Palo Alto Blind Wine Society

We still have room!

🍇 Heritage California Immersion — Bedrock Vineyard Study Day
Monday, April 20, 2026

The Palo Alto Blind Wine Society will spend a full day in Sonoma County focused on historic California vineyard material, mountain structure, and site-driven winemaking.

We have confirmed private educational visits with:

• Bedrock Wine Co. — heritage vines & mixed black plantings
• Laurel Glen Vineyard — mountain Cabernet structure (Sonoma Mountain)
• Arnot-Roberts — site selection & transparency

This is not a tasting-room crawl.
This is a field seminar.

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🎯 Educational Focus

Using these three producers as a structured comparison, we will examine:

• survival farming in old vines
• field blends vs varietal precision
• elevation and its impact on structure
• ripeness vs balance in warm-climate California
• tannin architecture across site and intent
• how philosophy translates into finished wine

The goal is not to evaluate wines individually, but to build a comparative framework for California structure.

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🧭 Format of the Day

The day will progress as a layered study:

Bedrock
Historic baseline — heritage vines, continuity, and vine age

Laurel Glen
Structure through elevation — mountain Cabernet and tannin frame

Arnot-Roberts
Interpretation — site transparency, restraint, and decision-making

Each stop builds on the previous, allowing us to triangulate past → structure → philosophy.

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🚐 Transportation

We will travel together as a single group (mobile classroom format).

Vehicle and pricing will be finalized shortly.
Transportation cost: Inquire, we are only paying for costs.

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🥖 Food & Comfort

A brief educational lunch will be incorporated mid-day.

Water and light provisions will be organized so we can maintain focus and pacing throughout the day.

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👥 Attendance

Space will be limited once transportation is finalized.

This event is designed for serious study, thoughtful discussion, and full participation.

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🍷 Taste. Learn. Guess. Repeat.

🍷 Secret Wine Bar | Blind Wine Society Night

Palo Alto Blind Wine Society — Monthly Tradition

Some of the best wine experiences aren’t advertised.
You just have to know where to go.

Once a month, we step away from blind tasting grids and into something equally important: great wine, great people, and zero pressure.

This is our standing social night at the Secret Wine Bar — a hidden gem where the wines are always thoughtfully selected by Master Sommelier David Glancy, founder of the San Francisco Wine School.

Expect:
• Exceptional wines you might not normally encounter
• A relaxed, insider wine crowd
• Conversations that range from geeky to hilarious
• A chance to just enjoy wine without guessing it

No themes.
No exams.
No pressure.

Just great bottles and great company.

🍷 Why we go:
Because even serious tasters need nights where wine is simply fun again.

🍇 What makes this special:
David Glancy MS curates the wine list, which means the quality and interest level is consistently high. You never know exactly what will be featured, but it is always worth it.

📅 When: Last Saturday of every month
📍 Where: Secret Wine Bar
👥 Who: PABWS members and friends

💡 Good to know:
• Buy whatever wines interest you
• Stay as long or as short as you like
• New members welcome
• This is a social night, not a structured tasting

If you love discovering great wine with people who actually care about what’s in the glass, this is your kind of night.

Taste. Learn. Guess. Repeat.
(And sometimes… just drink.)

🍷 Palo Alto Blind Wine Society

The Plumed Horse Dinner

A Society Evening with Eli

Every wine society eventually discovers something important:

Wine is not the center.

People are.

The bottles simply give us a reason to gather.

On Sunday, April 26, we will share one of our traditional Society Dinners at The Plumed Horse — an evening set aside not for testing our palates, but for strengthening the friendships and shared respect that make this group what it is.

This is also an opportunity to support Eli, whose work reflects the level of professionalism and hospitality we admire and try to honor whenever we step into serious dining rooms.

✨ The Idea Behind Society Dinners

We do not gather simply to drink wine.

We gather to:
• Support one another’s work
• Experience great hospitality together
• Share bottles with intention
• Continue building the culture of this group

These dinners are part of what turns a tasting group into a society.

🎩 The Standard We Carry

On these evenings, we try to embody the values that have quietly defined PABWS:

Curiosity over ego
Generosity over status
Respect for craft
Respect for the room
Respect for each other

We aim to be the kind of guests restaurants are glad to welcome back.

🍷 The Wines

Wine participation will be coordinated thoughtfully to ensure the evening feels harmonious with the experience Eli and the team are creating.

👥 Attendance

As with all Society Dinners, attendance is limited to preserve the character of the evening.

📅 Sunday, April 26

In great wine circles, the most memorable nights are rarely the most expensive…

They are the ones where everyone at the table understands why they are there.

This will be one of those nights.

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Palo Alto Blind Wine Society
Taste. Learn. Guess. Repeat.
Founded in curiosity. Built through generosity.

🍷 Heads up: Seats are capped to keep tastings focused. If it’s full, join the wait list — spots almost always open. Please update your RSVP early if your plans change.

RSVPs & Confirmation From The Host are required to attend as well as to receive event details.

🍷 Palo Alto Blind Wine Society
Taste. Learn. Guess. Repeat.
Palo Alto Blind Wine Society is a small, community-driven wine tasting group dedicated to blind tasting, thoughtful discussion, and learning why wines taste the way they do. We focus on benchmark regions, classic styles, and well-made wines from around the world — always tasted blind to encourage open minds and honest analysis.

We host two weekly tracks:
🧭 Monday — Court of Master Sommelier | Study Focused Track
A focused, analytical tasting night designed for serious students, professionals, and experienced tasters. Wines are tasted blind with structured discussion, intentional pacing, and an emphasis on typicity, structure, and comparative reasoning. Attendance is limited to maintain quality and depth.

✨ Wednesday — Community | Wine Focused Track
A welcoming, educational tasting night open to newer tasters, returning members, and professionals alike. Wines are still tasted blind, but the pace is relaxed and discussion is collaborative, curiosity-forward, and inclusive.

🍷 Tasting Conduct & Safety (Very Important) For Both Nights
All Palo Alto Blind Wine Society events are learning-focused tastings, not drinking events.

• Spit cups are always supplied and plentiful.
• Spitting is strongly encouraged and completely normal at every event.
• Dump buckets are plentiful and guests are encouraged to dump wine early and often.

(Sinks, other plumbing, and appropriate outdoor areas are also available.)

• RSVPing to an event is your explicit agreement to spit and dump wine well before intoxication.
• If you are not comfortable with these expectations, you must cancel your RSVP and not attend.
• These rules are taken seriously. Failure to follow them will result in not being invited back.

Our goal is to create an environment where everyone feels comfortable tasting thoughtfully, learning safely, and enjoying great wine without pressure.

📌 How Events Work

• RSVPs & Confirmation From The Host are required to attend and to receive event details.
• Event announcements and lineups are sent only to confirmed RSVPs.
• Each guest brings one wrapped bottle aligned with the theme.
• A suggested bottle minimum of $35-or-more helps maintain consistent quality, though thoughtful exceptions are always welcome.
• Attendance is capped for each event to preserve the experience.

Whether you’re preparing for professional exams, sharpening your palate, or simply want to understand wine more deeply, Palo Alto Blind Wine Society is a place to taste with intention, learn together, and enjoy great bottles responsibly.

📅 Monday Nights @ 7:00 PM | CMS Focused Blind Wine Tasting
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Wednesday Nights @ 7:00 PM | Wine Focused Blind Wine Tasting