Simple Hedonisms

Archive for the ‘Events’ Category

Dane Cellars Santa in "Floods"

The Sonoma Valley Vintners and Growers Association “Wine Market – Holiday Edition” proved to be a great opportunity to taste from 27 wineries in one place, including small producers not open to the public. Here you could taste, then purchase unique wines at fantastic savings. Excellent food tastings, and food-wine pairing advice was available from local Sommeliers  – in Santa hats no less.  Last not least, you could speak with the winemakers … and see what characters they can be!

Santa in Floods? Bart Hansen, winemaker at Dane Cellars, says he spends most of the year in Bermuda shorts. When Sonoma temps hit 75’ F on December 2, he rolled out to the event in his special Santa Floods.  The Dane Cellars Clarksburg 2009 Chenin Blanc he poured is richer bodied than a Sauvignon Blanc, making it a was a good wine for a sunny winter day and a perfect match for the Truffle Mac ‘n Cheese served up by the girl and the fig.

Santa Sommeliers. What is a sommelier (so-mel-yay)? A “Somm,” or wine steward, is a trained and knowledgeable wine professional specializing in all aspects of wine service as well as wine and food matching.  Three certified Somms in Santa hats roamed the floor at the “Wine Market – Holiday Edition” event, helping guests with wine advice, pairing, and directing them to wine specials.

Eric Ross "Struttin' Red"

Cocky Wine: Eric Ross 2010 Struttin’ Red

Eric Luce, winemaker at label Eric Ross, invites you to taste his red blend of the year. 2010 is a unique blend of Tempranillo, Old Vine Zin and Petite Sirah. It screams out for a really good Cheeseburger. Failing to find any cheeseburgers, this wine was great with the Truffle Gateau chocolates featured at the Market.

Consumers have many benefits to gain from a single-location event like this. To name a few:

1. Access unique fine wines and local cuisine
2. Lower prices on quality wines
3. Remove the driving around from a wine-tasting outing – all the wines and food, all in one place
4. Access to *Santa Sommeliers* to advise on matching foods with the wines you like
5. Buy where you taste and take your wine home with you!

I had a conversation with Christopher Sawyer, Somm at Carneros Bistro in Sonoma. I asked Chris how one should go about pairing up wines with a meal. “First of all, the method should be reversed. Decide your menu, then match the wine to it.”  OK, I said, then to break the rules a bit, let’s say I’ve got a Zinfandel from Haywood Winery, which is pouring here today. Chris suggests, “This is a supple, medium body Zinfandel that gives you a lot of flexibility with the food pairing. Game. Duck. Spicy pork with compote on the side. Strip steak. And of course Ribs will go well with Zin.”

Christopher Sawyer "Santa Sommelier"

Wines of note:

Eric Ross 2010 Marsanne-Roussane. Your guests will appreciate when you serve this unique white. Winemaker Eric Luce blends two grapes from the famed SaraLee’s Vineyard in Russian River Valley to make a wine in the Rhone style that everyone’s talking about.  Full-bodied, food-ready, and a great under-$30 wine to diversify your palate.  It paired with the Truffle Mac ‘n Cheese and I would recommend it with any cheese.

Dane Cellars 2007 Jackknife Cabernet Sauvignon. When you are looking for full-flavored, medium-bodied Cab, the Jackknife is a great choice. From a vineyard high above Sonoma Valley, with volcanic soils and generous late afternoon sun, this wine explodes with fruit and complex flavors. Sommelier Sawyer says:  “With a medium-bodied cab like Dane Cellars’ Jackknife you have more flexibility in your menu – you can pair with red meat or you can go with a bigger fish such as sturgeon or tuna prepared with a soy sauce.”

Pip 2010 Sonoma Coast Chardonnay.  Undecided between oaked and unoaked? You can’t go wrong with this under $20 wine from Dunstan, from famed Durrell Vineyards blended with nearby grapes, then aged in 1/3 neutral oak and 2/3 stainless steel.  The resulting Chardonnay will please both the oaked and unoaked taste, as the neutral oak imparts lovely vanilla aromas and softness while the stainless steel defines the varietal character and imparts a crisp finish.  Another great match for the Truffle Mac ‘n Cheese.

Abigail Zimmerman of Annadel Estate Wines

Best new wine find: 

Annadel Estate 2008 Anni’s Blend is an instantly memorable red wine that’s also easy to pair with food.  I got rich fruit medleys and a velvety mouth feel from this blend of 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 10% Cab Franc and 5% Petit Verdot. For a Cab-Merlot blend like this, you could even serve it with a Mac & Cheese dish with toasted walnuts and mushrooms, according to Sommelier Sawyer.  The adjacent “Coppa & Apple Mostarda on Foccacia” from Estate went well.  Annadel Estate Winery is the effort of a family who are restoring an 1880’s vineyard estate in the region. Expect to hear more about their wines soon.

There were many more varietals and examples of great winemaking available for taste. I can’t cover them all here. See what you missed and check back soon for upcoming events at the Sonoma Valley Vintners and Growers Alliance website.

On my Christmas wishlist: http://www.platsdujour.net/

What better way to get into the Holiday Spirit than to spend the day being treated like royalty by 25 Wineries in Healdsburg.

Its the Second Annual Wine’d Up!

Wine club members at any one of the participating wineries get to be a Wine Club member of the others, that day only. What a great way to taste, discover, and buy wines, at a club price.

Become a fan of Wine’d Up on Facebook!

Follow the fun on Twitter by using, following Hashtag #winedup

Not a Wine Club Member? Enter to Be One for The Day

Well, first you could/should consider joining one. I am a big proponent of wine clubs, as I wrote in Wine Clubs – A Review of Different Types and Benefits.

Simple Hedonisms and Thumbprint Cellars will give four lucky couples tickets for the day. TWO ways to win. Enter BOTH ways, to double your chances.

(1) In comments, tell us which winery below you would pick to be a wine club member of and why. Or if you are a wine club member – why. You can gift your tickets if you win, as you obviously can already attend.

(2) Sign up for an email subscription, for Simple Hedonisms. Its fast, free, secure, and takes only a minute. In the top right, simply enter your email address, go to your Inbox and click confirm on the verification link, and you are entered. (Non verified subscriptions won’t be entered.)

Featured Winery Offers for Wine’d Up

When you check in and start, you will be given a card with detail from each winery. Below are highlights of some of the offers.

Davis Family Vineyards

• 20% off all wines
• In addition to the 6 wines that are part of the  tasting we will be pouring from large formats as well.
• Will be doing a cheese & truffle pairing with truffles from  Truffle Gateaux.
• We are also offering a gift with a 6 bottle + purchase.

Windsor Vineyards

• Foi Gras and Water Chestnut Stuffed Mushrooms with Blanc De Noir and Persimmon Drizzle Paired with the 2007 Windsor Blanc de Noirs Carneros
• Crab and Shrimp Crustini paired with 2010 Windsor Chardonnay Evelyn Parrish Vineyard
• Handmade Lamb Sausage with dried cranberries and pistachio nuts with whole grain mustard sauce paired with 2009 Windsor Cabernet Sauvignon Sonoma County
• We will be offering a selection of holiday gifts, stemware, wine accessories, clothing, wine and more:
• 30% family discount on all purchases for Wine Club Members
• 20% discount on wine purchases only for event participants
• Complimentary glass of bubbles when you refer a friend to the club

See Everyone Sunday,

Participating Wineries

Bluenose Wines
Davis Family Vineyards
Downtown Wine
Edmeades
Garagiste Healdsburg
Hart’s Desire
Hauck Cellars
Hawley
J Keverson
Kelley & Young
Kendall Jackson
La Crema
Longboard
Murphy Goode
Portalupi
Roadhouse
Sadler-Wells
Sapphire Hill
Selby
Shippey Vineyards
Toad Hollow
Topel
Willowbrook
Windsor Vineyards

One of my favorite things about the holiday season? All the wine events, specials, bundles and promotions. You need wine for your table, entertaining, and if you have lucky friends, for gifts.

Regular followers will recall my ongoing mantra about wine events needing to evolve.  I am sick of big wine walk around tastings with 500 wines to try,  and I am  getting over driving all over the place for bracelet events. Oddly, many wine regions DON”T do a walk around tasting (Dry Creek Valley did a great one once, and stopped.)

An ideal, interesting event: Gather wineries together in a modest size in one place, let me taste the wines AND if I like them, BUY them. Ideally, be able to take them home right away, but for some reason the ABC seems to think that is evil…even though I can go to Safeway and fill up my cart. Unless you have a special permit, or are on property like Ft Mason that is Federal, not State.

Introducing the Sonoma Valley Wine Market (And Save $10!)

At this unique venue, you’ll have unprecedented access to over 35 Sonoma Valley wineries all in one place. Gathered together are some of Sonoma Valley’s most celebrated wineries – many small production or closed to the public – for an opportunity taste and purchase new releases, special collections and hard-to-find vintages.

Enjoy special wine and holiday food pairings prepared by El Dorado Kitchen, ESTATE, Santé, the girl + the fig and Truffle Gateau while learning about holiday meal planning and pairing from sommeliers: Christopher Sawyer, Gillian Balance and James Dick.

Wine Country Photo Booths will be there to capture festive pictures owhile you enjoy the event. Plus, you can  have your wine purchases packed and shipped to your home by Premier Wine Shipping. Start your holiday celebrations in true Sonoma style at Sonoma Valley Wine Market!

Tickets are only $35 a piece, less than a day of Tasting Room Fees and lunch! Event is 12-4 this Saturday December 3rd at the Sonoma Veterans Memorial Hall.

Purchase tickets at: https://tickets.sonomavalleywine.com/mainstore.asp?vid=2

Use promo code LOCALS and save $10 off of the regular ticket price!

For those treasure seekers looking for something a bit more rare like large format bottles or hard to find verticals, go to the online auction at www.SonomaValleyWineMarket.BiddingForGood.com

Enter Two Different Way to Win Tickets

(1) Tell us your favorite participating winery, from below and why (or your favorite wine from them.) In comments below.

(2) Subscribe to Simple Hedonisms email updates. Emails are secure, never shared or spammed, and you only receive an email when we post a new article or review.

Look in  the top right hand corner to subscribe. You must complete  registration, which means clicking the link in the verification email. Its painless and takes less than two minutes!

Contest ends at 330 sharp Friday Dec 2nd! Watch for updates. If your name isn’t posted in comments on Simple Hedonisms, you didn’t win, but you can still use the discount code to save $10!

Simple Hedonisms will be there live covering, cheers!

Wineries Include

• Akóma Zoúme at Mountain Terraces Vineyard
• Annadel Estate Winery
• Beltane Ranch
• Bennett Valley Cellars
• BR Cohn Winery
• Canihan Family Wines
• Charles Creek Vineyards
• Chateau St. Jean Winery
• CLARBEC Wine
• Dane Cellars
• DUNSTAN Wines
• Eric K. James Vineyards
• Eric Ross Vineyards & Winery
• Gloria Ferrer Caves & Vineyards
• Gundlach Bundschu Winery
• Hamel Family Wines
• Haywood Estate Winery
• Idell Family Vineyards
• Larson Family Winery
• Mulas Family Vineyards
• Muscardini Cellars
• R2 Wine Company
• Roessler Cellars
• Stone Edge Farm
• Three Sticks Wines
• Tin Barn Vineyards
• Westerhold Family Vineyards

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Wine Tasting Events Must Evolve

Taste of Mendocino June 13th, A Fresh Unique Format

I was hooked on Artisano when I attended the first event 2 years ago and look forward to the third. This year the event moves from Geyserville Inn (which I really liked) to the Vintners Inn, in Santa Rosa. (Which I can’t complain about, since its very close by!)

This events features small wine producers, whom at time of selection do not have a public tasting room, so this is a chance to taste wines you can’t just walk into anywhere. I have discovered great vintners like Skewis, Skipstone, and Duxoup in previous years. Faves like Cartograph and Stark are to be found this year.

Wineries:

Acorn, Capture, Cartograph, PreVail, De Novo, Skipstone, Stark, Reynoso and Pech Merle.

Restaurants:

Affronti, Dry Creek Kitchen, Diavola, Estate, Jackson’s, John Ash, Mugnaini Wood Fired Pizza, Petite Syrah, Spoonbar and Girl & The Fig.

PLUS: Achadinha Goat Cheese, Bellwether Farms, Bleating Heart Chesese, Dry Creek Peach and Produce, Delice de la Vallee, Jim town Store, Laura Chenel, Marin French Cheese, Redwood Hill, Salt Side Down Chocolates, Skipstone Ranch, Sonoma Chocolatiers and Terra Sonoma. Oh and Bear Republic offers up beer.

In addition to wine and food tastings, the Grand Tasting includes chef demonstrations by John Toulze of The Girl & the Fig, Brian Anderson from Bistro 29 and Shelly Kaldunski, author ofCupcakes, The Art of the Cookie; as well as a silent auction, raffle, several of the region’s premier artists, and live music courtesy of The Susan Comstock Swingtet. 

Tickets and Info

Artisano’s full weekend of activities includes a WINEMAKER DINNER on Friday evening at John Ash & Co. Restaurant (tickets no longer available), and a HARVEST DINNER on Saturday evening at John Ash & Co.

Tickets are available online for $65 in advance or $75 at the door, if they don’t sell out prior.

Tickets and information are available here: http://www.artisano.org/index.html

Simple Hedonisms will be there, hope to see you too!

The event is a benefit for Slow Food Sonoma County, with a portion of the revenue going to help School Garden Projects in Cloverdale, Geyserville, Healdsburg, Windsor and Santa Rosa.

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Artisano – Slow Food meets Wine Country

Massive walk around tastings have to evolve. This is a point I have been evangelizing for over a year. Wine sales, more focus, smaller more committed attendees, reasonable pricing – all of these are elements to be considered to draw enthusiastic consumers and buyers in, as opposed to an event of staggering drunks with their glasses waving in your face, like baby birds, five persons deep.

This weekend in Paso Robles, a new idea and venue emerges: The Garagiste Festival

The Garagiste Festival

This weekend is the first annual Paso Garagiste Festival: Celebrating the Artisan Winemaker. The event will be held November 11-12 at the beautiful 724-acre Windfall Farms in the heart of  California’s Central Coast.

“The mission of the Paso Garagiste Festival is to focus on the undiscovered artisan producers who are making some of the most thrilling wine on the planet right now,” said PasoGaragiste.com Co-founder Doug Minnick. “Our event is unique in the industry because it gives a home to the smaller, trail-blazing wine producers who don’t have huge marketing resources, while also introducing wine lovers to winemakers on the cusp of discovery.”

“The Central Coast garagistes are one of the best-kept secrets in the wine world and their excellent wines can be almost impossible to find — unless you know the right people and places to go,” added PasoGaragiste.com Co-founder Stewart McLennan.  “The Paso Garagiste Festival will have forty of them, gathered in one place for the first time ever. The festival is the place for passionate wine consumers to come face-to-face, wine glass-to-bottle, with the undiscovered future rock stars of the wine world.”

Personally I am very excited about this event. Both as a wine writer/blogger, passionate consumer, and now as well as a small Vintner with my Rhone label, Two Shepherds, that launches the end of November. Unfortunately not in time to pour at this event, plus I’d miss all the fun tasting as media.

Last I heard, after a flurry of media, tickets were selling out. (The VIP/Seminars are now sold out.) I’d recommend you grab some if interested. If you are a reader and are attending, do let me know, I will be at the Tasting and 6-9 pm Wine Maker party.

Tickets: http://californiagaragistes.com/buy-tickets/

You can also follow the fun, photos and updates on their Facebook page. 

The Winemakers

Artisan winemakers slated to showcase their wines at the festival include Aaron Wines, Alta Colina, Bodegas M Winery, Brochelle Vineyards, Caliza Winery, Cloak and Dagger Wines, J Dusi Wines, Giornata Wines, Grizzly Republic Winery, Hammersky Vineyards, Indigene Cellars, Jalama Wines, La Filice Winery, Nicora Wines, Per Cazo Cellars, Poalillo Vineyards, Ranchero Cellars, Red Zeppelin Winery, Rendarrio Vineyards, Stanger Vineyards, Symbiosis Wines, Tassajara Cellars, Vin Alegre Winery, and Vines on the Marycrest.

I visit Paso Robles 3-4 times a year and haven’t heard of many of these – what an exciting day of discovery!

The Venue

 Situated in the heart of beautiful Central Coast wine country, Windfall Farms is a spectacular 724-acre horse farm with one of the finest equestrian facilities in the Western United States.  It features stunning brick buildings with glass and copper steeples and is surrounded by vineyards, fenced pastures, green sprawling lawns and panoramic views of the majestic, oak-studded rolling hills of the Central Coast.

Check out a video of this great venue here:

This may be the hot new venue for Paso Robles. The Rhone Rangers Paso Robles chapter will also be hosting their annual seminar an event here. (Another do not miss event.)

What is A ‘Garagistes’

 Garagistes (gar-uh-zhē-stuh) is a term originally used in the Bordeaux region of France to denigrate renegade small-lot wine makers, sometimes working in their “garages” (anything considered not a chateau), who refused to follow the “rules,” and is now a full-fledged movement responsible for making some of the best wine in the world. Click here for more info and proper ‘garagiste’ pronunciation.

 Related Articles

Gathering of Garagistes: Proudly Small-Time Winemakers Show Off Hard-to-Find Stuff at Paso Robles Festival  (Santa Barbara Independant)

Wine Tasting Events Must Evolve – An Example at the Saturday June 11th Vinify Winery Collective Event in Santa Rosa

Monday June 13 – Another Evolution in Wine Events – The Taste of Mendocino

As I wrote earlier this weekend is one of my favorite events: (See “Nov 5 & 6 is the North Sonoma Wine Road “Wine & Food Affair” a Simple Hedonisms Favorite” )

As promised, each year I feature winery offering sales promotions, its a great opportunity to stock up for the holidays, buy local, and support your local artisans. This article is generally one of the higher read blogs of the year, so I am keeping the tradition alive. Print this out and use it as part of your ‘flight plan’ and stock up your cellar.

Russian River Valley

 Balletto Vineyards & Winery

• Wine :08 Estate Russian River Chardonnay
• Retail Price: $18
• Promotion: Sale 10.80 (40% off) ~ Wine Club $9.00 (50% off) 20

Battaglini Estate Winery

•  Wine:  2003 Chardonnay
• Retail Price: $22 per bottle
• Promotion:
• Single Bottle price: $15 per bottle
• Case price:  Buy one case at regular price, get one case for $1

• Wine:  2002 Zinfandel
• Retail Price:  $27 per bottle
• Promotion:
• Single Bottle price:  $19 per bottle
• Case price:  buy one case at regular price, get one case for $1

 Carol Shelton Wines

Wines: 

• 2007 Wild Thing Zin , Cox Vineyard,  Retail $24.00  a bottle
• 2008 Monga Zin, Lopez Vineyard, Retail $21.00  a bottle
• 2009 Coquille Blanc “White Rhone Blend”, Retail $24.00  a bottle
• 2006 Bacchus Laureate Reserve Old Vine Zin, Dry Creek Valley, Retail $52.00  a bottle

Inspiration Vineyards

• Wine: 2008 Chardonnay , 2008 Zindfandel
• Retail Price: $24.00
• Promotion:
• single bottles 25% off (30% Club)
• case 40% off (50% club)

• Wine: 2008 Zindfandel
• Retail Price: $25.00
• Promotion:
• single bottles 25% off (30% Club)
• case 40% off (50% club)

Sheldon

• Wine: 2007 Sleepy Hollow Chardonnay
• Retail Price: $36
• Promotion: 20% Off on four or more.

Russian River Vineyards

• Wine :  2009 Charbono, Guido Venturi Vineyard
• Retail Price:  $34/bottle
• Promotion:
• Single Bottle 10% discount
• Case 25% discount

• Wine:              2009 “No Oak” Chardonnay
• Retail Price:               $22/bottle
• Promotion:                   30% discount

Sonoma-Cutrer Vineyards

• Wine:    2007 “The Cutrer” Chardonnay
• Retail Price:   $35.00 per bottle
• Promotion:     6 packs  20% off ($28.00 per bottle)

Moshin Vineyards

Wines:

• 2008 Chardonnay  Russian River Valley,  $28
• 2008 Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast :   $40
• 2008 Pinot Noir Russian River Valley    $28
• 2007 Zinfandel, Carreras Vineyard    Dry Creek Valley $38
• 2007 Zinfandel, Bowman Vineyard   $28
• LocoMoshin $28
• Moshin Potion No. 9     $28

Promotion:   Case sales 30% off, mixed OK

Windsor Oaks Vineyards & Winery

•  Wine: 2007 Estate Reserve Chardonnay, Russian River Valley  
•  Retail Price: $35
• Promotion:  
• 3 bottles or more, 15% off (20% Wine Club)
• Case Sales 20% off, 25% wine club

• Wine: 2008 Estate Pinot Noir, Reserve “4 Dijon Clones,”  Russian River Valley
•  Retail Price: $35
• Promotion:
• 3 bottles or more, 15% off (20% Wine Club)
• Case Sales 20% off, 25% wine club

• Wine: Estate Clonal Pinot Noir 6 bottle Wooden Collector’s Box Set (Single Pinot Noir Vineyard Block Clones 777,667, 114, 459, “2 Dijon Clone” and “3 Dijon Clones”)
•  Retail Price: $245 value
• Promotion: $225 box set price ($195, Wine Club)  Only 44 sets available for this special.

Dry Creek Valley/Healdsburg

Amista Vineyards

•  Wine:  2006 Cabernet/Francesca’s Vineyard
•  Retail Price: $42
• Promotion discount:
• Single bottle 10% off
• half cases 20% off
• Case Sales 30% off

Mounts Family Vineyards

• Wine: 08 Estate Grenache, 08 Estate La Loma Zinfandel, 07 Cabernet Sauvignon, 08 Petite Sirah
• Promotion: 10% on 6 bottles or 30% on 12 or more bottles

Alexander Valley

J. Rickards Winery

•  Wine: 2008 Zinfandel, Ancestor Selections Vineyard
• Retail Price: $22.00
• Promotion:
• 1-6 bottles 20% off (30% Club)
• case 30% off (40% club)

The Wine Road Wine & Food Affair is one of my favorite events in the County and of the year. It features over 100 wineries from Russian River Valley, Dry Creek Valley, and Alexander Valley offering their great wines, paired with some of the very best food to be found, from some of Sonoma Counties best chef’s and caterers.

Oh and pssst, listen close. TICKET SALES END TODAY. No exceptions!

The Cookbook Alone is Worth It

Admission includes this years stunning 308 page cookbook. I love this event so much I have sought out and bought almost all of the years bound copies in existence – and what an evolution over 13 years. Gorgeous full bottle shots, amazing recipes, of course paired with wine.

Each winery has two pages.  On the left is a bottle shot (each one shot just for this cookbook)  and some background on the origin of the recipe. This one from Mounts Family Winery, a personal favorite in Dry Creek, describes Lana Mounts family heritage and tie in to the dish, created by Jude Affronti, of Affronti Restaurant.

What is also amazing to me is how much this book has evolved. An early fan of the Wine Road, in the stint I left the Bay area for brief sojourns in Seattle, Denver, and Baja Mexico, I acquired used copies of previous years on Half.com to keep me company.  Shown here side by side is the 2011 308 page cookbook, compared to the softbound, black & white, 160 page bound version from 2000. (Which is when I had started working for a Petaluma startup known as Calix.)

No Ticket Sales At the Door

Tickets are $70 in advance AND include this $35 cookbook. Even without the cookbook, $35 a day for the best of this regions food and wine is the least expensive, high quality entertainment you’ll find. Try getting a bottle of wine and a good dinner for two for much less than that!

Ticket sales end this Monday Oct 31st. , if they don’t sell out prior. (Which many years they do – so don’t wait!)

There is also a Sunday only option for $50. Are you a foodie more than a wine-o? DD tickets are $30.

Recommendations

1. Make A Plan.

Every year when I write about this event, I have the same primary suggestion plan. (See Don’t Miss! The Wine Road’s 11th Annual Wine & Food Affair. (tips inside))

This event is one to savor and enjoy, not racing around guzzling wine. As of this time, the downloadable guide is not yet available (I will add when it is) but you can go to http://www.wineroad.com/events/wine_and_food_affair/2 , click “Program“  and look at the pairings each winery is offering – this event is as much about choosing the food as it is the wine!

2. Map Your Route Around Traffic Times, Patterns

Some areas and wineries get VERY BUSY. Others that are new, or off the beaten track will be more manageable. Saturday afternoon is typically the busiest, especially in downtown Healdsburg and Dry Creek Valley. Consider saving those for Sunday, or doing first thing in the day. Many Russian River Valley wineries (downloadable map) , because they are more spread out, don’t get quite as heavily traffic.

Seek out some new wineries you haven’t been to before. Also remember not all Wine Road wineries participate, so it’s a good idea to again check the list of participating wineries.

3. Dump or Spit

This concept is as much about being able to properly appreciate the wines, as it is being responsible. After tasting at 2 wineries, if you have swallowed everything poured, you will have consumed enough alcohol to limit your sensory abilities. Essentially you have migrated from wine tasting and appreciation to drinking. And hey, if you have a DD and thats your thing, power to you., but for those of you looking to expand your wine appreciation consider this: Dump a wine in your glass you don’t love, or try the experience of spitting – the standard 16 oz plastic disposable cup is the standard weapon, and some wineries will have these out. Taste like a Pro, and you may get some special pours to boot.

4. Support Your Local Artisans: Take Home Some Wine

Yes you did pay for these tickets – but most of that money supports the event, and perhaps some of the food costs. These wineries, the vast majority of whom are very small family businesses, make money one way: WHEN YOU BUY WINE.

Buy a few less Starbuck’s lattes and/or that grocery store mass produced wine  - if you like a wine you taste, buy a bottle. It will help you appreciate and remember the event, and you show your support for a local business and artisan, as well as have something great to take home.  (ps put a cooler in the car – we often have nice weather for this event, always better to throw it one.)

Come Back Next Wednesday for Wine Sales Incentives Articles

Some of the wineries will offer sales incentives this weekend  on new releases, other inventory for single bottles, case purchases, and more. I will publish a list of special promo’s sorted by region. This has been a popular article in the past as its a great chance to stock up – holidays are coming! Come back next Wednesday for this list AND a special announcement.

Follow the WineRoad on Facebook & Twitter, and “Live Broadcasts” via Twitter Hashtag

The Wine Road Executive Director is one of the best I know in Winery Social Media, and will keep you well informed. Follow the Wine Road on Facebook and on Twitter . To follow Tweets during the event follow Hashtag #WAFA11 or click here.

See you on the Wine Road – Heaven Condensed! (Love that old slogan!)

Related Articles

Don’t Miss! The Wine Road’s 11th Annual Wine & Food Affair. (tips inside)

The North Sonoma Wine Road launches their iPhone App: Review & User Tutorial

This Saturday, October 29th is Topel Winery‘s annual Dogtoberfest fundraiser for the Healdsburg Animal Shelter.

This is a special event for Simple Hedonisms as it marks the Two Year anniversary of our Sonoma Wine Meetup. Our inaugural meetup was held at Topel during Dogtoberfest.

This event is special as it also marks the 2nd year that my beloved Australian Shepherd, Flash, himself a rescue, is featured in the calender.

Please register here on Eventbrite to be eligible for special door prize drawing.

The 2012 Topel Wine Tails Calendar

The event is held honoring the winners of the annual “Shoot Your Pet!” photo contest for the 2012 Topel Wine Tails Calendar, a benefit for the Healdsburg Animal Shelter.

The event features:

• Free readings by Marla, The Pet Psychic (1-4 pm)
• Renderings of your favorite pet(s) by artist Robert Harris (fee applies)
• Human and doggie treats
• Wine for humans, water for dogs!
• Great discounts on selected wines

Noon to 5 pm Saturday, October 29, 2011 Costumes welcome, but not required — after all, it’s almost Halloween!

Door Prizes Drawing for Eventbrite Attendees

Bring a printed copy of your registration ticket, we will be drawing for merchandise prizes and emailing winners the following week.
Bring your canine friend, or if you are a dog lover without one, just come enjoy the fun. (and the wine!)

The Topels, Flash and I will be there to greet you! Come see us and support this great cause.

cheers!

On Sunday, September 18, 2011, Bonny Doon Vineyard celebrated Day of the Doon IX, its annual gathering of the tribes honoring its faithful D.E.W.N. Wine Club members.

As an advocate and brand ambassador, I was pleased to be able to attend, doubly so because the day was to conclude with a special naming ceremony for the new San Juan Batista vineyard.

Reader input: You will notice this blog post is  lighter on verbiage, and more focused on picture content. It’s a format I am borrowing from food bloggers, that allows me to publish faster, and share more – let me know want you think.

Whats Going on in San Juan Bautista?

Several years ago, Randall Grahm made a decision to refocus, after having grown into high volume producer of wine, across multiple labels. The successful Big House and Cardinal Zin labels were sold off, and the funds used to purchase a 280-acre site in San Juan Bautista, combined with a decision to focus solely on the Bonny Doon brand.

The San Juan Bautista project is home to a number of revolutionary agricultural and viticulural experiments, centered on a new substance called “biochar” a form of highly porous charcoal that increases water retention and promotes beneficial microflora and soil fertility, and hybridizing a grape variety from seed, rarely done, and yet to be commercial success.

There is an excellent article in Edible Monterey Bay – I highly encourage you read for more details: “GRAHM’S GAMBLE: A risky quest to make a unique
American wine in San Juan Bautista“

I am a fan and admirer of Randall, and have been fortunate enough to get to know him a bit more these last few years, and even get occasional advice. Recently he took time out of a busy day hauling pears from Mendocino to Santa Cruz, to stop and taste the Rhone whites from my new tiny label about to launch – Two Shepherds.

Randall Grahm is often referred to as the original “Rhone Ranger.”

In honor of his vision, unwavering dedication, and always boldly willing to gamble and go where others have not tread before, the culmination and result of 30 years of contributions to the US Wine industry, that we name Bonny Doon as Winery of the Month.

(edit – the phenomenal, dedicated, Bonny Doon team, equally share and have earned this. )

Day of the Doon 2011 – Photo Journal

The event started with a special ceremony and songs by members of the Ohlone native Americans, who originally inhabited and were caretakers of this area.

Next we had a walking tour and overview of the property.

As a special treat, we then paired sparkling wine with a tomato tasting, and compared tomatoes grown in biochar and dry farmed versus normal.

Next Randall spent some time answering questions about biochar, the vineyard, and other things, while we enjoyed some wine. (Truly a rough day.) As you can see, I was paying rapt attention.

Also for your enjoyment, I captured a bit of video footage – here Randall talks about the challenges of planting grenache from seed.

Next we were treated to a special vertical tasting of magnums of 2001, 2003, and 2005 Cigare Volant (and/or some lovely Sangria.) and some nibbles. (No pictures of food sorry, I need to get better at food porn.)

And then it was time to eat and drink! Dinner that is – as if we hadn’t already been all afternoon.

Randall, true to form, wore his Sunday best. Club members love this iconic winemaker for good reason.

Naming Ceremony

After many great courses of  food and wine, we moved outdoors, under the stars for a special naming ceremony of the San Juan Bautista vineyard.

DEWNies traversed labyrinth builder Lars Howlett’s site-specific creation, lit by candlelight.  Ohlone Chief Sonne Reyna delivered an invocation, inviting the spirits of the land to return to this sacred place.  The 280-acre property  was formally given the name “Popelouchum.”
Pronounced “Pop-loh-shoom,” is the Mutsun language word the Ohlone natives historically used for the site. Its secondary meaning is “paradise,” a quality  evident to all who visited this special day.

In his official press annoucement Randall Grahm said:

“Day of the Doon events have always been perhaps a bit theatrical, but the intent of this year’s celebration was to set aside theatricality for its own sake. Sharing Popelouchum with our dear friends, we proclaimed our unremitting dedication to the discovery of the terroir of this very special place, and to letting the land speak in its own unique voice.”

Indeed. I look forward to next year and following the progress of this great labor of love. Perhaps I can even convince Randall to let me have grenache seedling for my own new grenache vineyard!

Cheers!

Related Articles:

GRAHM’S GAMBLE - A risky quest to make a unique  American wine in San Juan Bautista

Wine of the Week – Bonny Doon Vineyard 2010 Clos de Gilroy – Central Coast Grenache

Wine of the Week – Bonny Doon Vineyard Vin Gris De Cigare, Rosé

‘Shipping Included’ – the Future of Direct to Consumer? An interview with Bonny Doon Vineyard

Terroir: My Spiritual Journey (Part 1) (Randall Grahm blog)