Are you ready for a slew of tastings and events? Tonight, ~BIONDIVINO~ has winemakers Dottore Emilio Rotolo from Friuli-Venezia Giulia (Volpe) and Salvatore Geraci (Palari) from Sicily's Mt. Etna area at the shop from 6pm–8pm. $10 tasting fee and a 15% case discount on the night of tasting. And then Sunday March 8th is a tasting with Bruno DeConciliis. 1415 Green St. at Polk, 415-673-2320.
Just around the corner, also tonight, ~THE JUG SHOP’S~ Floribeth Kennedy will host an exclusive after-hours winemaker tasting featuring current releases from the Tre Bicchiere award-winning wineries. Please note: many of the wines that have won a Tre Bicchiere for 2009 have not arrived in the U.S., so The Jug Shop will be pouring wines that represent the range and style from each of the participating award winners. You'll be able to chat with the winemakers in town for the Tre Bicchiere tasting that’s happening on Wednesday, and taste a few of their signature wines. In case you fall in love (with a wine, that is), there’s a 15% discount on any purchase of Italian wine made that evening. Here’s where to view the line-up. 9pm–11pm. $15 per person. An RSVP is essential—please call 415-885-2922 to secure your space. 1590 Pacific Ave. at Polk.
This made me laugh: this Thursday March 5th, ~CRUSHPAD~ is hosting the San Francisco premiere of the movie Merlove, a documentary that was made in response to the much-maligned merlot in Sideways. There will be fresh-popped corn, guest merlot producers from Judd's Hill and Blackbird Vineyards, and a special Crushpad merlot to taste. This event is also a BYOM event, so be sure to bring a bottle of your favorite merlot to share. $20 (seating is first come, first served). 6:30pm. You can read more and buy tickets here. 2573 Third St. at 23rd St.
I’m thrilled that my friend Jordan Mackay’s book on American pinot, ~PASSION FOR PINOT: A JOURNEY THROUGH AMERICA’S PINOT NOIR COUNTRY~ was just released. Jordan will be hosting an in-store and online tasting of American pinots on Saturday March 14th at The Jug Shop, while there will also be a Twitter Taste Live online wine tasting: a live video stream will allow tasting attendees to follow Mackay’s educational tour through the finest Pinot Noir regions of California and Oregon, and participants can also ask questions through the website’s real-time Twitter feed. Tasters must have a Twitter account in order to actively exchange questions and comments about the wines. The tasting is 5pm–7pm (PST). The real-life one costs $5—please RSVP by email only at info [at] jugshop [dot] com. 1590 Pacific Ave. at Polk.
Starting on March 14th, ~PRESS CLUB~ will host a new Saturday School program, an informal wine education series that will go on for five weeks (through April 11th). Five of the eight wineries at Press Club will host a Saturday School session and guide participants through a range of wine basics. The first session is with Landmark Vineyards, with a class on smelling basics. Each one-hour session will cost $20 and includes wine education, wine tasting, and some food offerings. For a complete list of participating wineries and details about classes, visit the site. Class begins at 1pm and lasts for approximately one hour. 20 Yerba Buena Ln. at Mission, 415-744-5000.
I enjoy ~METRO KATHMANDU~ owner Roshan KC’s passion for the wines he puts on his list, but in light of hard times, he is kind enough to offer BYOB for a pittance of a corkage fee (only $5) Sunday through Thursday throughout the months of March and April. 311 Divisadero St. at Page, 415-552-0903.
Here’s a happy hour for afternoon lushes to get happy about:Â ~RESTAURANT LULU~ is hosting one from 3pm–5:30pm Monday through Friday, with half-price on selected wines by the glass, beer, and spirits. They are also offering half price on mimosas and Bloody Marys on Saturday and Sunday brunch from 11:30am–3pm. 816 Folsom St. at 4th St., 415-495-5775.
~LUELLA~ restaurant is celebrating their four-year anniversary the entire month of March by offering $4 wines by the glass Monday through Friday. 1896 Hyde St. at Green, 415-674-4343.
La Cocina and Duggan McDonnell of Cantina are hosting a night called ~DOING TEQUILA RIGHT~ to celebrate, si, Tequila. Guests will learn about the history, brewing, distilling, and aging process of Tequila, taste a lot of different types, mix some cocktails, and of course eat fantastically: Mexican street food will be provided by El Huarache Loco. $80/person gets you the class. $110/person gets you the class and a goodie bag of La Cocina products. 70% of all ticket sales are tax-deductible. You can buy your tickets here. It all goes down on Monday March 9th, from 6:30pm–8:30pm. Cantina, 580 Sutter St. at Mason.
