Look for
this poster in the windows of stores and restaurants
participating in the Sept. 14 Noe Valley Wine Walk. Poster
design by Kyla Kaplan
Noe Valley will get a taste of
the Wine Country this month as the neighborhood hosts its
first Noe Valley Wine Walk. The event will be held on 24th
Street and environs on Wednesday, Sept. 14, from 4 to 8 p.m.
Oenophiles and casual sippers
alike will get a chance to sample fine wines from seven Bay
Area vintners, including Sonoma Valley’s Kokomo Winery, Terra
Savia of Mendocino County, and Rosa d’Oro Vineyards of
Kelseyville, Calif.
Those who purchase a $30
wristband can wander among 19 shops and restaurants, each
pouring tastes of chardonnay, merlot, champagne, or other
varietals.
Organizers said they expect 400
to 600 tasters—and hundreds more who will come simply to enjoy
the party.
Kilby Stenkamp, sales manager at
Hill & Co. on 24th Street, quipped that her real estate
agents last month started practicing wine-pouring techniques
to prepare for the crowds.
“They’re doing wrist exercises
to get ready,” said Stenkamp, whose office is an official
co-sponsor of the event, along with cable company
Xfinity-Comcast.
The wine stroll was the
brainchild of the Noe Valley Merchants and Professionals
Association.
“A lot of the merchants said we
have all these kiddy events”—such as the Harvest Festival and
the Summerfest in June—“why don’t we have something for
adults?” said association president Bob Roddick.
Bill Hoover, who operates
Gallery of Jewels on 24th Street, suggested the winetasting
after participating in a “highly successful” event last year
on Union Street, where he has a second store.
Hoover said he is “not a
connoisseur of wines,” even though he pushed for the event.
“Quite honestly I’m a beer
drinker,” he laughed. “My favorite wine is a wine that’s
available!”
Hoover said the goal of the Wine
Walk was “to get people out and into stores, and couple that
with a social element so it’s a fun event.”
Most of the tasting stops will
be along 24th Street from Diamond to Chattanooga streets, and
a few blocks of Castro Street. Imbibers can meander from venue
to venue or catch a free hop-on, hop-off shuttle.
Participants will be able to
purchase tickets online or at two locations—a booth at the
farmer’s market parking lot at 3865 24th St., and another at
the city parking lot at 4049–4063 24th St. There they will
receive the wristband, a wine glass, and a map showing the
tasting stations. Each site will also be identified by the
Wine Walk poster, an art deco design created by San Francisco
artist Kyla Kaplan.
When visitors enter a store, the
merchant or a winery representative will “pour a little sample
for each participant,” said festival producer Steven Restivo.
He noted that the wine should be consumed on the premises.
“You can’t walk out with the wine in a glass.”
Restivo said many merchants plan
to offer cheese and crackers or other finger foods, to
complement the tasting.
Wine connoisseurs can double
back to pouring stations as often as they wish, though Bob
Roddick said he did not expect the party to descend into
bacchanalia.
There’s no limit “as long as you
can handle it,” Roddick said. “We don’t want anyone getting
drunk. It’s a matter of good taste, and I mean good taste all
the way around.”
