Get the Details about SJC's Newest Wine-Tasting Room

Randy Fisher has been traveling the globe, collecting treasured bottles of wine for nearly 20 years.

So it’s a dream come true for the healthcare manager that he open .

He and his new bride, Suzy Fairchild, went before the Planning Commission Tuesday to get the final city approvals on their news digs, the former  outlet across from the .

It will be called Five Vines to represent the size of their family, and the Rancho Santa Margarita couple promises it won’t be pretentious.

“I’m not a swirler or a sniffer,” Fairchild said. “I always feel uncomfortable, like I’m doing it wrong.

Fisher said the 33-seat tasting room will offer wines from about 40 boutique wineries – the kind you can’t find at or – and a selection of beers.

“Oftentimes, they’re traveling with a non-wine drinker, so we’re offering beer tasting to serve that population,” Fisher told the Planning Commission, which unanimously approved the plans.

Another wine-tasting room and mini-vineyard will soon be opening at , just north of downtown. Meanwhile, two other wine bars have come and went in recent history, Mission Winery in 2003 and Napa Valley Wine Bar in 2006.

After the hearing, Fisher said they chose San Juan because they love the proximity to the train depot and being in the heart of a true downtown.

"Downtowns are few and far between," Fairchild added.

She hopes to offer cheese, dried fruits, nuts and chocolate at Five Vines. She’d love to put baskets together so that those traveling by train to Del Mar can take a picnic basket with them, and offer these same types of baskets when there are concerts in the park.

The wines themselves will be mostly in the $20 and under range, Fisher added.

Now the only thing left is the license to sell alcohol. They’re shooting for an Oct. 22 grand opening, their first-year anniversary.