43590 Tue Feb 14 13:35:38 -0800 2006 11 1 San Francisco Bay Area 0 213486 anyone been to this event last year? how was it? does it worth $40 admission? thanks! Tue Feb 14 13:35:38 -0800 2006 0 mm 1 213501 I went a few years ago and vowed never to return. It was horrendously crowded (this was at Fort Mason) and the selection of wines being poured was mostly low quality mass-produced supermarket wines. Save your money for Rhone Rangers a few weeks later, which is far more enjoyable. Tue Feb 14 14:13:59 -0800 2006 213486 0 nja 2 213508 so are they all cheap wines? nothing good at all? and how many wineries will have their wine for tasting @ the envet? thanks!!!!!! Tue Feb 14 14:51:13 -0800 2006 213501 0 mm 3 213509 one more Q: do they have all participated wineries for tasting or just those winning wineries? Tue Feb 14 14:56:26 -0800 2006 213508 0 mm 4 213525 All, or most all, of the wineries that entered were pouring. Below is a list of the 2005 wineries so you can get an idea. So it's easily several hundred different wines to try. There were a few good ones. In fact Navarro, my favorite California winery, is on the list, as it was the year I went. But even the otherwise good wineries weren't pouring their best wines. I also found that most of the medal winning wines were my least favorite (obviously I have different tastes than the judges for that event). So after spending many hours getting elbowed by drunkards to taste a lot of ordinary wines, I decided that would be the last time I attended that event. My advice to you or anyone thinking of going would be: take a look at the medal winner list from this year. If your reaction is like mine (with a few exceptions, "boring") then don't go. If however you see lots of wines you like, or lots of wines/wineries you've never tried before and would like to try, then gather your patience and give it a try. -Nick Link: http://www.winejudging.com/medal_winners_2005/2005_wineries.htm Tue Feb 14 16:44:31 -0800 2006 213509 0 nja 5 213538 My own calculation is as follows: I've been several years and never really liked it. Last year I got fed up and said "never again." So this past weekend I looked at the winners list, and thought I'd give it a try, yet again. Economically, if you get to try ten wines that you might have bought in bottle, you are a $100 ahead. If you find one that you really like, you're even further ahead. And if you try 10 wines per hour, you can leave well before the crowd gets, um, boisterous. Oh, they are the one tasting that doesn't provide a program or anywhere to take notes. Be sure to bring paper if you want to remember what you try. Tue Feb 14 17:24:43 -0800 2006 213525 0 SteveT 6 213569 Thanks for all valuable info! My plan has been cancelled! Tue Feb 14 20:31:35 -0800 2006 213538 0 mm 2 213685 Already bought tickets, but in the reserved mezzanine section with early entrance (albeit only 15 minutes) and additional tastings and food by Willi's from Sonoma. Cost was $80 apiece, which after reading this I'm beginning to regret. Any suggestions on how to maximize that paltry 15 min. early entrance? Wed Feb 15 16:20:03 -0800 2006 213501 0 Karen 3 213701 As with any large tasting like this, I would suggest doing some research and deciding upon a few wineries/wines that you really want to try and hit those places first. The places I would go first are the following, pulled from the 2005 list so they may not all be there this year: Navarro (who outclass just about every other winery on the list) Gary Farrell (even more out of place than Navarro) Martin Ray (some of the best super-cheap wines on the market these days) Gloria Ferrer Roederer Estate Trentadue (esp if they have their white port) Limerick Lane (I liked a few of their wines, but it's been a long time since I've tasted any) Marimar (ditto) Granite Springs (ditto again) Wed Feb 15 17:23:02 -0800 2006 213685 0 nja 4 213710 given 15 mins to guzzle from this list, i'd head first to gary farrell, which as nja suggests is relatively high end. any remaining time can be spent at navarro. some of the wines are good, and their tasting room is so far you might as well hit em up while they're here. i also like trentadue for a few things, but i wouldn't worry too much about the crowds. it takes time to taste wine anyway, so grab your last pour from one table, then head straight to the next line while you taste it. Wed Feb 15 18:05:41 -0800 2006 213701 0 ed 5 213729 I just checked the medals for all the pinots and Gary Farrell isn't listed anywhere. So they must not have participated this year after all. Wed Feb 15 19:30:09 -0800 2006 213710 0 nja 1 213842 You've already missed it, but the Family Winemakers tasting at Fort Mason is in the same price range, but IMHO has much better wine. The next one will be ~Aug 16 2006. By nature big corporate-owned wineries can't be members of the Family Winemakers group, so you'll find smaller more interesting producers, who may sell out of their product without having to put much effort into marketing events like the SF Chron's tasting to reach mass audiences. For example, last time I helped my mom pour there (my parent's winery is a member) the folks from Paloma were pouring, who produced Wine Spectator's top wine in something like 2004. You won't get too many chances to taste their wine elsewhere. Link: http://www.familywinemakers.org/wineLinks/wineLinks.cfm Thu Feb 16 15:21:45 -0800 2006 213486 0 Steve G