Monthly Archives: June 2014

Have bicycle, will travel

Few, if any, cities across this continent can offer an experience that rivals the majestic pleasure of cycling across the Golden Gate Bridge, particularly on the rare warm day in June with the sun blazing, the wind negligible, and the fog rest comfortably in Fresno—where it should remain. Avid readers here know that Your West Coast Oenophile was waylaid by an industrial truck on Market Street back in March 2013. The three cracks in my cycling helmet will attest to what might have been, and my sorely diminished savings account will account for what actually did occur.
Three months later, my Trek 1.2 was purloined in a basement robbery, leaving me without my preferred two-wheel mode of inner city transportation until Santa Claus decided I hadn’t merited another year of coal in the stocking. And so while I have managed to keep Sostevinobile alive and vibrant over the past 16 months, I have not been able to make the excursion from my perch in Pacific Heights to the rainbow playground of Marin.
All that will finally change this coming Sunday, as my blue & black Scattante CFR Comp Carbon Road Bike and I head over the Golden Gate, dodging the inevitable horde of wannabe cyclists wreaking havoc on their Blazing Saddles rentals to the 33rd Annual Mill Valley Wine, Beer and Gourmet Food Tasting.
This extravaganza has only gotten better with each passing year and affords the local community a rare chance to sample wines from not only prestigious local labels but a number of boutique and esoteric producers who rarely showcase their offerings.
This festival isn’t just about wine, of course. The proliferation of artisan beers throughout California will also be well represented, and many of Marin’s finest restaurants and food purveyors will be on hand to satisfy almost any appetite. But beyond the food and festivities, this annual fundraiser supports both Kiddo!, the non-profit Mill Valley Schools Foundation, as well as the Mill Valley Chamber of Commerce and its beneficiaries. Tickets can be purchased online from the event’s Brown Paper ticket site.
It would be great if everyone walked or cycled to the Mill Valley Wine, Beer and Gourmet Food Tasting—free bicycle parking concierges will be on site, but it’s OK to arrive by car, as well. But, as always with events like this, remember the cardinal rule of driving: DO NOT RUN ME OVER!
I look forward to seeing everyone there.