A trip to Nectar is like a trip to a vineyard minus the acreage and the vines. It is one of San Francisco’s better little tasting rooms – even easier than a trip to Napa because you don’t have to worry about the drive from place to place. It is worth putting on your flight cap, heading down to the Marina, and taking a trip through different countries, vintages, oohs and aahhs. Nectar offers up exactly what its name suggests – something so sweet, natural and fulfilling it could only be found at the center of this well loved flower.
Nectar is no shabby hole in the wall. A lot of care has gone into the atmosphere. Low lighting and exposed brick create the feeling of a wine cellar, while the brushed steel and green glass remind you that you are still in one of America’s best cities for design. The bar itself is worth mentioning, as it’s width and it’s color cater specifically to the taster. It fits a plate of food and a flight of wine - glasses before their respective bottles. The structure and the simple décor do what they should – they make it about the wine. If anything the environment really invites you to sit and sample for hours on end.
The management and the staff at Nectar are no entry-level winos. They are all extremely knowledgeable and even better, noticeably gracious. We did both the red and the white flight – both the flights the list of wines by the glass offer some great selections, showing that the owner is in no way stingy with his stock. He makes it a point, as should any great tasting bar, to introduce his clientele to a good variety of choice without cornering them into purchasing a bottle. Although all the wines in either flight were good, each had a clear winner. For red, the Hope and Grace Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 is proves to be the best. The vineyard is in Napa and is named after the wine makers two daughters – a nice story which compliments the very flavor. For white, the Von Simmern Riesling not only wins out as a fabulous white, but beats out any Riesling I have ever had the opportunity to try. This vineyard in Rheingau Germany has produced a Riesling which sticks to it’s roots as a sweet summer picnic wine and yet has transcended the candy-like flavor by including a good dose of earthy minerality. It is no surprise when asked what his favorite white on the menu, this Riesling is managing partner Achim’s first and only answer.
You can do more than drink at Nectar since they too offer a nice dinner menu of delectable choices priced in two ways – a la carte and paired with a suggested taste. The pizzetta presented itself as a sophisticated version of my favorite childhood snack – bagels toasted with green apples and cheese. Topped with Gorgonzola cheese, apples, walnuts, and cold micro greens, this dish it a fabulous balance of everything your mouth could want – soft and crunchy, cooked and raw, salty and sweet. It is even better paired with Nectar’s biggest red – the Californian C.G. Di Arie Petite Sirah. With such great food and such great drink it comes as no surprise that Nectar has a second location in Burlingame. Whether you are new to the art of wine, or whether you are a well-versed connoisseur, you are likely to find Nectar pleasant, accommodating, sweet and satisfying.
