Romancing The Strawberry

After a long hiatus, I would like to return. Hopefully for real this time.

Now let me be frank with you about my food blogging habits and history. Back when I started this site, I was making twice as much – if not more – than I am right now. For much of 2009, I was also unemployed and not because I wanted to be. As you might imagine, 5 star restaurants aren’t the natural haunts for a woman whose nick name might as well be Queen of the Overdraft Fee. But, despite all this I’ve managed to have my moments of debauchery no matter how economically dismal the world is for someone in their early mid twenties (I was told by a potential employer that ‘it’s just a terrible time to be 24′. Never mind that I’m 25).

Anyway, that being said, this thing called alcohol really has been a saint during these difficult times, and if there is one thing I’ve grow to love more and more throughout this past year it’s wine. Yes, I love wine. I love it, I lurve it, and if it were a human being I’d tie it to my bed and make it cuddle me till the early hours of the morning. I love wine.

That being said, it is Natural Wine Week here in San Francisco. What is natural wine? Natural wine is wine that is either organic, biodynamic, or sustainable. Yes that’s right, you can get tipsy and righteously call yourself the Rachel Carson of Booze — just make sure people don’t see that gas guzzling car you hid two blocks down the street.  Ok, but what does it really mean? For more details on the differences between organic, biodynamic, and sustainable wines,Yield Wine Bar in the Dogpatch provides a thorough explanation here. Surpsingly, Yield is not one of the bars hosting the events, but I suggest you go there in celebration of this glorious week anyway.

Now where to go for Natural Wine Week. I would advise any wine-drinking citizen to post haste it to Terroir, which serves natural wine every night of the week.  Of course, I would prefer you not come here every night of the week because I don’t want to share the table space with you, nor do I want you taking up those cozy quirky seats upstairs. Ok, I’ll stop being a jerk. Terroir is my favorite wine bar in the city, with a chalkboard list of wines by the glass and an extensive list of bottles available to purchase on the spot or to take home – you save a lot of money if you do take out. They also feature a cheese plate that pairs excellently with the wines. I have yet to be able to resist it, and I think it’s completely reasonable to define heaven as a glass of Gamay with a bite of Mount Tam and quince paste.

But, Nopa is also a fabulous place to celebrate this week, with an awesome selection of natural wines. Check out their wine blog for more details on what they have to offer this week.

Tomorrow night, the event goes on at Arlequin, click here to see the drinks of the eve.

Until then, make sure to hit up as many of these events as you can. And make sure to catch me at the Symposium on Sunday at Terroir.