Two weeks ago, we had fun focusing our taste buds on a single varietal at the Dark & Delicious Petite Sirah™ event during a delightful wine and food experience. The Petite Sirah varietal is an offspring of Syrah and Peloursin that is crafted into big, bold red wines with herbal and black pepper aromas and strong fruit flavors (like cherries or blueberries) and plenty of tannins. After enjoying pours from over 40 wineries (along with small bites from restaurants, caterers and food purveyors) we ended the evening happy and satiated.

Part of the mission of PS I Love You (the event organizer) is to emphasize the terroir uniqueness of Petite Sirahs, and Dark & Delicious helped achieve that with wines made from grapes grown all over California.  Some of the wineries were new to us (Theopolis Vineyards) and some weren’t (Concannon Vineyard, Dashe Cellars) but that’s why we enjoy going to these events – revisiting old friends and making new discoveries.

We will let you know which wines were our favorites, in case you want to do some research, tasting, and purchasing on your own.  If you aren’t that familiar with Petite Sirah, please use the list below to guide your introduction.  We’ll also tell you which Bay Area food purveyors made our taste buds the happiest at the event.

Favorite Wines at the 2015 Dark & Delicious

If you are looking for delicious Petite Sirahs (and Petite Sirah-based blends) these are the ones we recommend based on how they were tasting at Dark & Delicious:

Berryessa Gap Vineyards (Winters, CA) – 2011 Durif, 2012 Durif, 2012 Petite Sirah, 2012 The Coble Ranch (Petite Sirah, Zinfandel, Tempranillo, Syrah, Malbec)

Bogle Vineyards (Clarksburg, CA) – 2012 Petite Sirah

Clayhouse Wines (Paso Robles, CA) – 2012 Old Vines Petite Sirah, 2012 Show Pony Petite Sirah

Concannon Vineyard (Livermore, CA) – 2013 San Francisco Bay Petite Sirah, 2011 Nina’s Cuvee Petite Sirah, 2011 Captain Joe’s Petite Sirah

Dashe Cellars (Oakland, CA) – 2012 Louvau Vineyard Petite Sirah, 2010 Todd Brothers Ranch Petite Sirah

Don Sebastiani & Sons (Napa, CA) – 2012 The Crusher Petite Sirah (Petite Sirah, Alicante Bouschet, Pinot Noir) and 2011 Americano Petite Sirah (Petite Sirah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot)

Neal Family Vineyards (Angwin, CA) – 2010 Rutherford Dust Petite Sirah

Ridge Vineyards (Healdsburg, CA) – 2012 Lytton Springs Petite Sirah

Robert Biale Vineyards (Napa, CA) – 2012 Thomann Station Petite Sirah, 2012 Like Father Like Son (Petite Sirah, Syrah), 2011 Petite Sirah Dessert Wine 

Theopolis Vineyards (Yorkville, CA) – 2012 Petite Sirah

Tres Sabores (St. Helena, CA) – 2011 Guarino Vineyard Petite Sirah

 

Favorite Food Offerings at the 2015 Dark & Delicious

Attending a single-varietal-focused tasting event is always interesting, but another appeal of Dark & Delicious is the quality of the food offerings.  We enjoyed a range of choices including cheese, meatballs, chocolate and ice cream.  These are the restaurants, caterers, and food purveyors that impressed us the most that evening, along with what they were serving.  We recommend you seek these food professionals out for your future needs in the Bay Area:

Cocotutti Confections (Confectioner based in San Francisco) – Blood Orange Bon Bon, Liquid Vanilla Caramel, and Cappuccino Bon Bons

Fumé Bistro & Bar (Restaurant based in Napa at 4050 Byway East) – Braised Black Angus Short Ribs

Simply Bliss Catering (Caterer based in Oakland) – Pulled Pork Tostada with Avocado Cream (served with a Chocolate Cayenne Bite for dessert)

Sweetpea Catering (Caterer based in Napa) – Handmade Cavatelli with Wild Boar Sugo and Fresh Ricotta

Next year will be the 10^th Dark & Delicious and we highly recommend you consider attending.  The evening’s festivities include a Silent Auction and to demonstrate the caliber of the choices, here are some of the items that went to the highest bidder this year:

• Large format bottles (3L) of Petite Sirah
• Six-year vertical of a winery’s Petite Sirahs
• Private tour and tasting experience for a party of 8 with each person also receiving a complimentary bottle of Petite Sirah
• Overnight excursion to a winery including lodging on the premises, a walking tour, a private tasting and gift bottles of Petite Sirah
• A 20-person tour and tasting package

PS I Love You is a non-profit advocacy organization created to promote, educate, and legitimize Petite Sirah as a noble variety with a special emphasis on its terroir uniqueness.    Interested consumers can support PS I Love You by becoming a PS “Groupie.”  Membership benefits include VIP entrance to events, discounted rates at events, a T-shirt, and an annual Groupie BBQ with winemakers. For more information, or to join and ensure early notification about next year’s Dark & Delicious Petite Sirah™ please follow the link at the beginning of this paragraph.