Rhone Rangers Thunder in, with Tips on Pairing Wine and Food

Rough Riders? No, Rhone Rangers!

​The Rhone Rangers are galloping back into town March 27-28, blasting their rifles into the air and scaring the shopkeepers (Oh, ho! Bet no one's come up with that joke before). The weekend's central event is a grand tasting of West Coast wines made with Rhone varietals (Syrah, Viognier, and their kin), which takes place at Fort Mason Sunday, March 28, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Over the years, the tasting has graduated from a Salon des Refusés to one of San Francisco's best-publicized wine events.

For agorophobic (or, at least, more introverted) wine drinkers, the seminars flanking the grand tasting may prove more enjoyable. In addition to workshops on Grenache (white and pink) and the age-ability of Rhone varietals, the seminar that piques SFoodie's interest is the sommelier panel on wine and food pairing.

Moderated by S.F. Chronicle wine editor Jon Bonné, "Bay Area Sommeliers Speak Out: Pairing Food with American Rhone Wines" brings together author Evan Goldstein, Nicole Burke of Town Hall and Salt House, and John Toulze from Sonoma's The Girl & The Fig. They'll discuss more generally about how to pair wine and food together in classic and unconventional ways, then give specific pairing tips for Rhone varietals. Naturally, there will be things on hand to eat and drink to illustrate their suggestions, and naturally, the food will come from Salt House and The Girl.

Event details:
Sommeliers Speak Out
Date: Sat., March 27, 2010, 1-2:15 p.m.
Location: The Firehouse at Fort Mason
Tickets: $70 purchased online; tickets usually sell out a week or so in advance