Wine Sense: Summer Is Here, and So Are the Festivals

By James Adams

With the summer comes great weather, longer days, vacation plans, and a whole series of wine events. With many people cutting back on their travel plans, wine festivals and events give you the opportunity to stay local, yet do something different.

To begin with, wine events usually fall into one of three categories: winery, regional and major tastings. Wineries frequently hold events at their facilities to showcase their wines. These range from open-house-type events to winemaker dinners. Local restaurants or wine bars also frequently highlight a single winery or winemaker for special events.

Regional events draw their participants from the wineries in that region. Most often, there is a set fee that allows attendees to participate at specially coordinated events at a group of wineries in the same geographical region.

Major tastings bring a large number of wineries together in a single location. These are the most crowded, but the easiest way to taste a wide variety of wines without traveling between wineries. The most popular location for these events in the San Francisco Bay Area is the Fort Mason Center in San Francisco.

Two of the largest events in the Bay Area, ZAP’s Zinfandel Festival Grand Tasting, and the Rhone Rangers tasting have already taken place. The most diverse of all the events, the 2008 San Francisco International Wine Competition Public Tasting took place in February. Judging for the 2009 competition concluded June 21, 2009.

Coming June 28, 2009 is the 5th annual Pinot Days festival. The Pinot festival focuses on Pinot Noir, commonly referred to in the industry as the “heartbreak” wine. The festival actually starts on the June 24, with a spotlight on Pinot producer, Ed Kurtzman of Freeman, August West, and Sandler wines.

Continuing through the weekend, the festival features a number of tasking events and dinners, all featuring Pinot Noir, culminating with the public tasting on Sunday at Fort Mason. This is a perfect opportunity to explore a wine that is difficult to make, yet wonderful to enjoy. For tickets and information, visit the Pinot Days website, or call 415-246-2967.

This year’s Family Winemaker’s Tasting is August 23, 2009 at Fort Mason. The organization of smaller, family-owned wineries presents it’s annual tasting, a favorite with wine aficionados of the Bay Area. This marks the 19th year the association has put on the tasting that features over 400 wineries. Last year over 30 new wineries debuted at the tasting. Once again, Fort Mason is the site for the tasting. Details are on the Family Winemakers of California website or call 877-772-5425.

Another favorite is the annual Harvest Festival, sponsored by the Livermore Valley Winegrowers Association. This two-day event takes place in the Livermore Valley where 43 wineries participate in this annual celebration of the harvest season. The Sunday and Monday of the Labor Day weekend finds the valley filled with visitors to wineries and tasting rooms across the valley. This is one harvest festival that truly takes place in the middle of the harvest season.

Many of the wineries feature tours and demonstrations of winemaking activities during the only time of the year when you can see it in person. September 6 and 7, 2009 are the dates for this year. Noon to 5:00 p.m. is the time for both days. Go to the Livermore Valley Winegrowers Association website for more details or call 925-447-9463.

To find information on wine events of all types, throughout California and the United States, visit the Local Wine Events website.

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