Bordeaux Wine Enthusiasts

Potential attendees so far:

JimHow + 1
Stefan & Lucie
Blanquito + hermano
Chris & Marjorie
SF Ed & Lisa
MicgaelP & Nalan
Jacques & Jill
Nicolas & Marie-Claude
Chris + 1
AKR + 1
WilliamP + Linda
Glenn + Joanne
Danny + Danielle
Tim
hm$ + Lisa
Ian & Maureen
Stu + Kathy
Tom + Gail

Total = 35

This is shaping into a memorable event!
I'm planning on arriving on Wednesday if anyone is interested in turning it into a four day as opposed to three day affair.

JimHow wrote:This is shaping into a memorable event!
I'm planning on arriving on Wednesday if anyone is interested in turning it into a four day as opposed to three day affair.

My wife wants me to extend our trip a bit.

I am already committed Thursday, but would be open to something on Wednesday.

I was thinking maybe a really really old wine evening. Tim, sdr, MichaelP (or anyone else) - want to drink Francois style?

SF Ed

I am getting in Thursday morning, and unfortunately won't be able to transport any old wines this time due to my travel prior to arriving. So Wednesday would be out for me. I am still trying to sort out the best way to send a couple of bottles earlier though.

Cheers,

Tim

I expect that Marjorie and me will be around on Wednesday evening.

Chris Bublitz

I may arrive Weds too, to leave more time to go visit wine country on Thursday.

Sounds like a good idea.

We won`t be able to leave before Thursday AM so I`m out for anything on Wed.

Haven't booked yet but I think we will arrive in the area well before the convention so would be up for a Weds bash.

In order for me to make this work I have to budget carefully.
So I was just looking at airline tickets. Better prices are available right now if we leave on Wednesday and stay until Monday.
It also looks like better hotel pricing is available if I book with the flight. I was looking at the San Remo Hotel near Pier 39.
Any progress on convention home base? Will there be a special room rate for convention attendees?

Since I teach on Wednesday we are out for dinner on that day.

I like what I'm seeing!
Can't wait!

We intend to get there the 19th. We'll see friends and visit wine country. We could do something on Wednesday.

We will be arriving Friday afternoon.

Glad to see the interest in Wednesday! I am not going to coordinate a formal event (like Friday or Saturday), but we'll figure something out, even if it is just having locals bring stems and hanging out at my place (which for those of you who haven't been here is not very big).

SF Ed

Sounds good, Ed, thanks for taking the lead on this.

Should we put out feelers for a dinner in wine country Thursday night? I have no idea if it could be pulled off, but what about a dinner at Ridge Monte Bello in Santa Cruz? Only an hour and a half from downtown SanFran.

Sadly, I will have to pull off the event, if ever a Right Bank wine win the BWE WOTY award...



Nic

We've tried to rearrange schedules but it just isn't working out so will have to live vicariously this year. It looks like a great celebration!

Nicklasss wrote:Sadly, I will have to pull off the event, if ever a Right Bank wine win the BWE WOTY award...



Nic

Oh come on!!!!

Nicklasss wrote:Sadly, I will have to pull off the event, if ever a Right Bank wine win the BWE WOTY award...



Nic

What is this cajoling, flattering, pimping and even threatening going on to win the battle for BWE WOTY? Hope BD, true to his lawyerly ethics as the judge will be disinterested in arriving at his decision...

Ha, I am a kind, benevolent, and wise dictator.
I am not easily moved by serpentine tactics.
Although, I must say that the Man from Quebec's suggestions of 2011 Calon Segur, 2011 d'Yquem, and 2008 Leoville Barton are all certainly worthy of consideration!

I just want our BD to feel https://youtu.be/a01QQZyl-_I

A winner from the Right Bank this year, would be a bit like the rocket at 44 seconds in the link!

Nic

Can't wait to see everyone at BWE '17 in the great international city of San Francisco!

Question for the locals re car rental. I`ll be extending my trip and likely taking a couple of weeks to wind my way down to San diego followin event. Rental cars for that period through costco are CHEAP!! $313usd all in for 2 weeks standard car pick up at San Fran and dropped off San Diego Airports. Problem with car in past for San Fran is parking costs more than the car rental from what I remember. Any suggestions. If car rented downtown and or for lesser days cost goes up to well over $1300. Are there areas that car can be dropped at like park and ride for time in downtown San Fran during convention then taking public transit to pick it up? Other ideas?

Park it at the SFO airport?

Adding on to Tom's logical advice: Use public transport/Uber/taxi for the convention and pick up the car at SFO when ready to leave town.

Do not rent a car for time in San Francisco. Use Uber/Lyft/taxi/Muni. Having a rental car in SF is both expensive and effectively useless. Small city, jammed streets, expensive or impossible parking, extremely dense Uber/Lyft network.

If you live and work in SF there is almost no reason to own a car anymore. Welcome to the future (or normal life in cities anywhere else in the world).

SF Ed

Read the original note - $313 for two weeks versus $1300 for ten days. Pick up the car, immediately park it at the airport, enjoy the convention, then return to the airport parking lot and drive off for the rest of the vacation. Unless parking at the airport is $200 per day, Danny wins.

Thanks for everyone's input. Crazy looking at the pricing of car rentals... full 14 days $313. 10-13 days ranges from $900-1300 then 9 day rental drops to $297. So if spend a few extra days in San Fran with extra hotel cost can eventually get car for $297 but only 9 days to travel. Would prefer leaving Sunday or Mon latest. If park the car at the airport or suburban Walmart parking lot somewhere even if I have to pay for parking will be further ahead. That's why I was asking about park and ride spots. In Canada they are free to leave your car and jump on bus/train to get to final destination. Problem is knowing the right spot to park the car for Thurs-Sun or Monday then taking Uber back to pick up car.

Its a market weirdness. The longer term rentals are priced like insurance repair replacements, while the shorter term ones are segmented for business travelers.

I remember some guy at Enterprise explaining it to me a long time ago, and I ended up getting a month long rental because it was so disproportionately cheaper than a shorter term one.

I was waiting on my car being delivered, and there was some kind of glitch in that process, thus forcing me to get a long term rental.

Enterprise gave me a purple rental car as I recall.

We've got the venue set for Friday and close on Saturday. Both will be in central San Francisco and both will have hard headcount limits (36 for Friday and 40 for Saturday).

Once I get these nailed, including all costs, I will open up "official" signups, which means sending me checks to pay for your seats at the events.

I think we will have the venues nailed down in early January.

Looking forward to a great BWE 17!

SF Ed

Nice. Thanks to you and Lisa for all of your efforts, Ed.
This is a weekend that will sell out quickly, so people will want to get their checks in early.

I have just heard from Peter (cabfan), and he is in along with his daughter Julia, so BD, please add them to the list

SF Ed

Wow this is exciting. I've been away a long time - haven't posted in years, although stayed in touch with Ed/Lisa, Werner, Chris, Michael P and Nalan. Just saw them all a few months ago. But many of you, not for maybe 6-7 or more years. My wife and I went to the very first BWE gathering in Chicago. I brought my daughter Julia to one of the SF conventions and will be bringing her this year. Please let me know if there's anything I can do to help. I believe one year I acted as sort of an informal "treasurer", collecting checks and the like. Thanks to Ed for bringing this to my attention.

Peter

Peter!
It'll be great to see you again in SF!
For those of you who don't know, Peter is one of the very first original BWEers who joined the site during that primordial first 48 hours after its birth back in February 2000. It's amazing we are still around after nearly 17 years. On that first day I didn't expect to last a week.

JimHow + 1
Stefan & Lucie
Blanquito + hermano
Chris & Marjorie
SF Ed & Lisa
MicgaelP & Nalan
Jacques & Jill
Nicolas & Marie-Claude
Chris + 1
AKR + 1
WilliamP + Linda
Glenn + Joanne
Danny + Danielle
Tim
hm$ + Lisa
Ian & Maureen
Stu + Kathy
Tom + Gail
Peter + Julia

Total = 37

Julie and Kevin Rochford are in as well. Thanks.

Just as an FYI, that is the weekend of the United Airlines Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon and an NCAA regional game in San Francisco. Hotels may be a bit harder to find.

hm$