Simple Hedonisms

Posts Tagged ‘Events’

On Saturday, September 14th, I attended a new event in North Sonoma – the first Annual Artisano.  The event was hosted by Slow Food Sonoma County, North;   a chapter of Slow Food International.  Slow Food Sonoma County engages the local community in supporting and promoting local, sustainable food and food traditions and advocating for good, clean, and fair food for all people.

Sonoma County and Slow Food fit hand in glove – we embrace food, and appreciate it as an embedded part our culture. I knew little about this event going into it, but after a very long week on the road, I was looking forward to what I hoped would be a relaxed day of food and wine, Sonoma style.

The event organizers came through, and Mother Nature assisted by providing us with a gorgeous, mid 70s sunny day. The event was hosted at Geyserville Inn. I was expecting it to be inside (and perhaps that was the plan in the event of inclement weather…?) but was pleased to find everything spread out across the well manicured lawn and garden areas. The layout was well done, and leisurely paced, as befits ‘Slow’ Food.

I have raved about the Signature Visa Annual Taste of Sonoma as one of the best events that I have attended. I would put Artisano right next to it, on a micro scale. In some ways I enjoyed it more – while it 1/20 of the scale of food and wine offerings, the more casual pace, smaller crowd, and very high quality food and wine providers, was exceptional. The event was a bit pricey at $75 in advance, $90 at the door. (Ten minutes after I bought mine online, I found an email with a promo code that would have saved me $20/each – the online agency was unable to help me after the fact though.) This may have contributed to keeping the event numbers lower – however, had many more attended I think the event wouldn’t have been as enjoyable.

The event  organizers did a great job seeking out wine producers who rarely show, and/or were new. The majority of the wines being poured I had never seen before, or knew little about.

The intimate size and moderate crowd made it possible to linger at many stations and talk with the wine makers, and owners. After a long sleep deprived week, I was less in ‘investigative mode’ and more in ‘enjoy’ mode, but I did take the time to chat in depth with a few.

Skipstone: I spent a fair amount of time with Brook Drummond, head of Marketing and P.R. as well as Andrew Levi, the wine maker. Both were very friendly, and enthusiastic about their product. Skipstone only bottles two wines: a Viognier ($40), and Oliver’s Blend, a Bordeaux style blend. They offered an amazing food pairing with each, prepared by their own chef, the only station that had both wine and food in one spot. The Viognier was great expression of the varietal, that let the fruit come through, and not over manipulated, as seems to be the trend now with California Viognier’s. Oliver’s Blend was my favorite red of the day – a testament to the quality, as I have generally become burned out on Bordeaux blends. Turns out it’s a highly allocated, $100 wine – but I picked it as my favorite before I knew the price. I was also impressed by their marketing and PR material – this is a winery that ‘gets it’, and fortunately has the back to invest in itself – which only pays dividends later.

Duxoup I had never heard of Duxoup, and was amazed to learn they have been making wine in Healdsburg for over 25 years. Owner Andrew Cutter admitted he almost never attended these events, so it was a treat. Duxoup bottles varietals you don’t find commonly – charbono, gamay noir, dolcetto, and sangiovese. These are made old world style, moderate alcohol levels, and moderately priced. Their wines have a great following and procuring some requires some live interaction with them – there is no storefront, online or brick and mortar. I am in contact to procure a mixed case, should hear back shortly. I’ll be buying most blind – but willing to take a leap of faith after meeting Andrew, and sampling the dolcetto.

Forth Vineyards Its hard not to like Jann Forth with her bubbly, energetic, outlook. They have a cute quote on their literature (not on their website) that starts….” 2 crazy people, 5 baby-doll sheep, 3 dogs, 4 cats, 16 free range hens…” that continues and then ends “1 huge love,, enough to share.” The Forth’s love of the area, and what they do shines through in Jann. Their website and marketing is simple, their wines are well made, and embody the spirit of Sonoma family wine making.

Kelley and Young Newer entrants to the business, I enjoyed chatting with the very hospitable co-owner, Kathleen Kelley Young. They make a great Sauvignon Blanc. Kathleen was a joy to talk to,and I hope to be able to attend the fundraiser they are hosting in their home December 13th.

Since this was a Slow Food event, I guess I should also mention some of the amazing food offerings. There was an amazing variety of creative, delectable food offerings from wonderful venues like Zazu, Zin, Rosso, Dry Creek Kitchen, Bovolo and more. As well as great breads, cheeses, and chocolate morsels from Costeaux French Bakery, Cowgirl Creamery, Delice de la Vallee, Sonoma Chocolatiers and more.

It was hard to pick a favorite out of so many. Jeff and Susan of Zin never disappoint, and I’d like to have grazed on their lamb offering a few more times. Zazu had an especially yummy bite as well. Across the board, every thing offered was well prepared, creative, and delicious. My apologies that I didn’t take more detailed notes and pictures, as I admitted above, I was enjoying simply being a consumer, and rejuvenating myself with great food, wine, and people – what I love about Sonoma so much.

Throughout the day there was live music and chef demonstrations. Everything was very well laid out, planned, and spread out. I slowly drifted around the grounds a few times, and was amazed that my allotted three hours had flown by! Apparently time flies, when you enjoy Slow Food…..but that’s what its all about isn’t it….taking the time from our ridiculously busy lives to enjoy the bountiful gifts that surround us – we are truly blessed as Sonoma County residents.

Hats off to the event co-ordinators – I’ll be buying tickets next year the day they go on sale.

Cheers!

Apologies for the bit of ‘radio silence’ since the last blog Post. The new job has been exciting, and consuming.

I just returned from our big trade event of the year, with a frenetic pace of meetings from 7 a.m. to Midnight+ Sun-Thursday – so I am looking forward to this weekend’s fun!

As events thin out, I will work on better weekly coverage on not just West Sonoma, but Napa, Mendocino, Sonoma Valley etc.

Saturday Nov 14th

Merlove DVD signing at V. Sattui Winery, St Helena:

Merlove  Producer/Director Rudolf N. McClain  will be on hand to sign copies in the Tasting Room at V. Sattui Winery on November 14 from 11:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Merlove is a documentary celebrating Merlot wine in response to the movie Sideways.

The winery is located at 1111 White Lane off Highway 29 just south of St. Helena. The DVD will be available for sale. The event is free and open to the public; no reservations are necessary. Adjoining McClain’s spot ‘signing’ the DVDs, the winery will be offering a free tasting of the winery’s two Merlots, the 2006 Henry Ranch and 2006 Napa Valley.

When Pigs Fly…….They Fly To Michel Schlumberger this Saturday

THIRD ANNUAL WILD PIG PARTY !!!

Pouring futures of Cochon Sauvages Zinfandel (Wild Pig Zin) and our immensely popular Coteaux Savage.  A very limited number of cases of these futures will be available for purchase at this party.  The roast pig and all of the accoutrements will make this a most memorable day.

As the story goes, Jacques Schlumberger always said that Michel-Schlumberger is a ‘Bordeaux house in a sea of Zinfandel’ here in Dry Creek Valley, and that he’d make another Zinfandel ‘when pigs fly’.  Well, as the label indicates, pigs are flying (!) — at least for a handful of those lucky enough to get a hold of the few cases of Zinfandel we do handcraft.  Our fabulous co-fermented blend of Syrah (red) and Viognier (white), Coteaux Savage is an extremely limited production wine that will sell out quickly.

Join winemaker, Mike Brunson, proprietor Jacques Schlumberger and the team for Wild Pig prizes, games and surprises!

Price $40 pp Buy your ticket by calling 707.433.7427. – this event has sold out every year.

Arrowood Vineyards & Winery, Glen Ellen:

Arrowood Vineyards & Winery will host an artist reception featuring the work of Karen Ingals, “Land, Trees, Vines.” What better way to enjoy friends during the holidays, but to stop in and enjoy Karens work while sampling their highly allocated new release, 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon, Monte Rosso Vineyard along with their 2007 Chardonnay, Rserve Spciale and 2007 White Riesling, Select Late Harvest, Saralee’s Vineyard which received 92 points – Wine Advocate – accompanied with small bites, a warm fire and our breathtaking view of Sonoma Valley. Arrowood Winery is charging $10.00 per person, please pay at the winery.

Located on a hillside just outside the town of Glen Ellen, overlooking the Sonoma Valley, Arrowood Winery is the real life dream of Richard Arrowood and his wife and partner, Alis Demers Arrowood. Completed in 1987, the winery is modeled after a New England farmhouse. With its winemaking facilities hidden from view, the building sits in perfect harmony with the surrounding countryside.

12:00 PM start time.

Artisano – Wine, Food, Art. Geyserville

This event especially caught the eye of Simple Hedonisms.

Artisano is a celebration of small production, locally handcrafted wine, food and art and the people who produce it.  It takes place in Geyserville, CA , the heart of Sonoma County’s Wine Country.

Discover local artisan ultra-premium wines rarely available to the general public… Enjoy small plates from well known restaurants featuring locally raised meat and produce… Sample artisan cheeses, charcuterie, chocolates, etc from gourmet artisan food producers… Browse and purchase paintings, ceramics, fused glass, sculptures, other original works of art from several of the region’s premier artists… Enjoy chef demonstrations and book signings with local celebrity chefs… Participate in a live and silent auction including rare, hard to find lots of artisan wines and incredible destination vacation trips… Dance to fabulous live music.Fee: $75 Advance/$90 At the GateTime: 12 p.m. – 5 p.m. Phone Number: (707) 894.8500

Benefitting Slow Food Sonoma County’s School Garden Project

Lynmar Estate Wine Club Event, Sebastopol

Another fabulous evening of food at wine at one of Russian River’s spectacular wineries. Event is host for wine club members, but I believe non club members can attend for a slightly higher price. Best to check if space is available.

Wine Club Pick Up Party in 2009, which will include a very special performance by piano player Bob Milne.

Time: 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Please respect the starting time and arrive promptly at 6 pm. Food will be served prior to the piano concert (the piano concert is scheduled for 6:45 pm-7:45 pm).
Location: Lynmar Estate Tasting Room – Get Directions
Cost: $45 each for club members and guests | Connoisseur and Collector members receive two complimentary tickets.

Mounts Winery pour in @ Que Syrah Wine Bar, San Fran

One of my fave Dry Creek Valley small family wineries.

Bay area friends, we are coming to pour for you at Que Syrah Wine Bar this Saturday from 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm.  Stop by for a visit and taste through five of our new releases.

Que Syrah is located at 230 W Portal Avenue – San Francisco.

$15 pp or $10 pp for our Club Members!

Polenta Dinner at Seghesio Family Vineyards, Healdsburg

If you have never had a wine & food pairing at Seghesio – you are missing out. These guys should open a restaurant, I’d eat there every weekend!

Celebration, Food & Wine Education: Ed Seghesio invites you to a family dinner featuring his chicken & sausage polenta served with our newly released 2007 Sangiovese and 2006 Home Ranch Petite Sirah. Ed will share recipes and anecdotes before we head down to the cellar for a traditional Italian dessert. Please join us! RSVP by Nov 2nd. 14730 Grove Street, Healdsburg
Fee: $55/$40 Centennial Club Time: Seatings at 4 p.m., 6 p.m. & 8 p.m. Phone Number: (707) 433.3579 x109

Thats the wrap-up of the events that caught my eye. Lots more next weekend. Feel free to post in comments of other events this weekend I didn’t note that catch your eye.

cheers!

Northern California Wine Country has many events, and its been a passion and pleasure of mine to attend many. While there are many good ones, there are a few that are GREAT. One of my favorites is this weekend’s Wine Road’s Wine & Food Affair. I feel some events are becoming a bit pricey for what they deliver; the Wine and Food Affair is one of the best values, and experiences Sonoma that Wine Country has to offer.

This special “Tasting Along the Wine Road” is November 7 & 8,  Saturday & Sunday, 11 am to 4 pm.  A Wine & Food Affair is the “premier event for the Wine Road, featuring a weekend of wine and food pairing in the Alexander, Dry Creek and Russian River Valleys.”

So what is this about? 80 wineries along the Wine Road (aptly named ‘Heaven Condensed’ ) offer food pairings to go along with their wines being poured. This is a ‘passport’ event – meaning you pay one fee, and can visit as many participating wineries as you wish. At just $60 for the entire weekend,or $40 for Sunday, this is an amazing value. People who pre-registered also get a great cookbook of the recipes.

So 5 hours a day for 2 days, and 80 wineries. How do you pick?  I have a (longish) list of Wine Road favorites, but rather than rattle those off here (email me), I am going to try and stay neutral, and offer other suggestions to enjoy this event. And this is about food pairings, not just wine.

The Golden Rule:  PLAN! Plan, plan, plan, plan. Did I say plan? Do you close your eyes at Safeway and throw random articles into your cart? No. So, don’t just drive down Dry Creek, or Westside Road and stop anywhere. There are great resources on the Wine Road website I am going to suggest – follow and use them.

So where do you start?

First are you going for one day or both? If only one, then its really important to map out a hit list, and start early.

1. What varietals (wine types) do you prefer?

You can partially match areas to this. Of course some wineries produce from all over, but generally if you prefer say, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, you should spend time in the area around Forestville – Sebastopol and visit places like Lynmar, Moshin, Balleto etc. These geographic lines do get a bit blurry though, as great Pinot houses like C. Donatiello, Thomas George, etc. are further North. Dry Creek Valley is known as Zin country, but many wineries produce a host of other varietals, especially Syrah, and sometimes Cab, Petite Syrah, and others, as does Alexander Valley. You may want to consider focusing on lighter varietals, like Pinot, in the morning, and then try more full-bodied wines in the afternoon.

(2) Use The Wine Road web site to assist you.

It has many great maps and sorting tools. My favorite page allows you to click and sort by varietals (wine types), region, and amenities. This latter one is very useful for identifying wineries that are open ‘By Appointment’ only. There are a number of wineries participating such as Acorn, John Tyler, Windsor Oaks, etc that normally are open to the public only by appointment, so this event is a great way to just pop in and experience those wineries without having to plan ahead a make an appointment.

You can also use the amenities sort feature to identify the wineries with picnic facilities,  If you are really organized in planning your route, you can land at a good picnic spot right around lunch time.

(3) Consult the Participating Winery List.

Eighty wineries are participating – but the Wine Road has over 150 wineries, so don’t assume, double check. Especially for the wineries that are open by appointment only -some of these aren’t participating. It also doesn’t hurt to check with your favorite wineries if they don’t show up as participating. Mounts Family Winery in Dry Creek for example, isn’t on the official list, but will have free tastings for ticket holders, and is offering a food pairing.

(4) Bring a Spit Cup.

If you are serious about tasting wine, and hitting as many wineries as you can, I strongly urge you to bring your own spit cup. Spitting into a dump bucket in a crowded tasting room isn’t something I recommend, and many people find it unpleasant which is one reason why more people don’t. That’s why at industry events and wine classes, red plastic spit cups are usually available. They’re easier to use, unobtrusive, and allow for discreet spitting for those who are shy about spitting in public. I can’t underscore this enough – if you taste 4-5 wines at each location, you may not realize that you are easily consuming 1-2 glasses of wine per locale. However, as little as 5-6 ounces of wine is a enough to start to impact your palette and judgment. Yes the food will help a bit, but not enough, if you are making many stops. At a bare minimum, dump varietals you don’t care for. But that is only going to help a bit. Give spitting a try — for the morning at least.  You will be glad you did!

(5) Bring a cooler. And your wallet.

If you like a winery, or they treat you extra special, buy something (or a few somethings!). They are artisans, but this isn’t charity. Weathermen are calling for mild weather this weekend according to the current forecast. It is supposed to be cloudy and 69 on Saturday, and 70 and sunny on Sunday. But these forecasters are the same guys that predicted that the harvest rain would only last one day.  Heat is the enemy of wine…even a few hours of heat and sun will negatively impact a bottle. Bring a cooler just in case, and you can stock it with water, red bulls, and nibbles.

6. Start Early, hit off the path wineries later.

The well-known wineries, closer in, can get quite mobbed, especially by mid afternoon. Try and be there when the bell dings, and get an early start. When you map out your route, perhaps do the less familiar wineries, or those off the beaten path, later in the day.

7. In the event you DON’T Pre-Plan (tsk tsk) at LEAST print out the event page which lists the food pairing, and the participating wineries, AND the modified Wine Road map that shows ONLY the participating Wineries.

8. Be Courteous,  Please

Some wineries are going to get busy. Try and be respectful of sharing the tasting space (do not stand 4 together at the bar, talking about your shoe purchase). Bond with your significant other and share the space one behind the other, thus doubling the space. Wearing perfume, talking at 120 decibels on your cell, chewing gum, trying to steal wine (true story), or being inebriated and harassing a tired pourer are all faux pax.

(Note to Winery owners and staff – I know it’s a trying,  long weekend; but I have witnessed some appalling treatment at ‘bracelet  events. In a down economy, and a push to sell Direct to Consumer (DTC), a little pre-event pep talk to your team may be in order. In years past, events like this were where I discovered some of my favorite wineries and – as a result of positive experiences –joined the wine club. )

Let’s all have fun – we are blessed to be surrounded by good people, good food, good wine; and this weekend is a culmination, and celebration of all three.

Cheers!

Over the last few years I have come to really appreciate the complexity of a well made Pinot Noir. I have long been a fan of Oregon’s Willamette Valley Pinots, and have enjoyed the evolution of Pinot Noir in California, especially now that my backyard is the Russian River Valley,  recognized world wide as a premium Pinot producer.

The evolution in the quality of California Pinot Noir is still somewhat below the radar of the average wine consumer. This isn’t surprising; many of the highest rated Pinot houses do very small lots, and often sell only via allocation.  And when a small producer gets a Wine Spectator or Robert Parker 90s rating, their wines can gain cult status, and you many never even see a bottle exported out of state.

The weekend of October 23-25, 2009, Pinot Report hosted Pinot on the River, a series of dinners, seminars, and tastings, culminating with the Grand Tasting on October 25th, hosted at Rodney Strong.  Over 100 Pinot Noir producers, many very small, poured their velvety libations.

I always enjoy these walk around tastings, and my immersion in local industry networking and wine studies this year, made this one even more enjoyable. These events are more engaging and rewarding now, as I know more people in the industry, and have become a more passionate consumer, hobbyist, volunteer, and social media advocate.

Red spit cup in hand (carried in, and now stocked in my FJ Cruiser), along with a notepad and camera, I dove right in with one of my blog editors and friends, who also shares a passion for pinot (although not necessarily the same palate and preferences).

There were many great Pinot producers here, and it was impossible to taste everything offered. So, for those producers with which I am already well acquainted (and already a big fan), such as C. Donatiello, I only stopped by their tables briefly. Kudos to C. Donatiello (and others who followed suit) for coming out in a show of force.  Pouring for C. Donatiello was both Chris Donatiello himself, and Webster Marquez, the winemaker. They were both busy, and I only got to say a quick hello late in the day, but not before I got a pour of their 2007 Maddie’s Pinot, which is always a treat. Much of my day was focused on tasting as many of the new and small pinot producers, as well as the many that attended from out of the area, like those who trekked up from Central California and the Santa Barbara area. A few of my other Pinot favorites such as Lynmar, were not in attendance.

I will comment on a few of my favorites, but first a quick overview on the event logistics.  Overall, I felt the event was well coordinated.  Some 800+ people attended, and fit into a space that wasn’t nearly as sprawling as the MacMurray Ranch, the site for the Taste of Sonoma – our finest local event, in my opinion.

The Rodney Strong staff was very hospitable, and on their game. For the most part, especially earlier in the day, it rarely felt cramped, or rushed, and I enjoyed being able to have a meaningful dialog with the pourer, which for many tables, was the owner and/or winemaker – which I truly enjoy, as I can both wine geek, as well as discuss business and marketing aspects.

The only flaw in the event was a lack shade for some tables. It was a gorgeous, sunny day, and the temperature ended up in the high 70s.  For those tables in the sun, it got to be quite warm as the afternoon wore on.  As a result, many wines were poured at elevated temperatures even though such, high end red varietals need to be served well below that ambient air temperature to show their true expression. A great pinot noir served a tad warm can lose some of its subtle, velvet mouth feel, and taste more hot (alcohol) on the finish, transforming the experience from an eye-rolling sensory pleasure, to a merely so-so experience.  Some tables diligently worked ice baths, rotating bottles in and out, so as to not let them get too cold, either (Roessler, in particular, did a noteworthy job here).

Personally, I’d also have liked to see some more food offerings worked in. The bbq was great, and there was a cheese sampling station I never made it too, but a few chefs offering small pairings would have been appreciated, and I’d have forked out a few dollars.

I did well making the rounds and sampled many of the producers, no small feat, given that some poured as many as five different Pinots Here are some of my favorites. No slight is intended to any producer not mentioned — I only got to about half of the 100, and skipped many of my already faves in order to discover something new.

Tandem :

- 2006 Sangiacomo Pinot noir, 656 cases.  Great mouth feel, velvet body.

- 2007 Manchester Ridge (not on website). Much bigger fruit, appealing to those who like that style over Burgundian.

Terlato

2007 Russian River Valley, 900 cases.  A delicate, lighter Pinot, Burgundian style

Three Sticks Winery

2006 Durell Vineyards, 325 cases

Nicholson Ranch

I am a fan of this Carneros Pinot producer and don’t get there much, so I stopped to sample.  Their reserve 2007 Cactus Hill shone brightest amongst its gems.

Moshin

2007 Russian River Pinot – Big fruit, nice mouth feel, decently priced at $36

Freeman Winery

- 2007 Russian River Valley – dark in color, big fruit, hint of tannins, big pinot. $42

- 2007 Keefer Ranch – fruit forward, easy to drink, nice mouth feel. $48. [ This wine was one of my editor’s favorites of the day, who consistently tended to favor the fruit-forward style of Pinots of several producers who sourced fruit from the Keefer Ranch vineyard.]

Black Kite

2007 Redwood’s Edge

My dialog with Black Kite  owners was also noteworthy for their savvy marketing and PR investments. Please see later this week for a follow-up article.

Summary

All and all a great event, and a great day. (More event pictures can be found here.) But then how can a day filled with amazing Pinot, chatting with winemakers and owners, surrounded by people who love wine, NOT be a great day. Cheers!

Greetings Wine Country lovers, from my new part time digs in Portland. Those on Facebook that have been following me (amidst Facebook’s breakdown) know that my Wine Country Sabbatical ended abruptly this week, as I plunged back into the Tech Sector more rapidly than planned. After 5 weeks of interviews, 10 hours of final interviews last Thursday, Monday morning I received an offer from the CEO, wanting me to start yesterday. I am with a software start-up,  VP of Sales and Marketing, managing a team and helping them to launch. Its 8 days before our most important trade event of the season, and springboard for 2010, so its busy. More on this phenomenon later, this blog is about wine and fun, not my life!

I really didn’t want this article back to back with last weeks event synopsis, but I am still editing two articles from last weekend including Pinot on The River, but they aren’t complete yet. Get use to a few typos and grammar errors , as you may find some these busy next few months.

Post-Harvest, its still a busy weekend:

Charles Schwab Cup Championship–Food and Wine Festival (Fri-Sun)

Featuring the top-30 money leaders of the season, the Charles Schwab Cup Championship is the culminating event in the Champions Tours Road to the Charles Schwab Cup.’

The Clubhouse Wine & Food Festival Ticket – $55.00 Advance Purchase/ $60.00 Gate Purchase – The Wine & Food Festival ticket allows access to the Clubhouse, Wine and Food Festival and acts as a tournament grounds pass. The Wine and Food Festival is located on the back lawn of the Sonoma Golf Club. Wine Festival access includes admission to the Wine Festival, a complimentary wine glass and wine tasting and food pairings from local Sonoma County restaurants.

Entrances to the Wine & Food Pairing festival are on the back patio of the clubhouse (find the big white pairings sign) OR inside the hallway towards the clubhouse entrance.The festival itself will be inside Vintage Room C.

2009 Participating Wineries: Black Coyote Chateau, BR Cohn Winery, Buoncristiani, Charles Creek Vineyard, Cline Cellars, Deerfield Ranch Winery, Don Sebastiani & Sons, Frank Family Vineyards, Greg Norman Estates, Gundlach Bundschu, J. Moss Wines, Jacuzzi Family Vineyards, Landmark Vineyards, Ledson Winery & Vineyards, Nicholson Ranch, Paradise Ridge, Robledo Family Winery, Roessler Cellars, Schug Carneros Estate, Sharp Cellars, Sojourn Cellars, Tin Barn Vineyards, Valley of the Moon, VJB Vineyards & Cellars,

2009 Participating Restaurants: Carneros Bistro, Chardonnay GC, Costeaux French Bakery, Della Santina’s Trattoria, El Dorado Kitchen, John Ash & Co., Mia’s Kitchen, Mondo Press, Restaurant Cuvee, Ristorante Allegria, Saffron, Sante-Fairmont, Sonoma Sausage, Stark’s Steakhouse, The Red Grape, Tra Vigne, ZaZu Restaurant. Tickets

Saturday

Kendall Jackson 2006 Highland Estates Pre-Release Party 11-4 pm

Join KJ as they taste 6 of  Parker 90+ rated 2006 vintage Highland Estates wines. These wines won’t be available for sale for several months, but this is your opportunity to try them and purchase them before they are released. KJ will be selling these wines the day of the event only – after that you’ll have to wait! We’ll have seminars, a special place for Wine Club members and, of course, bites from our culinary team. Call 1.800.769.3649 for reservations or more information.

2006 Napa Mountain Merlot – 91 Points

2006 Taylor Peak Merlot – 90 Points

2006 Trace Ridge Cabernet – 91 Points

2006 Hawkeye Mountain Cabernet – 92 Points

2006 Napa Mountain Cabernet – 93 Points

2006 Trace Ridge Red Wine – 93 Points

Wine Club members – complimentary. General public – $10 per person if reserved prior to 10/26/09. $15 per person at the door

Facebook Wine Meetup! Dogtoberfest Fundraiser at Topel Winery

Hosted by yours truly, in conjuction with Topel’s own annual event.

Haven’t you said before you wish you’d meet, or see more often, your FB Wine Friends? I’d like to host the first of regular ‘Facebook Wine Meetups’. (Hey, Twitter has Tweetups.)

Every year Topel Winery, (a dog friendly winery) publishes a Dog ‘Wine Tails’ calendar, as a fundraiser for the Healdsburg Animal Shelter. I am pleased to share Flash is featured in September (my birth month.)

( For those of you that have met Flash, you know he is a special soul. And also a testament to Rescue Programs, I got him after two traumatic events, yet with some love his spirit and majestic nature stayed in tact.)

To Celebrate (and donate) I have purchased 15 calendars ($20 each) to give to the first people who show up for this Meetup.

Topel is also offering complimentary tastings, food treats for humans and doggie biscuits for canine friends, as well as a portrait artist on hand to drawn caricatures of you (and your pet!) for a small fee.

The event runs 12-5. I will be hosting my Meetup from 130-330. (hopefully that time works ok.)

So come meet up with your FB fellow wine-o’s, and help raise money for Man/Women’s Best Friend!

TWine or TWeets @ Cellars of Sonoma 6:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.

Halloween Tweets @ Cellars of Sonoma! Wines paired with everyone’s favorite halloween candy. Social networking introducing POKEN, an amazing new technology POKEN available for purchase. Twitter Lounge, big screen tv’s and live video broadcasting. $10.00 in costume  or  $15.00 no costume. RSVP @707-578-1826

Sunday

Murphy Goode – Meet and Greet Top Chef Las Vegas Contestants!

Kevin and Eli are in town!  Come hang at Murphy-Goode with Top Chef contestants Kevin Gillespie, Eli Kirshstein, winemaker Dave Ready, Jr., and Hardy Wallace. Grab some tastes, snacks, and play some Liar’s Dice while we welcome Kevin and Eli to Murphy-Goode and Healdsburg. Please RSVP. 330 – 5 pm.

Hope to see some of you this weekend!

Those who know me, or have been following me on Facebook, are aware I am an avid attender of Wine and Food events. For small wineries and other businesses, these events can be are visibility opportunities, so I do my best to get the word out. I have made an Event calendar a key part of this blog, which allows you to view events in a month format, look at details as well as download them to Outlook, Google or other ics calendars. I intend to improve much on the current format, which is functional (the widget has a few bugs) but not elegant. I keep wondering when Wine Country weekends are going to slack off the pace of tantalizing events. Here is a sample of the many great social events this weekend:

Friday, October 23

Longboard Vineyards downtown Healdsburg tasting room, hosts “Mavericks—Everest of the Seas.” It appears the display runs all weekend, but the Opening Reception will be Friday, October 23 from 5-9pm. Wine, Food from Rosso Pizzeria, and Art will be available for purchase. Admission is Free. “Relive heroic battles between man and wave as seen through the eyes of the cutting-edge photojournalists who risk life and limb to document the wave’s intense man-against-the-sea drama and obsessive lifestyle of Maverick’s elite riders.”

Saturday, October 24

A monster day of events.

Graton Ridge Pink Party! In honor of  October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month! Join them for wine, cheese and pink fun! Receive a pink boa with your wine purchase! Send us the name and/or photo of the person you’d like to honor on our Pretty In Pink Tribute Wall. A portion of wine sales benefit the Sutter North Bay Women’s Health Center. 10-430 p.m.

Downtown Wines, the downtown Healdsburg tasting room for Hobo Wine Company and Branham Estate Wines is hosting their big One Year Anniversary bash. The event is  Open from 11 AM to 8 PM, with free tastings all day. They will have live music (at 3 p.m.) , food, special Rockpile tasting flights, 20% discount on all wine purchases and 30% for Wine Club members! Come help Celebrate a great first year for these two small wineries! (Lynn and Kenny of Hobo are GREAT people – you can find me here later in the afternoon.)

Hopland Passport Event (Sat. AND Sun.) Hopland’s Famous Wine Tasting Event. Hopland area wineries assemble and “roll out the barrel” showing their finest in Rhone, Italian, Burgundian, and Bordeaux varietals ranging from Arneis to Zinfandel. Experience 10 Local Mendocino County Wineries. Each winery will entertain you in their own special way, which could include live music, bocce ball, barrel tasting, barbeques, book signings, reserve and future tastings and much more. Receive a Passport logo glass, entry to all wine tastings, food pairings and entertainment at the ten wineries. Enter to win the Passport Prize Giveaway….over thirty fabulous prizes will be given away! Tickets are only  $35 all-inclusive. (wow!) (Mendocino really needs to do a better job self promoting via social media..) Now that my field trip is cancelled, going to try and attend.

Harvest with the HANNAs Celebrate the Bounty of Harvest in Alexander Valley! This casual wine & food pairing event will be held at our Alexander Valley tasting room. Our President, Christine Hanna, will be hosting vineyard tours of our gorgeous Red Ranch. Winemaker Jeff Hinchliffe and Asst. Winemaker Marti Quan will each give harvest seminars on the various varietals in your Fall wine club shipment.  Wine Club member’s Autumn allotments will also be available for pick-up at this event. Park Avenue Catering will provide a harvest bounty and live entertainment will be performed by the Graystreet Band. Space is limited to the first 85 guests. Tickets are $50 for wine club members / $75 for non-members.  Please RSVP to Mandy – 707-431-4310 x124 or mandy@hannawinery.com. 11-4 p.m.

Solar Powered Harvest Concert Bring canned food for  food drive! Come to the first Solar Powered Harvest Concert. Admission is free! Bring canned food for our food drive. All donations go to NOAH, our local food bank. Listen to live jazz, rock, blues, and alternative music. Local food, microbrews and organic wines will be available for purchase. For more information, please email Gerard at info@sallytomatoes.com. 12-5 p.m.

Ty Caton Vineyards Winery – 1st Annual Barrel Tasting Come taste futures of the2008 vintage wines straight from the barrel & enjoy award-winning wines paired perfectly with light appetizers.  Buy futures and current releases at a huge discount.  Please RSVP  to info@tycaton.com or call Marissa at 707-938-3224. 12-4 p.m.

Eastside Bunch Open House Celebration, Wine Education: Celebrate Autumn with the Eastside Bunch. Join Acorn Winery, Christie Vineyards,Christopher Creek Winery, Foppiano Vineyards, Limerick Lane, Merriam Vineyards, Mietz Cellars, Deux Amis Winery & Mutt Lynch Winery. Receive a logo glass and spend a day sampling fantastic wines paired with scrumptious bites. $10 per person gets you a glass and entry to each of the wineries..some usually only open by appointment! No reservations necessary…pay at first winery. open 11-4 pm

Pellegrini Family Vineyards’ Halloween Harvest Party Join the Pellegrini family for the 6^th Annual Halloween Harvest Party at Olivet Lane Estate—Russian River Valley’s heritage pinot noir site.  Celebrate harvest, and discover our award-winning Sonoma County wines including the Sonoma County Harvest Fair’s Double Gold and Gold winners, the 2006 Olivet Lane Reserve Chardonnay and the 2006 Cloverdale Ranch Cabernet.  Costumes are strongly encouraged, and prizes will be given for the best costume and best group costume judged on creativity and how to incorporate the wine country into Halloween. Don’t forget to RSVP to hospitality manager Bill Glasgow  – bill@pellegrinisonoma.com . 12-4 p.m.

Stryker Sonoma -  Hosts :Comedy in the Cellar Stryker Sonoma and San Francisco Comedy College have partnered to transform the Alexander Valley winery’s barrel cellar into an underground wine and comedy nightclub! Your ticket to laughs includes a new wine release party with delicious appetizers, a sit down “edu-tainment” winetasting with winemaker Tim Hardin, and big laughs with San Francisco Comedy College’s nationally renowned comics. Fresh off his national television debut on the “Late Late Show” with Craig Ferguson, headliner Jeff Applebaum previously played the principal role of Joey Bishop in the long-running musical tribute “The Rat Pack Is Back,” in San Francisco, Chicago and Las Vegas. The shows opening comedian, Kellen Erskine has worked with the best in the industry, including Norm Macdonald (SNL), and John Heffron (winner of NBC’s Last Comic Standing). Reserved seating will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis.  Tickets: http://www.strykersonoma.com/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=COMEDYINCELLAR

Stryker Sonoma Wine Club Members $65, General Public $85. 3:30 – 7 p.m.

Gloria Ferrar Harvest Celebration Dinner Come celebrate the 2009 Harvest in style at their autumn Harvest celebration dinner. If you like Tapas, Paella and Pinot you won’t want to miss this special event. Enjoy a winery tour lead by VP, David Brown, A Paella cooking demonstration by Jose Castanada of Sonoma’s Castaneda’s marketplace. Plus Pinot Noir Education from our Winemaker, Steve Urberg and an authentic Perr?n drinking demonstration by our resident Spanish expert EVP, Eva Bertran. Spanish music ambience will fill the room as well. Tickets $70 online, 630 – 9 p.m. I am  big fan of Gloria Ferrar, always a class act, and never disappoints.

Sunday, October 25th

Hopland Passport Event (Day 2)

Pinot on the River Grand Tasting Actually Pinot on the River has events all weekend, Fri-Sunday, featuring a full program of in-depth tastings and seminars, vineyard tours and sumptuous food. On Sunday this culminates with a incredible line-up of 100 Top Pinot Producers. If you love Pinot Noir, it’s an event you must not miss. (See you there!)

Thats this weekend’s highlighted events. Again, you can find events on on the Event Calendars tab here on Simple Hedonisms. I am happy to add events, and even attend/review, drop me a note on Facebook  or Twitter. Cheers, and have a great Harvest Celebration Weekend, we have much to be thankful for!

Siduri – A great Pinot house of a slightly different sort, and a second label that makes everything else.

After a busy few weeks playing “Garagista” (aka Home wine maker,) and volunteer assisting a few of wineries with Harvest, I decided to go back to being a consumer and go tasting. After all, this is a work sabbatical.

I first discovered Siduri Wines at the Wine Road Winter Wineland event (which I highly recommend). Siduri is normally open by appointment only, so this is a great winery to hit at special events, since you won’t need an appointment , and  because of the ridiculous number of high quality wines poured. However, you had better learn to spit or dump, or Siduri could end up being your only stop for the day. Tip:  Hit it first thing at the opening before the crowds get too loco.

That said, don’t let the “appointment only’ disclaimer throw you. Siduri is not a foo-foo winery,  and they regularly do tastings in small groups, every hour. Just call, even if it’s on short notice, and you may get in.  There is also no tasting fee, a rare event these days.

The winery is housed in an industrial facility, something I used to shun. But, I have learned to be more open to it, in order not to miss out on great experiences like Siduri.  This type of winery has become more common, and even cluster in regions (like the wineries of Old Roma Station on Front Street in Healdsburg.) Siduri was an early trailblazer in this facility type, and only desires an even bigger, better warehouse. You should also not be dissuaded by the fact that Siduri owns no vineyards. Partial or total sourcing of fruit is more common than many realize.  Siduri takes this to a new level.

Siduri is owned and run by a passionate husband-wife team, Adam and Dianna Lee. They started out exclusively making single-vineyard Pinot Noir wines, in 1994.  Five years later, with some family capital, they added a second label –the Novy brand – which makes a number of other varietals. Syrah is the mainstay, but current releases include Zinfandel, Grenache, Nebbiolo. Chardonnay, and a Viognier.  I think it’s near Pinot madness (in a good way) the sheer number of Pinots (27 two years ago, 18 last year) Siduri makes, always in small production.

All fruit (aka wine grapes) is sourced from an array of premium growers from the Central Coast all the way up to Oregon, with whom the owners maintain personal relationships.  This is the only Russian River Valley (RRV) Pinot house I am aware of that sources fruit from the Willamette Valley of Oregon, its no small feat to bring wine grapes that far, especially given the sometimes frenetic harvest cycles there, due to weather.

The pourer was very knowledgeable in Siduri lore and history, as well as the area, being a native. This gets points, as I am becoming increasingly irritated visiting wineries, especially smaller higher end ones, where the pouring staff have very little knowledge save what they have been reciting by rote. It can ruin the entire experience, and often results in less/no purchases when I visit. In today’s market, with an ever increasing focus on sales Direct to Consumer (DTC), I’d encourage winemakers and owners to pay closer attention, and an active role here.

The tasting offerings of the day are printed professionally each day, as well as all wine offers on the back. Only one chardonnay (from the Novy label) was poured (surprising for a Pinot house.)  4 pinots ranging from $29-45 were poured, including one with Willamette fruit. What I really admired about the pinots, was the uniqueness, and expression of the individual vineyard source.  Siduri doesn’t bring fruit in from Oregon and then try and make it taste like a Sonoma coast Pinot, it’s true to Oregon style.  All were very well made, and varied greatly in style. My fave for price/quality equity was the $33 Santa Lucia,  smooth as velvet, rated 92 points by the Pinot Report, and only 1700 cases made. I thoroughly enjoyed all four.

Next we tasted through 3 Novy Syrahs, ranging from $20 (Napa) to $29. All were excellent quality, the 06 Christensen Family has a very notable, white pepper characteristic, all the way through the finish.

I bought a variety of 6 wines to take home, including a number in the $25 range that I hadn’t tried, as I continue to scour the county for pleasing wines that don’t break the budget (as I try and nudge my palette to adjust to the economy). I find many good wines in this range, but am always seeking great. Just because Food and Wine names a bottle as top in the $20 range, doesn’t make me like it any more, sorry. Incidentally, recently Food and Wine Magazine named the 2007 Siduri Sonoma County Pinot, as top Pinot in the Under $20 category. (Unfortunately it’s sold at at the winery, and my normal sources.)

All in all, a very pleasant visit and experience. And as a bonus, Bottle Barn is nearby by and worth a stop as well for wines of all price points and quality (including Siduri’s). If you are a Pinot-phile, I highly recommend a visit here .