You can’t get enough Pinot Noir can you? I know, I know, YOU enjoyed the grape long before that silly movie made it trendy, so don’t worry about defending your desire. It’s GOOD to want to drink Pinot all day, every day. And it’s even better to drink really high quality Pinot Noir. Which is why you might consider taking a couple hours next Saturday to attend one of the higher quality Pinot tastings in San Francisco.

There are a lot of different Pinot Noir festivals and tastings popping up everywhere in San Francisco, but one of those that has been going on the longest is an event known as PinotFest. Held each year at Farallon Restaurant, just up the street from Union Square, this even distinguishes itself from most of the others by being smaller, more focused, and accompanied by gourmet food.

PinotFest involves only 50 producers from both California and Oregon, many of which are from what I might describe as top-tier wineries. As a bonus, the tables are usually staffed by the winemakers or vineyard owners themselves. The low-key atmosphere and the tasty hors d’oeuvres make for quite a pleasant tasting experience that many find well worth the $100 admission price.

There aren’t many places that you can spend an afternoon tasting the likes of Domaine Drouhin, Domaine Serene, Flowers, Kosta Browne, Merry Edwards, Sea Smoke, Patz & Hall, Radio Coteau, and Peay Vineyards all within spitting distance of each other.

I’d be there, but I’ll be recovering from a minor medical procedure that will have me a bit groggy on Saturday afternoon. So go drink some Pinot for me.

Farallon PinotFest 2007
Saturday, November 17, 2007
3:00 PM to 6:00 PM
Farallon Restaurant
450 Post Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
415.956.6969

Tickets are $100 and should be purchased in advance (the event will sell out) by calling the restaurant, which is the easiest way to order. You can also purchase by fax using a form available on the event web site.