Event: The Golden Glass

This weekend marks the 5th Golden Glass event, Slow Food San Francisco's annual fundraiser. Over 100 sustainable and regional wine producers will be presenting their wines to taste. In addition there will be an exclusive sampling from Bay Area top restaurants and artisanal producers. Sample signature dishes from local restaurants, charcuterie, cheese, olive oil, seasonal fruit, breads, pastries, and gelato. The wines will mostly be Italian but there will also be wines from Australia, Spain, Germany, New Zealand, and Argentina.

I went to this event last year for the first time and was very impressed. Forget the endless variations of tuna tartare or ceviche you find at most events, at the Golden Glass there were unique artisanal ice creams, charcuterie and cheeses. The wines were from a variety of wineries, including some smaller ones that I had never heard of before. I also found it to be less crowded than other similar events. It's easy to understand why this is a favorite wine tasting event in San Francisco.

What: The Golden Glass
When: June 8, 2008 3pm-7pm
Where: Ft. Mason, Festival Pavilion, San Francisco, map
How: Purchase tickets in advance. Tickets are $50.00 if purchased before the event and $60.00 at the door
Why: This is a great chance to try terrific wines from around the world and taste samples of food from favorite local restaurants and purveyors such as Acquerello, Bi-Rite Creamery, Chez Panisse, Delfina, Evvia, Farina, Fatted Calf Salami, Harley Farms Goat Dairy, Kokkari, La Ciccia and Perbacco. Proceeds benefit the new Slow Food SF School Garden Project and Slow Food USA "Ark of Taste."

Why try wines from far away when we have perfectly good wines in our own backyard?
Because short of traveling the world, it's the best way to experience the wines from winemakers who are preserving traditional varietals and methods. Perhaps this quote from the San Francisco Slow Food Manifesto says it best "Let us rediscover the flavors and savors of regional cooking and banish the degrading effects of Fast Food....That is what real culture is all about: developing taste rather than demeaning it. And what better way to set about this than an international exchange of experiences, knowledge, projects?"