Simple Hedonisms

Posts Tagged ‘sonoma county’

We are just a few days away from the Taste of Alexander Valley, a fun filled weekend, I am very much looking forward. Thirty-five Wineries, many without tasting rooms, or open to public are pairing their wines, with gourmet food, and in many cases entertainment. Reviewing the list last night, planning my route, was making my mouth water – the wineries have really outdone themselves.

Planning Your Stops

If you have read my articles before on events, you will recall a consistent theme of making a plan. Taste Alexander Valley has a little more leisurely pace than some of the Sonoma events where you have to choose from 100+ wineries in a few days, but I have always found the event more enjoyable if I take a few minutes with a map, the list of offers by winery and make an ‘A’ list of those I don’t want to miss. You have unique opportunities, such as “Outlaw 7″ seven very small wineries,  you may not come across otherwise.

I find it fun to also have a bit of a theme for the weekend; is my main focus this time exploring wineries I have never been too? Maybe its on a hunt for a certain type of varietal (wine type). Maybe mostly visit favorites. Maybe the music and/or food offers are the theme. I often do one theme one day, and one the other.

My two personal quests for this event: (1) visit as many new wineries as I can, as I have tended to focus on my faves like Stryker Sonoma, Trione and a few others repeatedly, more from habit and friendship.  (2) My love affair with Rhone wines (22 wonderful varietals from the Rhone region of France) after attending Hospice du Rhone remains at an all time high, so I will be seeking these out. I have already marked producers of Syrah, Grenache, Viognier; I am hoping to find some other Rhone varietals and blends. (Petite Sirah doesn’t count sorry.) Shout out to me if you have one, or know of one!

Print out the two page overview, look at the map make some notes, give it some thought, I promise you’ll find the investment worthwhile instead of randomly driving and stopping.

The Alexander Valley website also has a great sorting tool where you can search by wines produced, amenities and more.

What to bring

As a near professional eventer, I have a standard list of things I load up to have on hand:

• Clothing: Yes, wear clothes. Plan on layers, the day starts cool and warms as it goes. Most events seem focused on outside, but if you spend anytime in a barrel room or cellar, the temperature will be 58 degrees, you’ll want a layer to put on. Weather info here.
  
• Credit Card: This is a great time to buy wine; some of these wineries don’t have tasting rooms, or limited distribution. If you find something you like, buy a bottle or 3. Many wineries will be offering sales on releases and cases, which I will feature in a article tomorrow.  Many of these wineries are (very) small business and family owned, and they aren’t non profits, they stay in business via wine sales. These events don’t generate profit, they actually cost the winery money unless sales are good. Please support small local business and artisans.
• Cooler. I actually bring two. One small one with soft drinks, water, caffeine sources, fruit, and a second larger one for wine. There is no better way to ruin wine then to leave it in a 75+ degree car for the afternoon.
• Spit Cup: Most consumers are not going to do this, but I am relentless on sharing how this changed my tasting experience. If you become a hard core wine taster, you eventually have no choice to learn this; taste 50+ wines in an hour and you learn why the big red plastic cups are prevalent at industry events. It takes as little as 6-8 oz of wine to impact your sensory analysis and judgement, and move from wine tasting, to drinking.  Nothing wrong with the latter, if being responsible, but it depends on your goal. Tasting room staff should generally recognize a more serious wine taster and buyer, and you usually also get more interesting pours. At a minimum, especially in the first few hours as you warm up, make use of the dump bucket – its not an insult to take a taste, and dump out the rest.
• Sunny Disposition: You are in gorgeous wine country, having fun. Smile, relax, breathe the great air and be one with the vineyard. If it gets busy, go easy on that staff (often volunteers) helping out. Saturday afternoon is generally the busiest time, so I plan accordingly and seek out the less beaten paths.

For participating wineries, the article I wrote a few months ago  may be of interest: Wine Road Barrel Tasting & Social Media – Optimizing Your Event

Still haven’t bought a ticket yet? Don’t wait, the Friday night opening Gala has already sold out. You can save $20 buy buying online in advance, AND use promo code FBOOK.

I hope that is helpful, don’t hesitate to post questions, suggestions, or comments – I want to hear from you!

Don’t forget to come back tomorrow (or sign up for email updates) for a special article on Sales Promotions by participating wineries.

Cheers, and hope to see you there! You can also follow my adventures, tasting notes, and pics on Twitter (hash tag #TAV10) and Facebook.

It’s another fun filled weekend in Sonoma County for events; below are some of the highlights and my personal picks.

May Sonoma Facebook Wine Meetup

Friday 5-7  p.m. Roadhouse Winery, Healdsburg

Facebook Wine Meetup meets again in North Sonoma this month!
Join consumers, wine producers, and fun residents (or visitors) of Wine Country, for a social meeting. Many of us are Facebook friends who communicate regularly, but may have never met: lets put the ‘Social’ in Social Media.

$10 at the door gets you a glass of wine, and nibbles. This month we are at Roadhouse Winery, a new winery in downtown Healdsburg.
The door prize raffle drawings for wine and other items at 630 pm, so try to be there by then! If your business wishes to donate wine or other merchandise (physical items only).
We usually get 60+ people, so come out and network, have fun.

Lets celebrate this amazing county, its great people, and make new wine friends. See you there!

Please RSVP  here if you can so we can have sufficient, glasses, food, soft drinks, etc.

Longboard Vineyards Mavericks ’10 Reception

Sat 5-9 pm The Tasting Lounge, 5 Fitch Street, Healdsburg, CA

The Mavericks, Everest of the Seas Exhibition has unveiled its latest gallery featuring some of the most heart-stopping images from the epic El Niño-fueled 2010 Big Wave Season. This year’s lineup will include the finest new images from Award-winning photographers Frank Quirarte, Doug Acton, Seth Migdail, Ed Grant and Art Gimbel along with a multimedia slide show and a video recap of the 2010 Mavericks Surf Contest, one of the greatest days in surfing history.
“Everest of the Seas” first made its debut at the Coastal Arts League Gallery in Half Moon Bay, drawing large crowds and an enthusiastic response. The show has finished successful runs at San Francisco’s world class Museum and Gallery, SFMOMA, The Fillmore, The Half Moon Bay Big Wave Surfing Festival and now a return engagement at Longboard Vineyards.

Facebook RSVP here.

Best of Sonoma County Wineries Exclusive Tasting Event

Sun 1-430  3358 Coffey Lane, Suite D, Santa Rosa CA 95403

Vinify Wine Services/Collective is a state of the art custom crush facility located in Santa Rosa that houses some of the best boutique winemakers in Sonoma County. Our member wineries produce wines from highly acclaimed vineyards all over the North Coast representing over 12 varietals.  Join us on Sunday, May 23rd and preview 40+ wines presented in Bordeaux or Burgundy Riedel stemware (yours to keep).

Winemakers and owners will be showcasing their wines and are available to answer all of your questions and educate you in order to make informed purchasing decisions.  Some of our wineries are hot “up and comers”, while others are established, reputable brands producing highly allocated, quality wines, many of which are sold exclusively direct from each winery.

A generous spread of cheeses and other tasty wine treats will be provided. In addition, we will be raffling off a few cases of mixed wine to anyone that enters, raffle entrance is free.

Limited tickets available!  Purchase tickets in advance at $20 per person and save, tickets available here.

For questions, please call Hillary at 707-495-4959 or email at hillary.lattanzio@gmail.com

Some of the participating wineries include: Baker Lane, Bevan Cellars, Bjornstad Cellars, Lattanzio Winery, Pfendler Vineyards, Sojourn Cellars, Westerhold Family Vineyards, Calluna Vineyard, Jemrose Vineyard, Barbed Oak Vineyards, Desmond Wines, Frostwatch Vineyard and Winery, Olsen Ogden Wines, Gracianna Winery, Cinque Insieme Wines

Facebook RSVP

Paradise Ridge Winery Santa Rosa Estate -16th Anniversary Celebration & Opening of Marijke’s Grove Exhibit “Mettle”

Sunday May 23rd 11-5

Join Paradise Ridge at their Open House to celebrate from 11-3.  Releasing the exclusive 2008 Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley & the 2008 Ode to Joy, Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc. Current release wines will be paired with scrumptious nibbles. Outstanding anniversary discounts will be offered on wine and gift items.

Tickets are $10 per person at the door refundable with purchase.  There is no charge for Paradise Found wine club members.

“Mettle” is the 14th annual sculpture exhibit at Marijke’s Grove. It will feature the amazing work of the following artists; Albert Dicruttalo, Ben Harris, Grant Irish, Michael Maes, Dan Romo, Wayne Shaffer, Raymond Suarez, William Wareham & Cedric Wentworth.

There will be a reception in the sculpture garden with the artists from 3-5 pm.

Cheers!

Facebook RSVP

Paso Robles Wine Festival

After my recent trip to Hospice du Rhone, I am dying to return to Paso for more Rhones, besides the tasting events, manywineries are featuring special pairings, entertainment etc. Just can’t pull it off, having been on the road two months straight.

Info is here.

Siduri Open House

Saturday, May 22nd, 9am to 4pm is our

Join Siduri for their Annual Spring Open House at the winery, enjoy  some fantastic Wine Specials, some great Growers helping pour, and more fun than the law should allow.

This Spring Open House also has the distinction of being the last event held at our current address – as we will be moving across the parking lot this summer!  It isn’t a big move, distance-wise, but it still promises to be a real pain!  To help ease that pain,  a number of wines are on sale, which will undoubtedly leave ess to move!  Those of you who live far away from the Wine Country and won’t be able to this event can share some of the Wine Specials with you as well.  These specials include fantastic pricing on a number of Siduri and Novy wines as well as discounts on some pre-release offerings.  To access the Specials please click here.

Mutt Lynch Winery – See You This Saturday at Barkus!!

Join Us At Barkus!

Join Mutt Lynch on this Saturday May 22 from 11am to 4pm for 2nd annual BARKUS Spring event at the winery.  All you need to know is this year’s theme… Mingle, Sniff, Mingle… who can resist?

Patch is resting up for the event.  And the Mutt Lynch human crew is getting the winery ready for a day full of wine tasters and canine sniffers!  Swing on by and join the fun!  And remember…  $10 admission, which is being donated in full to the San Francisco SPCA.  And 10% of all sales proceeds on the day are being donated to the SF SPCA as well.

For other links to Sonoma Wine Events check out the Wine Road and Sonoma County pages.

If you see me out and about this weekend, say HI!

Cheers!

Summer is here in Wine Country, and the plethora of amazing food and wine experiences is getting ready to ramp up, right through fall Harvest.

One of the highlights of the start of summer, is the Taste of Alexander Valley, an incredible event featuring food and wine pairings, and entertainment from 35 wineries in gorgeous Alexander Valley. I have yet to visit a fair number of these, and I bet many gems await your discovery as well.

Two Days of Casual Elegance, World Class Food and Wines

The event is June 5 & 6th, from 11-4 pm. Only two days, so many great places, so little time – will need a plan! Luckily the Alexander Valley website is very well done with great interactive tools and maps, the ability to sort by many different ways including varietal (3 wineries make Tempranillo – who knew?!), even sort by dog friendly! As the event gets closer, I will write an article to assist with planning your days, but all the tools are here.

For only $65, a weekend ticket provides you the chance to experience 35 wineries hosting their own special parties offering wine and food pairings, live entertainment and special weekend wine discounts. For a list of Participating Wineries and a Description of their featured pairings, click HERE.

*Special Offer* Enter Promo Code: FBOOK when you purchase online, and get $10 off – thats the entire weekend of premium food, wine, and entertainment in gorgeous Alexander Valley, for $55. To purchase tickets online CLICK HERE.

There are new wineries, as well as wineries not normally open to the public or without tasting rooms participating – have to admit a few I never heard of. (Check out the ‘The Outlaw 7′ pouring at the  Geyserville Inn: Icaria Winery, Joseph Family Vineyards, Kelley & Young, Pendleton Estate, Quaking Hills Winery, and Wilson Fleming Estate Winery.)

Friday Night Opening Gala

For those Hedonists looking for even more culinary and wine delights, there is a special event Friday night to kick it off,  The Opening Gala. Friday June 4 from 5:00–8:30 PM at Rodney Strong’s renowned Alexander’s Crown Vineyard estate. The Gala will feature reserve wines from throughout Alexander Valley and a variety of exquisite small plates prepared by Peloton Catering. There will also be live swing music by Stompy Jones, a well known San Francisco bases sextet. Mingle with Alexander Valley’s winemakers, winery principals, and vineyard owners at “The Crown”, amidst stunning Alexander Valley views. Tickets are  $90 with limited availability, and nearly sold out.

Win Free Tickets

Taste of Alexander Valley has been generous enough to donate tickets for promotional giveway. Two winners will be selected this Friday, May 21st, at the Sonoma Facebook Wine Meetup, in downtown Healdsburg, at the new Roadhouse Winery. Early next week, we will announce a contest for drawing for an additional winners, so stay tuned. And in yet one more chance to win, there will be a drawing for tickets to email subscribers of Simple Hedonisms. (top right.) Come back for details, as well as Tips on planning your event, as well as a special article on Winery inventory promotions.

See you in Alexander Valley – Cheers!

Friday May 21st is the next monthly meeting of the Sonoma Facebook Wine Meetup. If you haven’t attended or heard of, its a Wine Networking event started last December. It’s a social happy hour for networking of wine industry, marketing and social media, wine consumers, cellar rats, and people who love Sonoma. The underlying goal was to put the ‘social in social networking’ after I observed how many people in the county had been Facebook friends, but may have never met; and every event one can hear “so glad to finally meet you” as well as make new friends and have a great time.

We meet 1x a month and rotate the venue and the night. Most have been in North Sonoma, as I am traveling 4+ days a week now regularly for my ‘real’ job in the software industry, have limited time, and the best support/resource base has been up here, but I certainly intend to do Sonoma Valley again – sooner than later if a venue, or people step up to help. Napa Valley also just started their sister group and had their first event, with over 70 people attending. (The Monday night was a successful draw for industry, oddly no one here has requested that.) I hope to work with Andrew at some point this summer to combine one, if we can find a middle ground people will drive too. (Historically a challenge, given the distance.)

If you are interested in hosting one month, the suggested criteria for success, based on experience, is here. Contact me to discuss if interested. (June is tentatively selected at a winery, combined with a music event, but still in progress. For the busy summer, I am contemplating combining the meetups with other events.)

Anyway, I am pleased to announce this month’s venue and a new twist. We are at Roadhouse Winery, a new winery in North Sonoma, just a few blocks away from downtown Healdsburg. The event will run from 5-7 pm, $10 a the door gets you a glass of wine and nibbles ($5 for non drinkers.) As with previous events, we will have a raffle drawing for wine or merchandise, generously donated by local wineries (who get to present their offering.) drawn at 630.

Please RSVP by tonight, so we can have adequate food, staffing, glasses etc.

Wine Meetup: RSVP Here or email SimpleHedonisms@gmail.com

Cheers!

(For those of you interested in the ‘Secret Dinner’ after by Chef Mateo, unfortunately he had to postpone (did we ruin the secret?). After the meetup, dine in one of Healdsburg’s many amazing restaurants.

Wine Country events are starting to ramp up again, to the point where I need to clone myself to be able to attend all the ones I want.

The Simple Hedonisms Calendar is a great source for events I scour from multiple sources.

http://www.simplehedonisms.com/calendar-of-events

Events can be downloaded right to your calendar for Google, Outlook, or other .ics based calendar, and synced to your Smartphone. In the next week or so, will be launchinhg an improved version, custom written by Healdsburg local Kenny Lowe.

This Weekend’s Highlights:

April in Carneros 2010

April 17 and 18, 10am until 4pm—is an exciting winery open house event featuring more than 20 wineries in Carneros.  Each will open its doors and invite visitors to join in on a variety of activities.  Wineries may offer food and wine pairings, live music, art or craft shows, special tastings (barrel, reserve, library, new release), discounts or special pricing, and more.
Tickets are $35 in advance, $40 the day of event and are valid both days of the event.  Tickets also include $5 in “Carneros Cash” per ticket which can be applied to any purchase at all participating wineries.

With your ticket, you’ll receive an April in Carneros logo glass and access to all the fun!  (Some activities at some wineries may have additional fees, but all participating wineries have generous offerings for April in Carneros participants at no cost above the price of admission.)  Proceeds from Holiday in Carneros fund scholarships at Santa Rosa Junior College and Napa Valley College.

Some of the wineries participating are Adastra Wines, Anaba, Bonneau Wines, Bouchaine Vineyards, Ceja Vineyards, Enkidu Wines, Etude Wines, Homewood Winery, Kamen Estate Wines, Larson Family Winery, Larson Family @ Cornerstone, Mantra @ Grange Sonoma, McKenzie-Mueller Vineyards & Winery, Tin Barn Vineyards, and Ty Caton Vineyards.

More details at: http://www.carneroswineries.org/events/

French PIG- the Butcher & the Cook, Kelley Young Wines

This Special Edition of French PIG is a full day hands-on workshop in the wine country home of Kathleen Kelley & Jim Young. In addition to the convivial and relaxed setting, the day-long workshop including lunch, concludes with PINK: a pork & rose’ tasting dinner featuring Kathleen’s Rose, a Bordeaux-style rose true to our Southwest roots.

RSVP: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=391364862904

Pope Valley Vintners Tasting

Come Visit Napa’s Last Frontier!

The Pope Valley Winery will be hosting a collection of the finest wineries, vineyards and labels of the Pope Valley region. Along with these amazing wines, there will be olive oil tastings, cheese and fruit platters, a bocce ball tournament, and live music from vocal guitarist Johnny Smith. And all event profits will be donated to the St. Jude Children’s Hospital. It will be a day of great wine and music for a great cause! $20/person
RSVP at http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=350858968801

Spring Passport Day – Wineries in the Santa Cruz Mountains

The Santa Cruz Mountains Winegrowers Association invites you to take part in our Spring Passport Program.  Over fifty Santa Cruz Mountains wineries – from Ahlgren to Zayante – will open their doors to Passport Program participants on Saturday, April 17th, 2010 between 11 am and 5 pm.  Passports, which cost just $40 per person, provide entry into participating wineries, including many that are not normally open to the public at any other time.  Passport holders will be invited to tour the facilities, meet the winemakers, and sample the fruits of their labors – including special wines poured only for participants in the Passport Program! Passports are valid until all wineries have been visited. The passport never expires!
The Passport Program will be repeated on the 3rd Saturday of January, April, July & November each year. This allows guests to visit the vineyards at every season in the growing cycle.  This Spring, on April 17th, begin a new adventure to experience the greatness of the wines produced in this appellation, spend a wonderful day at the wineries in the company of winemakers’ and bring home some great wine to treasure and share with friends for any special occasion!

More information at: http://www.scmwa.com/passport/wineries.htm

37th Annual Bodega Bay Fisherman’s Festival

WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT? The Festival began as a celebration of the opening of the Salmon fishing season. Boats are decorated and parade out of the harbor on Sunday morning, gathering outside the jetties to receive blessings of the fleet by a local clergyman. A flower wreath is cast on the waters to honor those who have lost their lives in this dangerous occupation.
The festival is packed with music, food and entertainment.
Join great wineries like  Stryker Sonoma to be pouring some fantastic wines in the wine tent, and having a whale of a good time!

More info at: http://www.bodegabay.com/discover/bodega_bay_fish_fest.html

Celebrate Earth Day With Green Valley

Sunday, April 18, 2010
12pm to 4pm

This year marks the 40th anniversary of Earth Day. Where better to celebrate than Green Valley … at a wine tasting … at beautiful Iron Horse? The eight participating wineries are DeLoach Vineyards, Dutton-Goldfield Winery, Freeman Vineyard & Winery, Hartford Family Winery, Iron Horse Vineyards, Marimar Estate, Orogeny and Sequana Vineyards.
Serving California Osetra Caviar (sustainably farmed, of course) at the VIP Sparkling reception. At the main event, Hog Island oysters, shucked by founder and avid surfer John Finger, grilled fish prepared by surfer-chef Kory Stewart from Americano at Hotel Vitale in San Francisco, a fish taco truck manned by Iron Horse alum Christopher Greenwald of Bay Laurel Catering, the delicious breads from surfer-baker Jed Wallach of Wildflour Bread in Freestone and local, seasonal vegetables and salads (it is Earth Day, after all) prepared by Iron Horse Winery fisher-chef Ruben Gomez.

More info at: http://www.ironhorsevineyards.com/events/images/EarthDay2010-TicketOrderForm.jpg

Slow Food Russian River Mixer

The Spring Mixer is a regional event for all Slow Food members and friends in and around Sonoma County.  Rosso Pizzeria will provide the pizza and salad, and you provide the wine or other beverages and desserts.

This is an opportunity to eat and drink with friends and welcome the change of seasons.
To help us keep this a low-cost and low-impact event, please bring the following items:
*  Wine and/or a dessert for yourself or to share
*  Your own plate, utensils, glass and linens

Parking is very limited, so carpooling is mandatory.    Valhalla Gardens, 245 Ferguson Rd. Sebastopol, CA 95472

707-696-2952 or http://www.slowfoodrr.org

Have a great weekend, and if you see me at one of these, come say hi!

Cheers

So how do you take a great weekend event in the Heart of Sonoma Valley, enjoying food, wine, music, and art at the 20th Annual  Savor Sonoma Food and Wine Experience (22 wineries in the historic Glen Ellen and Kenwood region) and make it better?

Throw in barrel tasting, future sales, and great sales promotions on existing inventory, thats how! Try great wines, and save money on wine you can take home today, as well as new releases later this year. Print this out and take it along!

St. Francis Winery & Vineyards

• 2004 Case Sale: Cases of remaining 2004 wines will be sold at 40% off to the public, 50% off to Club members. Mix and match too.
• Free St. Francis t-shirt with $75 wine purchase
• Mini Cheesesteak Sandwiches and Triple Chocolate Brownies!
• A representative from Stella & Dot Jewelry will be here to showcase their latest line

Eric Ross Winery

• Will be selling futures on the Russian River 2009 Saralee Pinot Noir, a very nice wine similar in complexity to the 2008 vintage. Also a brand new wine  -  2009 Tempranillo with a splash (5%) of Graciano making this a beautiful rich complex wine of Spanish origins. We are especially excited about how this one came out of the cellar which will be released in October.

• Eric Ross only offers discounts to wine club members and in continuing support of them the only discount we offer is 20% to them. Should anyone like to join the wine club this weekend the discount will apply to all wine purchases.

Mayo Family Winery

• 2008 Pinot Noir, Laurel Hill Vineyard, Sonoma Valley, Estate Bottled $302008 Grenache, Judge Family Vineyard, Sonoma Valley $352008 Zinfandel, Ricci Vineyard, Russian River Valley, Old Vines $402008 Cabernet Sauvignon, Delaney Family Vineyard, Sonoma County $40

• 2007 Pinot Gris, Balletto Vineyard, Sonoma Coast $25
• 2007 Viognier, Saralee’s Vineyard, Russian River Valley, $35
• 2006 Syrah, Ostrander Vineyard, Sonoma Valley, $35
• 2005 Meritage, Rancho Salinas Vineyard, Sonoma Valley $40

Kunde Family Estate

• 2007 Chardonnay – C. S. Ridge $96/case
• 2005 Merlot   $72/ case
• 2006 Sangiovese $120/case

VJB Vineyards & Cellars

• VJB Vineyards and Cellars will be barrel sampling from the 08 & 09 vintage and will be offering 30-35% discounts on case purchases of both futures and on case purchases of current release bottled wines.
• Join owner & executive chef Maria Belmonte cooking live and will be selling her homemade sauces & biscotti’s this weekend!

Chateau St. Jean

The theme this year is Mardi Gras and GatorBeat will be performing on Saturday.

Barrel Samples, Future Sales:

• Offering 3 barrel samples  this year: 2009 Chardonnay Cold Creek.  2009 Pinot Noir So Co,  2007 Cabernet Sauv. Cinq Cépages.

• Futures will be available at the following case prices: Chard = $195; Pinot = $135 and Cinq = $555; all 3 of them are super “crazy” deals.

Finished Wine Promotion: Chateau St. Jean is offering a 4 pack of wines, normally $96, on sales for $60. The 4 pack includes:

• 2007 Pinot Blanc (perennial favorite).  2007 Chardonnay Durell (crème brulee in a glass).  2007 Pinot Noir So Co (burgundian delight) a 2006 Cabernet Sauv. So Co. (chocolate covered cherries aromas) .

“Laissez les bons temps rouler!”

Enkidu Wine

Join Enkidu in their new one year anniversary of their tasting room.  They are  pouring eight wines this weekend, including our new release (and first) Sangiovese.

Enkidu is  are offering 15% off any wine purchase for 4 – 11 bottles and 20% off for 12 bottles or more, this weekend only.

Landmark Vineyards

Special event discount:

• 10% off 3 Bottles, 15% off 6 Bottles, 20% off 12 Bottles

• Barrel Tasting Pack: Overlook Chardonnay $28; Grand Detour Pinot Noir $40; Grenache $25. Buy all three for $80 (save $13)

If you haven’t already bought tickets, they are still available for purchase at the door of participating wineries. Click the link to download the full map and program.

As always for events I advise: (1) make a plan so you taste, try what you want. (2) Drink responsibly – its wine tasting. If you are a serious taster/buyer, your palette is changed after only a few pours. Bring your own spit cup, and use dump buckets. (3) Wineries are businesses, often small ones, not charities. They survive on sales, so if you like their wines, buy some. If you REALLY like their wines, consider joining the wine club. Additional suggestions for events are in previous articles, including this one.

We will be out and about Sunday, if you see us, say hi!

Cheers!

Article 4 of 4: Barrel Tasting Sales Promotions  – Existing Inventory Sales (of wine, not barrels)

In the 3^rd article we discussed the basic concept of barrel tasting and how some wineries offer discounts on unreleased wines. Some wineries also take advantage of the event to offer sales incentives on existing inventory, special offers for new club members, and other limited offers.

Following are some of these offers:

Lynmar Estates (both weekends)

• Lynmar is offering Purchases including these four wines: 2004 Quail Hill Estate Chard, 2006 Russian River Pinot Noir, 2006 Russian River Chardonnay (almost gone) & 2006 Sonoma Coast Syrah are priced at the following discount: 3btls: 20% off, 6btls: 25% off, 12btls: 35% off.

Longboard Vineyards (both weekends)

• Longboard Is offering a a mix-and-match discount special for your-choice combination of our Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot and Point Break Red.  3 bottles for $60, 6 bottles for $120 and a case for $240.”In addition Longboard has just put out a Magnums only library release with prices starting @ $100. (Club discounts apply.) Their 2005 Syrah is also on sale by the case.

Mounts Family Winery (both weekends)

• Mounts is offering special discounts on its existing inventory, which includes Rose, Cabernet, Petite Syrah, Syrah and Zin.10% on half case (normally 5%), 20% on full case (normally 10%) You can mix and match for full case discount – no minimum per varietal required.

Trione (both weekends)

• Trione  Is offering  a special case discount on the  2007 Sauvignon Blanc of $138 to people who mention the hashtag #barreltasting,  check in on Foursquare, or  Twitter/Facebook/Blog promotion.
• Also, each day they will be drawing  a prize to every 100th customer who comes. The prizes will include but are not limited to hats, T-shirts and VIP tour and tasting for 6 people with a wine educator.

Kokomo (both weekends)

• Kokomo is putting our 2006 Dry Creek Zin on special. It normally retails for $27, but for the weekends only during the event, it will be $22.50.

Sausal (both weekends)

• Sausal Winery is offering a 15% discount on any purchase of our 2006 Private Reserve Zinfandel (100% Estate Zin from 90 year-old vines) and a 15% discount off any purchase on our Sogni ‘d Oro (Italian style blend of Sangiovese, Zinfandel, Carignane, and Petite Sirah.)

• They will also be doing a 15% off discount off any 6 bottles purchase (mix and match) or 20% off a case (mix and match).

Acorn (both weekends)

• Acorn Is offering 15% off 6-11 bottles, and 30% off a case, of their 2006 Sangiovese, Axiom Syrah, and Heritage Vines Zinfandel. Mixed Cases ok.

J Keverson (both weekends)

• J Keverson will be offering their 20066 Old Vine Zin Hales Vineyard on sale 50% off by the case. ($180.)

Dutcher Crossing (both weekends)

• Dutcher Crossing is offering a 4 pack special in the tasting room for 15% off.

Hart’s Desire (first weekend only)

• Hart’s Desire is offering their Double Gold 2004 Syrah on sale for $94 case.

Pellegrini (First weekend only)

• Buy one bottle of the 2006 Malbec or the 2007 Merlot, and receive a bottle of the Cuvee 107 for free.

• Also offering $1 shipping per case, mix and match ok.

Other Interesting Offers

White Oak Vineyards and Winery (first weekend only)

• White Oak has a 20 year old tradition during Barrel Tasting – BYOZ (Bottle Your Own Zin.) of their Estate Old Vines (85 year) Zin that is available only in the tasting room, around 300 cases a year. BYOZ offers the opportunity to bottle and label your own bottle in the ‘Zin Zone’. The cost for BYOZ is $25. Entrance to the Zin Zone also offers a full tasting of all wines as well as have appetizers, meet our owner and also our cellar crew and of course experience hand bottling. It’s a fun tradition they share with fans old and new only once a year.

D’Argenzio Winery (both weekends)

• D’Argenzio is holding a raffle to win 2 complementary tickets to winemaker dinner at Inn at the Tides, May 21 Friday night $79.00 each, Each purchase of a case of wine earns an entry into drawing and winners at the end of each weekend.

WoodenHead Vinters: (first weekend only)

• Will be offering a 15% discount for anyone that joins the Wine Club!  Space is limited.

I will repost this next week with any updates, changes I get for the second weekend.

Have a Great Barrel Tasting weekend! Be safe, stock up on wine, and let us know on our Facebook Fan site, where ya want!

Cheers!

It’s almost here! The 32nd Annual Wine Road Barrel Tasting.  Two weekends of barrel samples, new wine releases, wine discounts, food pairings, and entertainment, for a pittance of $20 a weekend (in advance, $30 at door.)

This event is a little more complicated and unique than your typical ‘bracelet’ event, so more than ever, I encourage a little time for thought and planning.

Here’s Why You Need A Plan:

• The event spans two weekends, but some wineries are only participating the first weekend.
• Some wineries pour early, starting Friday afternoon, others don’t.
• Most, but not all, Wine Road wineries participate.

The Wine Road has a comprehensive short list (scroll down first page)  and a long list of the details on above.

I always recommend printing out the detailed program, grabbing  glass of wine, and perusing the whole thing. Make a theme: New wineries one day, familiar favorites the second? Focusing on one appellation like Dry Creek, Russian River, or exploring Alexander Valley and Geyserville? Chasing down new zins or pinots? Use concepts like this to drive a plan, make it more fun, and feel like you accomplished more in your exploration of wine, and North Sonoma wineries.

This is a very busy event, at certain times of the day. If you are like me, standing in a crush of people, waiting for a pour, isn’t always an enjoyable experience, and with some planning, can be minimized.

Some basic tips:

• Saturday is generally busier than Sunday.
• The event gets gets busier as the day progresses.
• Dense areas like Healdsburg get snarled with traffic, pedestrians, as an area with high concentration of tasting rooms, in a small area.

Factor that in when you are laying out your route, and don’t want to wait in line for an hour at A. Rafanelli to sample.

Other suggestions To Enhance Tasting:

Work into your agenda some of the non- participating Wine Road wineries, especially mid afternoon during the peak. There are many great wineries just open for normal business; why not stop at a few.  I am taking my out of town guests for the Wine & Food pairing at Seghesio, Saturday afternoon, as one example.

Glass and Bracelet Pickup Details:

I thought I’d help clarify a few of the check-in and pick up details, as well as a few tips on this.

• If you pre-purchased tickets, you have to  pick a ‘check in’ winery. After 150 check-ins, a winery is taken off the list as eligible for check-in. This is to help you the consumer, and disperse crowds. What if your friends are checking in at ABC Winery and its full? Check into the one next door, both of you get your glasses, try the wines, and then connect.

• “I picked a winery for check-in that isn’t pouring Friday, and we want to taste then.” That’s perfectly ok – all wineries will have their glasses (make sure they are open to public) and wristbands. Just go there and check-in, and then head out. Or better yet, since you are there, experience whatever their normal wine tasting experience is, sans barrel samples.

Save $10, Last chance to Win

Tonight at 9 p.m. is the last chance to get tickets in advance and save $10.

Tonight is also the final drawing for free tickets, or a Wine Road Cookbook. To enter to win, simply register for secure, no spam, email updates of new blog posts, in the top right corner. One will be chosen at random at 11 pm Pacific, tonight.

Look for more helpful articles this week, including a special edition of Winery promotions on current inventory.

cheers!

I visited Mayo for the first time a few weeks ago, during the Heart of Sonoma Valley Open House, as reviewed earlier this month.

When I learned they had a unoaked chard, I bought a bottle, blind as it wasn’t available for tasting. I have written several recent articles on unoaked chardonnay and discussed the nature and flavor profile of this style of chardonnay. I am planning a review soon, of a side by side comparison of many, so if you produce one, or know of one, let me know soon.

The marketeer in me doesn’t jazz on the term ‘unwooded’ but the description on the back label captures perfectly the essence of this style. “Ever wonder what chardonnay really tastes like underneath all that oak? We’ve made this wine for ourselves for a few years, loving the fruit forward, mineral…qualities if offers. We thought it was time to let it loose on the public.”

And I am glad they did, although its no longer on their website, so wondering if they are sold out.

This is another great expression of pure chardonnay fruit.  It doesn’t specify it did not undergo malolactic fermentation, but my guess is it didn’t.

The 2007 vintage is from the Sonoma Coast, Risk Vineyards. 454 cases made. 13.9% alcohol.

Color: Pale to medium yellow, good clarity

Aroma:  Scents of wet stone, grapefruit, and a hint of peach

In the Mouth: Bursting with citrus when it first hits the palette, pleasant taste of kiwi and peach on the mid palette,and a pleasant finish that lingers citrus and a hint of minerality.

I will repeat my mantra on drinking quality white wines: DO NOT OVERCHILL. If its been in the fridge, take it out for 15 minutes. If the glass is cold to touch, warm it in your hands. Cold masks all the aroma and flavor profiles the winemaker worked so hard to achieve.

cheers!

Is your mantra about white wine  ‘ABC’. (Anything but chardonnay.) Do you enjoy sauvignon blanc, or other white wines with crisp acidity, and bright fruit? If so hunt out the slowly growing category of chardonnays that are made without oak aging or malolactic (ML) fermentation.

There is nothing wrong with a chardonnay that is well made, and seen some oak and ML, but many have been turned off by the overly oaky, buttery chardonnays that have been being cranked out for years – we love to take a good thing to excess in the U.S. Its also a personal palette preference.

I discovered sauvignon blanc years ago, before the New Zealand craze caught on, and as a result of palette fatigue (kinda like wine ADHD) was hunting something else, and was pleased to discover this slowly emerging category of chardonnay in the US. (This is nothing new to Aussies.) I was inspired enough this was one of the two varietals I crushed this year, to also experiment with this style.

The Sonoma County Fair for the first time, amidst some controversy, had a category this year for unoaked Chardonnay, which I hope they repeat.  Like any wine, not all of these unoaked, no ML chardonnays are stellar, and a few poorly made entries seem to have portrayed the category negatively.

I generally try and/or buy any in Sonoma County I find, and have tasted quite a few. Sometime early next year, I am planning to taste through a number in comparison, so if you have suggestions, send them on.

One that I discovered this year, and enjoy regularly is from Gary Branham, a local boutique wine maker. Gary shares a tasting room with Kenny and Lynn of Hobo Wines, (I am a big fan of Kenny’s wines.)  Both of their wines are poured and available for purchase in downtown Healdsburg, at Downtown Wine. More often than not, you will be attended to by Aaron – a very knowledgeable wine aficionado. Talk less than I do, and you may learn a few things. Downtown Wine is also part of the Wine Road, and will be taking part in the Winter Wineland next month.

Color: Pale yellow, light straw, good clarity

Aroma:  A wonderful nose – full of  green apple, citrus

In the Mouth: Left on the lees (wine sediment) for 4 months gives this chardonnay nice mouth feel.

A bounty of fruit in the mouth; pineapple, green apple, grapefruit. Needless to say, a mouth watering finish, that lingers nicely.

Only 325 cases made, get some before its gone, but save a case for me!

Around $22, You can find this wine at the Downtown Tasting room, or Vine Tastings in Windsor, by the glass or bottle. (Unfortunately like most restaurants its served over chilled, masking its nuances. Cup your hands around the glass for a minute.)

Wine Geek Info

• Harvest: September 30, 2007
• Average Chemistry at Harvest: 25 Brix 3.20 pH .68 TA
• Whole Cluster Pressed
• Fermented in Stainless Steel for 25 days @ 55 degrees F
• No Malolactic fermentation ~ Left sur lie for 4 months
• Bottling: January 2007
• Chemistry at bottling: 14% alcohol 3.20 pH .68 TA
• Varietal percentage; 100% Chardonnay
• Vineyards: Foppoli Family Vineyard
• Production: 325 Cases