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Napa Valley is already home to 17 American Viticultural Areas (AVAs), and now a new one has been added to the mix, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Crystal Springs is now an official AVA approved by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau; the proposed area had been working its way through the system for four years before gaining its status this month. It’s been 13 years since Napa Valley gained a sub-region for wine, the paper reports, but the Crystal Springs designation has long been a project for Steve Burgess, formerly of Burgess Cellars, who’s worked on the proposal since 2005. The new approval will allow the Crystal Springs region to label their bottles as such, rather than falling under the vague Napa Valley AVA distinction or neighboring Howell Mountain AVA.
Durian specialty shop opens in Richmond
Durian has its fair share of fans and haters, all clearly divided on the risk/reward of digging into the pungent Asian fruit. But now Bay Area durian lovers have a place to go for their fix, as KQED reports that durian-only shop JQ&B Liu Shang Pin opened at Richmond’s Pacific East Mall on Monday, October 4. The durians hail from Malaysia and are situated in the shop’s freezers with different varietals available, including Black Thorn and Musang King. The fruit is flash-frozen when ripe, rather than picked early, meaning a different eating experience than what one can typically get at big-box Asian supermarkets.
I want you to get me a Metreon right away
San Francisco’s Metreon mall is up for sale, the San Francisco Business Times reports. The mall features a high business occupancy rate of 91.9 percent, according to the Times, with exciting new restaurant tenants Dabao Singapore and Nick the Greek recently signing on, a huge contrast from neighboring San Francisco Centre. It’s unclear what the going rate is, but for some idea, the Metreon was acquired by Starwood Capital Group in 2012 as part of a $1.1 billion deal for eight U.S. shopping centers. The Metreon is just one mall. What could it cost? Ten million dollars?
Shuggie’s hits the big screen
Shuggie’s Trash Pie and Natural Wine is well-known for its climate activism, but now a mini-doc on the Mission restaurant’s, err, mission was selected to be part of SF Indie Fest’s Green Film Fest. Shuggie’s made the announcement via the restaurant’s Instagram page, and the piece will be screened at the 4 Star movie theater on Clement Street on Saturday, October 19.
