Wine Tastings at SNOB Wine Bar on Polk

SNOB (Sonoma Napa Or Beyond) Wine Bar on Polk Street is a really cozy wine bar which has a nice and well-priced wine list, as well as a dim and romantic vibe and very friendly servers. They have started a series of wine tastings, usually held on Wednesday evenings from 7 to 9pm, and they are a lot of fun. For $10 you get three fairly generous pours out of a list of five or six options, all along the same theme, as well as crackers, cheese and grapes. The last tasting featured French wines, including a Fleur Haut Gaussens Bourdeaux Suprieur, a Marc Kreydenweiss Andlau Riesling, a Bouvet Signature Brut, a Montlouis Sur Loire, a Vin D'Alsace Pinot Blanc. I had the Riesling which was light and fruity and only slightly sweet, quite delicious, and two pours of the Pinot Blanc which was dry and floral and quite pleasant. It's a good deal, a fun spot and the crowd is usually good, so I hope you pop by to enjoy. The next tasting is scheduled for Wednesday, August 20.

SNOB Wine Bar

1327 Polk Street in San Francisco

http://www.sfsnob.com/

London Wine Bar

I think quite a few folks probably walk or drive by the London Wine Bar on Sansome and Sacramento downtown, but for whatever reason don't usually choose to pop in and give it a try. It's conveniently located and is a fairly immediate transport away from downtown of sorts when you enter. It bills itself as America's oldest wine bar, and offers over 1300 selections. The ambiance is "old school" with rustic furniture, dark wood tabletops and bar, old pictures and paintings and just an overall feeling of comfort and warmth. The service generally isn't quite attentive, so you may have to be a bit proactive in your ordering, but the staff is quite nice. The wine list has a nice range and is fairly well-priced as well. I have been several times recently and have tried the Deinhard Riesling, which is off dry and floral with a clean and smooth finish. Other selections I have tasted include a Baystone Syrah from Dry Creek, which is fairly big yet fruit-forward, and a Di Bruno Sangiovese which is well-balanced and velvety on the palate. During the evening complimentary cheddar and jack cheese cubes as well as crackers are offered. The food menu is short but the items, such as cheese and meat plates, salads, crostini and smoked salmon, work well with wine. It's a nice retreat in the middle of downtown, and perfect for an after-work glass of wine to linger over.

London Wine Bar

415 Sansome Street in San Francisco

http://www.londonwinesf.com/

Cav Wine Bar

It's great that there are so many great wine bars in and around San Francisco. I have only been back in town for a few weeks now but it has been fun learning about all of the new spots and of course taking time to check them out as well. I recently had the pleasure of going to Cav Wine Bar on Market Street just down from Zuni Cafe. The space is a bit dark with dim lighting, dark walls and flooring and dark gray metal bar and tabletops. The color scheme is black, grey and red. The decor is quite minimal and the overall vibe is hip and modern. The bar area spans the left side of the front portion of the space with tables to the right and in the back area as well. Around 6ish it isn't too crowded so that's a nice time to arrive and get seats if you can. I decided to try the Chateau Ksara Gewurztraminer from Lebanon. It was floral and honeysuckle on the nose, and sweet but not too sweet as far as taste goes. The texture was velvety and the color slightly golden. I really enjoyed it so I stayed with that throughout the evening. My friend started with the Sylvaner "Flood Family Vineyard" Riesling from Santa Barbara County and then went on to Weingut Juris "Selection" Pinot Noir from Austria. Both got good reviews. The food at Cav Wine Bar is elegantly presented and, not surprisingly, all goes quite well with wine. There is a nice selection of cheese as well as a few bites, small plates, large plates and desserts. We were snacking at had the Sweet Potato Fries, which arrive in a cone-shaped container and are absolutely delicious. The fries are fairly thick-cut and are perfectly salted with kosher salt flakes. They are crisp yet still fairly light, and yes you are eating fries but sweet potatoes actually have a lot great nutrients as well as fiber, so why not indulge a bit? We also had a selection of three cow's milk cheese, all of which were delicious. The servers are knowledgeable and friendly and always seem to be around when your glass turns empty. Cav Wine Bar is a great place to unwind with great wine and food after work, or to pop into to enjoy some wine after a meal.

Cav Wine Bar

1666 Market Street in San Francisco

http://www.cavwinebar.com/