We attended Bottlenotes' Merlot Me event at the Presidio Observation Post on October 16, 2015. I…read moresubscribe to Bottlenotes' Daily Sip Newsletter and saw that tickets to the events have been discounted, so I bought two General Admission tickets for me and my husband. The discounted tickets were a great value, as there were about 15 wineries at the event pouring tastings of their signature and library Merlots. Light appetizers (cheeses, fruit, Marcona almonds, and charcuterie) were also served. Really, for the equivalent of a typical wine tasting fee in Napa, you can taste some of the best Merlots in one room! I was DD, so I only did about 5 tastings. They were all good, but I have to say that the 2010 Pahlmeyer and the 2009 Duckhorn were standouts for me. They both had a great nose! I enjoyed sipping both until they were both gone. My husband tasted a lot more than I did and he was very impressed with the wines he tasted. It was too bad that he missed having the 2010 Pahlmeyer. They were all out of this particular wine by the time he got around them! Luckily, he was able to taste a bit of mine. The event's tasting glass was beautiful. It's called Gabriel Glas, a lead-free crystal wine glass from Austria, and is touted as a "One for all" wine glass. It was great for swirling and drinking! It was being sold at the event $20 per glass. Bottlenotes chose a great venue for this event! Views of the bay and the Golden Gate Bridge from The Observation Post were just breathtaking. We managed to get there around dusk, so we were still able to see the Golden Gate Bridge sans fog! It was windy and cold outside, but it was nice and warm inside. Though there were a lot of people there, this was a nice sized event. It wasn't so big that you have to stand in line for more than a couple of minutes. Compared to an SF Vintner's event we've attended in the past at Fort Mason, this event was intimate. This wasn't overwhelming! I'm looking forward to attending another event by Bottlenotes! I hope there'll be another event like this!

As part of a team building event, we scheduled this Mixology class and it was such a fun…read moreexperience! Max was a great bartender, instructor and host! We made 3 different drinks, learned the tricks and techniques, and ingredients were simple enough. Max started us off, then we prepared our drinks, drank up and then moved to the next one. Fun and easy! Setting was great. I enjoyed the music and socializing with Max and other guests. Highly recommend this for anyone looking for something fun and unique to do.

Kevin was awesome. Had a great time connecting for a team event, learning pro-tips and enjoying…read moretasty bevies along the way. Didn't expect the business insights--Kevin is a natural teacher who did a great job of sharing his passion with our team.

If you are trying to find a wine tour, look no further!…read more It was easy to book. We signed up for the Grape Escape Wineries Tour. You tell them where you reside and they will find a close pick up spot. Kathi and JR called a few days before as a courtesy reminder and answered any of our questions. They provided a tasty lunch and dessert. Nice and clean van with little snacks. JR was so knowledgeable about the South Bay Area, Los Altos Hills and Cupertino area. Great energy from start to the end. The Grape Escape Winery Tour that we signed up for included three wineries: the Ridge, Vidovich and Picchetti Brothers. It wasn't the best weather, but when it wasn't raining, you can see all of the Bay Area. And as we were traveling in between, JR was just educating us on everything. Grape experience. Grape customer service. Highly recommend!!! Thank you JR and Kathi!!!! Our family had the best time! Oh and JR is a peacock whisperer too lol

My mom and dad who were visiting from India took the tour with John. while they have been on…read moreseveral wine tours before, in their words, this was a completely different and memorable experience that was worth every penny. They had a wonderful time with John who gave them a lot of history and told them what to look for while tasting the different wines, but they were thrilled that everyone at the wineries knew and loved John, and showed them a great time. They continued to speak of the tour for the following two days. I am keen on taking the tour myself in a couple of weeks! Highly recommend !!

Came here to celebrate a birthday for my boyfriend after seeing so much hype about this place on…read moreinstagram and socials. I had tried to come here in years past but was never able to grab a reservation. I was able to snag one this year, however it was only for the regular seating, not the chalet. This is located inside the Four Seasons hotel, on the patio area next to the restaurant. The area is decorated with Christmas lights and chalet-style houses for folks to lounge in. We were seated by the large fire in the center of the area, the fire was nice since it was quite cold out, however it started getting too hot - we felt like the flames were getting too close to our face at some points. Unsure if the setting was on too high or if that was by design.... Anyway, on to the food - everything was lackluster. There's a $95 set menu, you get to pick 4 things to share and 1 dessert each. We selected the charcuterie board, fondue set, wagyu sliders, and truffle potato gratin. For dessert, we selected the smores & the lava cake. Since it was my boyfriend's birthday, they also gave us a small cake separately with a candle on top - which was a nice touch. Although the service and experience was fine, the food was not up to par with a 5-star hotel and the 5-star price that accompanied it. I ended up paying ~$250 for a basic meal. Not worth it, wouldn't recommend coming here and I will not be returning.

Ive been wanting to come since last winter finally made my way here. I made reservations for a…read moremonday and surprisingly we were the only people there. It was so beautiful and really appealing. The customer service was over the top. I was hesitant about it being $95/pp but I would say it was worth it. You get 4 shareable items and two desserts and the choices were good. Drinks are not included but i had the peartini and it was phenomenal. I tried the waygu sliders, seafood pot pie, margarita pizza and chicken pasta everything was good but i couldve chose something else for the pizza. For dessert we tried the smores which was good and the apple tart i didnt care for but the icecream it came with was good. Perfect for date night or just hanging with friends. It also had a back area so two free hot chocolates were included but great for hanging out and photos.

Great food and wine tour through Tiburon with Renee. It was a small group so we got a very…read moreintimate tour to the RR Museum, Tiburon Tavern, Sams, Luna Blue, Cafe Renzo, and the Tiburon overlook. We all started at the Tiburon RR Mueum where we got a nice overview of the areas history. Who knew this was all a giant Railroad yard at one time? Tried a variety of great foods and wine along the way. They were prepared especially for us by the chefs at each restaurant. Had some delicious deviled eggs and hush puppies with honey butter at the tavern. It was served with a good glass of Chardonnay though I don't recall the name. At Sams had a delicious shrimp dish with crunchy toast. It was paired with a JCB Rose from Province that Renee brought She also gave us some lavender cheese which was a perfect complement to the wine. Went next door to Luma Blue and were served eggplant parmigiana paired with a bold Tuscan Red. Strolled to the cafe owned by the same family and got coffee with cannoli. To top it off we had Meyers port from Anderson Valley with a crunchy cookie (also from the cafe) at the top of Tiburon. It was a great unrushed tour through some of Tiburon's finest restaurants for delicious food and wine pairings. Great way to enjoy the town or to host out of town guests.

I had a team workshop in Tiburon and the Food & Wine Pairing tour was a perfect team activity…read more Tiburon is easy to walk with beautiful views of the bay. The weather was wonderful and we really enjoyed our time with Viv as she navigated us from venue to venue. The food and wine selections were tasty and Viv's knowledge of Tiburon and surrounding areas made for fun conversation throughout. I would recommend this as a team activity, or would also love to try this with a small group of friends!

Had a great experience with our driver Bhati! He was on time, professional and very kind. Would…read morerecommend this to my friends!! The pole was a little hard to dance on though fyi. Not too much space on the medium sized van

We booked a small party bus for a birthday celebration, and our driver, Dontaye, was absolutely…read moreincredible! From start to finish, the entire process was so easy, and everyone we interacted with was incredibly friendly, knowledgeable, and helpful. The party bus itself was spotless, comfortable, and had an awesome sound system. Dontaye was right on time for pickup, made sure we were taken care of the entire night, and truly made our bar-hopping experience so much fun! We had such an amazing time and couldn't have asked for a better experience. We will definitely be booking with Cali Party Bus again. Thank you so much for making the birthday celebration one to remember

I had some family come in from out of town for the holidays and wanted to treat them to a scenic…read morehelicopter tour of the city. Booking online was a piece of cake, and the flight experience was delightful. Our pilot, Stephanie, was friendly and accommodating, but more importantly, an exceptionally talented pilot. Over my many decades on this world, I've probably spent 100+ hours as a passenger in helicopters, and I can attest that Stephanie was among the smoothest of all. Next up, I'm planning introductory lessons for my girlfriend and a friend. Should be a blast.

I booked the 60 minute Golden Gate Tour around the Bay Area and it was beautiful! You really get to…read moresee the Bay from a different perspective. Tickets were $265 per person. There was parking out front and the check in process was a breeze. We were led right to our helicopter where the pilot (I totally forgot his name ) gave us all the information we needed to know in case of an emergency. And then we took off! I would definitely book again! I would love to see everything again during golden hour!

Gamble Garden is a lovely and quiet respite in Palo Alto. Whenever I'm in the area and have some…read moretime, I stop by for a stroll around the garden to see what's in bloom. There are benches to sit and gather. I've seen a wedding in their outdoor area and I believe you can rent the house for events. They have classes and you can volunteer in the garden too. At one time, it was also a location for photo shoots. One of my lifestyle photos was shot here. A space of beauty and peace. I appreciate that it's free for anyone.

Great Family Event... Except Someone Forgot Their Customer-Service Hat…read more We had a really good time at Gamble Garden's Second Saturday! The kids enjoyed the scavenger hunt, there were some great vendors, and the whole event had a fun, family-friendly atmosphere. I also got some pretty good footage of the scavenger hunt and everything that was going on, so there was definitely plenty to enjoy. Whoever is behind organizing the Second Saturdays deserves some credit because they're doing a great job. There was a nice variety of activities, the kids stayed entertained, and it felt like a genuine community event. Now... the reason I'm giving it 4 stars instead of 5 comes down to one particular interaction. There was an older gentleman named Matthew who was helping out and wearing a vest. Let's just say Matthew and my wife and I did not exactly become best friends that afternoon. Some of the comments he made toward us came across as unnecessarily rude and, even if they were intended to be jokes, the humor definitely missed the landing. I'm all for a little sarcasm and having fun -- trust me, I can take a joke -- but there's a difference between being funny and making people wonder, "Wait... was that really necessary?" Thankfully, the event was for our kids, not for us, so we didn't let one interaction ruin the day. The kids had fun, the vendors were great, and everything else about the experience was positive. I'd definitely recommend checking out Second Saturday if you have kids or just want to support a cool community event. Hopefully, next time Matthew leaves the comedy routine at home and sticks to the helping. Overall: Great event, great activities, great vendors, and a lot of potential for an even better experience. Just one sour interaction kept it from getting that fifth star.