Saturday June 5th, 2:00 to 5:00 p.m.
Ft. Mason Center, SF

TAPAS The Tempranillo Advocates, Producers and Amigos Society (TAPAS) is hosting the most extensive annual tasting of domestically produced Spanish and Portuguese varietal wines in North America, for the third year, at Ft. Mason. Grapes native to the Iberian Peninsula produce some of the hottest-selling wines on the market right now, but not many people know that there are excellent and unique domestic versions being grown, too. you'll have a unique opportunity to sample wines from thirty-nine participating wineries and learn about varieties like Tempranillo, Albari?o, Garnacha, Graciano, Mourvedre, Touriga, Verdelho, Bastardo and more. Many TAPAS members are limited-production, family-owned wineries and will be pouring small lot wines that are not widely available.

These delightful domestic wines originate in Arizona, California, and Oregon. Chef Marco Rauch will tantalize your palate with "The World's Most Delicious Paella" to accompany the wines. Local restaurants and food purveyors from around the Bay Area will be on hand with samples designed to pair with the Iberian varieties.

Tickets for the consumer tasting, normally $35 in advance, are available online for $25 to meetup members at: http://tapas2010.eventbrite.com/ or $50 at the door. To receive the $10 discount type in ~BAWS~ in the Discount Code space.

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And now for something completely different... Since some members prefer events on weekday evenings and others weekend days, we are offering two options to participate in...PAIRINGS: A Pop Up Tasteria

Thursday, June 17th 5:30 to 8:00 p.m.
http://www.meetup.com/BayArea-Wine-Society/calendar/13667523/
Saturday, June 19th 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
http://www.meetup.com/BayArea-Wine-Society/calendar/13667573/
Cameron Gallery
Metreon
4th Street near Howard

Some of you have noticed that several groups are savvy enough to take advantage of the Ft. Mason "dispensation". That is, wines can be sold for take away because Ft. Mason, being on federal land, is not subject to the state ABC regs. This also applies to the land under the Cannery.

We are trying a variation on these enterprises, benefiting a nonprofit, which allows us to pull a temporary license from the ABC. We are holding a wine sampling and sale to benefit Baykeeper, in a more convenient downtown location, with parking across the street and BART up the street. We are located in another Pop Up: a gallery inside the Metreon showcasing "Environmental Journey"-- Robert Cameron's awe inspiring aerial photography.

We will be featuring "cellar treasures"--a dozen previous vintages that still reside in warehouses due the financial tsunami besetting our country, but whose supply is too small to keep in the winery's portfolio. These carefully selected library wines have the benefit of being aged in temperature controlled conditions and are actually more drinkable now than when originally released, including several white wines.

We chose Baykeeper after learning that they sent several members of their small staff down to the Gulf to advise on the cleanup. They can use the extra funds. We never want our remarkable body of water to ever resemble the Gulf.

Expect "steals and deals": You can taste and then "name your price" for the wines: the more you bid, the more proceeds Baykeeper keeps . Plus we will be raffling off some very appealing prizes including a special catered boat ride for six on the Bay in Baykeeper's special vessel.

Other fundraisers will be held over the course of the summer, after which the Cameron exhibit will be taken down and PAIRINGS will move on. More details on our unique program can be found at http://pairings-sf.com/. Info on the particular wines is forthcoming.