San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition 2016 Public Tasting

San Mateo, CA, February 8, 2016 (Newswire.com) - This February, the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition will celebrate its 16-year anniversary as the largest competition of American wines in the world. Attendees will enjoy sampling fine wines from across the country at the highly anticipated public tasting at the Fort Mason Center. 

The San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition Public Tasting will take place Saturday, February 13th from 1:30 pm - 5:00 pm at Fort Mason Center in San Francisco. Be among the first to delight in the vast selection of award winning wines from across the country!

2016 marks the 16th year of the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition (SFCWC). This competition is often considered the ultimate barometer for how consumers select and measure wine. At the public tasting, people from all walks of life can join together and learn about wines while gourmet food purveyors, such as SavorCalifornia.com and Whole Foods, offer delectable food samples that pair perfectly with the award winning selections.

The public tasting features KGO Radio show hosts, writers from the San Francisco Chronicle and notable wine industry leaders including Jessica Altieri, CEO of WineChannel TV, and Wilfred Wong, Chief Storyteller at Wine.com.

The San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition kicked off with the judging, which took place in the first week of January at the Cloverdale Citrus Fairgrounds. Sixty-five judges from all areas of the wine industry, including media, trade, education, retail and restaurant/hospitality, gathered together to participate in a blind judging. Wines were categorized by varietal and price range, evaluated, and then select winners were invited to participate in the Public Tasting event. 

For the past ten consecutive years, the number of wine entries submitted to the SFCWC has grown rapidly. In 2016, the competition broke all entry records with 7,164 wines entered from 28 states in America, illustrating the steady demand for a variety of options among wine consumers and firmly establishing the event's prestige as a highly esteemed wine competition.

The SFCWC supports wine studies, enology, and viticulture programs for higher education institutions in California.  Leftover wines from the competition are donated annually to Santa Rosa Junior College, Fresno State University, Sonoma State University, and California Polytechnic University in San Luis Obispo.

Follow the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition on Twitter @Winejudging for info leading up to the public tasting.

WHAT:           San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition Public Tasting

WHEN:           Saturday, February 13, 2016 

WHERE:         Festival Pavilion, Fort Mason Center, San Francisco

TIME:              1:30pm – 5pm

COST:                        $70 Advance Purchase, $95 at the door (the event has sold out for the past five years; advance ticket purchase is recommended.)

INFO:              For tickets and additional information, visit www.winejudging.com

MEDIA:           Contact The Larose Group, 650-548-6700 or [email protected]

About the SFCWC: Founded in 1983 as the modestly sized Cloverdale Citrus Fair Wine Competition, the current competition has evolved immensely over the years, expanding its eligibility to wineries throughout the United States. In 2000, the event gained sponsorship from the San Francisco Chronicle and appropriately assumed the title the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition. Celebrating its 16th anniversary this year, the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition is pleased to help support the non-profit Cloverdale Citrus Fair, as well as wine and food education at educational institutions and non-profit organizations. Santa Rosa Junior College Wine Studies Program and Culinary Arts Program, Fresno State University Enology Program, California Polytechnic State University Enology Program at San Luis Obispo, and other non-profit organizations have received support from past competitions.