àMaurice Cellars, one of the 2017 Wine & Spirits Top 100

Here’s an exciting way to interrupt your workweek:  the 2017 Wine & Spirits Top 100 Tasting is coming to San Francisco on Tuesday, October 10.  This annual event showcases Wine & Spirits’ favorite 100 wineries from the last year along with local chefs and artisanal purveyors serving small bites to complement the wines.  We have always enjoyed our experiences at this celebration of premium winemaking which has been produced in San Francisco since its inception.  This year, the 14th annual Top 100 Tasting takes place between 6:30 pm and 8:30 pm that evening at City View at METREON (135 4^th Street, San Francisco) and if you move quickly you can still buy tickets for yourself and/or friends (including a chance to enter the event an hour earlier and/or attend a sparkling wine reception the night before).

Hog Island Oyster Co.

Top 100 Tasting attendees can start their evening by comparing Champagnes from wineries such as Champagne Dosnon and Louis Roederer, and pairing them with Oysters from Hog Island Oyster Co.. At the end of the night, you can wrap up with sips such as Madeira from Blandy’s, Sherry from El Maestro Sierra and Port from Taylor Fladgate. Over the past year the folks at Wine & Spirits tasted over 14,000 bottlings and these one hundred wineries came out on top, consistently delivering quality wines.

Cervaro della Sala from Marchesi Antinori

The Wine & Spirits Top 100 Tasting reflects international excellence with wineries representing fourteen different countries including Achaval Ferrer (Argentina), Penfolds (Australia), Salomon-Undhof (Austria), Concha y Toro (Chile), Domaine Zind-Humbrecht (France), Weingut Robert Weil (Germany), Kir-Yianni (Greece), Marchesi Antinori (Italy), Craggy Range (New Zealand), VADIO (Portugal), Movia Wines (Slovenia), DeMorgenzon (South Africa) and González Byass (Spain).  There will also be plenty of wineries from the US.

Dutton-Goldfield

The domestic wineries pouring tastes that evening include Top 100 winners from Napa Valley (Corison, Silverado Vineyards, von Strasser), Sonoma County (Dutton-Goldfield, LIOCO, The Withers Winery), and Willamette Valley (Bergström Wines, Cristom Vineyards, J. Christopher Wines).  The state of Washington will be well represented with àMaurice Cellars, Andrew Will Winery, Col Solare, DeLille Cellars, Gramercy Cellars and Reynvaan Family Vineyards among the 100.

If that isn’t enough to fill your evening, you still have wines from another 67 wineries and food samples from over a dozen food purveyors to choose from.  General Admission tickets for the Top 100 Tasting can be purchased for $125 each and come with a one-year subscription to Wine & Spirits magazine. Or, you can splurge for a VIP Admission ticket which provides you entrance one hour earlier (at 5:30 pm) for $185.

If you’ve attended the Wine & Spirits Top 100 Tasting before, and purchased VIP Early Entry Tickets at that time, then there is a special package available for 2017 you may be able to secure.  The VIP Sparkling Kick Off Reception and Early Entry Package offers two days of fun starting with the 1^st Annual Sparkling Kick-Off Reception on Monday, October 9 at 1760 in San Francisco.  On Tuesday, October 10 you will have early entrance to the event and this package, at $350 per person, also comes with a two-year subscription to Wine & Spirits magazine.  To buy your tickets for any of the above options, please go here soon.

Curious about which other wineries made the cut for the 2017 Wine & Spirits Top 100?  Some of the other winners are:

• Adelsheim (Oregon)
• Bodegas Hidalgo La Gitana (Spain)
• Domaine des Baumard (France)
• Elvio Cogno (Italy)
• Frog’s Leap Winery (California)
• Gai’a (Greece)
• Genium Celler (Spain)
• Maison Louis Jadot (France)
• Produttori del Barbaresco (Italy)
• Radio-Coteau (California)
• Ravines Wine Cellars (New York)
• Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars (California)

To see the complete list of wineries participating, please go here.

o’cacao, a Wine & Spirits Top 100 Artisan Purveyor

In addition to wineries, Wine & Spirits also recognizes local Restaurants and Artisan Purveyors each year who prepare and serve small bites to pair with the wines. At this year’s Wine & Spirits Top 100 Tasting you will find delicious offerings from establishments such as A16, À Côté, Anina, Atelier, the Barrel Room, Bellota, Coletta Gelato, Native Baking Company, o’cacao, Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Company, The Saratoga, Uma Casa and Whitechapel.

We have thoroughly enjoyed past Top 100 Tasting events and highly encourage you to attend yourself. Parking is easy (the 5^th Street and Mission Street Garage is just across the street) or you can take public transportation (City View at Metreon is just one block south of the Powell Street Station BART exits at 4^th and Market). If you are free that Tuesday, don’t miss your chance to taste highly acclaimed wines, meet the winemakers and enjoy an array of artisan specialties all in one place.

The Wine & Spirits Top 100 Tasting event also helps raise money and awareness to protect water resources.  A portion of ticket prices will be donated to San Francisco Baykeeper, one of 300 Waterkeeper Organizations and Affiliates working for clean water around the world. San Francisco Baykeeper is a founding member of the international Waterkeeper Alliance and they were the first Waterkeeper on the West Coast.

Founded in 1982, Wine & Spirits Magazine is published eight times a year and read by over 200,000 members of America’s wine community looking for information on wine regions and producers, the art and science of viticulture, restaurant and industry happenings, and food and wine pairing.  The Wine & Spirits Top 100 Wineries (and their wines) will be discussed in detail in the Winter 2017 issue of the magazine, which will go on sale the same day, Tuesday, October 10th.