There are more wine events than you can shake a stick at these days in San Francisco, which is a great thing. But not all public wine tasting events are created equal. Leaving aside all the organizational stuff, which can sometimes make or break a tasting, what really distinguishes the best tasting events ends up being the quality of the wines on offer.
Which is why the West of West wine festival that is held each August up in Sonoma County is one of my favorite tasting events. So many of the wines, all from the far western edge of the Sonoma Coast are great, I wander around their event like a kid in a candy store.
Of course, attending the event means schlepping up to Sonoma County, and if you want to participate in the whole event, finding someplace to stay overnight in or near the small town of Sebastopol, which can be a challenge without a lot of advance planning.
But not anymore.
The West of West festival is bringing the Pinot to you! For the first time the festival will hold a tasting in San Francisco. It won’t be as extensive an affair as the multi-day event they put on up north each year, but it will be chock full of seriously killer Pinot Noir, excellent Chardonnay, and a smattering of other things that grow in the cool reaches of the coast.
If you’re a Pinot lover, this is a tasting you won’t want to miss out on. Participating wineries include: Alma Fria, Baker Lane Vineyards, Banshee, Benziger Family Winery, Ceritas, Claypool Cellars, Cobb Wines, CrossBarn Winery, Domaine Della, DuMOL, Ernest Vineyards, Failla Wines, Flowers Vineyards & Winery, Fort Ross Vineyard & Winery, Freeman Vineyard & Winery, Furthermore Pinot Noir, Gregory James Wines, Gros Ventre Cellars, Hartford Family Winery, Hirsch Vineyards, Joseph Phelps Vineyards, La Pitchoune Winery, Lattanzio Wines, LIOCO Wine Co., Littorai Wines, MacPhail Family WInes, MacRostie Winery & Vineyards, Martinelli Winery, Peay Vineyards, Red Car Wine, Senses Wines, Small Vines Wines, Sojourn Cellars, Soliste, Three Monkeys Wine, Wayfarer, Wild Ridge Vineyards.
In addition to the general public tasting, they will be holding a library and barrel tasting event for VIP ticket holders starting at 5:00 PM. The general tasting begins at 6:30
West of West Wine Festival Comes to San Francisco!
Thursday May 19th
6:30 PM to 8:30 PM
The Golden Gate Club at The Presidio
135 Fisher Loop, San Francisco, CA 94129 (Map)
Tickets will run you $85.39 for the general admission and $127.59 for the VIP session. Purchase them in advance online.
Parking in the Presidio is pretty easy as long as you don’t have your heart set on parking at the Golden Gate Club, whose parking lot is puny. Go with food in your belly, dark clothes to avoid stains, and spit so you can try as many yummy wines as you care to without falling over.
