From winery crab feasts and the big SF Beer Week to a zinfandel celebration, science-inspired cocktails and Valentine-inspired wine-and-chocolate pairings, here’s what’s happening on the Bay Area’s spirits scene in February and beyond.
Year-long Wine Trail Pass: Go wine tasting at 34 tasting rooms in Saratoga, Morgan Hill, San Martin, Gilroy and Hollister for a full year with the purchase of a wine trail passport ($75, one visit per winery). Trail Days — on Aug. 1 and Nov. 7 — add live music and special events to the mix. http://www.santaclarawines.com/wine_trail_pass.html
Crab Feast Mendocino: Jan. 24-Feb. 2, Mendocino County wineries, restaurants and other venues. This tasty escape celebrates Dungeness crab and local wine with 30 different restaurant and winery events, from Alsatian wine pairings to barrel tastings, cioppino feasts and sea safaris. Prices vary. www.visitmendocino.com/event/crab-feast-mendocino-2020/
ZinEX: Jan. 30- Feb. 1, San Francisco venues. This three-day Zinfandel Experience includes four big events, from an opening night dining gala to seminars, a winemaker dinner and grand tasting at various San Francisco locations. The grand tasting at Pier 27 runs from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; tickets $90-$185. https://zinfandel.org/events/zinfandel-experience-2020/
Wine and Chocolate Walk: 1-5 p.m. Feb. 1, downtown Benicia. Enjoy chocolate paired with 32 different wines, poured inside participating downtown shops. $30-$55. www.beniciamainstreet.org/wine
Crab Cake Cook-Off and Wine Tasting Competition: Feb. 1, Fort Bragg. Enjoy a roundabout of crab cakes served every which way, paired to local wines and microbrews at the 21st annual cook-off in Mendocino County. $90. www.mccinc.org.
Sonoma Crab and Wine Fest: 6:30 p.m. Feb. 1, Sonoma County Fairgrounds Hall of Flowers and Grace Pavilion, Santa Rosa. The largest crab feed in California, this benefit for the Sonoma County Farm Bureau’s agricultural education programs features Sonoma County beer, wine and spirits, live music and plenty of Dungeness. Reception and silent auction start at 4 p.m.; dinner at 6:30 p.m. $125. https://sonomafb.org/crab-feed
Beer Garden Friday: 4 p.m. Feb. 7. Devil’s Canyon Brewing Co., 935 Washington St., San Carlos. Enjoy live music in the taproom, fresh craft beer and root beer all brewed onsite and food trucks in the beer garden every Friday. Free admission. www.devilscanyon.com/fridays.html
Science of Cocktails: 9 p.m.-midnight Feb. 7, Exploratorium, Pier 15, Embarcadero at Green Street, San Francisco. This museum fundraising event includes more than 20 open bars staffed by Bay Area mixologists, boozy science demonstrations, food and live music. $150-$250. exploratorium.edu/support/science-of-cocktails
Lodi’s Wine & Chocolate Weekend: Feb. 7-9, Lodi wineries. Sip your way through handcrafted Lodi wines and sample sweet and savory chocolate bites while visiting nearly 50 wineries in the Lodi appellation. New this year: Friday night winemaker dinners ($100) at Acquiesce Winery, m2 Wines, McCay Cellars and St. Amant Winery. Tickets to the Grand Tasting Tours are $45-$75. lodiwineandchocolate.com.
SF Beer Week: Feb. 7-16 at venues across the Bay Area. Northern California’s biggest brew festival takes over breweries, restaurants and other venues for 10 days of hundreds of sudsy events, starting with the SF Beer Week Opening Gala on Feb. 7 at San Francisco’s Pier 35. Other events include an IPA Festival, barrel-aged release party, dim sum beer brunch, live flamenco, beer and food pairings, and brew trivia. Prices vary. https://sfbeerweek.org.
Crush Club Comedy & Beer: 7:30-10 p.m. Feb. 8. Original Pattern Brewing, 292 Fourth St., Oakland. Enjoy a free night of world-class stand-up comedy, with sips and bites available for purchase from Original Pattern Brewing beer and in-house pop-up Good to Eat Dumplings. Register https://bayareane.ws/OriginalPattern.
Rock Wall Comedy Night: 7-10:30 p.m. Feb. 8, Rock Wall Wine Co.; 2301 Monarch St., Alameda. Enjoy some comic relief, courtesy of the Best of the San Francisco Comedy Competition, plus wine, light bites and the tunes of DJ Zhaldee, who will be spinning from 7 to 8 p.m. $30. https://rockwallwines.com
Port Wine & Chocolate Lovers Weekend: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Feb 8-9, Old Sugar Mill, Clarksburg. Taste port wines paired with chocolates at multiple wineries in this complex. $35-$45. http://oldsugarmill.com
Monk’s Kettle Beer and Cookies Pairing: Noon Feb. 11, Monk’s Kettle, 3141 16th St., San Francisco. The brewery’s SF Beer Week festivities include this tasty dessert pairing of three cookies and a trio of beers on Feb. 11, as well as a Triple IPA Fest on Feb. 12 and Wet Behind the Beers on Feb. 13, which showcases new Bay Area breweries, including Ghostwood, Bartlett Hall, Imperiale Beer Project, Danville Brewing and Wondrous Brewing. https://monkskettle.com
Fieldwork Brewing Dinner at Comal: 6:30 p.m. Feb. 11-12, Comal, 2020 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. To celebrate SF Beer Week, Comal chef Matt Gandin and Fieldwork head brewer Alex Tweet are presiding over a special dinner that pairs Gandin’s dishes with small-batch beers — Al Pastor Tacos with pineapple-morita chile salsa with Tundra Triple IPA, for example. $75. Reserve seats at https://bayareane.ws/Comal211 and https://bayareane.ws/Comal212.
Valentine’s Workshop and Chocolate-Wine Tasting: 3-4:30 p.m. Feb. 14, Sweet55, 225 Highway 1, Half Moon Bay. Make grand cru truffles and enjoy tastings of wine, bubbles and chocolate during this sweet workshop. $190. https://bayareane.ws/Truffles
Roses and Rosés: 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Feb. 14-16, Chandon Winery, 1 California Dr, Yountville. One-hour in-depth and interactive communal tasting experience. Each guest will be served a flight of 5 rosés accompanied by a long stem rose with a special gift. $65. www.chandon.com/
Wine and Chocolate Festival: 12-4 p.m. Feb. 15, Domenico Winery, 1697 Industrial Road, San Carlos. Enjoy a chocolate fountain and sample wine from four different wineries during this afternoon tasting. $40. https://bayareane.ws/Domenico
Girl Scout Cookies and Wine Walk: 1-5 p.m. Feb. 15, Spirits Alley Alameda, corner of Monarch Street and West Tower Avenue. The walk will feature a tasting at each winery with specially selected wines paired with four of Girl Scouts’ world-famous cookies, a raffle, and the opportunity to purchase Girl Scout cookies from a local troop. $25. http://bit.ly/2GyQ7VI
San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition Public Tasting: 1-4:30 p.m. Feb. 15, Fort Mason Center, San Francisco. Taste your way through the prize-winning wines from the nation’s largest American wine competition. $75-$95. https://winejudging.com
West Coast Craft Can Invitational: 2-5 p.m. Feb. 15, Devil’s Canyon Brewing Co., 935 Washington St, San Carlos. Chat with brewers and taste your way through the best canned craft beer from West Coast breweries, and enjoy live music, food trucks, vintage arcade games and more. $40 ($15 for designated drivers, with unlimited root beer). www.devilscanyon.com
Fort Point Presents — Battle of the Brewery Bands: 5-10 p.m. Feb. 15, Amnesia Beer and Music Hall, 853 Valencia St., San Francisco. Brewery staff bands from Harmonic Brewing, Standard Deviant Brewing, Ghost Town Brewing and Fort Point will compete for the title of best brewery band. $7. http://bit.ly/36wBDjB
Soul of the City Wine Festival: 3-6 p.m. Feb. 16, 490 43rd St., Oakland. This fifth annual boutique wine festival showcases wines from award-winning African-American vintners, paired with small bites and a bubbly bar. $40 advance ticket sales only. https://bayareane.ws/SoulCityWine
Wine Night: 6:30 p.m. Feb. 20, Zanotto’s Market, 1356 S. Mary Ave., Sunnyvale. Taste wine and nibble hors d’oeuvres with a Rombauer winery staffer, who will describe each varietal poured and answer questions about the wine making process. $60. https://www.zanottos.com/events
CellarPass Music Series: 6 p.m. Feb. 21 and March 13, Napa Valley venues. This inaugural CellarPass series kicks off with wine, light bites and music by Dueling Pianos at three Napa Valley winery tasting lounges. Among them: Trinitas Cellars (Jan. 17) at the Vista Collina Resort, the new Handwritten Wines (Feb. 21) lounge in Yountville, and Acumen Wines (March 13) in downtown Napa. $30, ages 21 and up only. www.cellarpass.com/music-series
Anderson Valley Winter White Wine Festival: Feb. 22-23. Events range from a “Why Riesling?” and a grand tasting on Feb. 22 at the Mendocino County Fairgrounds, 14400 Highway 128, Boonville, to winery open houses on Feb. 23. Prices vary. www.avwines.com.
Oregon Wine Trail San Francisco: 6-8:30 p.m. March 4, Terra Gallery, 511 Harrison St., San Francisco. Taste wine from 55 Oregon wineries at this grand event showcasing the Pacific Northwest’s wine, food and hospitality. $75-$95. http://bit.ly/2RzE8gY
St. Patrick’s Day Beer Crawl: 1-5 p.m. March 14, downtown Benicia. Sample craft beers inside participating businesses. Ticket information tba. www.beniciamainstreet.org
