Jason F.
Yelp
An elegant place for meeting others over a glass of wine and light bites, the San Francisco Wine Society is a wine bar and intimate gathering place that is located in a small alleyway that is named Merchant Street, in the heart of the city's Financial District. I have wanted to come to the San Francisco Wine Society for a number of years now, as I knew where they were in a central location, which just happened to be near my workplace, as well as a quick walk from the Embarcadero Bart Station, but I never got the chance to do so. That was until a colleague who had been there many times before suggested that we hosted a gathering of old friends there, as he knew of their private communal room that was great for intimate gatherings, and the fact that they had a great selection of wine and food didn't hurt either. Scheduled for a couple of hours on a Friday evening, I had a nice walk to get there and I enjoyed a nice warm evening of the lively atmosphere of the downtown area of the city. Upon walk-up to their interior, there was a huge outdoor dining area complete with hanging chandeliers, electric fireplaces, and evening comfy chairs for lounging, so even under the most challenging circumstances, they certainly know how to dress it up right at the San Francisco Wine Society.
Upon entry to their interior, I was amazed by the intimate library-like atmosphere that had a number of chairs for lounging and end tables for enjoying bites and wine, in addition to a number of touches to their interior that represented a little whimsy with wine tasting its true heart. Their private communal area was right in front next to their front door so my private area was really easy to find, which was super nice, and showing their pleasant staff all of our vaccine information was also easy to do, as they were all super on top of everything. As my colleague was the host of the event and since he was a regular patron, we let him pick the wines we were going to enjoy and the food we were going to pair our sips with. To start our evening off, he selected a delightful white wine, a 2019 Sauvignon Blanc called The Instigator from Jurassic Vineyard, which is located in the Santa Ynez Valley in California. This paired nicely with the cheese, charcuterie, nut and cracker platter that was awaiting us on our communal table alongside a plethora of wine glasses that were ready to be filled. Our platter was so abundant, as it featured a combination of options from their cheese and salumi and ham selections, including their house pickled veggies, a spread of Dijon mustard, house made black currant jam, Marcona almonds, sliced Acme Sourdough bread and gluten free crackers. One of our cheeses was their Tomme de Chèvre, which was a semi-firm cow-based cheese from Savoie, France; and the other was a Detroit Street Brick of soft goat cheese sourced from Zingerman's Creamery. As for our Salumi and Ham, our platter included their Parmesan and Porcini from Journeyman Meat Company in Sonoma, California and authentic Serrano Jamón from Spain.
All of these foods paired with two additional bottles of red wines, including a Scribe Pinot Noir Rosé from Sonoma Valley which was really nice on the palate and sold at a super affordable price point, and a bottle of 2016 Château de la Croix Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot/Cabernet Franc/Petite Verdot from Medoc, Bordeaux France, which was a little on the pricey side but well worth it as it a bold taste that was accentuated by all of the sliced salumi and Jamón that I made sure to try with every sip of wine. We also enjoyed two other entrées including their Spinach & Pecorino Pizza Pockets which were also filled with oven dried tomatoes and Fontina cheese, and their Sliders filled with Wagyu Akaushi Beef, jalapeño-tomato compote, toma and arugula. Every dish was prepared with such thoughtfulness when paired with their highly curated list of wines that they offer at San Francisco Wine Society, we truly had a wonderful evening spending time with one another taking in their romanticized atmosphere. All told our final bill led us to contribute about 40-50 dollars a person to the pool, which wasn't too bad, since we received such high-end service from their team, which only made me want to make a return visit in the future. At San Francisco Wine Society, they proudly believe in building connections within the diverse Bay Area community, encouraging participation through hosting clientele and promoting growth through wine education for those who are interested. After the wonderful night we experienced, under the stars of a warm winter evening, I can't wait to learn and experience more of the wines and pairings at the San Francisco Wine Society.