It’s coming up on August, and that means that one of the better wine stores in San Francisco, The Jug Shop, is doing their marathon of tastings across Italy. Every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday in August they will be holding tastings and events which will cover the whole of Italy.

In my opinion, the best way to learn about wine is to taste as many as possible, especially in settings like this where you can compare many different wines of the same varietal or region. So if you’re interested in learning more about Italian wines, the $10 you spend on these tastings will go a lot farther than a $125 course from somewhere else.

The schedule is as follows::

Italian Sparkling Wine
Friday, August 6th, 5:30-7:30

Umbria, Marche, Abruzzi & Latium
Saturday, August 7th, 4:00-7:00

Trentino, Alto Adige, Valle d’Aosta & Liguria
Thursday, August 12th, 5:30-7:30

Friuli Venezia Guilia; the Super Whites
Friday, August 13th, 5:30-7:30

Gala Tasting: The Enchanted Island of Sicily
Saturday, August 14th, 4:00″7:00 Italian Consulate
2590 Webster Street at Broadway
$35 per person (RSVP required)

The Wines of Terrabianca, with guest Maja Guldener
Thursday, August 19th, 5:30-7:30

A Variety of Wines from Veneto & Emilia-Romagna
Friday, August 20th, 5:30-7:30

Enotria, The Warmth of the South
Saturday, August 21st 4:00″7:00

Sardinia
Thursday, August 26th, 5:30″7:30

Piemonte, La Terra dil Barolo e Barbaresco
Friday, August 27th, 5:30-7:30

Tuscany, the Land of Cypress, Olive Trees and Rolling Hills
Saturday, August 28th, 4:00″7:00

Complete details are available here.