The beauty of BYOB

The hard thing about liking good wine and good techno is that they are hard to find in the same place -- outside of my house! That's why BYOB parties are probably my best bet. Recently I lugged two bottles to two separate events -- one a legit BYOB party, the other was a bit more of sneak affair (but legitimized by some shady acts by the club owner).

I toted a bottle of the Shannon Ridge '06 Sauvignon Blanc to the indoor/outdoor club Oasis in downtown Oakland for the minimal techno night Bottom Feeder. Its floral, citrus & mineral notes would have been better suited to a warm (OK, mild, after all it IS the Bay Area) summer day, but even on a chilly February night it was refreshing and oh-so quaffable given its handy screw top!

My other pick was just a quick, late-night convenience-store grab of Piper Sonoma Brut to take to a warehouse party in San Francisco. I'm not a big fan of sparkling wine -- it just doesn't have the rich fruit flavors I so love in the still stuff -- but (probably largely thanks to a trough of ice behind the KONTROL dj booth), I thoroughly enjoyed the toasty, earthy smooth flavors of this sparkler.

Not only did I get to drink what I actually liked, I also saved money that would have otherwise been spent on half-wanted beers or overpriced (and poorly mixed) cocktails. A perfect prelude to the outdoor party season coming up. Check pacificsound.net and dirtybirdrecords.com for details in a month or so. Until then, stay dry!