Well, a few days away in San Francisco were rather enjoyable! I arrived early Thursday morning at SFO and took BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit - I figured that out all by myself!) into downtown San Fran. I stayed at the San Francisco Marriott, right around the corner from the Four Seasons San Francisco where the Wines Women Want ™ Grand Tasting was held.
Day One - Interlude in Wine Country
I met with some friends who had just moved to the area themselves, and spent my first day in wine country with them, visiting Domaine Carneros (Taittinger's California winery). At the formidable mansion, we sat on the front terrace and partook in a flight of traditional method bubblies and another flight of Pinot Noirs. Next, we drove up into Napa Valley and visited Sequoia Grove just before they closed to enjoy their rare Rutherford Cabernets and Syrah, then Peju, with it's gorgeous gardens, pools, fountains and sculptures. We ended our evening with dinner al fresco at The Roadhouse in Guerneyville where we enjoyed B.R. Cohn's Napa Valley Merlot with a delicious meal.
Day Two - Fun in San Francisco
The next day I spent hanging around in San Francisco. I met my friends for some dim sum at a place on Commercial Street in Chinatwon. Later on, I visited the corporate offices of Vino Volo, an ambitious startup with a great winebar/retail concept for airline terminals. I work for them at the newest location at JFK Airport in American Airlines Terminal 9. Later, on some advice from the folks at Vino Volo, I found myself at the Ferry Terminal Marketplace, where I picked up some dinner to go. I bought a 1/4 chicken with wild rice and vegetables at Provence, an olive roll (made with local olives) at Acme Bread, and for dessert, a brownie from Recchiutti chocolatier. I enjoyed a Valrhona chocolate gelato from Ciao Bella while I walked around the terminal-turned-market admiring the fresh local produce, Cow Girl Creamery's cheese selections and cool, interesting shops. The weather throughout my trip was surpisingly lovely and relatively warm. It was not as hot as NYC for sure, as there was always a breeze blowing and was just a bit too cool to walk around in a tank top, but the sun shined brightly and a light cardigan was enough.
Day Three - The Main Event
I arrived at the Four Seasons at 7:00 am to help set up for Wines Women Want ™. I met the lovely Lisa Tomko, who chaired our committee. Her husband Mark was also on hand to help, and I met a group of lovely ladies with whom I spent most of the day helping with registration duties such as taking tickets and handing out programs, giving directions, and distributing name tags. They had a breakfast of pastries, fresh fruit, coffee, tea, juices and water set out for us.
Wine
I was able to attend the Wine Tasting Descriptors and Sensory Evaluation seminar with Professor Ann Noble from the University of California at Davis, inventor of the Wine Aroma Wheel. I sat next to Deborah Brenner, author of Women of the Vine. We enjoyed tasting and chatting with eachother, and Ann Noble was as witty as she was wise as she guided us through acclimating our sense of smell to some aromas and discussed the mechanics of identifying the aromas and flavors we detect when smelling and tasting wine. The seminar was fascinating and fun!
We had about 75 wineries in attendance with tables set up in the Grand Ballroom. Most were from California, but there were also wineries from Wisconsin, New Mexico, Maine, and Virginia, among other states. Some of my favorites were a crisp Pinot Grigio that was full of character and a silky, delicious merlot from Swanson Vineyards, Pinot Noirs and Syrahs from the brand new Vine Hill winery, Gatos Locos of Vine Hill line and Ceja Vineyards, and all of the wines of Tres Sabores by Julie Johnson. Julie also let us taste her Zinfandel based marinade that she markets as well. Delish! There were many other delicious wines to try.
Food
After the awards ceremony was the Walkabout Tasting Lunch. Karen Jess-Lindsley, our event chair, had asked the Four Seasons' chef for a menu that would provide a nice variety of foods to pair with the wines on offer, and the results were fantastic! There were four tables over which to graze, and the food was delicious. The Big Voluptuous Reds table was for Cab, Merlot, Zin, Malbec, Petite Sirah and Bordeaux style red blends. Among a delicious variety of items were Beef Empanadas with a rich, earthy mole made of Scharffen Berger Chocolate. The Sensuous Reds table, for Pinot Noir, Syrah and Tempranillo, featured a fun take on bruschetta topped with portobello mushrooms instead of tomato concassé. Vegetable Samosas on this table were great as well. Grilled Asparagus with lemon thyme and bits of Marcona almonds on the Crisp & Sassy table (for Sauv Blanc, Pinot Gris, Unoaked Chardonnay and Dry Rosé) were a treat. On the Brazen Whites table Chardonnay and Viognier were paired with a goat cheese cake that was served in tall, slender shot glasses.
And there was chocolate everywhere! Chocolate Crème Brulée, milk chocolate mousses, chocolate raspberry pots de creme, flourless dark chocolate cake and chocolate dipped strawberries. Chef Jeremy Emmerson went to town!!
People
During the day, I met more fabulous ladies, including Veronica, Lorena, Sheila and Karen who were also Registration Committee members, Leanne Su, a NYC Chapter member who ran winery relations and Julie Johnson, one of the cofounders of Women for WineSense who also cofounded Frog's Leap winery and is currently marketing her own Tres Sabores label. I met Amelia Morán Ceja and her daughter of Ceja Vineyards, and I made a new friend named Lisa who will likely come to some events in NYC, as she commutes between California and New York quite a lot.
Later on, I went to dinner with Karen Jess-Lindsley, national board president Gabrielle Leonhard and some lovely WWS ladies from New Jersey and Richmond, VA. Some of their husband and partners came along. We dined at restaurant simply called Two, which is on Hawthorne Street, sort of hidden from the general public. What a find! Dinner was great, and I flew out later that night to come home.
The trip was a quicky, but I very much enjoyed it. Can't wait until next year - The 2nd Annual Wines Women Want ™ Grand Tasting sponsored by Women for WineSense!