The tastings at Butterfly over the past two years have been beautifully orchestrated if slightly overly theatrical events, with attendees from both the wineries and the public dressing up for occasion in bright pink and the wine being swirled with casual abandonment by certain individuals. The wonderful views provided by the large back windows have framed the wine tables and the crowds have buzzed animatedly, while the food has always been interesting if not immediately an obvious pairing with Rosé, for example the Bloody Mary Shooters which made yet another appearance.

This year however, the tables seemed fewer and there were several no-shows which left gaps in the layout. Although there seemed no drop in quality of organization and decoration the sexy buzz of previous events seemed somewhat diminished.

Some of the wines on the other hand shone through. Sparkling numbers twinkled and interesting blends teased the palate in their complex construction. At events like these it is always important to get a good feel for what is in the room and then return to certain tables for a recap and further analysis. My first skim of the room brought up a few interesting numbers but what was really delightful was the diversity of wines on show. The days of heady sweet pink wines with no character do seem to be behind us now and the international contributors were fascinating with even a pink port being showcased.

The wines I will be recommending this summer are as follows:

Amorosa Bella: $32
NV Sparkling Brut Rose 
Glistening salmon rose pink in color, with small teasing bubbles push forward bright cherry and strawberry flavors with a hint of nutmeg and spice to follow. A very easy drinking sparkling with lots of character and a strong backbone to support it’s fun summer flavors.

Cornerstone Cellars: $18
Stepping Stone by Cornerstone
2011 ‘‘Corallina’’ Napa Valley Syrah Rosé
A delicate nose of strawberry fruit and peach sweets gives way to reveal traces of black pepper and cherry. This is a dry wine with good clear mineral qualities.

Dunstan Wines: $24
2011 Durell Vineyard Rosé of Pinot Noir
Pinot Noir, 13.6% alcohol and only 43 cases produced.
Stewed rhubarb, strawberry jam and lavender combine together to complete a wine which glows in summer warmth. The smell of hay and summer fields seems to permeate through this wine giving it good depth and character.

Ellipsis Wine Company: $16
2011 Napa Valley Rosé of Sangiovese
Pinot Noir, 13.4%, Russian River Valley
With only 250 cases made this is a wine which is very much worth searching out. Jasmine, a hint of lavender and wild strawberries on the nose give way to cucumber, strawberries and peaches on the palate. It is complex without being overwhelming and an absolute bargain at $16.

Envolve Winery: $23
2011 Rosé
92% Syrah, 8% Grenache, 12.7%. Strawberry, raspberry and cherry on the nose lead into a more substantial palate where these flavours open up to give a well rounded wine with several layers of complexity.

Gloria Ferrer: $18
2007 Brut Rosé
Strawberries, ripe green pear and peach aromas lead to refreshing strawberry and raspberry flavors on the palate allowing a rewarding finish. Seductive bubbles bring forward yeasty peachy flavors with satisfying character.

Midsummer Cellars: $19
2011 Grenache Rosé
This wine is all about summer strawberries, fresh vanilla cream and ripe juicy peaches sliced. Light and yet characterful, a real people pleaser it has a soft introduction but a long satisfying finish. Deceptively delicious at a very reasonable price point.

Peju Province Winery: $25
2010 Provence Rosé
A proprietary red and white blend of finished Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Zinfandel with Chardonnay and French Colombard from Napa and Mendocino counties. This wine had an unexpected presence on the first tasting which subsided into full charm and character. Blackcurrant crumble, cherry and the slightest touch of cranberry give the nose a light buzz while stewed rhubarb with strawberry and raspberry compote melt together on the palate.

Think Tank: $20
2009 Carriage  Vineyards Grenache Rosé
100% Grenache Noir grapes sourced from Carriage Vineyards, a sustainably farmed site in the Paso Robles AVA. This was a wine which made me step back and then reevaluate my first thoughts as its finish was very surprising and the balance of fruits with clean minerality quite unexpected. There were the typical fresh strawberries on the nose, with the suggestion of vanilla sugar and creamed peaches. However on the palate the more robust floral notes of rose petals, lavender and white chocolate mellowed the fruit to a nice conclusion. A really very special wine.

This year’s ‘Pink Out!’ event was a little more subdued than previous years, however it still provided a wonderful opportunity to see the spread of rosé wines available domestically and abroad. It was fascinating to compare the subtle styles of the European contributions. I was impressed by the generally reasonable price points on wines and the enthusiasm of producers in a time of economic difficulty for many wineries. Although many of the high end cabs in California can change hands for hundreds these Rosé were incredibly good value for money with many under $25. I left Butterfly feeling that with all this Rosé tasting summer was definitely beginning, however for the rays of sun to reach the wine country, and the pockets of those up there working so hard, more people needed to know just how good the American contribution to is to the rosé market and start consuming more.

(Taken with kind permission of Doug Wilder and the Purely Domestic Wine Blog 2012)

We have a few spaces open in the next two exciting classes with James Beard Award-winning author, SF Magazine wine writer, and NY Times contributing wine columnist, Jordan Mackay.  If you are available and interested, please click the link next to each class to read the class description and make your reservations before the classes fill up.

Collector Series: The Ratings Myth with Jordan Mackay on Tue April 24^th from 6:30-8 PM

https://www.wineweb.com/scripts/mEventpg.cfm?m=1608&seq=420&calendar=Y&mo=4&yr=2012

This class is another in our special series for current and budding wine collectors. Join expert wine reviewer Jordan Mackay as we blind taste highly rated wines against similar ones that were rated much lower or not rated at all by the big two (Parker & Spectator). See for yourself how closely your palate mirrors theirs and whether or not you think they are right about the quality and ageability of certain wines versus others.

 The Great White Wines of Burgundy with Jordan Mackay on Tue May 8^th from 6:30-8 PM

https://www.wineweb.com/scripts/mEventpg.cfm?m=1608&seq=403&calendar=Y&mo=5&yr=2012  

Taste through some of the greatest white wines in the world with Jordan Mackay as we explore what makes these wines unique, highly sough-after,  and so expensive. We’ll discuss the hot topics of the day in Burgundy, like premature oxidation, terroir, and great producers moving into more value driven areas of Burgundy.

Also, please keep an eye on the class schedule on our web site (link below) as we are planning to add two more Italian wine classes with Mauro Cirilli in May and June. The first two in March were both very successful and a lot of fun. As a native of Venice, graduate of the three year Italian Sommelier program in Florence, and the former Wine Director of Perbacco, Mauro brings a depth of knowledge and unique  experiences to these classes that are truly rare. Both his March classes sold out so please make your reservations early. And if you have a preference for what he will teach next, please let us know. We are considering the following four topics for his next two classes – 1) Wines of the Italian Alps (Valle d’Aosta, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Lombardia, Trentino Alto Adige): 2) An In-Depth Study of Sangiovese, 3) The Modern Blends of Italy: Indigenous Italian Grapes meet the International Varietals (Super Tuscans, Piedmont blends, Sicilian blends, etc); 4) The Unique Wines of Valpolicella (Amarone, Valpolicella, Ripasso, Recioto)

https://www.wineweb.com/scripts/mEventPg.cfm?m=1608&calendar=Y&mo=4&yr=2012

Where: The Aquarium of the Bay, The Embarcadero & Beach Street, San Francisco.

When: Thursday, May 17, 2011, 7:00 – 9:30 PM

Why: Oysters were once ubiquitous in the San Francisco Bay.Unfortunately, due to ecosystem degradation in the Bay, the native oyster population has plummeted over the last 150 years. The Watershed Project’s Living Shoreline Program educates youth and adults about the importance and benefits of oyster reefs as an essential part of our ecosystem.

Honorary Committee:   The Honorable Senator Diane Feinstein

                                                 The Honorable Congressman George Miller

                                                 The Honorable State Senator Mark Leno

                                                 The Honorable San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee

                                                 The Honorable San Francisco Supervisor David Chiu

                                                  Chez Panisse’s Alice Waters

                                                  Rowan Jacobsen, author of American Terroir

Contact:  Linda Hunter, Executive Director    Connie Lee, Project Coordinator

                 Linda@thewatershedproject.org      Connie@thewatershedproject.org

                              415.378.7832                                    949.294.2041

All of the restaurants, wineries, and breweries serving at Bubbles & Bivalves are committed to protecting our environment and have donated their time and talent to the event. All proceeds from ticket sales goes directly to funding The Watershed Project’s Living Shoreline Program.

Tickets:

(Santa Rosa, CA, March 26^th 2012) – Rosé Avengers & Producers (RAP) and Chef Lam of Butterfly restaurant have announced that the 8^th Annual Pink Out! SF fine rosé celebration will take place on Tuesday, May 8^th 2012 in San Francisco, California. In tandem with Pink Out! SF, RAP is teaming again with TasteLive – the world’s premier online tasting community — to host a live, interactive Webcast from Butterfly, with wine bloggers joining the tasting remotely from around the U.S. The virtual tasting is sponsored by CellarPass and will feature four select wineries to be announced in the coming weeks. Wineries wishing to be selected for the TasteLive Webcast may contact RAPdirector Joel Quigley at joel@creativefurnace.com.

“Over the eight years that we’ve produced Pink Out! SF, we’ve witnessed winemakers, retailers, restaurateurs, and U.S. consumers enthusiastically embrace fine rosé,” said Joel Quigley, RAP’s director, who also heads up business development for TasteLive. “RAP is proud that we’ve played at least a small role in the growth of the category though our annual event and public relations efforts. Once again, we’ll be showcasing new entries into the market, as well as venerable rosé producers from around the world.”

The Pink Out! SF celebration at Butterfly restaurant will feature an extensive walk-around tasting of 40-plus classic still and sparkling rosés from throughout the world, accompanied by delicious appetizers, chill DJ grooves, and the TasteLive Webcast. Chef Lam will present rosé-inspired Pan-Pacific appetizers from sustainably and organically sourced ingredients. Guests are encouraged to wear their most fun and entertaining pink attire. Tickets are again expected to sell out in advance and are available online only at www.RapWine.com/events.

Wineries as of March 27^th 2012
Amorosa Bella, Carneros Wine Co., Château D’Esclans, Chateau Roubine, Cornerstone Cellars, Croft Pink, Dashe Cellars, Dunstan Wines / Durell Vineyard, Ellipsis Wine Company, Envolve Winery, Freixenet, Gloria Ferrer, Isabel Mondavi Wines, Kristine Ashe Vineyards, Lasseter Family Winery, Midsummer Cellars, Muscardini Cellars, Peju Province Winery, Pisoni Vineyards, Segura Viudas, Tedeschi Family Winery, Think Tank Wine Company, Truett Hurst and VML.

Where: Butterfly Restaurant, Pier 33 @ Bay Street, The Embarcadero, San Francisco
Date: Tuesday, May 8^th 2012
Media & Trade Tasting: 3:00pm – 6:00pm / Credentials Required / 
Consumer Tasting: 6:30pm – 9:00pm
TasteLive Broadcast: 6:30pm – 7:30pm
Tickets: $35 online advance / $45 at door if available

1) Taste the three wines in the 80 Sips Challenge at one of the participating restaurants between March 19th and 30th.

2) Note and rate each of the wines you taste at www.bottlenotes.com/80sipschallenge or via the Bottlenotes iPhone app

3) Participants complete the challenge by entering tasting notes and ratings of each featured wine or region on Bottlenotes.com or Bottlenotes’ iPhone app. Everyone who completes it will be entered for a chance to win one of two $500 cash prizes!

For entry head to www.bottlenotes.com/80-sips-challenge-san-francisco-2012.

The Tempranillo Advocates, Producers and Amigos Society (TAPAS) is hosting their fifth annual Grand Wine Tasting of domestically-produced Tempranillos, Albariños, Garnachas, Verdelhos, and many more, from the wine regions of the western United States.  Grapes native to the Iberian Peninsula produce some of the hottest-selling wines on the market right now, but not many people know that there are excellent and unique domestic versions being grown, too.  Trade and general consumers will have the unique opportunity to sample wines from TAPAS participating wineries.  Many TAPAS members are limited-production, family-owned wineries and will be pouring small lot wines that are not widely available.

When:

This year the event will be held at the Fort Mason Festival Pavilion on Saturday, June 9, 2012.  

From 2:00 to 5:00 pm consumers will have an opportunity to taste wines produced by TAPAS members from grape varieties indigenous to Spain and Portugal that are now cultivated in America, in a casual walk-around setting where they may chat with the growers and producers.

How:

Tickets for the consumer tasting are $65 at the door, or $45 in advance at tapas2012.eventbrite.com.  For directions to the Fort Mason Center, visit www.fortmason.org.  Note that parking at Fort Mason is limited, and we suggest you take public transportation if at all possible.  Fort Mason can be reached by Muni bus lines 28 or 22.

Who are they?

TAPAS – 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.

Tempranillo is the sixth most widely planted grape in the world, and the foundation of the red wines from Rioja and Ribera del Duero in Spain. Over the last eighteen years, a number of American growers and producers have discovered or re-discovered Tempranillo, along with other Spanish and Portuguese varieties like Albariño, Graciano, Garnacha and Verdelho, as well as the grapes used in Port, such as Touriga Naçional. During the same period, Spanish culture and cuisine have become more familiar to the public. Through tastings, seminars, press coverage, and the Internet, TAPAS aims to capitalize on this trend, raising consumer awareness of the food-friendly wines made from Iberian varieties, and providing broader exposure for the typically smaller, limited-production wineries making them.

Restrictions:

Attendees must be 21 years of age or older and present ID at the door. This means NO CHILDREN and NO BABIES IN STROLLERS.  

Please bring your confirmation email to the event.  Event tickets are NON-REFUNDABLE. NO EXCEPTIONS.

This event is non-smoking and fragrance free.

The planners and sponsors of this event claim no liability for the acts of any suppliers to the event, nor for the safety of any attendee while in transit to or from this event.
TAPAS reserves the right to cancel this event without penalty.
Please remember, wine tasting must be done in a responsible manner.
Please don’t drink and drive.
Thank you for your cooperation.

Two innocent youngsters meet by chance, relishing the discovery and passion of first love—only to be shattered by tragic twists of fate and the destructive hatred of their own families.

Set to one of Prokofiev’s most evocative scores, this production is filled with beautiful dance, riveting battles, and compelling drama, all amidst stunning production designs by Jens-Jacob Worsaae and lighting by Thomas R. Skelton.

“For never was a story of more woe, than this of Juliet and her Romeo.”
—William Shakespeare

Approximate program length: 2 hours, 40 minutes.

Composer: Sergei Prokofiev
Choreographer: Helgi Tomasson

For additional questions call Ticket Services

415.865.2000

Monday – Friday

10 am – 4 pm

The opportunity at Sourflour to learn at first hand from a real baker in an industrial kitchen with an incredibly hot oven isn’t something you can do everyday especially in a city so famous for its bread however be warned it is pricey for what it is.

Sourflour offers regular courses at La Victoria Bakery in the Mission – check their website for course times dates and times.

San Francisco Ballet, Program 3: ”Trio,” “Francesca da Rimini” and “Le Carnaval des Animaux.” Through Feb 26. War Memorial Opera House, 301 Van Ness Ave, S.F. $20-$285. (415) 865-2000. www.sfballet.org.