Wine Report from the Fort
Take me out to the ball game...
By Fred McMillin


Take me out to the crowd,
Buy me some peanuts and Cabernet,
My lovely wife prefers Chardonnay.

There are two Giants at San Francisco’s AT&T ballpark – the Giants baseball team and the giant assortment of wines served at various locations in the park … over 25 at last count. Here’s a partial list:

Reds
• Cabernet Sauvignon: BV Coastal, De Loach, Kenwood Yulupa, Ravenswood Vintners Blend
• Chianti: San Fabiano
• Merlot: Beringer Stone Cellars, Fetzer Valley Oaks, Raymond R Collection, Two Tone Farms
• Petite Sirah: Vinum Cellars
• Pinot Noir: Chalone, Talus
• Zinfandel: Asti Cellar 8
• Blends: Francis Ford Coppola Rosso (Zinfandel, Syrah and Cabernet)

Whites
• Chardonnay: BV Coastal, Echelon, Kenwood, Sterling Vintners Collection, Wente
• Sauvignon Blanc: Castlerock, Clos Du Bois, Pepi
• Sparkling Wines: Bisol Jelo Prosecco, Perrier Champagne
• Blends: Brassfield Serenity High Valley Appellation (Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio and Gewurztraminer from estate vineyards), Francis Ford Coppola Bianco (Pinot Grigio with Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay)

Teacher’s Pets
Fort Mason teacher Edgar Vogt and Presidio Café teacher Michael Perry have named three of their pet wines for super sipping.

Vogt’s Votes
1. De Loach Vineyards Russian River Valley Chardonnay, 2006
2. Ca’ del Solo Estate (Bonny Doon) Nebbiolo 2006
3. Quady Winery Elysium-Black Muscat 2007

Perry’s Picks
1. Argyle Winery Willamette Valley (Oregon) Brut 2005
2. Domaine Chandon Carneros Pinot Noir 2005
3. Benjamin Tawny Port (Australia) NV

School is cool
Edgar Vogt and I teach wine classes for S.F. City College each month, Saturdays at 1 p.m.
• June 13: Basics for Beginners – Learn the five basic types of wines and how they are made.
• June 27: Taste the Terms – Taste wines that illustrate the 100-plus terms used to describe wine.
Many people take Taste the Terms over again because the wines and terms are different each time. To enroll or wait-list for classes, phone San Francisco City College at 415-561-1840, or visit www.ccsf.edu/services/continuing education.

And a final wine and baseball smile
We know vintages are very important to wine lovers. For example, in California, 1997 was clearly superior to 1998 … which reminds me of the great Babe Ruth, the Sultan of Swat. After he received a salary increase during the Great Depression, a reporter asked the Babe if he wasn’t embarrassed by the fact that he was making more than the President of the United States. The Babe: “No. I had a better year!”

Fred McMillin, a veteran wine writer, has taught wine history for 30 years on three continents. For information about the wine courses he teaches every month at San Francisco City College
(Fort Mason Division), please fax him at 415-567-4468.