San Francisco Wine Tasting Events

A List of the Top Wine Tasting Events
in San Francisco in 2012

You will find a number of San Francisco wine tasting events throughout the year. Some are large events such as the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition and others are smaller, weekly or monthly tastings at local wine bars.

If you are like me and love tasting new wines, then you will want to look into attending some of these San Francisco events. Included below you will find an overview of the major wine tasting events in San Francisco in 2012. They are set up by month, so you can easily scroll down to the time frame you plan on visiting San Francisco.

Toward the bottom of the page, you can also find some smaller, local events that happen more frequently. These are a little more casual and easier to get tickets closer to your visit.

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Larger San Francisco Wine Tasting Events

ZAP Zinfandel Festival in January

The ZAP Zinfandel Festival is held every year in San Francisco. The Zinfandel Advocates and Producers group sponsors it and it focuses on Zinfandel wines.

The 21st Annual Zinfandel event was January 26 to the 28, 2012. Most of the events for this festival were held at the Herbst Pavilion at Fort Mason Center in the Marina San Francisco district.

The 2013 dates are not yet announced, but I'll post an update once they are available.

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San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition in February

One of the most talked about San Francisco wine tasting events is the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition. This is a yearly competition also held at the Fort Mason Center.

It is the largest wine tasting competition of American wines in the world. Each year, they select winners in more than a hundred category from more than 5,000 entries. The wines are submitted and tasted in January, with the winners being announced in February right before the event starts.

They also have five overall 'Sweepstake Winners' for the main categories. The 2012 winners are in the table below.

Category	Winning Wine
Sparkling Wine	Gloria Ferrer Caves & Vineyards 2006 Carneros Blanc de Blancs Sparkling Wine
White Wine	Dr. Konstantin Frank 2010 Finger Lakes Gewürztraminer Reserve
Pink Wine	Barnard Griffin 2011 Columbia Valley Rose of Sangiovese
Red Wine	McGrail Vineyards & Winery 2008 Livermore Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve
Dessert Wine	Castello di Amorosa 2010 Anderson Valley Late Harvest Gewurztraminer

Again, I'll update you once they announce the 2013 competition dates.

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Rhone Rangers San Francisco Wine Tasting in March

The Rhone Ranges is a wine organization that focuses on promoting and supporting the American Rhone varietal wines. They have a number of events throughout the US to every year.

This year marks the 15th anniversary of this event. It was held on March 24 and 25 at Fort Mason in the Marina. This year's event was successful once again and the plan is to host this event again next year. I'll post details for next year's event once the dates are available. You can also visit the Rhone Rangers web site to learn more about other events throughout the US.

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San Francisco Vintners Market: Taste and Buy Fabulous Wines: April

Taste before you buy! On April 14 and 15, head on over to the Festival Pavilion at the Fort Mason Center for the first San Francisco Vintners Market. More than 200 wineries from California and around the world will be on hand to showcase and share their wines. All wineries will also have inventory on hand, so you can buy any wines you sample.

Dates: Saturday, April 14 and Sunday, April 15

Location: Festival Pavilion at the Fort Mason Center

Tickets: Discount Tickets for the San Francisco Vintners Market

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California Cabernet Society's Passport to Cabernet - May

If you are a Cabernet fan, then this next event is for you! The California Cabernet Society has an annual San Francisco wine tasting event for the public. This one is quite a bit smaller than the ones listed above, but it you love cab wines then you will love this event.

This year's event is on Monday, May 7. The general tasting session is from 3:30 to 5:30. Tickets are $35 to $55 a piece.

This is a once a year opportunity to sample the range and depth of Cabernet Sauvignon grown in California. During the event, you also get to taste some of the newly released wines. This San Francisco wine tasting event is at the Bently Reserve at 301 Battery Street in downtown San Francisco. Find tickets for this event.

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Tempranillo Advocates Producers and Amigos Society's Grand Wine Tasting - June

The Grand Wine Tasting by Tapas (Tempranillo Advocates Producers and Amigos Society) is the largest wine tasting of domestically produced Spanish and Portuguese wines. You'll find this is another one of the great San Francisco wine tasting events.

This year's event is Saturday, June 9th. Tapas is holding this San Francisco wine tasting event at the Festival Pavilion in Fort Mason. Tickets are now on sale. Find discounted tickets for this event.

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San Francisco Pinot Days - June

Another one of the best San Francisco wine tasting events is Pinot Days in mid June. This event features over 200 Pinot Noir producers, a large grand tasting and several other smaller events throughout the week.

The grand tasting is on June 16, 2012 at Fort Mason in the Marina. Visit their site for additional information on the event and details on buying tickets.

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Monthly and Ongoing Wine Tasting Events in San Francisco

Vin12 is an organization that has monthly wine tasting parties in San Francisco. Their San Francisco wine tasting events are great because they have a lot of variety and a number of fantastic wines. Here are the details:

• Different theme each month, previous themes include the Pinot Noir Parade and their Zinfandel Event





• Need to be a member to sign up for and attend an event, but membership is free by registering on their web site and providing your name and e-mail address


• Events usually cost around $25, this allows you to taste all of the wines featured during the event


• Events are very fun, energetic


• You'll find both wine lovers and those out for a night on the town at these events


• Usually draw in a couple hundred people for each event


• Visit the Vin12 web site for more details and to become a member

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Cellar360 in Ghirardelli Square San Francisco also has a number of wine tasting classes, seminars and demonstrations. This is another great San Francisco wine tasting option:

• Variety of short classes, demonstrations and seminars on different wines


• 2 or 3 a week


• On the weekends the events are usually held in the late morning to mid-afternoon


• Events during the week are held at night, usually starting around 6 and last for about an hour


• You don’t have to be a member to register and attend


• Costs are anywhere from $5 and up depending on the event, length of time, materials covered and the speaker featured


• All events listed on the Cellar360 calendar are open to the public

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San Francisco Wine Bar Recommendations: If you are looking for a great wine bar, then check out these San Francisco wine bar recommendations. They are spread throughout the city and offer a large selection of wines by the glass. Several also offer special tasting nights, where you can sample wines from a specific region or of a certain variety.

Top San Francisco Bars: Find recommendations for some of the best bars around the city. There are so many to choose from in a city such as San Francisco, but these are ten of my all time favorites.