Simple Hedonisms

Carneros is an interesting wine region; it serves as the ‘bridge’ between Napa and Somoma as the only AVA (region) that spans both counties.

Every November, the member wineries hold the “Holiday in Carneros” essentially a multi winery open house where each features a special variety of food and wine pairings, live music, art shows, special tastings (barrel, reserve, library and new release), discounts or special pricing and more. (You can peruse my blog post on last year’s adventure here.

Not only is the event fun and inexpensive, it’s also for a great cause, as proceeds from “Holiday in Carneros” help to fund scholarships at Santa Rosa Junior College and Napa Valley College.

Advance tickets are only $35, a ridiculous value for one or  two days of food, wine, and entertainment.

Participating wineries include: Adastra Wines, Anaba Wines, Bonneau Wines, Ceja Vineyards, Cline Cellars, Enkidu Wines, Etude Wines, Gloria Ferrer Caves & Vineyards, Homewood Winery, Jacuzzi Family Vineyards, Keating Wines, Larson Family Winery, McKenzie-Mueller Vineyards & Winery, Meadowcroft Wines, Michael Mondavi Family Winery, Parmalee-Hill Wines, Robledo Family Winery, Schug Carneros Estate Winery, Talisman Wines, Tin Barn Vineyards, Truchard Vineyards and Ty Caton Vineyards.

The (four page) list of winery activities can be found here, and a map of participating wineries is here.

My usual list of tips apply:

• Plan. – take a few minutes to peruse the page of offerings. Visit old faves, work in some new ones.
• Buy. Support these artisans with your purchases. Many will have special sales. If you are have flown in, this is an especially great time to stock up and ship these gems you may not be able to find at home. For visitors, this is also a good time to consider the Wine Club, to keep a regular supply of your favorite winery releases coming.
• Taste Responsibly. Don’t hesitate to dump wine you don’t want, use a spit cup, and consume plenty of food and water.
• Have Fun! Remember if it gets busy; A ‘bad’ day in Wine Country (I think this actually doesn’t exist) is always better than a good day at work. There will be peak times, be patient, smile, and enjoy Sonoma’s leisurely pace.

If you can only go one day, and prefer a slower pace, Sunday is generally lower key.

Whats the Contest for Free Tickets Already

It’s simple; Answer these 3 very easy questions, in a comment post. They won’t be published, so that others can’t see. Make sure you leave an email address  if you’d like to be contacted to win!  We’ll draw from the responses with correct answers Friday evening.

1.  Name one of the member wineries that makes sparkling wine. (bubbles!)

2. From the Activity list: Type/Style Wines does Anaba make?

3. What food pairing is Tin Barn offering?

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