Wine Tasting in San Francisco

For dad’s 83 birthday he wanted to celebrate in one of his favorite cities, San Francisco, so we made it happen. We booked cheap tickets on Southwest airlines when they had their $69 special (each way) and booked our favorite hotel Villa Florence with an awesome discounted price at booking.com. My sister booked at the Nikko hotel around the corner, also using http://www.booking.com.

I told my boyfriend that while we were there I had homework to do for my class at SDSU College of Extended Studies. He said “we are on vacation, can’t you do that later?” I said “I have to go wine tasting for my homework.” He said “Ohh, Ok I can help!” My class is “Exploring Wines” in the Business of Wine Certificate program.

So having one day free for the “homework” I searched yelp (I plan everything with my iphone apps) and picked 3 wine tasting bars to visit.

The Winery is across the bay from San Francisco on Treasure Island is at 200 California Ave NOT 200 California Street. Why do I mention this? Because that afternoon we got in a cab to go to The Winery and I told the cabby to take us to 200California Street, which in fact is Charles Schwab, not a winery. So after standing on that corner for 5 minutes trying to figure out where this place was supposed to be, I looked closer at the address in my yelp app and hailed another cab to go across the bay bridge to The Winery.

It was drizzling when we arrived so we were ready to get warmed up with a bold cabernet. This place is huge, inside a former airline hanger, and a popular event venue for weddings and special parties or dinners. We shared a few tastes and liked the cabernet the best.

Bryan Kane formerly at Vie and Sol Rouge is the “next Generation of cult winemakers” according to Sommelier magazine and is now “making wine in the field” at Winery SF (Winery-SF.Com).

Next we went back across the bay to Bluxome Street Winery in artsy SOMA neighborhood, passing the very popular wine shop K & L Wine Merchants. Tucked away in a quaint alley, I was captivated by the decor at Bluxome: urban, prohibition, functional, rustic. Here we learned that winemaking in this region started in San Francisco, not Napa or Sonoma as one might think. Prior to the earthquakes in 1906 there were over 120 wineries and cellars in SOMA, which then was called South of the Slot, home to scoundrals, artists, and the good old working man. The wines were tasty and I liked the Russian River Syrah. Check before you go though as they were planning a rennovation. http://www.bluxomewinery.com/

Next we went to nearby District Wine Lounge to find an eclectic parlor with an impressive wine list. Luckily it wasn’t crowded when we got there at 4pm because it took me three tries to find where I wanted to sit, settling on the couches in the back (a good area for our friends with a baby and stroller who were meeting us there). It was also hard for me to choose between the “Uninhibited Reds” and the “Bordeaux Blends” flights so ordered both! The Chateau Dupa Merlot/cab blend from Merdoc France was my favorite. By the time we left at 730pm all seats were full! Www.districtsf.com

A grueling (fun) day of homework, learning about old and new world wines in the historic wine region of San Francisco California. For the birthday dinner, dad picked an inviting italian restaurant Brindisi on Belden Place (another quaint alleyway full of delicious restaurants).

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