Many people, especially anyone who considers themselves a foodie, have heard of Slow Food, the Italian organization dedicated to preserving and celebrating artisan food and food culture. But fewer have heard of Slow Wine, that same organization’s push in recent years to celebrate wine. Just as for food, Slow Wine produces a guide to Italian wine that highlights producers who not only make excellent wine, but those who go further in adopting and promoting ecological approaches in their vineyards and cellars.

What criteria the guide uses, I’m not sure. Nor do I know exactly which wines are recommended. But there’s an easy way to find out. In the course of promoting their new guidebook, the Slow Wine folks are bringing more than 70 producers to San Francisco for a tasting that is open to the public.

And it is almost certainly worth attending. I’ve asked for, but haven’t received the list of producers that will be attending (I’ll post them in the comments if I ever do), but it’s quite likely they are smaller organic and biodynamic wine producers from all over Italy. And if you’re like me, that sounds like a pretty good time.

Sadly, I won’t be in town for this event, but you should go.

2014 Slow Wine Guide Tasting
Monday, January 27, 2014
6:00 PM to 8:30 PM
Terra Gallery
511 Harrison Street
San Francisco, CA 94105 (map)

Tickets for the event run $45, plus tax and fees, which is a pretty good deal compared to some of the more popular public wine tastings in the city these days. They should be purchased in advance online.

My usual tips for such public tastings: go with food in your stomach and after a good night’s sleep; wear dark clothes in the event of unforeseen splashes; drink lots of water; and spit out most of the wine so you can remember what you liked the next day.