Rhone Rangers Tasting 2011: March 26-27, San Francisco

I love watching the green buds burst forth on the trees this time of year, hard on the heels of the cherry blossoms. Yes, it's California, so the barest hint of any season gets me excited, but especially Spring. And with Spring in San Francisco comes lots of wine tasting events, and a few really good ones.

The Annual Rhone Rangers Tasting in San Francisco is certainly one of the Spring highlights for wine lovers in the Bay Area. Held at Fort Mason, like all the other big tastings, Rhone Rangers offers the change for wine lovers to taste through a vast field of Syrah, Grenache, Viognier, and many other varietals and blends that fall under the general banner of Rhone-style wines.

I adore these wines, and this is always a great tasting event. I highly recommend it to anyone, especially those that might be stuck in a Cabernet rut (or a Merlot, Chardonnay, or Sauvignon Blanc rut for that matter). There's a lot more out there in the wine world, and this tasting will provide a heck of an education to anyone looking to explore alternatives to such varieties.

And of course, for those who are crazy for Rhone-style wines, then there's a whole weekend of activities, including seminars, a winemaker dinner, and of course the grand tasting on Sunday morning with more than 100 producers and more than 30 local food artisans and purveyors. Complete details can be found on the event web site. The site also includes a list of wineries that will be pouring.

2011 Rhone Rangers Grand Tasting
Sunday, March 27th
2:00 PM to 5:00 PM
Fort Mason Festival Pavilion
Buchanan Street and Marina Blvd
San Francisco, CA

Tickets to the grand tasting are $45 in advance (a $15 drop from last year), and should be purchased online. Use the promo code PRT01 when you register to get $5 off the grand tasting or $10 off the combination ticket if you're going to a seminar.

And remember my tips for optimum enjoyment at public tastings: wear dark, comfortable clothes; get a good night's sleep; come with food in your belly; drink lots of water; and SPIT !

Posted by: Alder on March 7, 2011 8:09 PM: Tweet; Share this post elsewhere: Digg it! - Add to del.icio.us - Add to Stumbleupon - Add to Reddit; Filed under: Wine Activities

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Comments (1)

Steve Howe wrote:

03.12.11 at 8:46 AM

I'm looking forward to my first Rhone Rangers Tasting. Thanks for the tips for optimum enjoyment at public tastings. Never thought about wearing dark clothing...definitely a good idea!