvignon (North Coast, CA). Dark currant, black cherry, and plum with mocha and espresso, built to meet a hanger steak on equal footing.
  • Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve (Eli Ridge Vineyard, Lake County, CA). Cassis, wild blackberry, and cedar, with the depth to match the dish's char.
  • Cabernet Sauvignon Signature Series (American Wine). Vanilla, nutmeg, and subtle whiskey character, the wine's own tasting note calls out beef as its pairing.
  • Zinfandel (Lodi, CA). Blackberry jam and nutmeg echo the char and the corn's sweetness at once.
  • Syrah (California Blend). Berry and semi-sweet chocolate notes for the table that wants something a little richer alongside the salsa's heat.

Find the Specials Near You

All four specials, the bruschetta, the calamari, the tuna sandwich, and the hanger steak, are on the menu at every City Winery location this September. Find your room:

Worth building a night around: a plate from this list, a glass poured to match, and whatever's on stage while you're at the table.

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