Largest Public Tasting in the World - San Francisco Wine Chronicle Wine Competition

Take the BART to BACCHUS (roman god of wine)

The San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition Invites the General Public to Indulge Their Senses in Award-Winning Wines and Gourmet Foods

For Immediate Release
Media Contact: Frances Larose
650.548.6700 / flarose@prmagic.com

(San Francisco, January 2014) --- Without the proper knowledge, wine pairing can be a difficult, esoteric process. With a myriad of wines to choose from, a person might make the wrong selection when choosing a chardonnay, instead of a pinot grigio, to go with his or her meal. To help educate the public, and showcase thousands of award-winning wines from across the country, the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition presented by BevMo! returns to the Fort Mason Center February 16th to host its annual Public Tasting.

Today, there is at least one commercial winery in every state of the U.S., including Hawaii and Alaska. Between 1999 and 2010, the number of wineries increased dramatically from 2,688 to 6,668[1]. Today, over 1 million acres of our nation’s land is dedicated to the cultivation of grapes and California alone produces over 17 million gallons of wine annually[2],[3]. With that kind of astounding growth year after year, the annual Public Tasting informs every one of the latest and greatest wines available.  

In addition, the Pubic Tasting provides an incomparable array of the country’s finest wines that can be enjoyed while gazing at the sweeping views of the Golden Gate Bridge, Marin County and the San Francisco Bay. Gourmet food (website www.savorcalifornia.com) will provide delicious hand-crafted creations from premier artisan food purveyors, including artisan breads, savory meats, exotic oils, hand crafted cheeses, delicious desserts, floral jams, sumptuous sauces, and other fabulous creations provided by the California Culinary Academy.

The SFCWC sets the standards for the year by choosing renowned judges to award wines that are truly exceptional. This year, 60 judges from across the country bring their knowledge, passion and trained palates to determine the fates of more than 5,500 entries and this event will allow the public to discover new ways to experience wine. Unpretentious and fun, the Public Tasting encourages everyone to come together, learn, and indulge their taste buds.

The 2013 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition is grateful to their Presenting Sponsor BevMo! and their media sponsors, SF Gate.com, KGO Newstalk AM810, NBC Bay Area, and Wine & Spirits Magazine for their sponsorship and support, as well as to American AgCredit and Hilton Fisherman’s Wharf for their involvement.

WHAT:	San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition Public Tasting, presented by BevMo!
WHEN:	Saturday, February 16, 2013
WHERE:	Festival Pavilion, Fort Mason Center, San Francisco
TIME:	2pm – 5pm
COST:	$70 Advance Purchase, $85 at the door (if admittance is available)
INFO:	For tickets and information, visit www.winejudging.com.

Please direct all press inquiries to The Larose Group at 650.548.6700, or to flarose@prmagic.com

WHERE TO STAY:  Embassy Suites Walnut Creek is next to the Pleasant Hill Station BART station. 

Embassy Suites Walnut Creek is offering a menu of special offers to take Bart to Bacchus that include:

• Free cooked to order breakfast
• Free weekend parking (certain packages)
• Evening Reception with complimentary drinks and snacks
• Two Room Suite
• Free hotel shuttle to downtown Walnut Creek
• Fitness Center
• Indoor Pool and Whirlpool

Click here for the list of Walnut Creek Special Offers and take the BART to BACCHUS to enjoy the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition 

California Weekend Getaway - Berkeley, CA

Berkeley, California Weekend Getaway

How to Spend a Day or a Weekend in Berkeley

By Betsy Malloy, About.com Guide

Town and "gown" grew up together in Berkeley, California, the famous university and town being founded in the same year. Today, Berkeley is home to an interesting mix of academia, '60s hippies and ethnic enclaves. In a single day, you can buy a lava lamp, a snake's skeleton or a live snake; attend award-winning theater and symphony performances or a tribal music concert, and dine on anything from authentic Indian curries to the highest of cuisines.

Why Should You Go? Will You Like Berkeley?

• Get a Preview: Take a look at our Berkeley Pictures
• Berkeley is popular with arts lovers, shoppers and foodies.

Best Time to Go to Berkeley

Berkeley weather is about the same as in San Francisco, but it may be somewhat less foggy in summer. The area around the university is livelier during the school year, and Telegraph Avenue is best on weekends. The Berkeley area will be busy, and hotels full, during homecoming and graduation weekends. Parking places get quite scarce when the football or basketball teams are playing at home.

5 Great Things to Do in Berkeley

Normally, we single out one thing that you shouldn't miss during a day trip or weekend getaway, but there's too much to do in Berkeley and the don't-miss attraction depends on what your interests are.

• University of California at Berkeley: Visitor services offers guided campus tours, or explore on your own. You can even download an podcast tour and listen to it on your MP3 player. Highlights include Sather Tower (The Campanile) which has sweeping views of the surroundings, campus museums and the Pacific Film Archives. Cross Bancroft Avenue on Telegraph Avenue for a lively weekend street market scene, populated with the full range of Berkeley shoppers: local characters, students and gawking tourists.
• Food-Lovers' Mecca: Besides the dining spots mentioned below, try Takara Sake for a new twist on wine-tasting: theirs is sake (rice wine). Cooks shouldn't miss Berkeley Bowl, with a produce department the size of a parking lot, offering up to 20 kinds of apples and a dozen varieties of eggplant..
• Family Fun: Everyone seems to love the full-sized Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton on display at the Valley Life Sciences Building on the university campus and over on 5th street, reptile-loving kids will like the East Bay Vivarium, one of the largest reptile specialty stores in the country. For more hands-on type science fun, we found bunches of kids having a great time at the Lawrence Hall of Science, which also boasts great views from its hillside location. And while you're up there, how about a stop in Tilden Park to ride the carousel?
• Performing Arts: This theatre-loving writer discovered Berkeley Rep about the same time the Tony Awards folks did. It won their award for regional theatre in 1997 and has exported 7 of its productions to New York in the past 7 years. Cal Performances hosts a wide range of performers in all the arts.
• Shopping: City government resists the incursion of chain stores so successfully that local residents may have to go out of town just to buy pillowcases. Their inconvenience is a shopper's bonanza: interesting local boutiques cluster along exciting shopping streets all over town. Some of the best include Fourth Street (best for outlet shopping), Solano Avenue and Elmwood (don't miss Ici Ice Cream here).
• Golden Gate Fields: November through April, you can watch the horses run at the track just north of town.

• Where to Stay: 

• Only 15 minutes away from the center of Berkeley, CA is the Embassy Suites Walnut Creek .  The perfect location to enjoy our Broadway Plaza Shopping Package that includes:

• $25 Visa gift card
• Free Parking
• California Shoppers survival kit - discount coupons to area stores
• Free cooked to order breakfast
• Evening Reception with complimentary drinks and snacks
• Two Room Suite
• Free hotel shuttle in 3 mile radius of the hotel

Call 1-925-934-2500 or Click Here to reserve
California Weekend Getaway

The Gardens at Heather Farm

2013 SPEAKER SERIES

Event Schedule:
Doors Open at 7 p.m.
Presentation Begins Promptly at 7:30 p.m.
Reception and book signing follows at 8:30 p.m.

Tickets:
GHF Member Single Tickets: $30 each
Non-Member Single Tickets: $35 each

To order, click on register now below, call (925) 947-1678 or send an email to reservations@gardenshf.org.

MATTHEW LEVESQUE 

"The Revolutionary Yardscape: Creative Solutions For Garden Design"
Thursday, January 24, 2013

A pioneer in the art of using recycled materials in cutting-edge garden design, Matthew Levesque is the program director and master of recycled art at the nonprofit San Francisco company Building Resources and its side project, The Red Shovel Glass Company. Matthew uses his design skills and background in building to divert reusable materials from landfills and provide inspiring ways of transforming them into useful and beautiful landscape projects. His popular book, The Revolutionary Yardscape, is now in its second printing. Have you designed and built garden projects using repurposed materials? Bring them to share! We'll have small objects and photographs of larger projects on display.

 

SAXON HOLT

"Light In The Garden"Thursday, February 28, 2013

Saxon Holt has combined his career as a photographer with a lifelong love of gardening. His work has appeared in dozens of books and gardening magazines. His images are in demand from publishers worldwide and he has worked for magazines as diverse as Pacific Horticulture and Architectural Digest. He is best known locally for his work as principal photographer of East Bay Municipal Utility District’s seminal book, Plants and Landscapes for Summer-Dry Climates, and has photographed eleven books, including The American Meadow Garden, Hardy Succulents, andHomegrown Herbs. He is Photography Program Director at San Francisco Botanical Garden. An entertaining and inspirational speaker, his glorious photographs will be featured in his presentation.

 

STEVE SANDO

"Saving Heirloom Beans: In The Garden And On The Plate"
Thursday, March 28, 2013

Owner of the renowned Rancho Gordo New World Specialty Foods and author of Heirloom Beans: Recipes from Rancho Gordo, Steve Sando is hailed as a leader in the local agriculture and heirloom seed movements. He supports sustainable and local agriculture by using northern California farmers to grow most of his crops. His products are coveted by restaurateurs as diverse as Thomas Keller of The French Laundry and Rick Bayless of Frontera Grill. In 2008, Steve and Rancho Gordo were #2 on theSaveur Magazine’s esteemed Saveur 100 list. Steve‘s colorful storytelling and exuberant style are not to be missed. Sample Steve’s wonderful recipes at the reception.

 

Where to Stay:

 Embassy Suites Walnut Creek

1345 Treat Boulevard

Walnut Creek, CA  94597

925-934-2500

    

Click here to choose a Walnut Creek Special Offer that includes Free cooked to order breakfast daily, Evening Reception with complimentary drinks and all in a two room suite.