S.F. Champagne Society gives lesson in bubbly
What has our world come to when even bars force you to coordinate your drinking in advance — and pre-purchase tickets?
The requisite reservations are secured only through direct e-mail exchange with the owner, and the tickets, which get you three pours of Champagne, begin at $75 per person.
Visiting may also inspire extensive Google Maps cross-referencing when you find yourself standing outside an unmarked, nondescript residential building at Howard and Seventh streets in SoMa.
[...] yes.
An electrical engineer by day, Marci developed an obsession with grower-producer Champagne, and found himself hosting so many informal tastings in his loft that he began to wonder: “Can I monetize this?”
Fortuitously, his upstairs neighbor had a liquor license for her apartment, out of which she ran a business called the Secret Wine Shop, and had recently decided to shut it down and move on.
What may present initially as elitist or exclusionary — the tickets, the reservations, the speakeasy-like facade — all turns out to have a reason.
The prepaid ticketing system, Marci says, helps take a little confusion out of an admittedly bizarre drinking experience.
On a recent ($100 ticket) visit, Marci began our flight with the nutty, steely Doyard Cuvée Vendémiaire, a nonvintage brut from 100 percent Chardonnay, then moved to the all-Pinot Noir Oeil de Perdrix Rosé from Jean Vesselle, creamy, fleshy and delicate.
(You will, unless you have a head cold.) Even for someone who pays close attention to glassware, like me, it’s a fascinating experiment, featuring several glass shapes I’d never seen before.
The experience is not recommended if you hope to have a private conversation with your companion.
[...] the experience is highly recommended if you would like to learn something about Champagne, or if you’re a Champagne nerd hoping to taste with a like-minded fanatic.