Tasting rooms: San Francisco Chronicle Wine section in 60 seconds

by Sarah J. Gim, Posted Sep 9th 2006 @ 2:31PM

wine tasting room

The San Francisco Chronicle Wine section has officially moved from Thursday to Friday.

Wine tasting isn't exactly a cheap pastime, but still, California wineries drew more visitors than Major League Baseball in 2003. Because tasting rooms are a critical source of income for many wineries, they're stepping up wtih creating fancier, more elaborate :destinations." If you're planning to go tastin gin the Wine Country, the Chronicle aslo has tips for how to do it like a VIP, and ratings/reviews of tasting rooms. This week, the ylook at Coppola and Parducci, both of which get three out of four stars (***).

The Wine Selection of the week is South Central Coast Zinfandels, which "could convert Zinfandel naysayers by demonstrating that high alcohol and fruit can be present but not overshadow the wines' other charms."

To pair with the Zins? Braised meatballs. If you're drinking something along the lines of "a red wine that is not too serious or weighty, such as a California-appellation Merlot," then pair it with Beecher's Handmade Flagship, a Cheddar-like cheese from Seattle.

Filed Under: Raves & Reviews, Newspapers, In Sixty Seconds, Ingredients, Drink Recipes, How To
Tags: america, bay area, beef, cheese, food and wine, napa, napa valley, san francisco, san francisco chronicle, SF, SF chronicle, west coast, wine, wine country, wine tasting