There aren’t many “secret” public wine tastings in San Francisco, but for several years, the Golden Glass tasting was about as close as you could get to a “wine insiders” tasting. Historically under-promoted, and generally not well attended, this tasting is often described as the single best public wine tasting in San Francisco. I’m not sure that’s true, but it certainly is one of the better ones.

This event, which is a fundraiser for Slow Food USA, has focused almost exclusively on small Italian wine producers — apropos of the fact that Slow Food was founded in Italy. In recent years, however, they have added some more international wineries, including a good number of New Zealand producers. You can see the full list of participating wineries on the event web site.

As one might expect, the food at this event is local, and quite good. From Perbacco to A16 to Blue Bottle Coffee, this event will showcase some of the best artisan food purveyors in the Bay Area. I usually recommend to readers that they show up to public tastings with a full stomach, but this is one event where you might make sure to leave a little room for snacks.

So if you love good food and good wine, and don’t have a lot going on the third Sunday in June, I highly recommend checking out this tasting.

2009 Golden Glass Tasting
Sunday June 21st, 2:00 PM – 6:00 PM
The Festival Pavilion, Fort Mason
San Francisco, CA 94123

Tickets are $60 for members of the public (discounted for members of Slow Food and other associated organizations) and should be purchased in advance online.

My usual tips for public tastings: get a good night’s sleep; drink lots of water; dress in dark clothing; eat along the way; and if you want to enjoy yourself AND learn something….SPIT!