Pairings & Pop Ups

03/21/2017

March PAIRINGS Conversation salon & wine taste off panel.

09/04/2016

More info at http://pairings.online

11/05/2015

Annoucement of next gathering to be posted shortly

01/26/2015

Jeff Hill at one of our pop ups. As the New York Times article notes he was very compelling and affable, a little like Bernie Madoff but more reckless behind the scenes.

Jeffry Hill is accused of passing off wine from surrounding counties as a Napa Valley product and of stealing the grapes of another winery. His company has filed for bankruptcy and is being shut.

01/17/2015

All that knitting

7up® has teamed up with Magda Sayeg, the pioneer of urban knitting to do what she does best – yarn bombing. Watch as she and her team transform an old London...

12/29/2014

I commend Rich Reader in his blog Vine Buzz for quoting wine director Gillian Balance on the importance of a wine's broad appeal--finding what Lynn Proctor, also present at the discussion, calls a "crowd pleaser." Ms. Balance comments that "a lot of times, with the house selection (meaning the consensus of the wait staff) at a resort property or at a multiple restaurant situation, I would get samples from all of my suppliers and vendors, and brown bag the varietals (into groups of flights)... and have everybody vote, so that all of the different palates pick what was the best in each flight. It's like it is in blind tasting competitions where your least geeky or nerdy wine will always win, because of its overall friendliness and flavor profile. That's how Australia got to be huge."
http://vinebuzz.biz/node/163

As someone who works for a winemaker, as well as someone who enjoys a good meal in a restaurant, it's fascinating for me to get a peak behind the curtain.

10/14/2014

GRAPES OF THE PAST ~ VINTNERS IN THE VAULTS

Unlimited Tasting of 50+ Wineries with Presentations on San Francisco Wine History.

Thursday, October 23, 2014 6:00 PM

The Old Mint Building
88 Fifth Street (at Mission) SF, CA 94103, San Francisco, CA (edit map)

Unlimited Tasting of 50+ Wineries with Presentations on San Francisco Wine History.

Here's the promo code to get you a 40% discount. Go to this site and use BAWS40 to receive this discount off a ticket. http://grapesofpast.eventbrite.com

The Eventbrite site also contains the list of wineries.

wine.coop will be pouring a curated selection of Sierra Foothill AVA wineries.

Come by the historic 1874 Old Mint for an evening of unlimited wine tasting and presentations on the history of wine in San Francisco and the City's historical importance as the urban center for a world-famous wine making region. Most of you know that San Francisco was once a major hub of wine production and commerce? Enjoy a glass of your favorite vino while exploring the Mint's vaults. Listen to tales about the thriving wine hub that the SOMA once was, and how the 1906 earthquake and fire changed everything. Learn about the Mechanics' Institute's 19th century Expositions and the importance those fairs played in promoting San Francisco wineries and hear the story of how and why California's oldest winery moved from San Francisco to Sonoma over 100 years ago.

Unlimited Wine Tasting from 50+ Wineries Souvenir Wine GlassHistorical Presentations on San Francisco Wine History Explore the historic 1874 Old Mint with Docents Vendors sampling chocolate, olive oil, etc.Live Music - Los Davids Food available for purchase - Grilled Cheez Guy, Sticks Goumet Corn Dogs, Raffle of wineBocce Ball And much more

Presentations 7pm: Wine Making In Early 1900's San Francisco - Presented by Matt Reidy of Bluxome Street Winery 7:20pm: Wines, Brandies, and Vinous Products at the Mechanics’ Institute’s Industrial Expositions 1857-1899 - Presented by Taryn Edwards of the Mechanic's Institutue Library 8:15pm - Gundlach-Bundschu - From Soma to Sonoma: a family history- Presented by Susan Sueiro of Gundlach Bundschu

05/19/2014

Just in time for the holiday season last year, Shopify decided to take Toronto by storm and partner with BlogTo to run Popify, a pop-up shop featuring a selection of curated products from some of ou

03/13/2014

March Wineness: Urban Wineries of San Francisco

Thursday, March 27th
6:00 PM to 8:30 PM
The Pickwick Hotel
85 5th Street, San Francisco, CA

Join us for our March mingle pop-up tasting of new releases crafted by San Francisco based wineries from both Treasure Island and SOMA paired with some nifty nibbles. Sample a range of wines from five artisan wineries. Vintners and reps will be present to pour. We'll also evaluate the vino to pick our favorites, plus bid on wines to raise funds for One Brick.

During the evening, We will
~hold a walk around sampling of releases from our guest wineries paired with an array of appetizers
~select favorite wines from the participating producers (see our blog describing some past 'competitions'),
~auction off "best of the best" wines from the Cabernet Shootout Challenge and Pinot Summit together with some whites and a selection of winery tours to raise some income for our designated charity
~utilize the ABC approved Third Party Provider system to sell wines being poured for attendees to take away or have shipped

Our monthly wine mingles seek to offer occasions for people to socialize over new and different releases. Why nurse a glass of a single varietal or be limited to a flight of three wines at a high-markup wine bar when for the same amount of money you can enjoy and learn about a range of wines while chatting with old and new friends and enjoying some nifty nibbles.

The 'citizen judge' tasting panel format is based on the premise that those who buy wines for dinner or a special occasion should evaluate current releases not the "gatekeepers" or tastemakers who "curate" wine selections.

We believe that a limited number of wines have an appeal to a cross section of different consumer palates, but less often please the refined tastes of the wine pros. We want to offer attendees the opportunity to decide on their choices which we believe represent the tastes of other consumers.

wine.coop donation: $40~members 1/2 off: $20 [nonmembers type in $40 in the shopping cart] Pay here: http://wine.coop/Events.php

Check out http://wine.coop!

03/08/2014

In my youth, now it's pairing with philanthropy...

Wine and S*x: The Ultimate Pairing?. In a wine culture obsessed with the idea of pairing, far too few people talk about the best complement to a nice glass of wine: s*x. Yes, that's right, forget grilled meats and Zinfandel, oysters and Champagne, the best combo I know of is a bottle of something go...

03/04/2014

From parks to playgrounds, many cities are finding creative uses for their defunct railways. With a new whimsical design, two designers in Paris...

02/09/2014

Happy new year everyone! I'm certainly happy to be back online and am ready to share some newly discovered favorites around the SF Bay Area. Starting off with the lovely Carrie of Half Hitch Goods ...