These days, with a newborn, I don’t get out to many large tasting events, but one I decided I shouldn’t miss this year was the annual Golden Glass tasting in San Francisco a couple of weeks ago. This tasting is an annual fundraiser for Slow Food USA, and has been called the best single wine tasting event in San Francisco by more than a few wine lovers I know. In addition to having a reputation for pouring a lot of great wine (mostly Italian) the Slow Food focus attracts many of the top artisan food producers and restaurants from around the Bay Area. So the snacks are pretty good.

Generally the Golden Glass is on a weekend that conflicts with many other wine tasting events for me, so I often don’t get a chance to attend, but this year I carved a couple of hours out of my schedule to wander the hall and check out what the event had to offer.

While past years have been almost exclusively Italian in focus, this year a significant number of producers from New Zealand were on hand, as well as smatterings of other regions like Australia, Spain, Germany, and Argentina. I cruised these areas, and after a little consideration, decided to focus my tasting efforts on the Italian contingent (which still made up more than 60% of the wine being poured).

After all the hype about this tasting from folks I know in the business, I have to say I was disappointed in the quality of the wines. That goes for both the Italians, which I tasted, and the rest of the producers, many of whom I was familiar with. Don’t get me wrong there was plenty of good wine there. But there wasn’t a lot of amazing wine being poured. Compared to the Tre Bicchieri tasting, held about two month’s earlier, this tasting was lackluster. However, there were some excellent wines to be found amongst a crowd of decent ones, so my scores follow below.

The food at the event was definitely some of the best I’ve had at any public wine tasting event, and might alone be worth the $50 entrance fee.

WHITE WINES

WHITE WINES WITH A SCORE AROUND 9.5
2006 Cantina Prod. San Pauls Sauvignon Passion. $35

WHITE WINES SCORING BETWEEN 9 AND 9.5
2004 Barone Pizzini/Pievalta Verdicchio Castelli Jesi Class. San Paolo Pievalta. $30
2006 D’Antiche Terre Greco di Tufo. $21

WHITE WINES WITH A SCORE AROUND 9
2007 Caprai Grecante Grechetto Colli Martani . $??
2007 Cornarea Roero Arneis. $26
2006 Pierpaolo Pecorari Sauvignon, Kolaus. $32
2005 Primosic Collio Ribolla Gialla di Oslavia Riserva. $20
2007 Ronco dei Tassi Malvasia Collio. $25
2007 Ronco dei Tassi Sauvignon Collio. $25
2007 San Michele Appiano Alto Adige Sauvignon Sanct Valentin. $45

WHITE WINES SCORING BETWEEN 8.5 AND 9
2007 Castello di Neive Roero Arneis. $16
2006 Collavini Broy Bianco Collio . $??
2003 Collavini Ribolla Gialla Brut. $35
2006 D’Antiche Terre Fiano d’Avellino. $21
NV Gigante Schiopettino Cof. $32
NV Gigante Pinot Grigio Cof. $25
2006 La Boatina Pinot Grigio Collio. $25
NV Livon Braide Alte. $30
2006 Marchesi Incisa della Rocchetta Roero Arneis . $??
2006 Marotti Campi Verdicchio Castelli di Jesi Classico Salmariano. $16
2006 Marotti Campi Verdicchio Castelli di Jesi Classico Luzano. $18
2004 Primosic Collio Bianco KLIN. $35

WHITE WINES WITH A SCORE AROUND 8.5
2006 Barone Pizzini/Pievalta Verdicchio Castelli Jesi Class sup. Pievalta. $19
NV Gigante Friulano Cof. $25
2007 Livon Ribolla Gialla. $28
2006 Pierpaolo Pecorari Pinot Grigio, Olivers. $32
2006 Pierpaolo Pecorari Pinot Grigio. $30
2006 Primosic Collio Pinot Grigio Murno. $16

WHITE WINES SCORING BETWEEN 8 AND 8.5
2006 Accomo – Bricco Majolica Langhe Bianco

WHITE WINES WITH A SCORE AROUND 8
NV Barone Pizzini/Pievalta Franciacorta Brut Barone Pizzini. $37
2006 Busso – La Badia Moscato d’Asti. $20
NV Livon Tiareblu. $25

RED WINES

RED WINES SCORING BETWEEN 9 AND 9.5
2001 Prunotto Barbaresco Bric Turot DOCG. $90
2001 Prunotto Costamiole Barbera D’Asti. $70
2005 Prunotto Mompertone Monferrato. $28

RED WINES WITH A SCORE AROUND 9
2007 Cantina Prod. San Pauls Pinot Bianco Ploetzner. $25
2000 Cascina Adelaide Barolo Riserva Per Elen. $105
2004 Cascina Adelaide Barolo Riserva Vigna Preda. $100
2003 D’Antiche Terre Taurasi DOCG. $40
2003 Il Molino di Grace Gratius. $50
NV La Montagnetta Rosato Ciaret . $??
2003 Marchesi Incisa della Rocchetta Barbera d’Asti Superiore Sant’Emiliano . $??
2006 Marotti Campi Lacrima di Morro D’Alba Orgiolo. $22
2004 Podere Ruggeri Corsini Barolo Corsini. $45

RED WINES SCORING BETWEEN 8.5 AND 9
2004 Attilio Ghisolfi Barolo Bricco Visette . $??
2004 Cantina del Pino Barbaresco Ovello. $50
2004 Cascina Adelaide Barolo Fossati. $85
2004 Cascina Adelaide Barolo Riserva Cannubi. $84
2003 Fornacina Brunello di Montalcino DOCG . $??
2003 Il Molino di Grace Chianti Classico Riserva. $30
2006 La Montagnetta Freisa Bugianen
2003 San Michele Appiano Alto Adige Lagrein Sanct Valentin. $45
2003 Tenuta Caparzo /Borgo Scopeto Brunello di Montalcino Caparzo. $50
2004 Valle Reale Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Valle Reale. $21
2003 Valle Reale Montepulciano d’Abruzzo San Calisto. $38

RED WINES WITH A SCORE AROUND 8.5
2006 Accomo – Bricco Majolica Dolcetto Diano Sori’ Bricco Maiolica. $20
2005 Attilio Ghisolfi Barbera d’Alba Vigna Lisi . $??
2004 Caprai Sagrantino di Montefalco Collepiano . $??
2005 Caprai Rosso di Montefalco . $??
2006 Cascina Adelaide Barbera d’Alba Vigna Preda. $36
2003 D’Angelo Aglianico del Vulture Caselle. $35
2005 Fornacina Rosso di Montalcino . $??
2004 Le Fonti Chianti Classico Riserva. $45
2007 Marotti Campi Rubico . $??
2006 Poderi San Lazzaro Sangiovese Polesio. $18
2005 Poderi San Lazzaro Grifola. $60
2004 San Michele Appiano Alto Adige Pinot Nero Sanct Valentin. $45
2003 Sassotondo Ciliegiolo Riserva San Lorenzo . $??
2007 Sassotondo Rosso Maremma Toscana . $??
2006 Valle Reale Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Vigne Nuove. $15

RED WINES SCORING BETWEEN 8 AND 8.5
2006 Cantina Prod. San Pauls Lagrein Gries. $28
2004 Castello di Neive Barbaresco Riserva Santo Stefano. $50
2006 Castello di Neive Pinot Nero I Cortini. $30
2003 Le Fonti Fontissimo. $60
2006 Poderi San Lazzaro Rosso Piceno Superiore Poderi 72. $20

RED WINES WITH A SCORE AROUND 8
2004 Accomo – Bricco Majolica Nebbiolo Cumot. $28
2003 Busso – La Badia Barbera d’Asti Clotilde. $28
2006 Cantina del Pino Nebbiolo Langhe. $20
2005 Cascina La Corte Barbera d’Asti La Grissa . $??
2005 Cornarea Roero. $32
2003 D’Angelo Canneto Rosso Basilicata. $28
2006 D’Angelo Sacravite Rosso Basilicata. $18
2005 Le Fonti Chianti Classico. $30
2005 Podere Ruggeri Corsini Langhe. $20
2007 Ronco dei Tassi Collio Rosso Cjarandon. $25