San Francisco, California - The world’s most comprehensive tasting of American-produced Tempranillo celebrates its 8th year in 2015, when the Tempranillo Advocates, Producers and Amigos Society (TAPAS) conducts its annual Grand Wine Tasting at the Golden Gate Club at the Presidio in San Francisco on Sunday, April 26, 2015. Join nearly thirty TAPAS member vintners as they showcase their top Tempranillo bottlings as well as other Iberian varietal wines.

Trade and curious consumers will have the opportunity to taste Tempranillo, Albariño, Garnacha, Verdelho, Touriga Naçional, and several other Spanish and Portuguese varieties, in a casual walk-around setting where they can chat with growers and vintners.  Attendees will be encouraged to explore the diversity of grapes and styles produced across the western United States – including a debut showing from Texas.  Many TAPAS members are limited-production, family-owned wineries and will be pouring small lot wines that are not widely available. Many of the wines will also be available for sale at the event.

TAPAS President Stuart Spencer (of St. Amant Winery in Lodi) says, “The TAPAS Grand Tasting is a unique opportunity for you to discover, savor and celebrate this treasure chest of exotic and delightfully food-friendly wines. You will gain appreciation for what some visionary winegrowers are doing here on American soil. Don’t miss it!”

This year’s event will also feature a Tempranillo Shootout starting at noon - a blind tasting of four domestic Tempranillos versus four Spanish versions, moderated by Patrick Comiskey, Senior Correspondent for Wine & Spirits Magazine, regular contributor to the Los Angeles Times, wine judge, educator, and writer for many other publications. 

The public event schedule is:

• 12:00 Noon - 1:30 p.m.  – Tempranillo Shootout.  Tickets are $75, and include early admission to the Consumer Tasting directly afterward.
  

• 1:00 - 2:00 p.m.  – Trade/Media Tasting.  Qualified members of the wine trade and media may register using the appropriate link below: 

Trade Registration
Media Registration
  

• 2:00 - 5:00 p.m. - Consumer Tasting.  Tickets are $55.  In conjunction with the walk-around tasting, the TAPAS Wine School (included with admission) will feature short, informative consumer-oriented seminars:

Albariño: Taste an exciting selection of Albariño wines vinified by premier American wine producers specializing in Iberian grape varietal wines made in the USA.
Iberian Medley: An assortment of lesser-known domestically-produced Iberian varietal wines.

Tickets to the Tempranillo Shootout and Consumer Tasting are now on sale at tapas15.eventbrite.com. 
 
About TAPAS
TAPAS, now in its eleventh year, started at the 2004 Unified Symposium, when Tempranillo winegrowers from California, Oregon, Washington, Texas and Arizona met for the first time to discuss their avocation.  Since that first visionary group pointed the way, the organization has incorporated and grown to over 100 members.  The first Grand Wine Tasting was held at Copia in Napa in 2008, and has continued annually since then, as one of many initiatives to promote Tempranillo and other varietal wine grapes native to the Iberian Peninsula and wines produced from them in North America.