San Francisco and its immediate surrounds have never been more packed with places where a thirsty wine lover can sit down to a great glass of wine. Almost 20 years ago, I started keeping track of local wine bars, of which there were only a handful. Since then, that number has exploded to more than 60, and there are roughly 4,000 restaurants now. And, as the lean years of the pandemic fade into the rear-view mirror, wine lists are again showing variety and heft.
Even so, San Francisco proves to be something of a conundrum for those who wish to drink local. In a region known for all but inventing the farm-to-table dining movement in the US, the locavore ethos has curiously never managed to pervade the wine-drinking culture.
Nearly every wine list in the city will have some California wine on it, but only a few venues seem dedicated to featuring local wine. Instead, most lists mirror the city’s famously cosmopolitan qualities, offering amazing things to drink from the world’s best- (and least-) known wine regions, with only a small percentage (usually 5–15% of the wines on offer) from California. These lists are a delight for both the curious and the discerning wine lover, but they ultimately come at the expense of showcasing and supporting California’s thousands of wineries.
The first part of my monthly column for Jancis Robinson’s website has been made free to read this month, so read the full article introduction here.
The article is followed by my list of the best places to drink California wine in San Francisco, which is only available to subscribers.
My monthly column at JancisRobinson.Com, is available only to subscribers of her website. If you’re not familiar with the site, I urge you to give it a try. It’s only $135 a year (25% off for the holidays!), and well worth the cost, especially considering you basically get free, searchable access to the Oxford Companion to Wine ($65) and maps from the World Atlas of Wine ($50) as part of the subscription costs. Click here to sign up.
Photo at top of Greens Restaurant by Aubrie Pick, courtesy of the restaurant.
