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.                

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East Bay New Year's Eve Guide 2014

Looking Ahead: Your East Bay New Year's Eve Guide
Check out our guide to ringing in 2014, which includes the best East Bay New Year's Eve bashes, festive party wear, and a rundown of local sparkling wines.

BY ANA PREZA

New Year’s Eve planning can involve a lot of questions: What to do? Where to go? What to wear? Don’t get overwhelmed—there’s still time to choose how you’ll ring in 2014. Check out our picks for the best soirees, festive party wear, and local bubbly for celebrating the new year.

 

---

PARTIES

First, lets decide what to do and where to go. If you don’t want to stay home and are looking for a party, grab some friends or your special someone and head to one of many New Year’s Eve celebrations throughout the Bay Area. Here are a few to get you started. Keep in mind some of these events sell out quickly, so make sure to get your tickets early.

New Year’s Eve Onboard the USS Hornet

Swing, Rhumba, Cha-Cha, and the Waltz is what you’ll dance to at this party inside the USS Hornet aircraft carrier. With three dance floors, free dance lessons and a silent auction. Proceeds benefit the USS Hornet Museum. Tickets start at $45. 707 W. Hornet Ave., Pier 3, Alameda, event website.

 

Walnut Creek/Concord/Pleasant Hill

New Year's Eve – Cypress
This event will have three special seatings.  The first two seating’s will have a 4-course menu, while the third seating will have a 5-course menu. There will also be music and a champagne toast. 1388 Locust St., Walnut Creek, event website.

New Year’s Eve Celebration – Back Forty Texas BBQ Roadhouse and Saloon
Join in the fun with live music by Cover 2 Cover. Tickets include valet parking, party favors, balloon drop, and a complimentary midnight champagne toast. . 100 Coggins Dr., Pleasant Hill, event website.

Danville

New Year’s Eve Celebration – Martini Sky
Indulge in a four-course dinner that includes a complimentary glass of sparkling wine before dancing the night away with live entertainment. There will be two seatings, 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. 416 Sycamore Valley Rd. W., Danville, (925) 838-7611, event website.

NYE 2013: The Black Label Party – The VINE at Bridges
This fourth annual bash will have DJ Nick Varela spinning the night away. You’ll also get double the champagne toasts, once on arrival and the other at midnight from their massive nine liter bottle of Lanson Black Label. $50, 480 Hartz Ave., Danville, event website.

from embassysuites.com:

Where to stay?

Embassy Suites Walnut Creek-

Walnut Creek, Concord, Pleasant Hill Overnight Hotel Packages

All packages include:

• Two Room Suite
• Free cooked to order breakfast 
• Evening Reception with complimentary drinks and snacks
• Fitness Center and Indoor Pool

Click here to reserve your Embassy Suites Walnut Creek New Year's Eve Package: event website

Going to Celebrate in San Francisco or Oakland?  We're only minutes away via the BART Pleasant Hill Station across the street!

Counter Culture: Day-tripping in Walnut Creek

By Allen Pierleoni
apierleoni@sacbee.com

Published: Friday, Dec. 7, 2012 - 12:00 am | Page 36TICKET

Somebody noticed the advertising insert in The Bee, the one that read, "Enjoy the holidays in Walnut Creek."

Somebody else said, "There's a street near the downtown shopping area there that's lined on both sides with restaurants."

A third somebody suggested we day-trip to the upscale East Bay town of 65,000 and grab some bites.

That's how we found ourselves on Highway 680, driving by a few not-so-grand vistas of oil refineries, their tall stacks gushing steam.

Soon we were parked at a meter at Broadway Plaza, a strikingly well-maintained shopping and strolling mecca with an impossible number of stores and boutiques. It's home to such high-end players as Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom and Sur la Table, the not-so-high-end As Seen On TV (Slimming Sauna Shorts for $25), and chain restaurants that include California Pizza Kitchen and P.F. Chang's.

The surrounding area – block after block, street after street – is jammed with hundreds of other retail outlets, including Tiffany. On walkabout, sculptures and other artworks unexpectedly delight the eye.

For context, Walnut Creek is a banking, business, medical and dining hub for Contra Costa County, with a $2 billion retail economy, said a spokesman at the Better Business Bureau. Not surprising, then, that the per-capita annual income hovers around $55,000.

Another thing Walnut Creek is known for is its open spaces. Next time we're ready to hike, we'll head to Diablo Foothills Regional Park. Its 1,060 acres are "an imposing gateway to the beautiful parklands of Mount Diablo State Park and Walnut Creek Open Space," says the East Bay Regional Park District website (www.ebparks.org).

We wondered if there is an actual Walnut Creek that flows through or near the town. Yes, there is – sort of.

"Walnut Creek is created by the confluence of two other creeks," explained Andrew Smith, a senior planner for the city. "Where that occurs is now underground (because of past construction), but it's marked by a fountain in Liberty Bell Plaza. Then (the creek) flows through an above-ground stretch of Civic Park, enters a concrete channel that follows the creek's original path and eventually dumps into San Francisco Bay."

Good to know, but we reminded ourselves we were in town to eat. It didn't take long to find the right place: North Main Street.

As we explored the autumn-leaf-strewn byway, a Ferrari Testarossa rumbled past, followed by a couple of whispering Mercedes-Benzes. Bringing up the rear was a pack of Harley-Davidsons. Their roar startled the dog-walkers and the new parents pushing baby strollers along the lovely tree-lined sidewalks.

Restaurant-wise, we found a United Nations of cuisines – Indian, Italian, Thai, Mexican, Greek, Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese, European, American.

We sat at a tiny sidewalk table in front of Vanessa's Bistro, offering "Vietnamese tapas with a French twist."

We were tempted by the ahi carpaccio, honey-marinated quail and duck confit lettuce wraps, but settled for two other small plates (choose from 12, each $8). Crisp-tender salt 'n' pepper fried prawns found zing with spicy lime dipping sauce. For a change-up, the chicken-vegetable pot stickers were "oven roasted," not deep-fried, and served with ginger and ponzu, the Japanese citrus sauce.

"I was a regular customer before I started working here, so I have to try everything," our server remarked. Lucky her.

Vanessa's Bistro, 1329 N. Main St.; (925) 891-4790, www.vanessasbistro2.com.

After a long walk to burn off the appetizers (as if), we found a table next to an open door inside Prima Ristorante. Its dinner specialties include game hen roasted in a wood-fired oven and braised lamb shank with saffron and tomato.

As we cruised the lunch menu, we asked ourselves, Does rustic bread dipped in buttery olive oil get any better? Answer: No.

A bean-filled minestrone soup arrived, the silken broth made better with freshly ground black pepper and shaves of Parmesan cheese ($7).

It was followed by one of the best pizzettas we've found. The delectable super-thin crust ("I can see my fingers through it when I hold it up to the light," said one lunch pal) was weighty with sweet chiodini mushrooms, perfectly caramelized onion and fresh mozzarella ($13.50).

Next was a platter crowded with slices of salty-sweet prosciutto, salami, speck and pistachio-studded mortadella, complemented by pieces of luscious Parmigiano-Reggiano ("assetati assortiti," $14).

Afterward, we took a casual look at the hundreds of wines in Prima's adjoining wine shop, and left feeling somewhat dizzy.

Prima Ristorante, 1522 N. Main St.; (925) 935-7780, www.primawine.com.

For dessert, we resisted the imported chocolates at Cafe Leonidas in favor of handfuls of sweet fruit jellies (cherry, fig, pear, tangerine, pineapple, peach and apple). They're hand-crafted at Leonidas in Belgium, a company that will turn 100 next year. Cost: $40 a pound, but each piece averages about $2.30.

Cafe Leonidas, 1397 N. Main St.; (925) 932-6666, www.leonidas.com.

Leaving Walnut Creek, our only regret was not having had the time for a beer (14 on tap) at the fish-out-of-water Dan's Irish Sports Bar. It opened in the early 1970s and "hasn't changed in 30 years," said bartender Connie Christiansen on the phone later.

A jukebox plays by day, bands play at night, she said. The scene: pool tables, big-screen TVs, a "social gathering with a lot of regulars."

"It's a fun, funky place, the last of the small, homey bars in Walnut Creek," Christiansen said.

How long has she been on site?

"Twenty years," she said. "I'm part of the furniture, hon."

Our kind of place.

Dan's Irish Sports Bar, 1524 Civic Drive; (925) 932-1331, www.dansbar.com.

© Copyright The Sacramento Bee. All rights reserved.

Speaking of "fun and Funky" Embassy Suites Walnut Creek offers Special Overnight Packages for all Day or Night "Trippers" to Walnut Creek.

Click here for your Walnut Creek Holiday Shopping  Package that includes free cooked to order breakfast, Evening Reception with complimentary drinks and snacks, Free Internet, Free Parking and a Visa Gift Card  All in your own two room suite!

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/12/07/5034199/counter-culture-day-tripping-in.html#storylink=cpy

Walnut Creek Holiday Shopping Package

Looking for the East Bay area's hottest holiday shopping?  You found it -- at Broadway Plaza and Sunvalley Mall in Walnut Creek California.

The Holiday Shopping Package from Embassy Suites Walnut Creek includes free hotel parking, free wireless Internet, complimentary shuttle to both shopping districts, $25 Visa gift card and bag of goodies to include shopping discount coupons and holiday offers.