TAPAS (the Tempranillo Advocates, Producers and Amigos Society) brings their 6th annual Grand Wine Tasting of Tempranillos and other wines made from grapes native to the Iberian Peninsula back to San Francisco this weekend. The 2013 TAPAS Grand Wine Tasting will feature over 35 wineries at the Golden Gate Club (135 Fisher Loop, The Presidio, San Francisco) on Sunday, June 23, between 2:00 and 5:00 pm. Tickets are $60 per person and can be purchased here.
This event is an enjoyable opportunity to focus on varietals that aren’t as commonly found in North America. Many TAPAS members are limited-production, family-owned wineries and will be pouring small lot wines that are not widely available. All of the wines poured at the TAPAS Grand Wine Tasting must be at least 75% made from grapes such as Albariño, Carignan, Grenache, Grenache Blanc, Graciano, Malvasia, Mencia, Mourvèdre, Palomino, Tempranillo, Tinta Cão, Torrontes, Touriga Naçional, Verdejo, and Verdelho. And if Touriga Naçional is around, that means there will be Port.
If you want to see the complete list of Spanish and Portuguese grape varietals TAPAS focuses on, go here.
Tasting Room for Niven Family Wine Estates, including Tangent and Trenza Wineries
For three hours on June 23 you will have the opportunity to taste wines in a casual walk-around setting where you may chat with the growers and producers. Some of the wineries pouring that day will be Abacela, Baiocchi Wines, Bokisch Vineyards, Clayhouse Wines, Fenestra Winery, Harney Lane Winery, Kenneth Volk Vineyards, Quinta Cruz Wines, Six Sigma Ranch, St. Amant Winery, Tangent Winery, Trenza Winery, Twisted Oak Winery, and Verdad Wines. To see the complete list of participating wineries, please go here. If you find something you really like, you should know that wine will also be available for sale at the event.
In addition to the afternoon’s walk-around tasting activity, two casual seminars with guided tastings and discussions will be offered:
- 2:30 – 3:00 pm – “Exotic Iberian Varietals” – Sommelier Ellen Landis will lead guests through a magical tasting of exotic Iberian varieties grown by the West’s avant-garde vintners.
- 3:30 – 4:00 pm – “Albariños” – Wine Chef Tony Lawrence will explore the range and diversity of Spain’s noble white grape grown in American soils.
If you want more, there’s more. Earlier that day, TAPAS presents two Kickoff Seminars between 11:00 am and 1:00 pm, prior to start of the TAPAS Grand Wine Tasting:
- 11:00 am – “¿Arizona? Growing Spanish Varieties in the American Southwest,” moderated by Peter Eastlake, a Food & Wine Magazine Sommelier of the Year for 2013, with panelists including Maynard James Keenan of Caduceus Cellars, Tim White of Arizona Stronghold, Todd Bostock of Dos Cabezas WineWorks, and Kent Callaghan of Callaghan Vineyards.
-
Six Sigma Ranch and Winery, workplace for Tempranillo panelist Matt Hughes
12:00 noon – “Defining American Tempranillo,” introduced by Markus Bokisch of Bokisch Vineyards and moderated by Richard Jennings of RJonWine.com, with winemaker panelists including Matt Hughes of Six Sigma Winery, Andrew Wenzl of Abacela, and Louisa Sawyer-Lindquist of Verdad Wine Cellars.
Guests who purchase tickets to the Kickoff Seminars will also receive early admission to the TAPAS Grand Wine Tasting (at 1:00 pm instead of at 2:00 pm). Tickets are $95 per person to attend the Kickoff Seminars and obtain early entrance and can be purchased here.
TAPAS (the Tempranillo Advocates, Producers and Amigos Society) is a nonprofit trade association of over one hundred wineries, growers, and amigos, whose mission is to promote Tempranillo and other varietal wine grapes native to the Iberian Peninsula, and wines produced from them in North America. To receive the latest information, you may want to join the Sancho Panza Society at the TAPAS website by providing your contact information. Members receive the latest news about TAPAS member wineries and upcoming events as well as special discounts and privileges. For more information about the Sancho Panza Society and other TAPAS membership opportunities, please go here.