The Bay Area Wine Society, in cooperation with Affairs of the Vine, invites Cabernet enthusiasts to taste the top-rated Cabernets from the 2012 Affairs of the Vine Cabernet Shootout. Compare your findings to those of the professional judging panel on Saturday, January 19, 2012, at the Winery SF on beautiful Treasure Island. The event benefits One Brick.
The Cabernet Shootout is a uniquely structured event where the highest rated wines from a rigorous preliminary tasting process are presented for consumers to enjoy and evaluate. Comparing the professional judges’ choices to those of consumers is always fascinating! Results are tabulated by gender, which makes things even more interesting! What do women really love? What turns the guys on? Find out at the Cabernet Shootout!
Pit Your Palate Against the Pros! 1:30 til 4:30
Each attendee will have the opportunity to blind taste a flight of 16 wines containing five of the top 10 wines chosen by the panelists– and select their favorites.
Then, enjoy a walk around tasting of over 30 Cabernets, as well as many other varietals, accompanied by delicious nibbles. Sample wines from 25+ boutique Cab Shootout wineries. Meet vintners from such artisanal producers as En Garde, Sol Rouge, J Pilar Vigilance, Rahn, Auburn James, Rodrigue Molyneaux ,Cass and last year’s SF Chronicle competition grand champion, McGrail.
With only 250 tickets to be sold to this fundraiser, you will have plenty of opportunity to chat with the vintners.
The VIP ticket option offers two concurrent panel sessions prior to the general tasting, featuring winemakers discussing their approach to vinification of this noble and how the terroir of different grape growing areas in California and Bordeaux manifests itself in the wine.
One Brick, a nonprofit offering volunteer assistance to charitable organizations, will be raffling off bottles of Cab from Cabernet Shootout producers. Odds are quite good that you could walk away with a bottle of award winning Cabernet Sauvignon!
How Cabernet Shootout Works
Last fall, Affairs of the Vine convened a panel of 41 wine makers, writers, buyers, educators, and consultants to evaluate nearly 300 limited production, artisan Cabernet Sauvignons, Cabernet Francs and Cabernet blends from 56 different appellations. Without regard to price, vintage or region, the panel of experts then selected from 64 wines in a final round, selecting 32 “best of the best.” From that selection, 16 are chosen to present during Cabernet Shootout this Saturday.
CLICK HERE to buy your tickets now! Sales end on Jan 18.
BY: LAURA NESS, WINE JUDGE & WINE WRITER
Laura Ness, aka “Her VineNess,” is an accomplished wine journalist and wine critic whose passion for wine was ignited by a visit to France, where she had the unmatched pleasure of tasting Sancerre in the medieval town of Sancerre – splendid!— and then a Saumur, after visiting the Chateau de Saumur in Chinon. The concept of terroir came alive in those incandescent moments. She regularly judges wine competitions and serves on the tasting panels of the Pinot, Cabernet and Chardonnay Shootouts. She was instrumental in helping define the unique sub-regions of the Santa Cruz Mountains AVA in concert with Appellation America. You can usually find her sipping and smiling in Mendocino, Livermore, the Santa Lucia Highlands, Santa Cruz Mountains and Paso Robles. Laura writes extensively for many industry and consumer publications, and has weekly wine columns in several Bay Area newspapers. She blogs, irreverently and sporadically, at myvinespace.com.
