i will be the first person to tell you that while i may still be in love with the bay area, san francisco has never really done it for me.  i find it to be a little too grimy, the car break in rates too high and i will never understand the cost per square foot for apartments that are literally the size of a postage stamp.  after a 12 year love affair with the bay area, this past weekend may have just changed my mind about san francisco.

since i was already going to be in the bay for jason’s birthday, i wanted to be sure i carved out some time to see dana since we had not seen each other since summer.  dana might as well be a five star chef so i figured we would explore her new neighborhood in sf, cook a little something and just catch up.  when my friend stephanie hit me up about this wine event, i was intrigued but assumed it would not be doable.  when she said it was in sf, i figured i would ask dana if she were interested since she is a wine connoisseur.  i mapped it out perfectly.  if i got to the city by 11am, dana and i could have a couple of hours to catch up one on one before the event started and that is just what we did.  not only am i in love with dana’s new neighborhood, i am in love with this event.

let’s be honest – i am not the type to ever say no to wine tasting but this was on another level.  now, stephanie had already been to this event a few years ago at a different location in the bay.  i have the best time with stephanie and i trust her completely so i would literally follow her off of a cliff because it is guaranteed to be a good time and we would miraculously make it back.

*a special thank you to stephanie for bring so many amazing women together

now let’s talk about the event.

if asked to describe this event in five words i would say: fun, overwhelming, beautiful, delicious, short.  it was fun both because i went with an amazing group of girls and because the people we met selling wine were truly passionate about their brands.  it was overwhelming because there were over 100 different wineries there.  it was beautiful because it was a 70 degree day with clear skies and a view of golden gate bridge.  it was delicious because you get to try as many wines as your heart desires and you can double back if you really love something.  i left having purchased five bottles (which we will get into later).  and it was short – even with us arriving within 10 minutes of the event start time, three hours did not seem like quite enough time to explore all of the tables i wanted to.  now, stephanie bought us the mid range tickets which gave us access to two private rooms which were much easier to navigate.  when we went to the center room, it was jam packed.  i found that to be a bit much but still thought it was worth it and purchased wine from all three rooms.  the cheapest ticket does not provide access to the two private ate rooms and the most expensive ticket grants you access to a balcony upstairs to drink on.  even if we had that ticket, i don’t think we would have ever made it up!

the two photos above are from the calmer rooms (vip) whereas the two below are from the main room.

okay.  onto the wine that i purchased.  you are going to notice that the photos are taken in a variety of places.  this is because i was only able to take three of my five purchases back with me to la because i did not want to exceed the 50 pound weight limit southwest has for luggage.  now, i am eerily good at guessing the weight of my suitcase.  my thought was that i would pack two of the bottles, drink the mini bottle en route to the airport and leave the other two at dana’s apartment because i know she will drive to la for winter break and i can just retrieve them then.  this ended up being a great decision because at the airport, my suitcase was EXACTLY (yes, i just used caps) 50 pounds.  the guy checking my bag even showed his coworker and was like, “she’s done this before.”

the back of beyond 2015 pinot grigio and holme estate cellars 2016 rosé were must haves.  i loved them so much that i knew i needed to pack them to bring home to la with me because i did not want to wait until december to be reunited with them.  both were crisp and light but with a substantial alcohol content.  i eat a ton of seafood and knew both of these would pair excellently.

what drew me to the usual rosé was that the bottle resembled a beaker.  naturally, someone that works at a school appreciates this nerdy shit.  i also decided that i needed a glass of wine en route to the airport and that this would be the perfect to go drink.  i loved how much of the berries and rhubarb i could taste and will definitely be going online to order more.

taylor treated me to a bottle of spanish white wine by albariño eleusis.  it was so fruity, subtly sweet and just tasted like summer.  while i loved this one, with the weather finally cooling down, i knew i did not have to have it immediately.  now, these cans of rosé.  people hate on canned wine and they should not when it tastes this delightful.  baca’s ring around the rosé is just to die for.  what i love is that it comes in a four pack which is the equivalent of two full bottles.  it is perfect for a picnic or a to go drink since you won’t need a wine opener and because it is in aluminum, it is as cold as wine can be without placing it in the freezer.  while i thought about trying to pack these, i resisted the urge.  dana is keeping both of the above safe for me until the holidays.

i was able to get all of the wine you see pictured above for under $100 – some wineries were even doing a 2 for 1 special.  every single station we went to had friendly and knowledgeable people.  i am already counting down until next year’s event.

have you been to this event or one like it?  i would love to hear about your experience.

xoxo,

k. tap