Napa Valley

Bottle Rock Napa Valley Still Owes $630,000 to More Than 140 Workers

A month after Bottle Rock Napa Valley finished its first-ever music and food festival with major acts like the Black Keys and Kings of Leon, organizers still owe workers who produced the event more than $630,000. The Press-Democrat reports that 142 stagehands haven't been paid for much of the work ... More >>

Bottle Rock: The Black Keys and Flaming Lips Can't Break Through Distractions at Napa Valley's New Fest, 5/10/13

The Black Keys, the Flaming Lips, Andrew Bird, Alabama Shakes, the Dirty Projectors, Vintage Trouble and more Friday, May 10, 2013 Bottle Rock Napa Valley Better than: Bob's Hot Rods cover band, Craig Chaquico, or other music you'd typically hear at a winery. Ostensibly the four-day event that too ... More >>

Sizzle & Fizzle: Highs and Lows from the Last Week in S.F. Music

Name Recognition: Eleanor Coppola's Time in Hotels Inspires Her Latest Work

Furthur Cancels Bottle Rock Napa Valley Set After Bob Weir Collapses Onstage

Bay Area jam outfitFurthur just announced that it will cancel its set at next week's Bottle Rock Napa Valley music festival in the wake of frontman Bob Weir's onstage collapse. The band, which features Grateful Dead co-founders Weir and Phil Lesh, had been scheduled to headline the first night of Bo ... More >>

Rock the Wine Country: Bottle Rock Festival Is an Odd New Addition to the Bay Area

Drink 2013: Small Batch is the Second Coming of Local Wine

Black Keys, Furthur, Kings of Leon to Headline BottleRock Festival in Napa

Since the Bay Area obviously doesn't have enough music festivals already, there's a new one coming -- to Napa, of all places. The inaugural BottleRock Napa Valley festival will run May 9 to 12 and has booked a huge slate of big-name pop-rock acts, including the Black Keys, Kings of Leon, Furthur, th ... More >>

Nancy Pelosi's Napa Valley Home Burglarized

Napa police are investigating a break-in at Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi's Napa Valley home that happened long before voters started heading to the polls on Tuesday. Thieves reportedly broke into the House Minority Leader's Napa Valley house on Monday afternoon, the day before she was reelected to Con ... More >>

Wine Harvest Day Tripping in Sonoma County

Harvest time in wine country is quickly approaching and it's time to start making plans to head up north to "help" -- drink wine -- with this year's harvest. While you may be thinking about Napa Valley with its sleek tasting rooms and celebrity chefs, unassuming and rustic Sonoma has just as much to ... More >>

SF Chefs 2012: The Guide to Boozing

SF Chefs, the week-long celebration of the San Francisco food and drink, has taken up residence once again in Union Square. The white tent being draped over an entire city block won't officially open until Friday night, when it will feature dozens of bars and restaurants representing over the course ... More >>

Wine of the Week: Sonoma Rookie Hits the Big Leagues

There are thousands of wines vying for your attention. Napa Valley Vintners, the trade organization that promotes and protects the Napa Valley name and runs the preeminent Auction Napa Valley, boasts 431 members alone--and those are just the Napa-based wine brands that chose to join and pay dues. So ... More >>

Wine of the Week: Waterstone Merlot and Cabernet

Sometimes you have to go a long way to find a local wine. For this week's wine(s), we turned to Canada. Actually, Canada came to us in the form of our friend Dups, and his iPhone image of a Waterstone Cabernet. He asked if we knew it. We didn't . He liked it, we tried it, and now here we are. Wa ... More >>

Wine of the Week: Tuck Beckstoffer's 2009 Melee

​If you aren't a wine geek, you may not recognize the name Tuck Beckstoffer. Beckstoffer's family owns a variety of premium vineyards and has historically sold fruit to some of Napa Valley's best. Their TO Kalon vineyard is so sought after, and of such exceptional quality, that it is often credite ... More >>

The Year in Music Booze: Six Artist's Beverages That Made 2011 One Long Hangover

Rock 'n' roll culture died in 2011. It's got nothing to do with your opinion of Bon Iver, but everything to do with Rolling Stone. The former leading voice of modern music upheld its immaculate reputation this year... by starting an official wine club. It's filled with bottles branded with imagery f ... More >>

America's Cup: Booze and Boating Unite!

Wine and yachts -- an American traditionWine and yachts go together like PBR and fixies. So you knew this was coming. The organizers of the forthcoming America's Cup and Napa Valley Vintners today announced that Napa will be the "Official Wine Region of the 34th America's Cup." Those toting in forei ... More >>

Pre-Auction Wine Tastings: The Best Deal in Wine

​ The only sure way to develop your palate for wine is to taste more. When you get the chance to taste older, rarer, or more expensive wines than you might normally dink, take it. That opportunity presents itself this Thursday at San Francisco Wine Center during the Wine Gavel pre-auction tastin ... More >>

Ten Things I'd Like To Tell People Who Don't Read Wine Stories

Grez Neuville/Trip Advisor​I was tasting wine at my desk at 11 a.m. when a coworker asked why. Because I hadn't had time earlier, I said; it's best to taste early in the day when your palate is fresh. That wasn't what he was getting at. He drinks wine, but never considered tasting as a separa ... More >>

Napa Winemaker Came from Sports Illustrated for Kids

This is another little extra for this week's review of Bar Tartine in the print edition: an interview with the man who made one of the most impressive wines on the restaurant's very interesting wine list. Liza GershmanDan Petroski​When I called Dan Petroski to ask him how he managed to make M ... More >>

Fresh Eats: Deciphering the Wine List at Bar Tartine

Sonoma in the City: Huge wine tasting

Close your eyes and imagine you're in Sonoma County. Wait -- whose shoulder is that?​Sonoma in the City Grand Tasting Where: Westin St. Francis hotel, 335 Powell St. (at Post) When: Tuesday, July 12, 5:30 - 8 p.m. Cost: $55 Unless you're willing to spend more than $60 a bottle, Sonoma Cou ... More >>

What To Do This Weekend, Feb. 11-13

bittermelon/FlickrUm, did we say there'd be beer? See Fri., Feb. 11.​Craving more? Scroll through additional listings here. Fri., Feb. 11: Food, Wine, and Amore at the Ferry Building Ferry Building Marketplace, 1 Ferry Building (at Embarcadero), 5-8 p.m. Affordable hors d'oeuvres, Napa Valley ... More >>

The Ferry Building is for (Bargain) Lovers

bluemini/Flickr​Food From the Heart Where: Ferry Building Marketplace, 1 Ferry Building (at Embarcadero) When: Fri., Feb. 11, 5-8 p.m./ Sat., Feb. 12, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Cost: Free entry, $2-$4 for wine and hors d'oeuvres The rundown: Eating at the Ferry Building is always a treat, but no one ... More >>

Jon's Street Eats Wraps It Up This Week

Tamara PalmerJon's Street Eats' Jon Kosorek, who got his start at the CIA at Greystone, is returning to the Napa Valley.​A pioneer of the Emeryville food cart scene is heading for the exit. Jon Kosorek says Saturday is the last night for Jon's Street Eats, a cart that since August 2009 has ser ... More >>

JAQK Cellars: Boutique Wine and Food Pairings in Jackson Square

Lou BustamanteSmall bites designed to pair with JAQK's varietals.​The area around Jackson Square Park is heaven for designers of everything from clothes to furniture. Now the neighborhood can add wine to its list of boutique offerings. Hidden in an unassuming building is JAQK Cellars ― the n ... More >>

Baylinks: The Gay-Friendly Lutheran Church, Corporate Shuttles, Worst SF Restaurants

broadwayworld.com​Gay and transgender pastors welcomed back to national Lutheran church [​SFGate]Napa Valley ban on recreational grape growing aims to protect state farms from feared European Grapevine Moth [NBC Bay Area]Innocent backpack causes panic at the Embarcadero BART station [SF Examiner ... More >>

What's the Beef with Vegetarianism?

Carnivores get mad about meatless Mondays.

Outraged Carnivores To Boycott San Francisco Over 'Meatless Mondays'

When you take away food like this, the terrorists win​Colorado Bank VP: "I've attended my last meeting In San Francisco!" Illinois Financial Adviser: "I"m going to start conducting my business meetings in Napa Valley!"As official exhortations go, Supervisor Sophie Maxwell's recent non-binding Meat ... More >>

Feasting Out: Kitchen Alums Return for Laïola's Four-Night Farewell Blowout

Lea Suzuki/SFGateOpening chef Mark Denham is back.​Laïola is not exactly going gentle into that good night of restaurant history. Before the Marina tapas bar morphs into Tacolicious early next year, owner Joe Hargrave is mounting a four-night farewell that'll see the return of kitchen alums. ... More >>

Katz Olio Nuovo, The Bay Area's Best Local Olive Oil, Releases Today

A. SimmonsGreen gold.​On Sunday, the uncle brought over a bottle of olio nuovo courtesy of Katz, the Napa Valley crafter responsible for some of the Bay Area's most sought-after olive oils. Katz calls it December's New Oil, and it's available for purchase today, Dec. 1. We're amazed -- and gra ... More >>

The Chronicle's 2009 Top 100: Who's Out, Who's In

To be continued ...

Vittles du Video

Throughout my television-viewing life there have been certain programs that I've obsessed over, planned my schedule around, discussed with my fellow zealots over water cooler and barstool and, in short, made a point to watch without fail, but nowadays there's only one show I can't live without, Top ... More >>

Climactic Change

Discount Dynasty

After scoring big with "Two Buck Chuck," renegade vintner Fred Franzia once again has Napa Valley's wine burghers in an uproar

Best Napa Restaurant

Market

Summer Events a Go Go!

What to do, all summer long

Best Wine Seller

K&L Wine Merchants

Miscellaneous

Look Again

Soléa

Winners and Losers

How an S.F. food critic sent a chill through the room at a national awards ceremony

Shufflebored

High-powered comings and goings in the food biz

The Cocktail Charade

Is the Clift mucking with its martinis?

Partly Sunny

Fog City Diner

L.A. Confidential

Stars in bars, stars in cars, stars with plastic surgery scars.

Cirque du Supper

Teatro ZinZanni

Epicure's Delight

Dine

Reel World

Our Man Flint; In Like Flint; The Ipcress File

Reel World

Medium Cool, High Hopes

Several Jugs of Wine and Thou

Dish