July 22, 2008

Yo winos, Pietro di Mastro Berardino is in the house! Well, kind of. ~MASTROBERARDINO~ is Campania's most renowned winery, established in the 1750s by winemaker Pietro di Mastro Berardino. Pietro was awarded the professional title of 'Mastro' as testament to his skills in quality winemaking, a tradition that has continued uninterrupted for ten generations, and one that still continues today. Located in the town of Altripalda, in the ancient region of Irpinia, this family-based firm has long championed the indigenous varieties of this region: aglianico, falanghina, fiano, piedirosso, greco, and coda di volpe. Today, Mastroberardino is universally acknowledged to have been the most important guardian of the ancient winemaking heritage of Campania. And Stephan Moccia from Mastroberardino Winery will be here, for a tasting at Biondivino Wine Boutique on Monday July 28th from 6pm–8pm. He will be pouring a selection of eight wines from the estate/$15 tasting fee. 1415 Green St. at Polk, 415-673-2320.

Courtney Cochran of ~HIP TASTES~ has a new event coming up on Friday August 15th at Pink: Rock & Roll. There will be rock (think Poison, AC/DC, Van Halen, Def Leppard), and rolls (sushi of all stripes) paired with wine, a summer-appropriate lineup of sparkling, pink, and white wines all well suited to sushi. The tasting runs from 7pm–9pm, then moving into dance party mode from 9pm–10pm. Actually, you can stay later than 10pm and rock out some more at Pink since your ticket scores you admission to the club. The three Hip Tasters who roll with the most rock style will be selected as "best dressed" and receive a free gift. $30 online, $40 at the door. Order tickets. 7pm–10pm. Pink, 2925 16th St. at South Van Ness.

Over at ~DISTRICT~, wine director Caterina Mirabelli (a certified Level III sommelier) is busy launching a couple new events. First is Saturday brunch, which includes two hours of wine education and tasting. Brunch will include house-made frittatas, roasted red potatoes, and all-you-can-drink mimosas and Bellinis. The first is this Saturday July 26th: Wine Class 01: Terroir. In this class, you will learn about terroir (soil, climate) and how it ultimately affects the wine you taste. You'll get your hands dirty with soil samples, discuss microclimates, and review the different irrigation techniques winemakers use to make the best wine in their region. And of course, a tasting! Once the class work is done, you will participate in a blind tasting to see how well you can pair the wine with the terroir. Class size is limited to 15, and the class is pretty full, but there are more classes on 8/2, and 8/9. $75. Order tickets. 216 Townsend St. at 3rd St., 415-896-2120.

Mirabelli also has a new wine education series called “L’ecole du Vin.” This two-hour class is geared for business professionals who want to fine-tune their confidence when ordering wine in business dining situations. The class will teach the nuances of specific wine regions, which wines pair best with particular foods, how to deal comfortably with reserve lists and wine directors, wine etiquette and techniques, dessert wines and how to order and pair them with food, how to return “bad” wine at a restaurant, and how to order wine for a group. $75 per person (wine only), or $100 per person (wine and food pairing). By reservation only. Classes can be held at District or a daytime location of your choice.