The first Pink Out will take place in San Francisco July 18th, staged by a new group, the Rosé Avengers and Producers (RAP). The tasting for trade and consumers will showcase more than 50 dry rosé wines, both still and sparkling, from around the world. Sponsors said they intend to 'right the wrongs' done to dry rosé.

The trade tasting will take place from 3:30 pm until 6 pm at Butterfly Restaurant on Pier 33 in San Francisco. It will be followed by a consumer tasting at 6:30, also at Butterfly.

Author and winemaker Jeff Morgan's new book, "Rosé, A Guide to The World's Most Versatile Wine," will be displayed by publisher Chronicle Books, and the author will be on hand to share tastes of SoloRosa rosé and chat about the book, which features 200 different rosés with recipes to match.

"This is a very exciting time for dry rosé," said Morgan, one of RAP's founders. "Wine lovers in America are beginning to understand that pink wine means a lot more than just sweet, white Zinfandel.”

RAP was founded this year by Morgan, Daniel Moore, Jim Kopp and Paige Poulos, For more information and tickets, see rapwine.com.

Now is your chance to visit wineries around the Santa Cruz Mountains that are not normall open to the public. 40 wineries and 4 restaurants for $25. From their newsletter:

"We invite you to explore our extraordinary region and become acquainted with the incredible diversity of the wines and winemakers therein. Passport wineries will be open 4 times a year consecutively on the third Saturday of January, April, July and November, from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Each season brings something new to the vineyards; from pruning in the winter to crush in the fall, wineries are bustling with activity year-round! Passport is your opportunity to meet the talented winemakers of the Santa Cruz Mountains and to see where and how they produce some of the world�s great wines."

For more info on participating wineries and restaurants, visit:
http://www.scmwa.com/calendar.htm

The ever growing world of wine makers grows by one more. Eric Kent Wine Cellars is debuting their wines this week in San Francisco at a 30% discount. More on the event here.

A friend of mine tells these wines are going for the $20/bottle price range and worth every penny. They make a Stiling Vineyard Pinot Noir, Bennet Valley Syrah and a Sonoma Coast Chardonnay which are flying off shelves at restaurants around Cali. My guess is that these wines will go incredibly fast during and after this event so if you're open to new wines, these should be worth the small investment. Mix a case like myself and see if the hype is worth it-- something tells me though that won't disappoint ;-)

The other swaying factor is that the folks behind this winery are true art lovers to boot. Each of their wine's label showcase the work of three incredible artists - each with their own inspiring style. As an artist myself, showing support for wine AND the arts all in one small effort is a mindless decision. Check out their site for more info on the wine and artist at erickentwines.com

March Madness is here!! And to kick off you crazy basketball fans into high gear, Peju Province Winery is pouring verticals of their Merlot - 1999, 2000, 2001 and a preview of their 2002.

Their merlot is one of my favorites considering their neighborhood for quality and value. My only question to Peju is simple: Will Lisa be there personally pour some of that decadent merlot?

We're talking about basketball season now people... You wineries are gonna need to work a little harder if you want my ass to move away from the television and the games this month. Lisa pouring the tastings would certainly be a step in the right direction.

For more on Peju's March Merlot Madness, click here

ZAP's Zinfandel Festival is an internationally recognized series of tastings that are the premier single-varietal events in the world. With an estimated 275 wineries and 10,000 attendees, ZAP's Festival is traditionally a sell-out.

14th Annual Zinfandel Tasting
Saturday, January 29
General Public 1:30-5 p.m.

Herbst & Festival Pavilions
Fort Mason Center, San Francisco
Marina Blvd. at Buchanan
415-441-3400
$40 (ZAP members), $50(non-members)

Click here for more information and registration

The results are in! The judges had the difficult job of reviewing just under 300 wines from around the county. The pleasant surprise was how well Livermore Valley wine faired out.

The 2001 Sangiovese from Crooked Vine took a silver. Wente Brothers picked 9 medals including the top honors of Best of White with their 2001 San Francisco Sauvignon Blanc at a mere $9/bottle. Not too shabby of a value.

Not surprisingly, Rosenblum Cellars snagged 22 medals overall with their Chateau La Paws line making a solid name with stellar wine for an awesome value. Worth searching for in my opinion.

The Best of Red was awarded to Livermore's White Crane winery with their 2002 Cabernet Franc Reserve, Clenaga Valley $35.