Here are the Grand Harvest Awards results from Vineyard & Winery Management. Follow the links below to satiate your curious palate:
Today is National Zinfandel Day!
Grab a zesty glass of Zin and join me LIVE online tomorrow, November 19th, with winemaker Joe Shebl of Renwood Winery on ToutSuite Social Club, to enjoy four of their amazing small production Zinfandels from premier vineyards in Amador County.
Another excuse to sip RRV wines, join me next Wednesday, November 4th, for this event at the Golden Gate Club, in the Presidio, San Francisco.
Guests will also be treated to small bites from the Spinster Sisters, including chili rubbed flank steak with avocado salsa and madras curry chicken puffs among other delectable tastes, plus exquisite cheeses from Freestone Artisan Cheese. There will also be a silent auction and instant cellar raffle (to win 4 cases of RRV wine).
As the number of popular Napa and Sonoma wineries continues to grow, choosing where to taste can sometimes seem intimidating. This is especially true when you have to figure in the time it takes to drive from one winery to the next, plus where to eat along the way.
To keep it simple, start by heading to Wine Country’s downtown tasting rooms to try some of the area’s best wines. Many of these hip places stay open into the evening, so it’s easier than ever to make the most of the day.
To read more go to my Downtown Tasting article that was published recently by Napa Sonoma Magazine.
It’s that time, the 12th Annual Pinot On The River Festival which I attend every year! It is a fun filled weekend of Pinot Noir, in the beautiful Russian River Valley town of Healdsburg. This year sit with the winemakers and other Pinot-loving consumers as we focus on limited production West Coast Pinot Noirs.
The Artisanal Pinot Noir Grand Tasting on Sunday, October 25, from 12-4pm, will have over 100 wineries plus guest Artisan Food Vendors all in the heart of downtown Healdsburg!
Love this great article by Linda on the Salvation Sisters blog about the Petaluma GAP and first ever winemaker dinner, McEvoy Ranch Summer Winemakers Dinner — the McEvoy Ranch Chinese Pavilion and the Petaluma Gap American Viticultural Area (AVA). Leslie Sbrocco and I are featured in this story as well: See us in action at the Gloria Ferrer Glorious Bites Appetizer Challenge event this Saturday October 10th.
That evening I will also be attending another culinary event at Jessup Cellars so look for my posts from the Surreal Harvest Dinner with gastronaut Bob Blumer!
If you aren’t feeling the pull, like I am, to the Sierra Nevadas this weekend (see The Big Crush), then perhaps you can enjoy some local sips to support worthy North Bay causes?
On Saturday October 3rd you can Raise the Roof along with an assortment of farmers, wineries, restaurants, hoteliers, insurance agents, realtors, event planners, civic leaders, local law and fire department personnel, and many other local Sonoma County businesses. Proceeds go to help victims of the recent Valley fire in Lake County.
Attend the event and participate in the silent auction while enjoying delectable wines from the most sought after wineries and sensational bites from featured chefs including Dustin Valette, Duskie Estes, Guy Fieri, Nicolai Lipscomb to name a few. Tickets are $100 pre-sale or $125 at the Sonoma Jet Center doors in Santa Rosa.
On Sunday, October 4th is the 15th Annual Blessing of the Animals at St. Francis Winery. Bring your best furry friend to the Winery to be blessed and spend the afternoon helping raise money for the Sonoma Humane Society.
Admission is FREE! Winery Dog of the Year Contest entry is $10. Wines by glass, raffle tickets, silent auction all contribute to funds raised for animals in need.
For the first year, Gloria Ferrer and Top Chef star, Brooke Williamson, have teamed up and are on a mission to discover the most glorious appetizer recipe in the country at the Glorious Bites Appetizer Challenge.
All appetizers will be judged by Williamson and an expert panel on originality, perceived taste appeal and perceived ability to pair with the Gloria Ferrer Sonoma Brut. In addition to Williamson, final event judging panelists will include: myself, Christopher Sawyer, founder of SawyerSomm.com, Sondra Bernstein, Proprietor of the girl & the fig and ESTATE in Sonoma & the fig café & winebar in Glen Ellen, CA, and Steven Urberg, Winemaker for Gloria Ferrer. The cook-off will be emceed by award-winning author, speaker, wine consultant, and television host Leslie Sbrocco.
The regional finalists will participate in a live cook-off on Saturday October 10th, 11am to 2pm, that will culminate at the National Finals at Gloria Ferrer Caves & Vineyards in Sonoma, CA.
Get your tickets to attend the “Glorious Bites Challenge” Finals now!
Finally getting a family trip away and you know there will be wine! We will be trekking to beautiful Amador Wine Country just in time to experience Big Crush Harvest Festival on October 3 & 4. It will include 42 Amador Wineries that open up their cellar doors and tasting rooms with ultimate hospitality paired with music, food and fun. Presale tickets will be sold online until September 29.
The BIG CRUSH is your ticket to the Shenandoah Valley and Fiddletown appellations, historic main streets of Sutter Creek, Amador City, Plymouth, and beyond!
Two days of bountiful cuisine, world-class wines, along with sounds of acoustic to rock & roll music wafting from every crush pad in the county. Scenes of teeming vineyards, trudging tractors, bustling crush pads await!
Find me at a winery or follow my social media posts on Sunday Oct 4th to join in on the adventure!
Not only did Sonoma Wine Country Weekend raise an amazing amount of money for local charities, but it was lots of fun too! Read the details in this Press Democrat article, enjoy a few candid shots and plan to join us all next year. . .
Sonoma Harvest Wine Auction breaks records with $4.5 million haul
