Simple Hedonisms

Posts Tagged ‘Events’

William has invited me to keep you apprised of upcoming wine events for the North Coast with weekly posts here at Simple Hedonisms. Each article will cover roughly 2 weeks of events taking place in Lake, Marin, Mendocino, Napa and Sonoma counties. Every now and then, there’ll be a sneak preview of something farther out in time or distance.

All events listed below are in chronological order by region. Some events require advance reservations or ticketing, so it’s best to click through for any event you’d like to attend. The headline links for each event will take you to the calendar at NorCalWine.com where you’ll find further details on that event. And event organizers sometimes change details at the last minute, so it’s always a good idea to contact the host prior to showing up at their doorstep.

One-time, up-front disclaimer (in future articles, this will appear at the end): The events I’ll call attention to here are those that I’ve become aware of and which offer something beyond the standard winery tasting room experience. Neither I nor William are compensated by any of the event organizers in any way. The listings are for the benefit of the community. Enjoy!

Event organizers and publicists wishing to maximize the likelihood of their events being published here should post their events in the calendar at NorCalWine.com. Posting events there requires a one-time registration (easy, peasy), but is totally free of charge. And it only takes a couple of minutes. I’ll soon post a guide at NorCalWine.com with tips on how to make event posts as effective as possible.

Now that that’s out of the way… Wow! What a busy couple of weekends we’ve got coming up. If it weren’t for the Super Bowl this Sunday — an event against which few wineries are daring to compete —  I’d still be clacking away, adding festivities. Valentine’s Day has inspired a huge bouquet of events pairing wine and chocolate, wine and oysters, wine and flowers, wine and romance. I’ll take any of those over a Hallmark card. (Gentlemen, this is not a suggestion that you forgo a card this year. Bad idea!)

Have a great weekend and I hope to see you tomorrow afternoon at the Micro-Winery Collective Open House at the Inspiration Vineyards tasting room in Santa Rosa.

Lake County

Saturday, February 11

Wine & Chocolate . . . and More! at Mt. Konocti Winery — Lakeport: 12:00 – 4:00
There will be more than 30 wineries pouring premium Lake County wines paired with gourmet chocolates and savories by Master Sommelier Candidate and Masters of Wine Candidate Sommelier Stephanie Green.

Marin County

Tuesday, February 7

Happy Hour with Tudal Family Winery at Bacchus Venus — Sausalito: 6:00pm – 7:30pm
Taste through a flight of Tudal Wine’s for $10.

Mendocino County

Sunday, February 11

McFadden’s Second Saturday — Hopland: 10:00am - 5:00pm
Enjoy McFadden’s wines made from 100% organically-grown grapes and paired with a delicious food treat.

Wine & Chocolate Extravaganza at RWV Wineries — Redwood Valley: 11:00am – 5:00pm
One ticket gets you a glass for Wine Tasting and Chocolates at all 9 locations.

Cupid in the Caves at Saracina Vineyards, Hopland: 12:30pm – 4:00pm
Stop by the Saracina Tasting Bar for the romance-inducing foods of the gods: wine, oysters and chocolate!

Crab Feast in the Barrel Room at Jaxon Keys Winery — Hopland: 6:00pm – 10:00pm
A Valentines Weekend Crab Feast in the Jaxon Keys Barrel Room. They’ll start things off with Oysters three ways: Rockefeller, Florentine, and raw and then it’s all about the crab!

Napa Valley

Friday, February 3

Annual Open House at Charles Krug Winery — St. Helena: 10:30am - 4:30pm
The Peter Mondavi family welcomes you to their annual open house. Meet the family, taste new releases and enjoy live music.

Saturday, February 4

Annual Open House at Charles Krug Winery — St. Helena: 10:30am - 4:30pm
The Peter Mondavi family welcomes you to their annual open house. Meet the family, taste new releases and enjoy live music.

Winter Release Day at Silver Oak — Oakville: 9:00am - 4:00pm
Release celebration for the 2007 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon and kicks off of festivities for Silver Oak’s 40th Anniversary.

Cabernet Release Event at Bennett Lane Winery — Calistoga: 11:00am - 5:00pm
Visit Bennett Lane Winery for the pre release of their 2009 Cabernet and Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon.

Winter Tag-a-Long at Saddleback Cellars — Oakville: 11:00am – 5:00pm
It’s a great day to taste at Oakville wineries since most in the area celebrate the release of the 2007 vintage of Cabernet Sauvignon! At Saddleback, they’ll have an enhanced tasting day with food from Rebel-Dog and live music by the Wasted Rangers.

Cabernet Pre-Release Day at Cosentino Winery — Yountville: 12:00pm - 04:00pm
Get a sneak peak at the Cosentino Winery Reserve Cabernet and its library varietal, paired with chocolate.

Cabernet Pre-Release Day at Girard Winery — Yountville: 1:00pm - 5:00pm
A sneak peak at the inaugural release of the Girard Spring Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon.

Friday, February 10

Cupid’s Kitchen at Girard Winery — Yountville: 6:00pm - 9:00pm
Bubbles, the Oyster Girls from Tomales Bay, a sensuous chocolate fountain and exquisite cheeses.

Saturday, February 11

Valentine’s Oyster and Wine Pairing at Black Stallion Winery — Napa: 12:00pm – 4:00pm or until the oysters run out
Oysters by the pair, six-pack or dozen. And wine!

Goosecross Valentine’s Day Party at TopFlight — Napa: 2:00pm – 6:00pm
Enjoy an afternoon of wine, chocolate and romance.

San Valentino Dinner at Andretti Winery — Napa: 6:00pm – 10:30pm
Put on your best Upscale Wine Country attire and come celebrate amore and Valentine’s Day with Andretti Winery.

Sonoma County

Saturday, February 4

Crab Feed at Sbragia Family Vineyards — Geyserville: 5:00pm - 8:00pm
The Sbragia family invites you to join them for an evening of cracked crab and fabulous wine!

Winter Release Day at Silver Oak — Geyserville: 9:00am - 4:00pm
Release celebration for the 2007 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon and kicks off of festivities for Silver Oak’s 40th Anniversary.

Syrah Saturday at Amista Vineyards – Healdsburg: 10:00am - 5:00pm
Enjoy Amista’s signature estate wines with gourmet food pairings from 11:00-4:30 on Saturday, February 4th.

Wine & Chocolate Fantasy at Rodney Strong Vineyards — Healdsburg: 10:00am - 5:00pm
The Rodney Strong barrel room is transformed into a beautiful series of halls and rooms, featuring wine and chocolate and chocolate and wine!

Micro-Winery Collective Open House at Inspiration — Santa Rosa: 11:00am - 5:00pm
These wineries don’t have public tasting rooms. This is a special opportunity for you to try and buy wines from seven uniquely different wineries, each with their own winemaker present to tell you their stories and introduce you to their wines.

Fundrasier for the Sonoma County Wildlife Rescue at Marimar Estate — Sebastopol: 6:00pm - 9:00pm
Tapas, wine, and an education booth run by Sonoma County Wildlife Rescue

Tuesday, February 7

Tasting Tuesdays at Willi’s Wine Bar — Santa Rosa: 4:00pm - 05:30pm
This week’s guest is Jesse Inman of August Briggs Wines.

Friday, February 10

Roche Winemaker Dinner at Sheraton Sonoma County — Petaluma: 6:30pm - 09:00pm
This “Pre-Spring Fling” Winemaker Dinner is open to the public, however, advanced reservations and RSVP are required.

Saturday, February 11

Reds & Romance Weekend at Dutton Goldfield — Sebastopol: 10:00am - 04:30pm
Featuring Dutton Goldfield Winery‘s luscious red wines, including single-vineyard Pinots from the amazing 2009 vintage. A special sweet treat awaits you as well.

Bring Your Sweetheart! at Deerfield Ranch Winery — Kenwood: 10:30am – 4:30pm
Deerfield Ranch Wines paired with Robert’s handcrafted chocolate truffles.

Culinary Romance: Valentine’s Weekend at Bella Vineyards — Healdsburg: 11:00am – 4:30pm
Bring your special valentine and bask in the elegant ambiance of our wine cave as you explore the culinary side of romance.

Sweet 116 at the Wineries of 116 — Sebastopol: 11:00am – 4:00pm
Enjoy decadent treats and delicious wines at six wineries along Highway 116 near Sebastopol.

Valentine Library Wine Flight at Skewis Wines — Healdsburg: 11:00am – 4:00pm
We have a special tasting planned for Valentine’s weekend; a single vineyard, vertical tasting from our private wine library.

Miette Pastries at J Vineyards — Healdsburg: 12:00pm – 4:00pm
Head over to J Vineyards and Winery and enjoy tasty treats prepared by Executive Chef Mark E. Caldwell from the Miette, San Francisco’s most charming pastry shop.

Tasting Room Grand Opening at Karah Estate/Windy Hill — Cotati: 12:00pm – 5:00pm
Come to the grand opening of the new Karah Estate tasting room and enjoy a free tasting, plus its panoramic view of the Petaluma Gap!

A Zin Affair to Remember at DeLoach Vineyards — Santa Rosa: 1:00pm – 4:00pm
Vertical Zinfandel tastings, gourmet chocolate, local artisan cheeses, live music and more!

Sunday, February 12

Reds & Romance Weekend at Dutton Goldfield — Sebastopol: 10:00am - 04:30pm
Featuring Dutton Goldfield Winery‘s luscious red wines, including single-vineyard Pinots from the amazing 2009 vintage. A special sweet treat awaits you as well.

Bring Your Sweetheart! at Deerfield Ranch Winery — Kenwood: 10:30am – 4:30pm
Deerfield Ranch Wines paired with Robert’s handcrafted chocolate truffles.

Culinary Romance: Valentine’s Weekend at Bella Vineyards — Healdsburg: 11:00am – 4:30pm
Bring your special valentine and bask in the elegant ambiance of our wine cave as you explore the culinary side of romance.

Valentine Library Wine Flight at Skewis Wines — Healdsburg: 11:00am – 4:00pm
We have a special tasting planned for Valentine’s weekend; a single vineyard, vertical tasting from our private wine library.

Love and Meritage Blending Party at Topel Tasting Room — Healdsburg: 1:00pm – 4:00pm
Topel winemaker Marcus Topel will pair up with KRSH Radio’s Ziggy Eschliman, best known as Ziggy – The Wine Gal, to guide friends (with or without benefits) and lovers through the wine blending process.

Wine Lover’s Event at Mounts Family Winery — Healdsburg: 1:00pm – 4:00pm
Indulge yourself with a wine, cheese & chocolate Pairing and try pre-release Petite Sirah, Malbec and Zinfandel. RSVP required.

Looking Forward

Don’t forget the 7th Annual Int’l Alsace Festival coming up on February 18 in Boonville. There will be an Int’l Alsace Varietals Festival Technical Conference a Grand Tasting and a Winemakers Dinner. I’ve attended this event before and really enjoyed it.

This article is by Fred Swan for Simple Hedonisms. Photograph ©Igor Prole, used under license. All rights reserved.

Dane Cellars Santa in "Floods"

The Sonoma Valley Vintners and Growers Association “Wine Market – Holiday Edition” proved to be a great opportunity to taste from 27 wineries in one place, including small producers not open to the public. Here you could taste, then purchase unique wines at fantastic savings. Excellent food tastings, and food-wine pairing advice was available from local Sommeliers  – in Santa hats no less.  Last not least, you could speak with the winemakers … and see what characters they can be!

Santa in Floods? Bart Hansen, winemaker at Dane Cellars, says he spends most of the year in Bermuda shorts. When Sonoma temps hit 75’ F on December 2, he rolled out to the event in his special Santa Floods.  The Dane Cellars Clarksburg 2009 Chenin Blanc he poured is richer bodied than a Sauvignon Blanc, making it a was a good wine for a sunny winter day and a perfect match for the Truffle Mac ‘n Cheese served up by the girl and the fig.

Santa Sommeliers. What is a sommelier (so-mel-yay)? A “Somm,” or wine steward, is a trained and knowledgeable wine professional specializing in all aspects of wine service as well as wine and food matching.  Three certified Somms in Santa hats roamed the floor at the “Wine Market – Holiday Edition” event, helping guests with wine advice, pairing, and directing them to wine specials.

Eric Ross "Struttin' Red"

Cocky Wine: Eric Ross 2010 Struttin’ Red

Eric Luce, winemaker at label Eric Ross, invites you to taste his red blend of the year. 2010 is a unique blend of Tempranillo, Old Vine Zin and Petite Sirah. It screams out for a really good Cheeseburger. Failing to find any cheeseburgers, this wine was great with the Truffle Gateau chocolates featured at the Market.

Consumers have many benefits to gain from a single-location event like this. To name a few:

1. Access unique fine wines and local cuisine
2. Lower prices on quality wines
3. Remove the driving around from a wine-tasting outing – all the wines and food, all in one place
4. Access to *Santa Sommeliers* to advise on matching foods with the wines you like
5. Buy where you taste and take your wine home with you!

I had a conversation with Christopher Sawyer, Somm at Carneros Bistro in Sonoma. I asked Chris how one should go about pairing up wines with a meal. “First of all, the method should be reversed. Decide your menu, then match the wine to it.”  OK, I said, then to break the rules a bit, let’s say I’ve got a Zinfandel from Haywood Winery, which is pouring here today. Chris suggests, “This is a supple, medium body Zinfandel that gives you a lot of flexibility with the food pairing. Game. Duck. Spicy pork with compote on the side. Strip steak. And of course Ribs will go well with Zin.”

Christopher Sawyer "Santa Sommelier"

Wines of note:

Eric Ross 2010 Marsanne-Roussane. Your guests will appreciate when you serve this unique white. Winemaker Eric Luce blends two grapes from the famed SaraLee’s Vineyard in Russian River Valley to make a wine in the Rhone style that everyone’s talking about.  Full-bodied, food-ready, and a great under-$30 wine to diversify your palate.  It paired with the Truffle Mac ‘n Cheese and I would recommend it with any cheese.

Dane Cellars 2007 Jackknife Cabernet Sauvignon. When you are looking for full-flavored, medium-bodied Cab, the Jackknife is a great choice. From a vineyard high above Sonoma Valley, with volcanic soils and generous late afternoon sun, this wine explodes with fruit and complex flavors. Sommelier Sawyer says:  “With a medium-bodied cab like Dane Cellars’ Jackknife you have more flexibility in your menu – you can pair with red meat or you can go with a bigger fish such as sturgeon or tuna prepared with a soy sauce.”

Pip 2010 Sonoma Coast Chardonnay.  Undecided between oaked and unoaked? You can’t go wrong with this under $20 wine from Dunstan, from famed Durrell Vineyards blended with nearby grapes, then aged in 1/3 neutral oak and 2/3 stainless steel.  The resulting Chardonnay will please both the oaked and unoaked taste, as the neutral oak imparts lovely vanilla aromas and softness while the stainless steel defines the varietal character and imparts a crisp finish.  Another great match for the Truffle Mac ‘n Cheese.

Abigail Zimmerman of Annadel Estate Wines

Best new wine find: 

Annadel Estate 2008 Anni’s Blend is an instantly memorable red wine that’s also easy to pair with food.  I got rich fruit medleys and a velvety mouth feel from this blend of 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 10% Cab Franc and 5% Petit Verdot. For a Cab-Merlot blend like this, you could even serve it with a Mac & Cheese dish with toasted walnuts and mushrooms, according to Sommelier Sawyer.  The adjacent “Coppa & Apple Mostarda on Foccacia” from Estate went well.  Annadel Estate Winery is the effort of a family who are restoring an 1880’s vineyard estate in the region. Expect to hear more about their wines soon.

There were many more varietals and examples of great winemaking available for taste. I can’t cover them all here. See what you missed and check back soon for upcoming events at the Sonoma Valley Vintners and Growers Alliance website.

On my Christmas wishlist: http://www.platsdujour.net/

Harvest is upon us (for some early varietals) and with it heats up Wine Country Events; we’d need 3 separate articles to cover all of Sonoma + Napa; (hmm more guest writers?) so focusing on events closest to home this weekend, and look for a list of other resources at the end.

Some of my personal favorites coming up:

Thur Sept 9th

Launch Party for the new Windsor Vineyards & International Wine Accessories Catalog!

$5 at the door.  Includes: Tastings of Select Wines, Gourmet Snacks, Entry into Raffle/Door Prize for items from IWA (cool stuff!) and Vintage Wine Estates wineries. Meet the Catalog Models. A good time on a Thursday Night!

Held at the new VWE Tasting Room on the Square in Healdsburg: 308 B Center Street Healdsburg, CA, 95448.  6-9 pm Facebook RSVP Here

Thursday and Friday, Sept 9-10

Black Cat Cabaret

As written about a few weeks ago, the 2nd Annual Black Cat Cabaret features renowned performers from Las Vegas in an all-original show to benefit Pets Lifeline of Sonoma. Experience a magical evening with performances by international cirque aerialists, acrobats and musicians. This one-of-a-kind event takes place in an intimate venue that transports the audience into a truly dazzling and exotic environment. (! A few tickets are still left as of this morning!)

Filled with spectacular theatrical exploits, the Black Cat Cabaret includes exciting pre-show entertainment, fabulous wines, local cuisine, a live auction of extremely distinctive items and special behind-the-scenes VIP receptions. All proceeds go to support the programs and services offered by Pets Lifeline, Sonoma Valley’s only animal shelter.

Time: 6:00 – 7:30 p.m. VIP Reception; 7:30 – General Admission check-in; 8:00 -10:00 p.m. Performance with Live Auction

Location: “Field of Dreams” (Fazio Field), 151 First Street West, Sonoma, CA 95476

Tickets and Information: Phone: 707.996.4577 x 110, email: blackcat-tix@petslifeline.org,website: www.petslifeline.org

Simple Hedonisms will be there Thursday night!

Saturday Sept 11th

14th Annual Kendall-Jackson Heirloom Tomato Festival

A GREAT event I attended last year, the 14^th Annual Kendall-Jackson Heirloom Tomato Festival, held on Saturday, September 11, 2010 from 11am-4pm. All proceeds from this festival go to the School Garden Network of Sonoma County. Held on the lawn in the walnut grove behind the beautiful Kendall-Jackson Wine Center in Fulton, CA.

Guests will taste 175 varieties of heirloom tomatoes grown in our sustainable culinary gardens. Amy Goldman, author of The Heirloom Tomato will be demonstrating her tomato expertise at one of the many wine and garden seminars. In addition, Bravo’s Season 5 Top Chef winner, Hosea Rosenberg will go head to head with other Top Chef contestants in the Ultimate Chef Challenge. Other activities include tomato inspired small bites prepared by over 50 Bay Area chefs, additional food and wine education seminars, tours of our vegetable and wine sensory gardens, live entertainment and more.

Tickets are $65 per person. Please order early as the festival sells out in advance each year. For more information or to purchase tickets visit online  or call 1-800-769-3649. Tickets will be sold online until 9:00 am on Saturday, September 11th unless sold out prior to that time. All tickets ordered from 9/4/10 will be available at our will call area at check in the day of the festival.

11 a.m.- 4 p.m. Kendall-Jackson Wine Center, 5007 Fulton Road, Santa Rosa, CA

See you there Saturday morning!

Beer on The Plaza (Healdsburg)

This is one of those events I almost want to keep to myself, was great fun last year. Over 25 breweries pour, Live Music by The Remedies, Food, Beer, Silent Auction, Raffle.

Admission is $20 and includes souvenir glass and three drink tickets. Additional drink tickets $1 each. Children under 8 free, 8 to 20 year, $10

Downtown Plaza, Healdsburg, 3 to 7 pm, Alcohol service stops at 6:30. For more information call 707‐975‐7011 or go to www.sihealdsburg.org

Tickets available at Bear Republic in Healdsburg or at the gate. 100% of the proceeds go to Healdsburg Area Community Service Projects.

Nothing like Microbrew after Wine Tasting and spitting – See you on the Square!

Sunday September 12th

2010 CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION & INSTANT WINE CELLAR, Healdsburg Museum

The Instant Wine Cellar (IWC) is one of the Healdsburg Museum & Historical Society’s most popular annual events. Hundreds of bottles of wine are donated from generous wineries around the area and raffled off during three drawings.  The three primary winners each receive an “Instant Wine Cellar,” collectively representing hundreds of bottles of wine valued at thousands of dollars from some of Sonoma County’s finest wineries.  Additional raffle tickets are drawn for a dozen more prizes, and a Silent Auction provides still further opportunities to take home premium wine.

In 2010, in recognition of our landmark building’s 100th Anniversary (the former Carnegie Library), HM&HS is holding a once-in-a lifetime CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION AND INSTANT WINE CELLAR. Fitch Street will be closed and the Museum will be open!  Come join the festivities and partake of WINE, food, jazz bands, exhibitions, and MORE!

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2010 from 2 – 6 pm, EVENT TICKETS available for $45. PURCHASE:  Online - at Saturday Farmers Market - or call the Museum.

This year’s raffle winners will walk away with hundreds of bottles of superior wines valued at thousands of dollars – all donated by many of Sonoma County’s outstanding wineries.  There will be three Instant Wine Cellars given away:  a Grand Prize, Second Prize and Event Only Limited Drawing Prize (only 250 tickets will be available for purchase at the Event), with a dozen smaller prizes drawn before the day is done.

DONATIONS FROM LOCAL WINERIES:

• GRAND PRIZE – 143 bottles from 76 wineries valued at $5,600
• SECOND PRIZE – 115 bottles from 62 wineries valued at $4,000
• EVENT-ONLY LIMITED PRIZE – 122 bottles from 72 wineries valued at $4,600, (only 250 tickets to be sold)
• 12 ADDITIONAL PRIZES TOTALING $1,800

PLANNED FESTIVITIES:

• The EXEMPLARY WINE that makes Sonoma County one of the premier outlets for fine libations donated by generous area wineries paired with delicious CATERED FOOD.
• A SILENT AUCTION filled with fantastic items for those clever enough to time their bidding right (such as a week on a wonderful Vermont farm).
• A JAZZ STAGE featuring local jazz bands.

Just because the 600+ bottles in my cellars isn’t enough, I’ll be there trying to win!

Saturday and Sunday, Sept 11-12th

Russian River Jazz and Blues Festival

Two events now combined into one a few years ago, a great line-up of music, and the cool weather, while not good for grapes, is great for outdoor concerts. The schedule of artists is here. Big name act for Sunday is the Doobie Brothers. Sad to not be attending this year, so many events, so little time!

Sat. September 11: JAZZ FEST
JEFFREY OSBORNE,  DAVID SANBORN featuring JOEY DeFRANCESCO, FOURPLAY – Bob James, Nathan East, Chuck Loeb and Harvey Mason, BIG SAM’S FUNKY NATION, SPENCER DAY

Sun. September 12: ROCK & BLUES
THE DOOBIE BROTHERS – 40th Anniversary Tour, JIMMIE VAUGHAN and the Tilt-A-Whirl Band with LOU ANN BARTON,
CHARLIE MUSSELWHITE, SHANE DWIGHT, MITCH WOODS and his ROCKET 88s, THE BLUES DEFENDERS

Johnson’s Beach, Guerneville

Other Links for Events:

Wine Road Events

Inside Sonoma Events

Sonoma Valley Vintners and Growers Events

Napa Vintners Events

Sonoma Valley and surrounds are characterized by family-owned wineries large and small. Here are a few weekend events offering a chance to taste artisan and estate wines of some of Sonoma’s family vintners. You’ll find the winemakers on hand to answer your questions too. (Check Simple Hedonisms for tips on how to plan for a day of wine-tasting.)

8^th Street Wineries Open House

August 7 – 11:00am-4:00pm. On Saturday August 7 you can taste wines from 10 artisan wineries matched with top-notch food pairings, converse with the winemakers, even meet the winery dogs – all in one warehouse complex in Sonoma. Over the past year, Sonoma’s 8^th Street Wineries collective has grown from 8 to 10 wineries, representing at least 15 different varietals – most of them Sonoma-grown. The wineries are independently owned, most wines are limited production, and many of them are unavailable to taste – other than a at few exclusive restaurants. This bi-annual open house is a chance to experience hard-to-find wines and the unique personality of each winery warehouse. You’ll find the winemaking philosophy of each producer reflected in their workspace.

Chef John McReynolds

Doors open at 11:00am when you pick up your “Passport” and enjoy some tasting at renowned MacRostie Winery.  After visiting MacRostie, cross the street to visit 9 more wineries. Get your Passport stamped at each winery, and submit it for the wine raffle when you leave. Three names will be selected to receive 3 half-case selections from the 8^th Street Wineries.

Rosso Pizzeria will bring their wood-fired pizza oven for pairings at  Tin Barn and Kamen Estate. Sage Fine Foods of nearby Cornerstone Sonoma, and John McReynolds — chef and olive oil meister at new 8^thStreet winery Stone Edge Farms — are among the other purveyors. Each warehouse sets up their own food station, so expect some yummy surprises.

Eighth Street Wineries is an informal collective comprised of [winery/winemaker]:

• Anaba Wines /Jennifer Marion
• Enkidu Wines / Phil Staehl
• Kamen Estate Wines / Mark Herold, Katy Wilson
• MacRostie Winery and Vineyards / Steve MacRostie
• Parmelee-Hill Wines and Vineyards / Steve Hill
• Stone Edge Farms / Jeff Baker
• Talisman Wines / Scott Rich
• Three Sticks Winery / DonVan Staaveren
• Tin Barn Vineyards / Michael Lancaster
• Ty Caton Vineyards / Ty Caton

Open Warehouses at 8th Street Wineries

Many awards and accolades are attributed to this collective of wineries. For instance, Tin Barn was awarded 5 medals at this years’ San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, including a Double Gold for their 2007 Zinfandel from Russian River Valley. In recent news, new member Kamen Estate was cited in a New York Times article on California Syrah.

Current releases, new releases, library wines and barrel tastings are offered. The price of $30 per person ($20 for wine club members of any 8^th Street winery) includes tastings, pairings, and a souvenir wine glass. Parking is free and once parked, you can walk from winery to winery. Each winery will also have special discounts running this day. The most recent open house in February drew over 700 guests. I was there and can’t wait to return. The quality of the wines, enhanced by foods and conversations with the winemaking families make this a memorable experience. Come early for best selection and savory food pairings. Purchase advance tickets here.

Tip: Check back with Simple Hedonisms on Tuesday August 3rd for a contest to win free tickets!

Muscardini Cellars 5^th Annual Barrel Tasting

August 7th and 8th, 12:00-5:00pm. This year’s Barrel Tasting will be held at the Muscardini Estate ~ Monte Terra, where guests can enjoy an afternoon in the courtyard, by the koi pond and under the oaks. Tickets are a steal at $20 – including a tour of the Estate Sangiovese vineyard, live music, delectable food and wine pairings, and special wine discounts. 2009 futures from the barrel as well as current releases will be tasted. Buy tickets here.

GunBun Summer Film Festival

August 7 at 7:00pm. Saturday is Movie Night at Sonoma’s Gundlach Bundschu Estate Winery. This evening features the 1996 film Swingers. Gun Bun’s annual night under the stars features a high-energy local band at 7pm, followed by the movie at dusk. Bring a picnic and a blanket and enjoy an evening under the stars. Wines available for purchase. $10/pp advance tickets to film; $15/pp tickets at door. Buy tickets here.

Screening of Smokestack Lightening, a Day in the Life of Barbecue with Lolis Eric Eliez

Lolis Eric Eliez and Sheana Davis

August 8^th, 6:00-10:00pm. Sonoma’s own Epicurean Connection hosts an evening of food, wine, dancing to live music that is sure to be PRIMAL! Lolis Eric Elie, a New Orleans based writer and filmmaker and recognized expert on New Orleans food and culture, is the author of Smokestack Lightening: Adventures in the Heart of Barbecue Country and co-producer of the documentary based upon the book. Elie most recently joined the staff of the HBO series Treme. He also produced and wrote the PBS documentary Faubourg Treme.

Memphis Minnies, The Epicurean Connection & Wild Thyme Catering and Events will cook a Barbecue dinner. Highway 12 Winery and Vineyards & Spann Vineyards will pour their wines, and beer will be available from Moonlight Brewing Company & Uncommon Brewers. Local group The Hellhounds will play for dinner and dancing. The event will be held at Wild Thyme. Cost is $45 per person, and includes screening, dinner and dancing. Tickets are available at The Epicurean Connection, Wild Thyme & Readers’ Books in Sonoma. For more information, call 707-935-7960 or sheana@vom.com. Proceeds from this event benefit Southern Foodways Alliance.

It’s almost here! You can feel the excitement in the Social Networking circles of Facebook and Twitter, amongst the wine people. Tickets have been flying off the shelf, Beth Costa, Executive Director of the Wine Road reports.

In case you just emerged from a Rip Van Winkle like sleep, we are talking about this weekend’s wrist-banded tasting event, the Winter Wineland. Over 120 wineries, some only open for events and appointments, are offering special wine and food pairings, and a variety of entertainment, and wine specials. Online ticket sales are now closed, but you can purchase them at the door of any winery: At the door prices will be $50 Weekend, $40 Sunday Only, $10 for Designated Drivers.

Ok, 120+ wineries, 5 hours each day. HOW does one pick where to go? Some turn this into a marathon event to see how many they can fit in one day; others like to visit their favorites, and others  like to try all new places. My personal preference is to fit 5-7 in a full day, with a mix of old and new. (Article 4 will be my iten.)

The Wine Road web site has some GREAT tools and tips to help you. Stop looking at Twitter and read carefully:

1. The full list of wineries and their offers.

NOT all wineries participate. In yesterday’s recommended stops, why didn’t I recommend say Iron Horse, or A. Rafanelli? Both great Wine Road wineries, but not participating in this particular event. Click HERE to open the 11 page PDF of the participating wineries and their offers. Read through these and look for things new, or interesting. The Wine Road has some new members as written in my first article, so check some of those out perhaps.

2. Use the Wine Road’s great Sorting guide.

The Wine Road web site has one of the best navigation tools for its members I have seen. If you click HERE you can use the drop down menus at the top to search by Wine Type, Region, or Amenities. One of my favorite things to do is to search for wineries, under amenities, that are open by appointment only and fit in a few of those. (Acorn, Siduri, Windsor would be good examples.) Make sure you reference the list you printed out in step one to see if they are participating! On a hunt for a new Pinot or Cab? Sort by varietal.

3. Plot them on the Wine Road’s great Maps

Ok, so you have marked off a bunch of stuff. Lets start to plot them on a map. If you are one of those marathon tasters, you don’t want stop one to be deep in Forestville, and stop two to be at the top of Geyserville. You can start first HERE at the main map page. This is an interactive map for each of the regions, and a special section for Healdsburg. Click on one of these and you enter into a detailed map for that appellation. This map is great because all of the member wineries are on it, and you can click on a winery, to launch to their own website.

During this stage of final planning, this is one of those times I actually (rare) prefer paper. If you don’t have one of their maps (get the new one, lots of new members!) you can look HERE online at the large overview map and save it as a PDF,  which is what I’d recommend.

4. Support Members Old and New

There is often a buzz to try all the new wineries and members. I’d like to also recognize, and ask you support member wineries who have been supporting Wineland for over 18 years. Their ongoing support has been the backbone that helps everyone, and consumers and new wineries benefit from their foundation.

• Pedroncelli
• Foppiano
• Geyser Peak
• Martinelli
• Field Stone
• Alexander Valley Vineyards
• Sausal
• Preston

Other Tips in General

I have a number of suggestions from the Wine and Food Affair event article.  All of these are still relevant – rather than repeat them all, take a quick read.  The Wine Road Wine 101 section has lots of great educational reading, including a section on Wine tasting, all relevant, helpful info.

Other suggestions:

Crowds:

One of the common complaints of people who avoid multi-winery events, is wineries become too packed and you can’t experience it fully.

Its true, you likely aren’t going to get to engage the winemaker in a 30 minute passionate discussion of toasting techniques for barrels, this isn’t the time to wine geek if its busy. But generally the first hour or so is slow, then picks up, so start promptly at 11 at one that most interests you. Visit some off the beaten path. If you don’t like crowds, don’t hit the  denser concentrations of wineries, like Healdsburg, at the Peak of the day.

Drink Responsibly

Learning to use a spit cup that I carry around was one of the biggest improvements in my wine tasting experience. If you are serious about wine tasting and education, learn it. (I just don’t personally care for spitting into a bucket, especially at a busy event.) Its also ok, and recommended, to dump your taste if you don’t want to finish it. After the equivalant of less than 2 glasses of wine, 4-8 tastes, your palette and sensory evaluation abilities are diminished, at this point you are drinking, not tasting. And thats ok if thats what you want, and you have a driver. Just be cognizant. wrist banded events are meant to be fun, but not wild parties.

Move Over

Space at the tasting bar, isn’t your personal manifest destiny. Share the space. Stand in columns, hug your loved one, maximize space so all can get their pour. Groups sprawled all over the bar like they own it are a big pet peeve.

Stock Up

This is a great chance to stock up on wines not sold retail, as well as take advantage  of special offers many will have. If you really like something, buy it! Wineries aren’t charities, and these events cost them. Its also a great way to re-live the experience later when you open the bottle.

Hope you found these tips useful – cheers!

Last week, I published my first of four recommendations for the Winter Wineland event, the multi-winery event this weekend that anticipation on social media venues Twitter and Facebook is building to a not so dull roar. For Simple Hedonisms, Winter Wineland like an extended Christmas.

I am frequently asked to make winery recommendations, especially in the 4 appellations of the Wine Road. In my previous article I made mention of some of the newest member wineries.  Also see my last article on the Wine and Food event.

With now 160+ wineries in a 30 mile radius, spanning 4 different wine regions, there are many ways to skin a cat in where to go. In my next article I will discuss using the Wine Road’s great tools and make suggestions to plan out your day. Some make it a marathon and see how many they can motor through in one day, other enjoy themselves at a leisurely pace.

People get very passionate about their favorite wineries, which is great! I have visited many, but there are still some on my list to visit. Each event I mix in new ones with faves. A big event isn’t always demonstrative of a winery’s best food forward, especially if crowded, but its certainly a good test of their hospitality mettle, and some shine despite the added stress.

The following and  buzz of Simple Hedonisms is really picking up, however I often visit without mentioning the blog, or downplaying it, trying to experience what any person off the street would.  An experienced, attentive pourer, should be able discern someone who appreciates wine, if they pay attention to the comments, questions. Despite occasional gifts and samples, I buy a LOT of wine. Treat me decently and it’s rare I leave empty handed, indeed usually with multiple bottles.

Ok enough blab, on to my recommendations. These are wineries I have visited, some repeatedly. Some hold an extra special place in my heart, but all are sincere recommendations I’d stand behind, and would like to hear if your experience is bad. Just because one isn’t mentioned doesn’t mean it isn’t great. And if you like it, that’s all that matters. I am always approachable for a visit most weekends.  Keep in mind not all wineries participate in Winter Wineland, so check the list.

If you go to one of the places because you read about it here, please help Simple Hedonisms continue to increase its visibility; Tell ‘em you read it here.

This is a long list,so I am not going to embed URLs for this many, if you use the Wine Road’s list, you can find them all.

Russian River Valley (RRV)

Acorn - Generally open by appointment only outside of events.  Bill & Betsy are great hosts, and are a template for how to use space to keep things not overly crowded instead of jamming into one small tasting bar. As an extra bonus, Zin restaurant is catering their event. Great wines; zinfandel, sangiovese, and my favorite, the Acorn Medley. Say hi to Betsy and Bill from William.

Battaglini – a charming stop, run by a charming Italian gentleman. Look out for his fiery habanero grappa, if he takes a liking to you.

Carol Shelton – Carol is renowed as one of the pioneers of female winemakers, and her lineup of zins, including Wild Thing (native yeast) capture the hearts (and palettes) of many.

Copain – Copain has been opening its doors more to events. This is a beautiful, simply appointed winery staffed by people passionate about their wine. The views are gorgeous, and their Tous Ensemble label continue to win awards for high quality, moderate pricing. Their viognier is one of my local faves. Great pinot, syrah, and others. Their higher end Copain label is usually on allocation, so buy while there if you like it.

Freestone - A bit off the beaten path, a great stop for you Pinot hounds, in a cozy, home like setting.

Harvest Moon - I finally just visited Harvest Moon this year, and what a great find, doubly so if you are a Zin fan. (Other varietals too.) Owner, winemaker Randy is as nice as they come, and can often be found behind the tasting bar, working it, and mingling with the crowd, sharing his passion for producing great wines. Say hi to he, or bubbly Hospitality manager, Erin, for me.

Kendall Jackon Wine Center -Yes, you can buy many KJ wines almost anywhere. It’s the ones you can’t that are especially worth checking out. Their Fulton center (not downtown Healdsburg) is offering seminars and tastings (additional fee) of their Highland Estate, 92+ point vineyard designate wines at Noon, 1 and 2 pm. The KJ crowd is always welcoming, and the Wine Center is a good place for learning about wine.

Korbel - Another veteran of the region, come discover some of their bubbly offers you won’t see at Safeway, paired with great food combinations. A great stop to start or end the day on – bubbles! (No Iron Horse this event, so this is your place for bubbles, and worth the stop.)

La Crema, (Windsor Location) This isn’t the downtown Healdsburg tasting room, it’s the production winery, not usually open for pouring to the public. Besides the massive case lots of pinot and chardonnay you see everywhere, ask about their smaller lot production Pinot and Chardonnay, many under 20k cases. I tasted a number of these smaller lots this summer at this location, and won me over.

Lynmar One of my favorite wineries in the RRV, as much for their exemplary service and focus on their customers as their great pinot, and beautiful gardens. Some of that can be hard to capture at a big event like this, but owner Lynn Fritz works hard to make sure everyone who graces his doorstep has a quality experience.

Thomas George It has been awhile since I visited Thomas George when I discovered it a year ago. (Are the caves done yet?) Great pinot! And a very friendly staff.

Windsor Oaks Generally open for select events, this is one of your chances to visit, taste their wines.

Woodenhead Newer winery, I discovered a year ago. Great small producers of pinot, syrah, zin.

Downtown Healdsburg

Downtown Wines: Hobo and Branham: Head to Downtown Wines, right off the Healdsburg Square to taste the great wines of Kenny and Lynn of Hobo, Folk Machine, and Gary Branham. (Wonder if Kenny and Lynn will bring  their newest future wine maker – Lynn gave birth to her 2nd daughter, Christmas week.) If it’s not too busy, take time to talk to Kenny, he is great guy, easy going, and very knowledgeable. Tell him hi from William. You won’t be thrown out. (I think.)

Holdredge: I wrote last week about the Hudson Wineries joining the wine road. You can park it here and make a full day. Make sure you go around the back and visit Holdredge, an excellent small Pinot producer.

Longboard: Surfs up! Check out this fun winery, with a love for surfing and wine, off the edge of Healdsburg..

Topel: Donnis Topel is a great lady, passionate about wine, food, and dogs, and produces a dog calendar each year for Healdsburg Shelter fundraiser. My (rescued) Aussie, Flash,  is Mr. September this year. Her Birdsong, white Rhone blend, is one of my faves. If you see Donnis, wish her well from me.

Dry Creek Valley (DCV)

Amista – Friendly service, great wines, nice tasting room. I am overdue for a re-visit.

Bella – Bella has quite the growing following. They hold great events during the summer, and their wine caves are always a hit. Expect crowds, go early.

Dutcher Crossing Boisterous owner Deb doesn’t send me as much Facebook love since I went back to work; she works tirelessly often seven days a week connecting with her customers, whom love her. Deb, and her staff here greets their regulars by name, and wine club events feel more like a big family gathering. Stop by for a variety of great wines, and usually a fun, outgoing group of people.

Frick – I met Bill Frick this summer at Zintopia. A one man small winery, I immediately liked Bill, and his wines. In a world of extracted new world wines, he produces interesting varietals, old world style, including cinsaut, grenache, counoise, grenache blanc. Sunday will be my first visit to the Winery, only open weekends.

Fritz – I made my first stop there last month, dropping in on the Crab feed, club event. Small cozy winery, with warm people, good service. A little off the beaten path, at the end of Dry Creek, worth a stop.

Kokomo This small, newer winery was another great discovery of 2009. Great wines, good people, and dog lovers to boot!

Michel-Schlumberger I re-aquainted myself with M-S this year after years of absence. Always a class act, and a beautiful property. As a extra treat this year in addition to food pairings with their great wines, be entertained by Olympic Stars. (I want to see ‘Tonya Harding’ and the ‘Jamaican Bobsled team’ myself.) My part time blog editor, Deb is pouring on Sunday. (I have been too busy to use her recently, if you can’t tell from my writing lately, usually hammered out in wee hours.)) Say hi to her and tell her you are a blog fan.

Mounts: One of my favorite wine families in Dry Creek, 4 generations of down to earth Wine Growers in DCV, who expanded into making small lots of wine 5 years ago. Its a passion for David, and he makes great zin, petite syrah, syrah, cab, and his special, small production grenache. Give Lana a hug from me. Stick to a handshake with David.

Preston – Every visit I make to Preston, the more I love it. Small, quirky, charming, quasi French. Interesting Rhone varietals, which don’t seem to last long once released, so buy one if you like it I learned.  No buses!

Quivira – A leader in DCV in biodynamics, Quivira’s grounds are beautiful, their staff warm, and they make some great, interesting wines, especially their Rhone varietals.

Unti – Love their wines, this will be my first time visiting. Lots of buzz about Unti, don’t know why its taken me so long to get here. (I mean there only 160 member wineries, what a slacker.)

Santa Rosa

D’Argenzio – I visited this gem for the first time last weekend. They have been at their present location for over 16 years, yet below radar of many, yet has a great local following. (Haven’t done a blog article yet, but my Yelp review is here.)

Siduri - normally open for tasting by appointment, and a few select events, if you call yourself a Pinot lover, and you haven’t been here, you may have your Pinot-phile card revoked.

Alexander Valley & Geyserville

Hanna (2 locales) – Hanna has two tasting rooms, one off Hwy 128, and one off Occidental Road.  Both are featuring food and wine pairings, library releases, and a Flashback to the 50′s with poodle skirts and Elvis impersonator. I hope to stop by this locale for the first time.

Stryker Sonoma: Great views, awesome wines, enthusiastic people, this is on my Sunday list. Brian (hospitality, marketing) is a great guy, tell him I said hey.

Terroirs: this warm, elegant tasting room is a great stop in downtown Geyserville, and pours wines from a select number of very small wineries who don’t have their own tasting room.

Trione: Rich in history, passionate about wine, this is a must stop in Geyserville. Food and wine pairings (love their Syrah!), and Hog Island Oysters to boot. Say hi to Jess for me, the Queen of Geyserville and active Social Networker. Actually I will see her Sunday, but tell her Sonoma William sent ya.

Still here? Thanks for reading all the way through. My final two pieces will be my personal itinerary for the weekend, and an article on more tips on planning, tasting. Your comments are always welcome.

Simple Hedonisms is a labor of love, that makes no money. (Nor is intended to.) If  you enjoy the articles, I’d ask you sign up in  the top right for email updates. No spam, never shared, you simply get an email when a new article is published, with the title.

cheers!

Its a busy weekend again, despite no big ‘passport’ events for Sonoma County this weekend (although there is a mini one in Russian River for those ‘on the list’ .) There is never a dull moment though in Sonoma County, here are some of the many options to enjoy that caught Simple Hedonisms attention:There is never a dull moment though in Sonoma County, here are some of the many options to enjoy that caught Simple Hedonisms attention:

There are TWO passport events though in Napa, in Rutherford and Calistoga, see below.

Friday Dec 4

Vine Tastings – Meet The Winemaker 7 p.m.

My favorite new place to eat in Windsor, with a great new chef,  is hosting meet Jennifer Wall the winemaker for J Lynne Wines.

They will have new chef William Oliver create scrumptious appetizers to pair with her wines.  Please RSVP in advance as there is limited seating.

Vine Tasting’s. 9058 Windsor Rd, Windsor, Ca 95492.  (707)620-0833

Sat Dec 5th

Pellegrini - Holiday Open House and Winter Pick-Up Event

Celebrate the Season with a Day of Wine Tasting, Holiday Shopping and Good Cheer in the Russian River Valley. Please join in ringing in the holidays at Pellegrini Family Vineyards! The Winery will be decked out for the holidays, and the Tasting Room will be filled with festive gifts and special holiday fare. A special visit from Santa will take place at 2:30 p.m. Reservations are required For any additional questions, please contact Barbara Pellegrini Rodriguez at 800-891-0244 ext. 2, or barbara@pellegrinisonoma.com. This is a fun facility, normally open by appointment only.

Hauck Cellars – Jeff Mall, Josh Silvers, Down Home: Downtown signing

Stop by Hauck Cellars on Saturday, Dec. 5 from 1-4pm. Zin Restaurant’s Jeff Mall will be there signing his cookbook, Down Home: Downtown, co-written with Josh Silvers of Syrah Bistro.

Siduri Wines – Open House

I wrote an article about Siduri Wines a few months ago. Siduri (all Pinot) and Novy (other varietals) is having their annual open house this Saturday. This is a special treat both because of the wide variety of wines they will pour, and because Siduri is normally open by appointment only. Don’t miss it!

Windsor Oaks Vineyard & Winery – Open House.

Windsor Oaks will be open to the public for wine tasting this Saturday and Sunday – normally only open 18 days a year. Come sample their handcrafted very small production wines. A $10 tasting fee applies and there is no charge for our Club members.
(Tasting fee is refundable with 2+ bottle purchase. All tastings in Riedel glasses.

Michel Schlumberger Holiday Market Bazaar

Michel Schlumberger Wine Estate, 4155 Wine Creek Road, Healdsburg, CA 11-5pm

Why not go Holiday gift shopping AND drink great wine?  This Saturday, December 5^th, Michel Schlumberger features nearly a dozen local artists and craftsmen and women with great holiday gifts in our courtyard.  And what a coincidence, it is their last Wine Bench Pick Up Party with food by local chef Dan Lucia. Pouring the newly released 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon and 2007 Syrah.

Heidi Barrett – Winemaker Tasting 300-53o pm

The Wine Shop – Healdsburg, 331 Healdsburg Ave., Healdsburg, CA

Sunday Dec 6th

Summit School – Stonestreet Tasting Room 1-3 pm 7111 Highway 128, Healdsburg, CA

Riedel Glassware Tasting Seminar

Discover how different wine glasses enhance the flavors and aromas in wine. Friends from Riedel are joining  this class where you will have the chance to experience first hand the difference the right wine glass can make.

The tuition for this class also includes a set of four Riedel glasses.

Simple Hedonisms note: Stemware RULES!!! if you are new to wine, or don’t think stemware makes a difference, go try this class!!

Wine Club 8 at the Gate Day – 8 Russian River Wineries 11-4 pm

To help celebrate and get into the holiday spirit, 8 Russian River Wineries are mutually extended Wine Club member benefits to each other.  If you are a member of Lynmar, Dutton-Goldfield, Dutton Estate, Hanna, Iron Horse, Marimar, or Taft Street Winery,you are invited to visit each with wine club member perks for a very special day of wine, food and exclusive perks in the Russian River Valley on Sunday, December 6, from 11 am to 4 pm.

For this special day, you can visit all, enjoy some wonderful wine and food, and receive all the privileges of being a member of all 8 wine clubs for the day. Our wineries are within 3 miles of each other at the gateway to the Russian River Valley, so it’s a perfect fit for a day. (For those members too far away to join in person, each winery will offer its discount via web or phone orders on December 6th only. When ordering use the code “8 at the Gate” to receive your discount.)

There’s no charge for this fabulous event and no reservation necessary-it’s our way of sharing some holiday spirit and saying Thank You to  loyal wine club members. And, it’s a great way for you to taste and purchase wines at very good discounts, just in time for your holiday shopping. Please view the map to see the participating wineries, locations and websites

Mutt Lynch Winery – Open Sundays in December

This is a treat, as Mutt Lynch isn’t normally open, save for events.

To help welcome in the holiday season, Mutt Lynch will be opening their winery doors each Sunday of this month - December 6th, 13th and 20th – from Noon to 4pm. Come canines, come humans, come all!  If you’re anywhere in the neighborhood, please made certain to swing by and enjoy a taste (or two… or three… or four!) of our wine.  We’ll have some holiday nibbles for both human and canine to make it worth your while.

And More

There are tons of other family related wine country and other events on SonomaCounty.com December event page.

Napa Events

Calistoga – Winter in the Wineries, Passport Weekend

Just saw this Thursday by luck on a Twitter tweet – wish I had known earlier.

The Event: Weekend Passports, at $40 each, entitle the holder to tours at numerous wineries, wine tasting, and meeting winemakers, and exclusive special discounts by restaurants and lodging venues.

To Purchase Passports: To purchase your Winter in Wineries Passports online, please click here.

Rutherford Passport Weekend

Gah, another I just saw now. The appellation has a newsletter mailing, signed up so won’t miss again.

The Rutherford Passport Weekend is the premier consumer event sponsored by wineries residing in this historical appellation.  Experience the wineries of the Rutherford Appellation as never before. Passport Weekend allows Passport holders exclusivity to special pourings, barrel and tank tastings, paired food and wines, and conversations with the winemakers – all of which will make for a memorable time in beautiful Napa Valley.  Read about the participating wineries.

Part 2

(Splitting a long review into two articles is an experiment, let me know what you think. )

Tuesday’s article discussed the Heart of Sonoma Valley’s Annual Holiday Open House event, and reviewed six wineries.

The final winery review is Eric Ross, to whom I award the Simple Hedonisms “Best of Event”, something I will do going forward each event. Now in fairness, that means the best I visited, a subset of the twenty. Even a guy nicknamed the ‘Tasmanian Devil’ at work can only hit so many in one day! This in no means detracts from the many good experiences, it just shone the brightest based on not just the wine, but overall hospitality (not just to me), layout, vibe – I have written repeatedly on the importance of providing a outstanding experience in the tasting room. I observed other attendees, other pourers – the place was warm, alive, and full of happy people and good spirit.

Eric Ross Winery

As I did for the previous weekend event, I chose to finish at a winery that I felt I could rely on for a positive experience. This was actually my first visit to the winery, but I had met Eric at the Family Wine Tasting in San Francisco earlier this summer, during the Industry tasting (I was pouring as a volunteer for Mounts Family Winery.)I had sought out Eric Ross because of their Marsanne-Roussanne white blend, and ended up having a very enjoyable, detailed discussion. That intial dialog was not just about his wines, but my sabbatical, my own interests in wine and the industry, and my hobby Syrah vineyard.

Part way through the Holiday tasting, Eric came out, and to my surprise recognized me, AND actually remembered all of our conversation, including the vineyard, 5 months later. I have written many times, wine is far more than the product itself, it’s a living entity, and an art form, and for me the enjoyment and experience is as much about the people and artisans, as their product, especially in a region with hundreds of wineries.

Eric Luse owner and winemaker, was a photographer for the San Francisco Chronicle for  years. I was fortunate enough he spent an hour with me on this busy day, and in addition to wine geeking, he shared a number of his photographs. His work is brilliant in my opinion, and he really should publish a book, as many have encouraged. Eric did the photography in the beautiful new mini book on “The Wineries in the Heart of Sonoma Valley.” Besides being an amazing photographer, and a down to earth, genuinely nice guy, he is a talented, passionate wine maker, and of interesting varietals, which captures my attention even more, in our California tendency to make homogenous, over extracted, over the top wines.

By complete co-incidence my friend and fellow Wine Blogger Amanda Hagood earlier this week also did a feature piece on Eric Ross. She did a great job, so rather than re-state a lot of the same, you can read her piece here.

I did actually taste wine, although I think I chatted more!

Tasting:

• His previously mentioned Marsanne-Rousanne is one of my favorite whites. The remainder of his 2007 vintage was on sale, so I grabbed 6 bottles. This blend has a great floral nose, good acidity, balance and mouthfeel. You red wine drinkers looking to branch out, should start with similar Rhone whites; Marsanne, Rousanne, Viognier. But PLEASE do not drink overly chilled, as so many do.
• The 2006 Old Vine Carignane was a treat. An easy drinking, comfort wine with bright, but not overpowering fruit. The Rauser Ranch vines in Lodi were planted in 1907! Grabbed one of these for home, $22 retail.
• 2008 Pinot Noir, Saralee’s Vineyard. Drinkable now, but I’d leave in bottle for 6 more months if can resist, a pinot with big color and fruit, good structure, from 30% new French Oak.
• 2008 Old Vine Zin, Cody’s Block. Technically in Dry Creek, but on the edge off the Russian River appelation,and with the characteristics of RRV ZIns, I am starting to find very appealing. Softer, less intense than many Zins, I don’t buy many Zins, but one of these came home with me.
• 2006 Syrah. Sorry was yakking so much with Eric, forgot tasting notes! RRV Syrah with 3% Viognier. Amanda cracked open a bottle last night she tells me, and raved.

As a special treat, I also bought a bottle of the limited release 2007 Pinot Noir, Poule d’Or. It wasn’t being poured, but it wasn’t a big leap to trust Eric.  “Russian River Valley vineyards of Pommard Clones dominating the Dijon Clones of Pinot Noir as they come together in this Reserve Wine, only made in the years deserving an extra look.” Sold!

What a great ending to the day. It had been a fun day of wine tasting and meeting people, but it was this final visit that was the experience that makes me glow like a bulb on a Christmas tree. I had recently dropped a wine club, as I like to rotate each year, and completed my experience by adding Eric Ross to my list.

Wine club pickup events will also give me a reason to come back to Kenwood/Glen Ellen area more frequently, which I need to. I skipped some of the larger/older wineries, like Kenwood, Ledson, Benzinger, Chateau St. Jean, and they are deserving of a visit as well, having played key roles in the history of Sonoma. This event was well done, and this area deserves more buzz. I’d encourage the marketing organization to continue to be in Social Media, and promote itself more on FaceBook, Twitter and it’s Website. It has a lot to offer.

Thanks for reading – come back tomorrow for the weekly posting of Wine Country weekend events.

Cheers!

Part 1 (Because of the length of the review, event will be split into two posts, with a feature tomorrow on Eric Ross Winery)

It was a week to be thankful for indeed. It was my first full week back home since I started my whirlwind new job that has me commuting to Portland weekly. I had hoped to spend more time connecting with industry friends, but between work, and some needed respite, I wasn’t able. I was well rested, though for this weekend’s Heart of Sonoma Valley’s Annual Holiday Open House.

I was especially excited, as I really have not paid enough attention to the Kenwood and Glen Ellen areas of Sonoma Valley. While was familiar with many of the wines, I had actually visited very few of the wineries, and others not in years. Last week, Simple Hedonisms (aka me) visited Carneros for their Holiday in Carneros event. Two weekends in a row in Sonoma Valley (as opposed to my beloved Northern Sonoma Wine Road)…would it meet my high (maintenance) expectations? Would I have fun?

Once again, I followed my own advice (I don’t always) and did some planning. Using the Heart of Sonoma website, I printed out the map, and clicked on the individual wineries seeing what they were pouring, and sometimes digging deeper. The nice thing about this area is the wineries are all pretty close off of one road, most of the way, so it’s not as spread out as a Wine Road event. Still, with only 4-5 hours and 25 wineries, I needed to narrow it down, and the website wasn’t completing the task. Reaching out to Social Media, I got input from those on FaceBook and Twitter.   I used those suggestions, especially when there were numerous people making the same comments, like Eric Ross.

I also decided to go the second day of the event, as I did the weekend prior for the Holiday in Carneros. This again proved prudent, as crowds were lighter, and allowed for better interaction. (hmmm maybe I shouldn’t share this tip.)

I chose this trip to focus again on new and smaller wineries, as much as I wanted to hit some of the older classic wineries of Kenwood and Glen Ellen, I had been to most and could only fit in 7-8 in one day. Spit cups, cooler, and maps in hand, I ventured out of Russian River into  Sonoma Valley.

Kaz Winery

First stop to get a glass and a bracelet was Kaz. I am a big fan of Randy and Kaz’s weekly Radio show (which I listen to as a podcast) of Wine Biz Radio. They regular feature interviews of Social Media people, (maybe me one day ) and new marketing ideas.  Kaz apparently doesn’t like signage, as he has a teeny sign on the road. But then as a micro-winery (under 1000 cases) he probably isn’t looking for those tour buses.  On the radio show, Kaz is a boisterous, high energy guy, and he is just as whacky in person. He was buzzing around personally greeting people, serving chili, and making sure people tried the barrel samples of his 09 ‘newvoh’ Riesling, Chardonnay, and Sangiovese releases, in addition to the tastings.

Kaz was offering tastings of a variety of reds.  All were interesting varietals, and had interesting names: including Hooligans Grenache, Moo-Vedra (Mourvedre), and Melodrama Malbec. All were 100% varietals, and I thought a good expression of the fruit. They were also pouring three ports, that I skipped, so I could try all the reds. (5 tastes total.) Tasting room pours were small, not uncommon for small wineries at passport events, but makes it hard sometimes to evaluate with only one mouthful.  He was offering a buy two, get two free, so I had no choice but to partake. Bottles in tow, headed back onto Hwy 12.

Muscardini Cellars and Ty Caton Vineyards

I had originally planned to skip this tasting room, since I had just tasted Ty Caton the previous weekend at their Eighth Street location, but after repeated suggestions, I gave it a look. Muscardini had a nice offering of Italian varietals, so that was enough to sway me. Their tasting room is well designed to host people, and had a very steady flow of traffic. The tasting staff was both friendly and knowledgeable, enough to make me overlook the country music blaring just as it was at their other location. A little yee-haw never hurt anyone.

Eleven wines total were offered to taste that day with no restrictions….really glad I had my personal spit/dump cup. Kudos for both the selection, and for offering 20% off on all purchases during the event. I also appreciated nice sized pours that allowed me to evaluate each pour several times.

• 2005 lightly Oaked chardonnay, partial ML (Malolactic), Wine Enthusiast Best Buy, well balanced, good expression of fruit.
• 2008 Ty Caton Syrah Rose. I  like few dry rose’s and this one made the list. Dark color, dry, big fruit, and 1/2 off at $11. Bought one.
• 2007 Muscardini Sangiovese. Award winner at multiple events, big nose, great body, dry finish. Another purchase.
• 2007 Ty Caton Malbec. People rave about Ty’s Malbec. This wine by their own admittance is young, but its flying off the shelves. (WSJ mention didn’t hurt.) Its big, and would benefit from some cellar time, so I bought one to put next to my 2006.
• 2008 Muscardini Barbera. A big bold wine, with lots of big fruit, good structure. Surprisingly smooth for a 2008. Another one for the cellar, bought one.

• I skipped two Syrah’s from Muscardini. I also skipped the Ty Caton Merlot – had it the previous week. It’s billed as ‘big enough to pass as a Cabernet.” Not a fan…I like Merlot to be like Merlot….supple, friendly, almost comfort wine. I buy Cab when I want Cab! But that’s just me.

• 2007 Muscardini Tesoro – Super Tuscan blend of Sangiovese, Cab, and Syrah. Big wine, big tannins at finish.
• 2006 Ty Caton Tytanium. (I skipped the 2006 Cab, had last week.) Another wine with a big following, Bordeaux blend. A treat to taste at $75 bottle, on sale for $60.

A really great visit, and experience here. Back onto Hwy 12, for a slight detour down Dunbar Road.

Loxton Cellars

Kangaroo Crossing signs driving up belay the Aussie origin of winemaker Chris Loxton. Loxton was pouring their Zinfandel, Syrahs, and award winning ports. Friendly people, good wines, albeit small pours again. Tasting was station to station, not at a bar, no tasting notes this stop, sorry.

Wellington Vineyards

I added Wellington mainly because I saw a 2008 Roussanne offered, since I am a big fan of white Rhone wines. Unfortunately it turns out that the white Rhone wasn’t offered for tasting. It’s a small production that the renowned Girl & a Fig restaurant buys the majority of and features.  That was good enough endorsement for me, so after tasting through their zin, merlot, cab, I bought a bottle of the Roussanne, even though I couldn’t try it.

Mayo Family Winery

After a quick lunch at CaffeCitti (and a bad choice of sangiovese) moved on to Mayo. I was fortunate enough at the first tasting station to meet one of the owners, pouring a Pinot Gris and 2007 Sonoma Valley Chardonnay. Neutral oak, and partial malolactic, this was a nice Burgundian style chardonnay that didn’t hide the fruit. Wine geeking, I also found out they sold a ‘unwooded’ Chardonnay, no oak, all stainless.

Additional stations tasted a 2007 Pinot, a 2006 RRV Zin, 2006 RRV Old Vine Petit Sirah, 2005 Merlot, 2006 Libertine red blend, and a few others. I thought all were well made, the Zin catching my eye at only 14% alcohol, soft, nice fruit that wasn’t in your face, and a good finish. I also really enjoyed their 2005 Napa Cabernet, $40.

As I was leaving, I decided to purchase the un-oaked Chardonnay without tasting it, and the Cabernet. I should have paid better attention to their specials – the tasting sheet offered 20% off 2 bottles of most varietals, but the chardonnay wasn’t listed, and I hate public haggling, and didn’t want to mar a good experience over a few dollars.

Come back tomorrow for Part Two, and winner of The Simple Hedonisms ‘Best of Event’ Selection – Eric Ross Winery.

cheers!

The weekend of Nov. 21-22 was the Holiday in Carneros event, with over 20 wineries participating.  The event is sponsored by Hospitality de Los Carneros (“HDLC”), which is a collective of Napa and Sonoma wineries located within the Carneros Appellation.

I don’t make it down to ‘the Valley’ – a/k/a Sonoma Valley, as much as I’d like to, so I was glad that this weekend didn’t have a lot of events to compete with Holiday in Carneros.  I had previously stumbled upon the similar “April in Carneros” event last year, and had a good time, so I was really looking forward to going back.

Taking my own advice from my post on the Wine Road Wine and Food Affair, I took the time to do some planning.  The HDLC website helped by providing a well marked map, and a handy list of who was offering what. I was a bit surprised to see some number of Carneros wineries did not participate, especially the many of the ‘tin warehouse’ wineries on 8th Street. (Lets see some Appellation Solidarity.) But, there were more than enough wineries to visit for the day. Printing out the Map and the Event details, I laid out a plan that took me to mostly wineries I had not visited before, and had varietals, and descriptions that interested me.

Having just returned back home after being in Portland all week (again), I decided to rest up on Saturday, and make a full day of it on Sunday. This turned out to be prudent, as several wineries reported that the crowds were lighter on Sunday, which allowed more quality time to interact with winemakers. I also followed my own advise about carrying a spit cup, and brought my own.  For the most part, toting around a spit cup not only helped my tasting, but it also occasionally impacted what I was served.  At one winery, a less experienced pourer gave me a funny look, in others I was offered tastes of wines not on the “menu.”

Roshambo

After a good start of a mimosa and pumpkin Belgian waffles, I made the trek down to the Valley. My check-in point was at Roshambo, which I chose simply because it was close to Gloria Ferrer. (Gloria Ferrer did not participate in Holiday in Carneros, but I had a wine club pickup there.) I hadn’t had Roshambo wines in a few years (in fact, they were still in Dry Creek Valley last visit), so I figured it was about time. Plus, I had driven by Cornerstone Place many times, and never stopped in. Glad I did, as I had a nice visit with Steve Morvai, the G.M. who has been with them quite awhile. Steve was pouring a Sauvignon Blanc, their ‘Justice’ Syrah, the ‘Rock’ blend of Syrah, Zinfandel and Petite Syrah, and a Grenache. I liked them all, but the Grenache really caught my attention, as less common varietals often do. There was a huge case sale on it, so guess what I walked out with.

Cornerstone looked like a cool place, but my mission to hit 8 wineries in 4.5 hours didn’t leave me a ton of time. I did stop to scarf down 2 pieces of pizza from Kashaya’s Pizza – straight from their cool brick oven on wheels. Pizza was being served complimentary as part of the event for the 3 wineries pouring there. Santa Rosa based, I’d recommend Kashaya to any winery wanting food for an event.

Anaba

For those of you that think Social Media doesn’t draw traffic, think again. I didn’t really know Anaba, and it wasn’t on my initial list.  However that morning, I Tweeted about the wineries where I WAS planning to stop, and got a note back from Anaba with a sad face and ”No Anaba?”  As a result of Anaba noticing, and replying to my tweet, I began to read up on it.  Learning that Anaba was a “new winery” with”Rhone and Burgundian style wines,” I appended my itinerary. I was glad I did. The facility is comfortable and non-pretentious. Everyone was friendly. And GREAT Rhone whites.

Side note for you red wine only drinkers –I was one of you once — branch out! Especially try some of the more full-bodied Rhone whites like Viognier, Roussanne,  and Marsanne. I observed a lot of people skipping the whites, and remembered doing the same thing myself once, but I was glad I didn’t skip these. ‘Coriol’ is a blend of the above 3, plus Grenache Blanc, with a wonderful, floral nose, and a good mouthfeel. Their Viognier was even better, and I bought a bottle. I also enjoyed their Sonoma Coast Pinot, and Coriol red, a Rhone blend of  Grenache, Mourvedre, Syrah, Counoise, and Petire Sirah. (The latter being an ‘adopted’ Rhone varietal.) If you like desert wines, Anaba also makes a late harvest Viognier, and red and white ports.

The tasting room staff was young, but very attentive and knowledgeable. I’d have liked to learn a bit more about the genesis of the winery, and the owners/family were supposedly lurking in the back.  They should take a lesson from the Ceja’s and work the visitors; stories sell wine!

Ty Caton, Parmalee Hill – Eighth Street Wineries

Next, I h eaded over to Eighth Street, where 3 more wineries were pouring. I have had Ty’s wine’s before from my club at Cellars of Sonoma, and I am a fan of their Malbec. Nice people and good wines, but between the country music and the slightly hard sell on sale priced wines, I didn’t linger.

Had visited Tin Barn before, so I skipped it and dropped in on Parmalee-Hill. After wine geeking over all the cool production equipment, I also enjoyed their wines, especially their Grenache Blanc and Marsanne/Roussanne blend  I found white Rhone varietals at several Carneros spots and I wondered: why don’t we have more of these in northern Sonoma County?

Would have liked to stop at Three Sticks and MacRostie, but they were not officially participating, so I kept rolling.

Robert Stemmler Winery

Next stop was down Ramal Road at Robert Stemmler Winery. The drive down a remote winding road, made me feel like I was driving around my beloved Russian River. From best I can tell, the winery isn’t normally open for tasting, but has a good following based on the crowd. This is a Burgundian style producer, that day pouring a Carneros chardonnay, and Carneros and Russian River Pinot Noir. There was only one small table for pouring, so space was a bit tight. I really liked their wines, and thought their Carneros Pinot was the best of the appellation I tasted that day.

Unfortunately between the crowds, and a rather obnoxious ‘taster’ who fired off 100 questions, trying to present she knew a lot about wine, stymied me from detailed chat. (The barrage annoyed me enough to wander off and pet the local horses – the lady gave away what I suspected – she knew nothing about wines except buzz words, when she starting asking, going over the entire wine list “is this wine racked? and this one? and this one?” ‘Racking” is the process of transferring wine from one container to another to get it off sediment, and improve clarity. ALL wines are RACKED; granted Pinot is sometimes less so, but it is. Next time ask if grapes need sun, too. Snarky mode off.) I came back to buy a few bottles after she left, but large crowd came in, so I decided to move on. Will come back in April.

Etude

I have had Etude Pinot a few times, and they have a big following, so decided to make  my first visit. Service was friendly, though 3/4 of the pouring staff knew very little about wine. It was also odd to me that a winery known for Pinot was pouring only one, but that is perhaps related to their high price and very low yield vines. One thing that did catch my attention – they have migrated their Chardonnay to the new glass stopper tops I have been hearing about. FAR more elegant than a screw cap, and seals nicely. Consider me a big fan, I’d love to see more wineries use this style closure.

Ceja Vineyards

I thought it best to end the day on a safe note, removing the element of surprise with a winery I know delivers – Ceja. I could write (and should) an article just on Ceja, although they hardly need my help. This family of Latino growers, turned Winemaker, ‘gets it.’ They provide an amazing customer experience, work to make wine simple and enjoyable, paired with food, reasonable price points, invest in marketing, and  have embraced multiple avenues of customer touch points and Social Media, from blogging to Twitter, Facebook and more. Multiple generations of the family take on roles, and at their beautiful facility (not the downtown tasting room) you can’t go 10 feet without a Ceja warmly engaging you. As always, the experience included good food, live music, and great wine, comfortably staged around the property. I like all of their wines, but I am fond of their Vino de Casa, Red Blend, an unsual blend of Pinot Noir, Syrah, and Cabernet,  priced at a very affordable $20.

A great ending to a great day in Carneros.

I look forward to the April event, cheers!

(ps, this Friday and Saturday is ANOTHER passport event in Sonoma Valley – come back for my Thursday post for more details!)