The holiday drinking season is fast approaching. Read on for this week's training regimen.
Beaujolais Nouveau Arrives in San Francisco
In France, celebrating the release of Beaujolais Nouveau wine on the third Thursday in November is not just a tradition: it's the law. At a handful of bars and restaurants in and around San Francisco, you'll find the local French population doing their civic duty this Thursday by drinking fresh, fruity wine made from just-harvested Gamay grapes. Arlequin Wine Merchant (384 Hayes St.) will host their seventh annual Beaujolais Bash from 6 to 8pm, where they will be pouring more than 30 different labels, featuring Cru Beaujolais and Beaujolais Nouveau from top Beaujolais vignerons. Tickets are $35 at the door. Café Claude (7 Claude Lane) and Café Claude Marina (2120 Greenwich), Claudine (8 Claude Lane), Gaspar Brasserie (185 Sutter) and Gitane (6 Claude Lane) - the petite collection of restaurants from restaurateur Franck LeClerc - will celebrate the annual arrival of a special Beaujolais from Domaine Dupeuble by selling it by the glass ($12) and bottle ($48) from November 20 until it runs dry. Each restaurant is also featuring its own special dish to be paired with the Beaujolais. The Bay Area Left Bank Brasseries in Larkspur (507 Magnolia Avenue), San Jose (377 Santana Row, Suite 1100) and Menlo Park (635 Santa Cruz Avenue) will feature Georges Dubœuf, Beaujolais-Villages, Nouveau, 2014 for $9 per glass, $27 per carafe, and $36per bottle, plus a $46.00 three-course prix fixe menu available for lunch and dinner.
Get Something Extra at Canela
Not to be outdone by the French, Canela Bistro and Wine Bar will be offering guests a little something extra on Thursday, alongside its regular Spanish tapas fare. Diners who make a regular dinner reservation on November 20 will be treated to a free traditional Asturian Food and Cider pairing. Situated in Northern Spain, Asturias is known for its seafood, and especially for "fabada asturiana," a rich stew made with white beans, pork shoulder, black sausage and spicy chorizo. The Asturian “extras” will include light bites of crab paté and white tuna paté from Conservas Agromar and tastes of fizzy hard cider from Sidra Trabanco, including a traditional cider, Cosecha Propia, and a brut cider, Poma Aurea. 2272 Market Street
16th Annual PinotFest at Farallon
Gamay isn't the only grape in the spotlight this month. Farallon restaurant is celebrating the West Coast’s top pinot noir producers with a PinotFest on Saturday, and a month-long pairing menu. Executive Chef Ryan Simas has created a five-course tasting menu with an optional wine pairing of the pinot family of grapes (Champagne, pinot blanc, pinot noir, pinot gris) from Wine Director Luke Kenning. The Tasting Menu is available nightly for $90, plus $55 for the wine pairings, throughout the month of November. In addition, the restaurant is offering two pinot noir flights of three wines each, one highlighting California wineries ($33) and another featuring Oregon wineries ($27). This Saturday, Farallon will host the 16th Annual PinotFest Grand Tasting from 3 to 6 pm, featuring hors d'oeuvres and unlimited tastings of pinot noirs from 60 of Oregon and California's best producers. Tickets are available in advance for $125, and they sell out every year. 450 Post Street
Norcal Beer Geeks Festival
There are beer lovers, and there are beer geeks. We're not sure exactly how to tell the difference, so we're planning to do more research this Saturday from 1 to 5pm at the Norcal Beer Geeks Festival at Santa Rosa’s Veteran’s Memorial building. NorCal Beer Geeks started in 2012 as a Facebook group of 20 beer lovers who wanted a forum to connect about all things beer. The group has grown to 600 members, which means the $35 entry fee is a trifle compared to the value of the data we'll collect while enjoying unlimited tastings from 20+ breweries. Beer and cider makers large and small will be pouring their brews to the tune of live music and DJs, and alongside food (available for purchase) from Palooza GastroPub & Wine Bar. Purchase tickets online. The Beer Geeks Festival benefits Sonoma County Vets Connect, and the first 200 attendees who bring a used coat to donate to the cause will receive a free festival T-shirt. 1351 Maple Ave., Santa Rosa
Party Like a Victorian at the Great Dickens Christmas Fair
Most of the fare at the Great Dickens Christmas Fair is family-friendly. But for the shadier characters among us, adult entertainment won't be hard to find when the annual Victorian Holiday Party kicks off on Saturday at Cow Palace. With four traditional pubs and a bar, you'll never be far from draft ales, wine and champagne, hot buttered rum, Irish coffee, hot spiced mead, mulled wine, and hot toddies. The Bohemian absinthe bar in Fagin's Alley is where the grown-ups gather for lively conversation. Mad Sal's Dockside Ale House in Ale House Alley hosts a rowdy crowd of singers and a stage full of high-kicking dancers demonstrating the wicked Can-Can Bijou. Other pubs include The Leather Bottle in Jingle's Gate, The Prince Edward Pub in Pickwick Place, and The 3 Cripples Inn in Cratchit's Yard. You can even bring your ale to the Cat N' Bull Dart Parlour and try your hand at the dart boards or rent your own dart lane to relax and play with friends. You can even buy a booze-drenched dessert as a gift, including rum cake, Irish Whisky cake, Scottish Whisky Cake, and English Christmas pudding. If you want to see the scandalous "Saucy French Postcard Tableaux Revue" at the Victoria and Albert Bijou Music Hall, you must request tickets upon arrival at the Fair. Admission is free with entry, but seats fill up quickly, and guests must be 18 or older to gain admittance. Great Dickens Christmas Fair tickets are available online for $25 - $30 for adults and $12 for children, with a Scrooge Special twilight discount ($13 for adults, $8 for children) and free admission for military on select weekends. The Great Dickens Christmas Fair & Victorian Holiday Party commences on November 22 and continues five weekends from 10am to 7pm, including the Friday after Thanksgiving, through Sunday, December 21. 2600 Geneva Avenue
Send drinking suggestions to renee@grassrootspr.com.
