VIN12

Smallest tasting I’ve ever seen. There were a few tasty wines but there weren’t enough wineries there.

If I hadn’t been to a few wine tasting events hosted by other establishments I probably would have appreciated this more. It was pretty crowded and there were only about 10 wineries there. Thankfully, I took advantage of the 2-​for-​1 Living Social deal so still got my moneys worth. I did gain a new appreciation of blended whites due to this event.
A few of the wineries pouring:
Pomo Nation Wine (100% Native owned wine label)
Frog’s Tooth
Viansa
Fat Grape Winery (with no sulfites added; I wasn’t a fan, it sort of tasted like Welch’s)
Gloria Ferrer

Following BF’s instructions, I came straight home after work to change into a dress & heels, sat shotgun on a «surprise» drive to Union Square SF District, & then found myself being treated to a wine tasting event hosted by VIN12 at Ruby Skye!
Friday, 4÷27÷12
Tasting 6−9pm
We arrived just around 7pm
Left about 8pm
Parked a block away in garage parking; $ 15 flat rate for vehicles to sit ’till 3am available. Arrived to no line, my deal-​seaker BF showed his L*S deal, we get stamped on our right wrist, then receive our wine glass in lobby area & time to drink. Hip hop music playing loudly throughout, lots of wine tasters. some dressed up, some dressed down. Several tables downstairs & upstairs offering tastings of red/​white wine, sparkling wine, & chardonnay. Photographer Bryon Malik went around taking pictures of ppl… now I’m following
website to see when the heak they’ll post pics ^_​^ Yep, Bryon Malik took our pic *tee-​hee*
PROS: Nice socially organized event, not overly crowded, & friendly service behind every table offering tastings. Ruby Skye overall great location to have wine tasting event; large useable space & clean bathrooms.
CONS: It was our 1^st wine tasting trip & we knew that once you got your pour in your glass, move to the side & let other tasters get to the table. Got a lil’ frustrating standing behind ppl who got their drink & chatted 2min+ w/​servers behind table. Then again… ppl tend to get a lil’ more chattery than normal when being a lil intoxicated, don’t they…
OVERALL: Cool event! We’d go again & hope to get in with another deal.

Just went to the Vin12 Sparkling Wine event at Ruby Skye. I had a good time and sampled a lot of wines, but a lot of the plusses I can’t attribute to Vin12 doing a good job, and they blew it /​false advertised in a few areas. Like many reviewers I’d be less satisfied if I didn’t go half-​priced with a Groupon.
It irked me that the event was sold as being catered by an Empanada company, though the only ‘catering’ they had was a couple trays of sliced cold baguettes with chunks of cheese on them, which were all eaten by the time most of the patrons arrived an hour and a half in. The promise of food seems to be a routine false advertisement Vin12 pulls. I know the point is the wine, but they shouldn’t put it in their ads. (Also advertised was the DJ, but they could have just used an iPod.)
For a sparkling wine event, most of the 10 or so vendors had about one sparkling wine and then a few other varieties, quite a few pinot noirs. The wine representatives were split about ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ between genuine owners who were there to promote their label, and high-​pressure sales types who were pushing wine tour sign-​ups and sales when you requested a sample.
The venue was good, the club staff were nice and turned on the a/​c when it got hot and crowded. Seating was very limited as early arrivals dumped their coats on the couches, but there was enough space to move around.
Definitely the worst thing is the type of patrons who stand at the wine table and block the line of people behind them who are trying to get samples also. You get your sample, pick up the wineries literature or ask a quick question and get the hell out of the way. That’s not Vin12’s fault, but I’ll note it as so many others did. The crowd it draws is a mix of wine people and dolts.
Overall it was a good event with good wine, and I was able to put some new wineries on my radar to check out or order a case from. I’d do another Vin12 event if I can get in half price again.

I only attended this event because I got a discount through SF Daily Deals — Unlimited Zins and Pinots. Yummo! The wine selection was good. Lots of wineries I hadn’t heard of and generous pours. The venue itself was very crowded and stuffy and they refused to open the door to let some fresh air in. There was no where to hang your coat, so all of us with our bags had to find a place to camp and go in increments to wine taste. As other Unilocalers mentioned, the crowd is the younger, after work type who are clueless on how these things are done. There are protocols — when you get your pour, you thank the pourer and and move to the SIDE (as in GET THE HELL OUT THE WAY) of the table and taste. At almost all tables there were people standing and lingering, sipping, talking to each other and not to pourer standing there! I mean yes, you can stand there and ask how much a case is or whatever, but to talk about your weekend plans at the table knowing damn well you’re not buying shit? WTF.
Glad I didn’t pay full price for this, and it is what it is.
Music was good.

Last Friday I went to the VIN12 wine tasting event with a few friends. The venue it was in was small, a bit crowded. I know this is out of the venues control but when people walk over to the table and just stay there after the wine has been poured, I find it quite rude as other people are patiently waiting in line to get a tasting. That’s the only negative thing I have to comment on big wine tasting events. Some people are courteous (like I) and some well not so. Pick up a card, go to the site and learn more about the wine. It’s not a winery to hang out and ask questions. There was no food, unless you purchased from the café side. So if you go to one of these big wine tasting events, fuel up on food. I liked the DJ, he played a good variety of music. I enjoyed going out and spending time with my friends.
Over all the event was fun. I always enjoy trying out wines I have not tried or wines that I have heard of and not tried. And well I love wine so there. :)

I have been attending Vin12 since it’s inception. It is an amazing deal at $ 25 for unlimited wine tasting. Better yet,
is now selling tickets for $ 12! You can expect a fun, lively crowd of young professionals and a great selection of wines. The organizer is able to keep the event fresh by rotating venues and wineries. The best part of Vin12 is the fact that it eliminates the snob factor. The wineries are eager to educate and more than willing to entertain questions from wine novices. You will feel comfortable tasting regardless of your level of knowledge and will definitely get your money’s worth!

Attended VIN12 and what a pleasant surprise. The people, the venue and most of all the amount of wines and sparkling wines. Where else can you go and drink $ 15-​$ 80 wine and sparkling wines for 3 hrs for $ 25?

This is the kind of wine event that’s needed. great price-​point. great wines. great crowds. i’ve now attended 5 VIN12 events in 2011, and here are the Wine Producers that really stood out:
Gloria Ferrer… Va de Vi sparking wine is spectacular 5 stars
Calluna Vineyards…3 stars
Adastra Vineyards…4 stars
Flora Springs…4 stars
Canihan Family Wines…3 stars
Château St. Jean…4 stars
Fogline…4 stars
Slo Down Wines… they have the «Sexual Chocolate». amazing syrah/​zin blend! 5 star
Mahoney Vineyards…4 star
Hughes Family Wines…4 star
Tin Barn…4 star
Grand Amis Winery… the Barbera is wonderful! 5 star
Stomping Girl…4 star
Frog’s Tooth…4 star
Pomo Nation Wine Group… Great Native American wine-​maker 5 star
Viansa…5 star
Ceja Vineyards…5 star
Fat Grape… all their wines are delicious! 5 star
Harmony Wynelands…4 star
Jazz Cellars… award-​winning wines and truly «winners» 5 star
just my 2 cents worth! :-)

A large selection of mostly local wines for $ 25.00 = A pretty good deal! Different venues around San Francisco. A bit disorganized at times but a Friendly crowd (especially towards the end of the evening). Sometimes tasty food is served. I guess I’m a wino…

First timer to this event and I must say I was pretty pleased with the organization and the turnout. I am not really a Pinot fan but I was overwhelmed that the wineries actually brought in other wines as well. Well done for that! I had a wonderful time and the price I paid $ 13 was worth it. Definitely looking forward to the next event!

I attended one of their unlimited wine tasting events at 101 2^nd Street, and I thought the event was perfectly fine, despite all the negative reviews. Granted, I paid a discounted entrance so I’m not sure if I’d feel the same way if I paid full price.
It’s best to approach these events knowing that «it is what it is». It’s an UNLIMITED wine tasting event that appears to cater to the younger, after-​work crowd in the area who do or don’t regularly go wine tasting! It’s useless getting pissed off because the schmucks ahead of you are hogging the tasting table — they probably don’t know any better. Just politely ask them to move or shove your glass through their sadly dressed bodies!
I personally think this event made for great people watching and there was a great mix of wineries (both good and bad). My personal fave was the Rutherford Grove Cabernet Sauvignon — forgot the year though!

Definitely won’t be going back.
I agree with most of what the other reviewers have to say, ie:
* Extremely crowded, loud, & disorganized
* Mostly mediocre wine
* Incompetent patrons who clearly don’t understand how wine tasting works (please don’t stand right in front of the table leisurely sipping your pour & preventing the rest of us from getting in there)
* Most wineries starting to run out of wine & pack up around 7:30, even though the event was scheduled to run until 9:30 (& the best were gone even earlier, so we didn’t get to try them)
* Definitely no food (at least not by the time we got there around 7)
On the plus side? You could probably get drunk really fast if you wanted to pay $ 25 for the privilege. (Was glad we only payed $ 13.) And there’s a coat check. That’s about all I can say.

Poorly organized, and poorly planned. That pretty much sums it up.
We arrived at about 7 (the event had started at 5), and were given 2 glasses. No list of wineries, no map of the space, no information on where the food was supposed to be. We used the free coat check — this was nice. Then we surveyed the horribly organized echo chamber. It was incredibly loud, and the tables were all spaced throughout the center of the room, leaving only a small space around the edges for people to walk around and attempt to find space to get in & sample wine.
As noted, there was no information on which wineries were where, which meant that by the time we managed to find 2 of the wineries I was really interested in, they were already out of wine (at about 7:30. The event was supposed to go until 9:30). There was no food visible anywhere. I asked one of the people working the event where the food was, and he said (at about 7:15 — again, event ends at 9:30) «I think they may be done serving».
Really? You’re done serving food less than halfway into your event? Who thought that one through?
As noted, many of the people attending were either too self-​absorbed to notice that they’re in everyone’s way when they stand at the front of the table sipping their wine, completely blocking access, or maybe they’re just clueless, I don’t know. Either way, getting up to the tables to get a taste of wine was often a challenge.
The wine was a mix as expected — some reasonably good, much just average, but this was what I’d anticipated. You often have to try a lot of average things to find the few diamonds.
So until I hear that the Vin12 people have been to a few real wine tastings, and have learned how to organize their events better — including better table layout, more information, and actually planning for the advertised length of their event and number of attendees — I won’t be back. I’m glad I only paid half price.

I went to the most recent event in San Jose and it was the most poorly executed and planned event I have ever attended! The line was out the door at 7:30 pm when the event started at 6:00 pm. There was no number to call nor anyone who considered communicating to the people waiting outside or who decided to leave. People complained, tried to find answers by going to the front of the line, and calling random numbers just to find out what was going on. All I can say is that if you plan to attend one of Vin12’s events, call first and see how many tickets they plan to oversell and check out the venue that is scheduled to house the event. If they have no limit to the ticket amount and are planning a small venue… forget it and make plans to visit a wine bar and do your tasting there.

Went last week to their summer festival.
1) wish I’d known you could buy tickets online through other sites for ½ off
2) lots of wines, most just really weren’t that good. It’s a fast drunk at least.
3) no food. No matter what their website said, they did not have any food to eat which is a problem when you are drinking that much wine
4) place had horrible echo and felt like a convention
5) there’s potential there, but for now I won’t be going back

I bought a Groupon for hubby and self for this event and paid $ 15 (not the usual $ 25). I think I would have felt disappointed had I spent $ 25, but $ 15 was a fair cost for the experience.
I really like the idea of this. Try some new wine, eat some nibbles, meet some people. Previous vin12 events look like they had more focus. The «focus» for this event was «summer sparkling, rose and red». We tasted a few sparklers but there weren’t many to taste. There were only 2 tables with related wineries pouring them. Charles Krug was listed as a sponsor on this event. I specifically looked for it, and saw no Krug. Bog disappointment. I would take off another half star if I could for this alone. It was a good opportunity to try a range of rose. We moved on to reds and tried some great Pinot Noir, Sangiovese and Merlot. Though I am not a huge wine expert, the reds didn’t seem to fit with a summer theme specifically as far as I could tell. There were many wineries pouring Cabernet as well. It was more like whatever the featured winery had. There were a few standout wineries (Stomping Girl rocked my tastebuds) and many less memorable ones I won’t mention.
The overall execution left a little to be desired. Nothing interesting to eat save for the turkey wraps, which I was happy to have so I wouldn’t get too drunk. They didn’t fit with the expectation that there would be something a little more interesting to nibble on. I’m glad we got there toward the beginning of the event as some wineries ran out of key wines they had brought. Several winery reps didn’t really seem to know the wine they were pouring while other were friendly and informative. There was some flowery material covering folding tables, and the material was clearly unevenly cut and torn. This is a small detail I know but it sort of cheapened the overall feel. Would it be that hard to just cut the material evenly?

In summary: Great concept. Keep working on it! I would come back for an event with a better focus if I could pay $ 15 again. $ 25 should get you more than no Krug, blah turkey wraps and torn table cloths.

************* REVIEW 166 ****************
So made it to the «Wine Event. The Pink, Sparkling & Red Wine Summer Kick-​Off Event!» I was looking forward to it not because anything else, but because 1 of my favorite wines was there: Astrale e Terra.
For $ 25 per person, we got to try out about 25 wineries were participated at the event such as:
****** Adastra Vineyards ***** Their Ed’s Red is so easy to drink, smooth & nice — it got the top value by Wine Spectator, for only $ 15, I’m not surprised at all — ordered a case & get free shipping. I got chat with the owner, a very nice gentleman.
Amorosa Bella
****** Astrale e Terra ****** excellent wines, highly recommend it. Their Cabernet & Merlot are amazing. I’ve been a fan since last year!
Azur Wines
Barber Cellars
Big Wall Wine Co.
Boheme Wines & Bodega Rancho
****** Bourassa Vineyards ****** great 100% Napa Valley Cabernet 2006, I order my case! Plus 15% from the event, not bad at all!
****** Cameron Hughes ****** Surprised with their technique, their wines are different each & every year, due to the lot that they get, so it will be hit or miss each year. Fascinating businessman obviously knows how to get consumers better wines for less, they make high-​priced appellations and varietals accessible to consumers. Great concept & execution — Lot 139 Alexander Valley, Sonoma County was an awesome Meritage.
****** Cape Ardor South African Wines ****** It’s an importer that represented a lot of South African wines
Charles Krug
Cornerstone Cellars
******* de grendel rose ****** great for brunch.
Diemersfontein Pinotage
Due Vigne
Flora Springs
Freixenet
Gloria Ferrer
La Peite Ferme
Raka Shiraz
****** Rene Barbier ****** Very citrus-​y, tart, stays in the nose. Very good finish and quality aftertaste. Highly recommended. I imagine I would pair this with fish and rabbit, but in reality I like it much, so I would pair it with everything but water :-)
Ridgeback Viognier
****** Segura Viudas ****** the Brut Rosé was fresh fruit aroma, lingering note on the palate & a bit of sweetness — very nice.
****** Scott Harvey Wines ****** Good Zinfandel, the wine maker of Astrale e Terra.
Stomping Girl
Terraces
Va de Vi
Vie
Vinum Cellars
Wild Hog Vineyard
wine boo-​k
Artwork on display provided by HANG Art
Music provided by Martin Collins
So I got to try out max about 7 – 8 wines that I like, the rest nothing excited me. What I was disappointed with the event was layout & how disorganized it was.
1. The registration ladies — they asked what list I was on. Really? How do I supposed to know I was on? «How many list do you have?“I replied. «I’m on the list that pay full price, is that help?» I continued.
2. The room was too small to hold up that many people. We could’t move around without hitting someone!
3. Unorganized — we didn’t know which way to start the round.
4. No bread or anything to eat whatsoever, I would pay for it. The event at 5PM, people just got out after work, I don’t think any of us had anything to eat before this.
5. Half of the producers ran out of wines by 8PM! & I didn’t even try all the wines yet!
6. The DJ was nice, but it was too crowded & too loud that we couldn’t hear his music = FAIL!
7. & whats up with the black & floral table clothes? Is it 2010 or 1960s? Really?
& trust me I rarely give a not good review, if it’s not good, I wouldn’t rate it! But I’m a wine lover & I support smaller wineries, & I need to speak up for them. I was disappointed with the event!
They need to know to plan it better for the guests, and also for the wine producers there, they deserve a better space, better layout, & the crowd like us that paid!
On the upside, I signed up with 3 new wineries!

It was a bit of a sauna in the space they booked, but the worse thing was poor event coordination. Let me get back to that in a bit. I can say there was a sea of girls in cocktail dresses, fake tans, but I couldn’t help but look at them though. They were every where and for the fellas, if you wanna find a chick, this maybe the place to go. The wines were alright. A lot of them tasted watered down to be honest, but there were a couple of gems there. Attendees were a little rude, standing in front of the tables being served and not moving. Blocking people from getting what they paid for, which was a tasting. Then the servers were just as rude, so busy talking to who ever, they didn’t even care to notice that they had a job. A job to serve, provide good customer service and make sure to be a good representative for that winery. And the food, it was all gone within the first hour, and that was it. Maybe they should of said on their invite that it was first come first serve basis. I had to go down the block and buy a foot long subway, just to make sure that the girls and I had some food in our stomach, since we were drinking. My friends and I seriously felt like we could pull off something better than this, but it was definitely a nice idea of having this type of wine event. I wouldn’t mind going again, but I’ll make sure to have crackers and water in my purse the next time I go.

I finally made it to VIN12’s unlimited monthly wine tasting event. This month the focus was «The Big Red Event»… Featuring Zinfandel, Pinot Noir, Cabernet, Syrah, Merlot, Barbera, Dolcetto and over 50 different wines by select VIN12 producers from throughout California.
Wineries represented there this night were: Barber Cellars, Scott Harvey Wines, Boheme, David Fulton Wines, Wild Hog Vineyards, Row Eleven, MJ Lords, Vin Nostro, Astrale e Terra, Flora Springs, Due Vigne, Expression, Periscope, Urbano Cellars, Big Fish Winery, Hallcrest, Charles Krug, & A.G. Ferrari.
They had a nice little setup of Italian inspired munchies available catered by A.G. Ferrari Foods. Artwork on display was courtesy of HANG Art, and there was a few other merchants selling their wears such as things like Cashmere sweaters and homemade jewelry.
We showed up just a little after 5pm and sampled away until about 8pm ish (the event goes till 9pm). The pours were definitely on the heavy side. No complaints here! Got to taste a lot of good local wines and talk to the producers and independents. I learned a lot and had a great time. It was a good time, not too crowded, and a fun jovial bunch of folks.
I’ll be back next month for their «POP THE BUBBLES!: Champagne, Prosecco and Sparkling Wine» event.