Category Archives: Holidays

Event, Food, Holidays, People, Sonoma County Vintners, Tasting, Varietal, Vlog, Wine, Winery

Sparkling is Back! With Pour+Explore on December 11th

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Celebrate a year of Pour+Explore, with our first replay, Sparkling Wine tasting at Gloria Ferrer. The perfect way to embrace holiday festivities, featuring sparkling wines from 20+ wineries, by participating Sonoma County Vintners. Including a walk-around tasting of a curated selection of wines from each vintner: Savor appetizers from the Gloria Ferrer culinary team, with a beautifully arranged cheese and charcuterie station featuring a variety of artisanal cheeses, cured meats, and flavorful Spanish tapas.

TICKETS are $75.00 per person, plus tax and service fee. All attendees must be at least 21 years of age. We hope to see you there – Cheers! Chris

Featured POUR + EXPLORE Wineries

Annadel Estate Winery, Balletto Vineyards, Banshee, Breathless, Bricoleur, Chateau St. Jean, Freeman Vineyard & Winery, Furthermore, Gloria Ferrer, Iron Horse, Laurel Glen Vineyard, Longboard Vineyards, Merriam, Naidu Wines, Patz & Hall, Pellegrini-Olivet Lane, Schug Estate Winery, Sosie Wines & more!

Event, Food, Holidays, People, Sommelier, Sonoma County Vintners, Tasting, Varietal, Video, Vlog, Wine, Winery

Extra Special Guest David Ramey On TVS!

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An EPIC conversation with California Chardonnay icon David Ramey of Ramey Wine Cellars about the joys of working with this legendary white grape and it’s noble red grape counterpart Pinot Noir grown at his family’s estate property on Westside Road in Russian River Valley and the exciting new Pour+Explore Chardonnay & Pinot Noir wine tasting event, happening at Bacchus Landing, in Healdsburg next Thursday, Nov 13th!

GET YOUR TICKETS for an endless array of world-class offerings, poured by the over 40 wineries at this festive pre-holiday event, that I am co-hosting with the Sonoma County Vintners!

Event, Food, Holidays, People, Sommelier, Sonoma County Vintners, Tasting, Varietal, Video, Vlog, Wine, Winery

Rodney Strong & Davis Bynum On TVS

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All sorts of celebrations going on this month, which we share with my friends Chris O’Gorman & Katie LaLonde on THE VARIETAL SHOW! Talking about Rodney Strong and Davis Bynum, and the greatness of their Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs being poured at the epic upcoming event with 35-plus Sonoma County Vintners that specialize in making world-class wines at the next exciting Pour+Explore event happening Thursday, November 13 at Bacchus Landing in Healdsburg!!!

GET YOUR TICKETS SOON!

Event, Food, Holidays, Sommelier, Sonoma County Vintners, Tasting, Varietal, Video, Wine, Winery

THE VARIETAL SHOW Tasting With Bacigalupi Vineyards!

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Enjoying the finest Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes with the twins from Bacigalupi Vineyards and talking about the exciting Pour+Explore tasting that we’ll be doing with the Sonoma County Vintners at Bacchus Landing on November 13th, and a preview of the equally cool events we’ll be doing together on 2026 to celebrate the contributions that this family and others made to help Chateau Montelena win the famous Paris Tasting in 1976!

Get your Pour+Explore Chardonnay & Pinot Noir Tickets NOW!

Awards, Competition, Event, Holidays, Judging, Sommelier, Varietal, Wine

AFWC: THE ROSÉ COMPETITION Is OPEN!

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The American Fine Wine Competition is both pleased and honored to invite you to submit your rosé wines to THE Rosé Competition 2025. This will be the 12th edition of this noted wine competition, taking place in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida on May 31, 2025. Our esteemed judges from across the country include a balance of sommeliers, chefs, wine writers, retailers and educators.     

REGISTER HERE! The fee is $70.00 per wine entered.  Registered wines will be accepted through May 15, 2025. Both International and domestic rosé wines are invited to participate. This includes sparkling, dry, and sweet wine categories.

We require four bottles of each wine entered, two for the competition, one to promote your wine at our annual “Fifty Shades of Pink” fundraising event (date and location will be announced soon), and one signed bottle for our charity auction. Thank you and we look forward to sharing your wines. ~Shari & Chris


Event, Food, Holidays, Music, People, Sommelier, Sonoma County Vintners, Tasting, Varietal, Video, Wine

At the Chateau On THE VARIETAL SHOW!

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THE VARIETAL SHOW is at Chateau St Jean with star winemaker Mari Wells Coyle, one of the amazing 30+ wineries that will be joining us at the fabulous Pour & Explore: Red Bordeaux Variety Wine Tasting happening at Rodney Strong Winery on Thursday, Feb 13th!

Come taste Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Malbec, Bordeaux blends, etc at this epic Pre-Valentine’s Day event that I’ll be co-hosting with Sonoma County Vintners! Get your TICKETS for only $65 (+ tax and handling)

Appellation, Event, Food, Holidays, Sommelier, Sonoma County Vintners, Tasting, Wine

THE VARIETAL SHOW Double Feature! Laurel Glen & Mauritson On The Venue

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It’s a VARIETAL SHOW Two-Fer! At Laurel Glen, deciding which brilliant cellar selection of Estate Cab my dear friends Bettina & Randal will share with guests at the exciting Pour & Explore: Cabernet & Red Bordeaux Varieties Tasting. Then, tasting more brilliant Bordeaux blends with Mauritson Wines winemaker Emma Kudritzki.

Join us all for the best from 30+ star wineries at the upcoming Sonoma County Vintners Pour & Explore event taking place on Thurs, February 13th at Rodney Strong Vineyard in Healdsburg!!!

Get your TICKETS (only $65 each!!!) while they last: What a way to start Valentine’s Weekend together!!!

Event, Food, Holidays, Music, Sommelier, Sonoma County Vintners, Tasting, Varietal, Wine

Pour & Explore Bordeaux Varietals Tasting – Rodney Strong on February 13th!

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Pour + Explore is an exciting tasting series produced by Sonoma County Vintners in collaboration with Sommelier Christopher Sawyer!

Join us for this exclusive wine tasting event to celebrate Valentine’s Day at Rodney Strong Vineyards, featuring a special selection of red Bordeaux varietals from over 25 wineries across Sonoma County. Discover wonderful wines that epitomize the essence of each winemaker’s individual style and Sonoma County’s distinctive vineyards.

TICKETS are $65.00 per person, plus tax and service fee. We hope to see you there – Cheers! Chris

Walk-around the RS Artisan Cellar tasting a curated selection of wines from each vintner, and light bites with a selection of cheese and charcuterie: Dress in Valentine’s Day attire to snap a selfie at the photo wall and enjoy romantic lounge beats by DJ J-KIND!

Featured POUR + EXPLORE Wineries

Aperture Cellars, Benziger Family Winery, Bricoleur Vineyards, Chalk Hill Estate, Chateau St. Jean, Flambeaux Wine, Hamel Family Wines, Imagery Estate Winery, Lambert Bridge, Lancaster Estate, Lasseter Family Winery, Laurel Glen Vineyard, Mauritson Wines, Medlock Ames, Merriam Vineyards, North Coast Wine Co., Pride Mountain Vineyards, Ramey Wine Cellars, Robert Young Estate Winery, Rodney Strong Vineyards, Roth Estate, ROWEN Wine Co., Sebastiani Vineyards & Winery, Silver Oak, Stone Edge Farm Estate Vineyards & Winery, Stuhlmuller Vineyards, Trentadue Winery, and more!

Event, Holidays, Music, People, Sommelier, Tasting, Varietal, Video, Virtual, Vlog, Wine

TVS Greets A DANDY WARHOL at Bimbo’s in SF

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Happy Holidays everyone! Enjoy this special treat of music, wine and old school fun with Courtney Taylor-Taylor, founding member and frontman of The Dandy Warhols, which is celebrating 30 years, and contributor to the podcast “Wine Acoustics”. We met up in the famous back wine cellar of Bimbo’s 356 Club, before the show in San Francisco, to share some tastes.

THE WINES: Domaine Daniel Bouland, Maison Louis Jadot, Radio-Coteau & Jordon!

THE PODCAST: Wine Acoustics

THE BAND: The Dandy Warhols

THE GIG: Bimbo’s 365 Club

LIKE, SHARE & FOLLOW my You Tube channel, for notification about upcoming episodes, most Tuesdays @11am PST! Email me about featuring your winery on #THEVARIETALSHOW

Event, Food, Holidays, Sommelier, Sonoma County Vintners, Tasting, Varietal, Wine

Pour + Explore Sparkling Tasting at Gloria Ferrer on December 11

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Pour + Explore is an exciting new tasting experience produced by Sonoma County Vintners in collaboration with Sommelier Christopher Sawyer!

Join us for this exclusive wine tasting event to ring in the holidays at Gloria Ferrer featuring sparkling wines from 25 wineries across Sonoma County. Discover wonderful wines that epitomize the essence of each winemaker’s individual style and the region’s distinctive vineyards.

This festive evening includes a walk-around tasting of a curated selection of wines from each vintner, along with light appetizers. All attendees must be at least 21 years of age.

TICKETS are $65.00 per person, plus tax and service fee. We hope to see you there – Cheers! Chris

Featured POUR + EXPLORE Wineries

Bacigalupi Vineyards, Balletto Vineyards, Banshee Wines, Benovia Winery, Breathless Sparkling Wines, Bricoleur Vineyards, Cartograph Wines, DaVero Farms & Winery, Deerfield Ranch Winery, Domaine Carneros, Freeman Winery, Gloria Ferrer, Inman Family Wines, Iron Horse Vineyards, J Vineyards & Winery, JCB by Jean-Charles Boisset, Keller Estate, Kokomo Winery, Korbel Champagne Cellars, Longboard Vineyards, Naidu Wines, Patz & Hall, Pellegrini-Olivet Lane, Schug Winery, Sosie Wines