Stayin in the 'hood...

Went to the East Bay Vintners Urban Wine Trail Passport event today and was wowed by the Meritage and Cab Franc from Irish Monkey and refreshed by Two Mile's Viognier. Prophetically, the two were located together, in Irish Monkey's HQ on 22nd Ave. in the O, just a hop, jump & skip from my house. The brickhouse HQ had the spread, too, featuring scrum-diddily-umptious cheese from Farmstead, a folk string instrument quartet, and the best vibe of all of the 8 locations of the day. The Meritage was a smoky, earthy, rich blend of Cab Sauv, Cab Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot & a couple "secrets" -- the standout red of the day, IMHO. The Cab Franc on its own was delish as well, with much pepper on the nose, but not the green flavors that sometimes accompany the varietal. Two Mile's Viognier was a lovely change from the red-heavy event, showing off peachy notes with the right amount of acid that begged for a well-crafted seafood dish.

We showed up at Eno in Berkeley to see winemaker Sasha drinking beer -- hey, doesn't every good harvest entail much beer consumption? His Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir was divine, with some cherry and pepper on the nose and smooth silkiness going down, pairing quite nice with the duck raviolis & spinach-and-mushroom frittata on the sunny patio out back.

Tonight is the daddy of all techno monthlies, [KONTROL], with Berlin standouts Pan Pot and local hero Clint Stewart. Caught Clint a few weeks ago at a day party in Golden Gate Park. Despite being severely incapacitated from shenanigans the night before, this guy threw down with a vengeance, making club kids everywhere proud. You can catch him and many others tomorrow, at Oasis, for the free Q, which is serving up gratis BBQ & beats from 2 p.m. to 2 a.m. This place has the best sound and best dancefloor (glide along the smooth concrete) for miles around, so come on down, yo.