Hip Tastes Blog

I'll Toast to That
filed under: Events

This Thursday more than a thousand priviliged tasters including yours truly will descend upon San Fran's glam War Memorial Opera House for Wine Enthusiast Magazine's first-ever West Coast Toast of the Town event. Held annually in New York, the wine and food extravaganza's been such a success on the other side of this land that the mag decided to host one here this year, which is music to my ears. More than 500 wines will be poured alongside fab fare from some of the city's top restos (Fifth Floor, Delfina, Bart Tartine & Myth are just a few of 'em), along with live jazz to boot.

Tickets to the swank affair run a hefty $185 for the VIP tasting from 5pm to 7pm (admission includes a gift bag and private pre-event tasting of rare, reserve and estate wines as well as admission to the Grand Tasting) or the more reasonable but still steep (admittedly!) $95 for the Grand Tasting portion of the evening from 7pm to 10pm. The difference is really in the numbers: folks attending the later portion only will have more competition when it comes to scoring pours and my guess is that some of the best grub will be gone by then too.

But overall I'm expecting general gustatorial fabulousness from 5 to 10, with the most hedonistic stuff to be had early on. This is a pricey tasting indeed, but if you've got a little extra cash in your wallet this week and a hankering for some really top wine & eats, all signs point to this one being a good bet. If you're wondering just who'll be there (wine & eats), here's a quick overview of a few that stuck out to me:

Grub: same as above plus Michael Mina, Tsar Nicouli Caviar, Plumpjack, Bix, etoile (that's the resto @ Domaine Carneros), Bistro Don Giovanni, Fringale Restaurant, Marnee Thai (random with this mix but I LUV their food so whatevs!), Peppoli at Pebble Beach and Postrio.

Booze: Baron Philippe de Rothschild, Beaulieu Vineyard, Bernardus, Bouchard Aine et Fils, Casa Lapostolle, Champagne Louis Roederer, Champagne Piper-Heidsieck, Charles Heidsieck, Charles Krug (clearly, I like bubbs), Domaines Ott, Frei Brothers, French Rabbit (shout out to Hip Tastes supporters!), Laetitia, Marques de Riscal, Perrier Jouet, Ramos Pinto, Sterling Vineyards and Wente Vineyards.

Charity: All this plus a silent auction with items benefiting America's Second Harvest, an organization that provides nutritious food to more than 25 million low-income people in the US each year. Nice!

Location:
War Memorial Opera House
301 Van Ness Avenue at Grove Street

Get your tickets here.

See you there.

Posted by Courtney on March 26, 2007 06:25 PM

Comments

Got my ticket. Charging my camera for some memorable shots. Do I need to bring a glass?

Posted by: Andy Gamitian on March 27, 2007 02:42 PM
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I CANNOT believe I am out of town for this event. I am so bummed! You can officially eat double the food and drink double the wine on my behalf...have so much fun!! Take lots of pics...

Posted by: Claire on March 28, 2007 11:06 AM
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