Experiences, and More, at Allegretto Vineyard Resort by Ayres

January 24, 2020 by evebushman

What did I know about Allegretto before booking a couple of nights there? I learned that it was voted the #6 resort in Northern California by Conde Nast. And after I posted about it on my Eve’s Wine 101 Facebook group my friends enlightened me more.

What Facebook Friends are Saying

One of the many photos from Allegretto Resort’s Facebook page.

Marleen R.: Never been but did research about going there. Their art pieces are beautiful, and as in the name, also has a music inclination. It’s on my list of hotels to stay in! Usually around my birthday month, as it’s offseason. Don’t forget to go to their restaurant, Cello! Food looks divine there.

Doug M.: Resort sponsors The Garagiste Festival. It’s fantastic. I love staying there! Be sure to walk the grounds.

Debra H.: We love this place, always have a great time! The longer it’s there, the more beautiful the grounds become, it was brand new the first time we stayed.

John D.: Lovely place. Beautiful grounds.

Betty H.: It’s beautiful Luke and I love staying there!

Lilia M.: We stay there all the time when we’re in Paso! Truly the best place to stay in the area. The service is outstanding, beautiful grounds, amazing food from the restaurant and great massages at the spa.

Terry B.: Yes. Love it there. Met Doug Ayers. Photography friendly. There’s a beautiful image at every glance. Also, the Allegretto is pet friendly. Our friends brought their small dog. They had a room on the lower level with “hardwood floors” and a sliding patio door.

Rose C.: We were just there for a NYE party. Beautiful resort.

Steve C.: Been there many times. They really know how to support the local community. The artwork on the site is very impressive.

Michelle T.: I want to go now after reading your post.

Ayres Hotels

“In 2001, the Ayres Hotels brand was launched with the opening of Ayres Hotel Laguna Woods, Ayres Hotel Anaheim, and Ayres Hotel Seal Beach. Between 2001 and 2005, all hotels were transitioned and became Ayres Hotels, a collection of handcrafted boutique hotels with European-inspired décor, living room style lobbies, and a home-like atmosphere.

In 2002, Ayres Hotels was awarded the Orange County Business Journal Family Owned Business Award in the Large Business category. Doug Ayres continued to elevate the brand with the opening of the exquisite Ayres Hotel Manhattan Beach in 2004.” Read more here: https://www.ayreshotels.com/about/history

Eve Bushman has a Level Two Intermediate Certification from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET), a “certification in first globally-recognized course” as an American Wine Specialist ® from the North American Sommelier Association (NASA), Level 1 Sake Award from WSET, was the subject of a 60-minute Wine Immersion video (over 16k views), authored “Wine Etiquette for Everyone” and has served as a judge for the Long Beach Grand Cru and the Global Wine Awards. You can email Eve@EveWine101.com to ask a question about wine or spirits.

KOSHER FOOD & WINE EXPERIENCE – NY 2020: MONDAY, FEBRUARY 17

January 22, 2020 by evebushman

The 14^th Annual Kosher Food & Wine Experience (www.TheKFWE.com) is back, and there’s more to savor than ever before.

House of Rothschild and Royal Wine Corp. Celebrate Historic Partnership: 30 years of kosher wine making.

Monday, February 17, 2020 Pier 60, Chelsea Piers – Hudson River & 21st St., NYC

New, Award-Winning Wines from Israel, California and France*
Celebrating 30th anniversary of kosher wine production with the Rothschild family
Open to the Trade 12 noon – 4 pm by RSVP
Open to the Public VIP 5:30 pm-9:30; General Admission 6:30 pm-9:30 pm via tickets at TheKFWE.com

NYC, NY / Bayonne, NJ, FEB 17, 2020 – Prepare to stock up on the best new kosher wines and spirits and add to your kosher restaurant and catering bucket list – Kosher Food & Wine Experience 2020 comes to NYC FEB 17 at Chelsea Piers Hudson River on Manhattan’s West Side (Tickets: www.TheKFWE.com).

Hosted by Royal Wine Corp., KFWE is known as the destination for wine and food lovers alike, offering a sneak preview of the trendiest restaurants and the latest innovations from the kitchens of today’s hottest chefs and caterers – plus an opportunity to be among the first to sample hundreds of new top-shelf wines and spirits from around the world, many with 90+ ratings. More than 1200 will descend on Chelsea Piers to taste and sample hundreds of wines and spirits as well as unique and gourmet fare from chefs, caterers and restaurateurs.

Royal Wine celebrates the 30^th anniversary of kosher wine production with Barons Edmond & Benjamin de Rothschild with the introduction of Haut-Médoc Anniversary Edition 2016 and Château Clarke Listrac-Médoc 2016. Plus a preview of Passover 2020 wines and spirits.

The Kosher Food & Wine Experience began in 2006 as an intimate wine-tasting event for a handful of guests. It quickly exploded by popular demand and grows every year in terms of attendance, exhibitors, venues, and sheer variety of products on offer. Today’s KFWE spans from New York and Miami to Los Angeles and London. In New York alone last year, KFWE showcased over 500 wines and spirits attracting more than 2500 industry professionals, consumers, and press.

What is driving this year-on-year success? Festival organizers point to three recent trends: the phenomenal growth of foodie culture, the unprecedented mainstreaming of kosher food into the American market, and the burgeoning production of premium kosher wines from around the world.

KFWE New York is hosted by Royal Wine Corp., the world’s largest producer, importer and distributor of kosher wines and spirits, headquartered in Bayonne, NJ.

Perlis Picks: Membership with the Historic Vineyard Society

January 18, 2020 by Michael Perlis

I’ve written about the Historic Vineyard Society various times over the years. This organization is near and dear to my heart, dedicated to the preservation of California’s historic vineyards, so many of which have been lost to development or replanted to grapes that are currently in vogue and therefore more profitable. Karen and I have had the pleasure of attending some of the society’s events and we’ve encouraged others to do so as well. We’ve also made some great friendships along the way.

But now there is an opportunity for fans of these important historic vineyards to assist in the efforts of the HVS on an ongoing basis. I recently received the following email:

You are invited to become part of the HVS family

Dear friends,

Since HVS launched almost ten years ago, we have been driven by our commitment to preserving California’s historic vineyards. Many of these vines have been around much longer than we all have, surviving two World Wars, Prohibition and an ever-changing economy and climate. We started HVS to save historic vineyards, and our mission is even more important today as it was back then.

We are continually working to initiate projects that move this goal forward, but we need your help to do so. We have decided as a Board to open up an HVS membership, one that involves an annual commitment to HVS at various levels. Why? We continue to operate with almost no overhead, but we do have a small amount of expenses to keep HVS up and running.

For those who want to take their involvement with HVS one step further, click the link below to make a commitment to supporting HVS each year. For as little as a few cents each day, you can help keep these precious vines in the ground. Thank you for your consideration, and as always, let us know if you have any questions or feedback.

Best,
The HVS Board of Directors

Signed:

Mike Officer

Tegan Passalacqua

Morgan Twain-Peterson

Bob Biale

David Gates

Mike Dildine

For those of you who are fans of old vineyard sites, especially those dedicated to Zinfandel, Syrah and great old field blends, you’ll definitely recognize at least some of these names.

Emily Rasmussen, HVS Administrator, sent me some additional information:

We have been floored and so excited by the response to our newly launched membership. We’ve started to add our members to our new Supporters page, linked here.

Here is a bit more info than we have in the email:

We offer incremental benefits as follows, listed individually on each membership page:
- Old Vine ($50/year) and Centenarian Vine ($100/year) Members receive:
  - Your name listed on the HVS website’s Supporters page
  - A welcome gift from HVS
- Ancestor Vine ($500/year) Members receive:
  - Your name listed on the HVS website’s Supporters page
  - A welcome gift from HVS
  - First access to purchasing tickets to HVS events
- Historic Vine ($1000/year) Members receive:
  - Your name listed on the HVS website’s Supporters page
  - A welcome gift from HVS
  - First access to purchasing tickets to HVS events
  - One complimentary ticket to each HVS event

Membership is a way of committing to a yearly donation to HVS. Donating is completely optional: all are welcome to support HVS by receiving our emails and attending our events, or by making a one-time donation at any amount using our Donations Page. Donating/not donating, joining/not joining membership will not impact anyone’s status on the HVS mailing list or one’s ability to attend events. All those on our mailing list will receive the same offers to purchase tickets to HVS events (and wine, if applicable).

Let me know if I can answer any other questions. Thanks so much for your support, Michael!

For anyone who has an interest in helping with the preservation of these old vineyards, this is a great opportunity to participate [along with attending events and purchasing wine, of course]. I already see some names I know on the HVS Supporters page and I’m looking forward to seeing more.

Michael Perlis has been pursuing his passion for wine for more than 30 years. He has had the good fortune of having numerous mentors to show him the way, as well as a wonderful wife who encourages him and shares his interest. After a couple of decades of learning about wine, attending events, visiting wineries and vineyards, and tasting as much wine as he possibly could, he had the amazing luck to meet Eve Bushman. Now, as Contributing Editor for Eve’s Wine 101, he does his best to bring as much information as possible about wine to Eve’s Wine 101 faithful readers. Michael is also President of MCP Financial, which provides outsourced controller services. Michael can be contacted at michaelthezinfan@aol.com or mcpfinancial@aol.com.

The Wine House Announces First Southern California Virtual Reality Wine Tour Featuring Three Prestigious Italian Wineries

January 11, 2020 by evebushman

LOS ANGELES (PRWEB) – The Wine House, named one of the world’s best wine shops by Food & Wine, is excited to announce an exciting and immersive virtual reality wine tasting experience to Southern California on Wednesday, January 15th at 7:00 pm. The event will bring three wineries from the LUX Wines portfolio to life, offering a high-quality, 360-degree virtual reality technology viewed on an Oculus headset.

The event includes a seated tasting with virtual tours of three outstanding Italian producers: Jermann, Renato Ratti, and Allegrini. Representatives from each winery will be attending to guide participants through the tasting.

“Many of us have done vineyard tours, and I have been fortunate to visit all three wineries participating in this unique event, but I have never experienced anything like this before,” said Lance Montalto, Wine House Italian Buyer. “This VR immersion will certainly enhance participants’ wine-tasting experience by providing additional depth and understanding of the regions and wineries,” Montalto added.

This limited-seating event will offer each attendee the opportunity to use an Oculus virtual reality headset to enjoy new and unique winery perspectives, like aerial views. Participants also will enjoy nine incredible wines – three from each producer.

“Wine House customers love to explore, and they appreciate unique wine experiences,” said Bill Knight, President and Owner of Wine House. “We are always excited to present new and interesting events to our customers, and there is certainly a buzz surrounding this event since LUX held its inaugural events in New York and San Francisco,” Knight shared.

The Wine House’s Italian Virtual Reality Vineyard Tour and Wine Tasting takes place Wednesday, January 15th, at 7:00 pm. Those interested in attending the limited-seating event can register HERE.

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About The Wine House:
The Wine House is a family-owned independent retailer that has been serving customers from around the world for over 40 years and was named as one of the Ten Best Wine Stores in the World by Food & Wine. Our 25,000 square foot facility in West Los Angeles, CA, has a vast selection of over 6,000 domestic and imported wines, spirits and beers that is one of the largest and well-curated collections in the country. With helpful and knowledgeable staff to help customers make their selection and a wide variety of events such as seminars, tastings, wine and food pairings – from casual, in-store tastings, to sit down dinners with winemakers from all over the world as well as in-depth seminars that lead to certifications – we provide a unique, exciting shopping environment for clients ranging in wine experience from the complete novice to the connoisseur. We are honored to be the First Call for customers seeking products or assistance with any of our wide variety of products.

Guillotine Vodka Announces Availability in Los Angeles Stores

January 9, 2020 by evebushman

LOS ANGELES (PRWEB) – After several years astonishing distinguished drinkers throughout France, Guillotine Vodka proudly announces the availability of its premium grape-based vodkas in stores and venues across California and Washington with the release of their “Modern Aristocrats” campaign.

The new campaign introduces Guillotine Heritage, the brand’s unique barrel-aged vodka, accompanied by an eccentric family of cultural gatekeepers, connoisseurs, adventurers, and artists — individuals that appear studied and skilled, passionate and unwavering, who know an artisanal product when they see one.

Created by an all-star crew (photography by Brakha2x, creative direction by Van+, set design and styling by Franck Chevalier, and production by Mindmedium), the campaign masterfully intertwines aspects of the traditional and modern, combining beautiful painterly visuals and forward fashion that evokes what makes Guillotine Heritage so different: the French savoir fare that guides how their spirits are made, the special Limousin oak barrels in which the vodka is aged, and the rarefied experience of drinking a truly unique vodka unparalleled in quality and taste.

With Los Angeles as it current focus, Guillotine Heritage is presently being served at the esteemed nightclubs of the The h.wood Group(including Bootsy Bellows, Poppy), and the campaign is featured on 50 billboards across Los Angeles. Sophisticated and slightly subversive, the “Modern Aristocrats” campaign dares people to bend the rules and try something new: a French barrel-aged vodka that’s paving its own path in the premium spirits category.

For more information on where you can experience Guillotine Heritage barrel-aged vodka, visit guillotinevodka.com.

About Guillotine Vodka

Guillotine Vodka is a French premium spirits producer founded in Paris by Bastille Day chairman Paul Berkmann in 2017, and is now available in select markets and venues across California and Washington. Vegan and gluten-free, with no preservatives or artificial sweeteners, Guillotine Vodka is #ACutAboveLeRest. Feel free to @ us on Instagram (@guillotine.vodka).

Winter Getaways in California Wine Country

January 5, 2020 by evebushman

SAN FRANCISCO — When temperatures plummet in other parts of the country, it’s time to warm up to a winter getaway in California wine country. Not only does the Golden State enjoy sunny skies and comparatively mild temperatures year ‘round, California’s distinctive wine regions offer a host of seasonal activities and events, from food festivals to barrel tastings. Here are just some of the activities and events happening in California wine regions this season.

Wine Tasting

For those who prefer hands-on pursuits, many California wineries offer wine-blending workshops, cooking classes that focus on seasonal ingredients and in-depth, educational tastings. See DiscoverCaliforniaWines.com to search for wineries by region, varietals and amenities.

For great wine tasting deals in Napa Valley, pick up the Winter in the Wineries Passport ($60), which includes tastings at 16 Calistoga wineries, or St. Helena’s Little Book of Big Experiences passport ($75), which offers enhanced wine experiences and curated pairings at 15 wineries throughout the season.

Annual Wine & Food Events

Some of California’s best wine and food events happen in the winter months. During California Restaurant Month in January, eateries across the state offer special rates on prix-fixe lunch and dinner menus. Restaurant Week promotions run in various cities throughout the month. This year, Sonoma County extends its Restaurant Week celebration from Feb. 21-March 1.

The Napa Truffle Festival (Jan. 17-20) includes mushroom foraging and truffle cultivation seminars, plus chef-led cooking demonstrations. Crab Feast Mendocino (Jan.24-Feb. 2) features all-you-can-eat crab feeds, a wine competition showcasing local producers and a Crab Cake Cook-off.

Fans of crab and wine enjoy the Mendocino Crab Feast. Photo: Visit Mendocino.

Tour northern Sonoma County during Winter Wineland (Jan. 18-19), when vintners pour samples of new releases and limited-production library selections.

Enjoy special tastings at the Santa Cruz Mountains Passport Celebration Day (Jan. 18), when more than 40 participating wineries throughout the region open their doors to visitors. The Temecula Valley Barrel Tasting Event (Jan. 25-26) offers a self-guided taste and tour to sample barrel and tank wine samples, as well as new releases. The Zinfandel Experience (Jan. 30-Feb. 1) is a three-day wine and food fest in San Francisco that presents wine seminars, an auction and dinner and a grand tasting—all centered around California’s distinctive Zinfandel wine.

The Zinfandel Experience in San Francisco features Zinfandels from all of California’s growing regions.

Sweet treats abound at two February events: the Lodi Wine & Chocolate Weekend (Feb. 7-9), and the Madera Wine Trail Wine & Chocolate Weekend (Feb. 8-9), held at multiple wineries. The Presidents’ Wine Weekend (Feb. 15-16) in Calaveras County presents wine experiences and special events throughout the weekend in the Gold Rush town of Murphys.

Good times, good friends are part of the Lodi Wine & Chocolate Weekend.

The Garagiste Festival: Northern Exposure (Feb. 15) in Sonoma gives tasters access to under-the-radar, micro-production wines from Napa Valley, Sonoma County, Mendocino County, the Santa Cruz Mountains and more. Central Coast winemakers show off their blending expertise at BlendFest on the Coast in Paso Robles (Feb. 20-23), a tribute to the region’s rule-breaking wines. This year’s Anderson Valley Winter White Wine Festival (Feb. 22-23) highlights Riesling and other Alsace varietals with seminars, a grand tasting featuring local and international vintners and winery open house events.

Amador County wineries present educational seminars, food pairings and hard-to-find wines at Behind the Cellar Door (March 7). Taste barrel samples and meet the winemakers behind them at the WineRoad Barrel Tasting (March 6-8 and 13-15), a tasting tour of the Alexander, Dry Creek and Russian River valleys in Sonoma County. Sip some of Mendocino County’s finest wines in shops and galleries throughout Mendocino village while scouting the coastline for giant aquatic mammals at the Mendocino Whale Festival (March 7).

Wintertime Winery Activities

California wineries host special activities and tastings throughout the winter season.

North Coast

Acumen in the Napa Valley now offers Wine and Chocolate Tasting Thursdays through Sundays in partnership with Napa’s Annette’s Chocolates. Learn about chocolate production while sampling three PEAK Cabernet Sauvignons paired with six chocolate selections. Reservations must be made online or by phone 72 hours in advance.

Every Friday through April, Long Meadow Ranch in St. Helena hosts a Winter Farmers Market featuring organic produce, beef, honey and other farm-grown goodies.

Head to V. Sattui Winery in St. Helena on Jan. 18 for a Coq Au Vin and Cabernet Pairing in the glow of the winery’s crackling fireplace. Steaming bowls of slow-cooked coq au vin with porcini-parmesan polenta are matched with Napa Valley Cabernets, including older vintages.

On President’s Day Weekend, Black Stallion Winery in Napa is celebrating with a wine and oysters event Feb. 15. No reservations needed.

For more fun winter experiences and events around the state, visit DiscoverCaliforniaWines.com.

Wine Institute is the public policy association of California wineries producing 80 percent of U.S. wine. As the nation’s number one state for wine and food tourism with 3,900 wineries, California attracts 24 million visitors to its wine regions each year.

Codorníu Signs A Five-Year Agreement With Over 170 Growers Of Organic Grapes In Penedès

January 4, 2020 by evebushman

NEW YORK, NY (PRWEB) – Raventós Codorníu, Spain’s oldest producer of wines and Cavas with a history dating back to 1551, has announced that the renowned Cava producer Codorníu, the oldest Spanish winery to make sparkling wine using the traditional method, has signed a five-year agreement with more than 170 winegrape-growing families from the Penedès region to buy the production of selected 100% organic parcels, which add up to nearly 3,500 acres.

Photo: Forbes

With this unprecedented milestone for the sector, Cataluña’s oldest winery once again proves its commitment to viticulture and its conversion to organic farming.

“Our intention with these contracts is to consolidate our relationships with the winegrape growers and show that we consider them as part of our family, and that during the next five years, they can deliver their grapes to Codorníu worry-free,” stated Ramón Raventós, CEO of Raventós Codorníu. “Furthermore, Codorníu is also firmly committed to working in a collaborative manner, giving access to all the knowledge and labor of our technical team to ensure the best quality is achieved” added Raventós.

Codorníu also understands the essential role that this collective work plays in ensuring the final quality of its Cavas, and has underlined the importance of working together in order to attain excellence from the origin.

At an event celebrating the agreement as well as the end of harvest, presentations were also made to put forward ideas for improvement, setting new goals and presenting initiatives aimed at reinforcing the great teamwork that has been carried out over the last decade between local winegrape growers and the winery. This undertaking was reflected in the great results obtained in the 2019 harvest.

Sergi Molinari, a winegrape grower from Penedès, summed up: “I feel very positive about the agreement, as this commitment between the growers and Codorníu ensures that we are working together towards a common goal, that the project has a future that benefits both parties.” He added: “This agreement is a stake in our continued working relationship, giving us peace of mind and ensuring the prosperity of the sector.”

About Raventós Codorníu

Raventós Codorníu is Spain’s oldest producer of wines and Cavas and is a symbol of continuity, innovation and of remaining true to its origins. The company has five centuries of history (since 1551) and experience that combine tradition and modernity. This has resulted in the creation of leading wineries in the respective wine regions where they are located, capable of innovating and meeting the growing demand for exceptional Cavas and wines. With close to 7,500 acres of estate vineyards and 17 prestigious wineries spread across Spain, Argentina and California, Raventós Codorníu is one of the world’s leading companies in viticulture and winemaking expertise.

Wine House’s Monica Marin, DipWSET, Nominated as WSET Educator of the Year

January 2, 2020 by evebushman

WEST LOS ANGELES, CALIF. (PRWEB) – The Wine House, named one of the world’s best wine shops by Food & Wine, is proud to announce that Monica Marin, Director of Education, is one of ten educators worldwide that have been nominated by the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) as an Educator of the Year for 2019.

Monica Marin, center, flanked by her WSET students. Photo: Facebook.

“We are thrilled that the WSET is recognizing what we have known all along – that Monica Marin is a phenomenal and passionate wine educator,” said Bill Knight, Wine House President. “We have been fortunate to have Monica leading Wine House WSET programs of all levels here since 2012, and our customers have benefited greatly from her knowledge and enthusiasm.”

The Educator of the Year Award recognizes the outstanding contribution of an individual or company within WSET’s network of Approved Programme Providers. The recipient will have demonstrated a significant contribution to the development of WSET, promoting its values and vision while achieving noteworthy success in their own region. The award is proudly sponsored by Riedel.

Marin started out teaching Levels 2 & 3 Award in Wines & Spirits, and she now also teaches Level 4 Diploma in Wines as well as WSET Level 1 in Wines and Level 1 in Sake courses. The Wine House teaches over 500 WSET students a year and has recently opened two satellites in the wine-growing areas of Paso Robles and Santa Barbara. Marin is also a ‘Flying Wine Educator,’ teaching several times a year in Chile, Colombia, Paraguay, Panama and Mexico.

Originally from Spain, Marin teaches in English and Spanish and enjoys experiencing the different cultures as she shares her love of teaching and her students enjoy learning about wine!

“It is an incredible honor to be considered for such an award by the WSET, and I am grateful to be nominated along with other top wine educators from around the world,” said Marin.

In January 2020, The Wine House will offer WSET Level 1 in Wines, WSET Level 2 in Wines, WSET Level 3 in Wines and WSET Level 1 in Sake. More courses, including a new intake of WSET Level 4 Diploma in Wines, will be offered throughout the year.

About The Wine House:

The Wine House is a family-owned independent retailer that has been serving customers from around the world for over 40 years and was named as one of the Ten Best Wine Stores in the World by Food & Wine. Our 25,000 square foot facility in West Los Angeles, CA has a vast selection of over 6,000 domestic and imported wines, spirits and beers that is one of the largest and well-curated collections in the country. With helpful and knowledgeable staff to help customers make their selection and a wide variety of events such as seminars, tastings, wine and food pairings – from casual, in-store tastings, to sit down dinners with winemakers from all over the world as well as in-depth seminars that lead to certifications – we provide a unique, exciting shopping environment for clients ranging in wine experience from the complete novice to the connoisseur. We are honored to be the First Call for customers seeking products or assistance with any of our wide variety of products.

About the Wine & Spirit Education Trust:

Set up in 1969 and celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2019, WSET is the largest global provider of qualifications in the field of wines and spirits.
WSET offers qualifications across four levels, from one-day beginner courses through to an expert level diploma. Courses are available in more than 15 languages and over 70 countries and are open both to industry professionals and interested enthusiasts.
WSET is recognised as an awarding organisation by Ofqual, the English regulator of qualifications and examinations. All WSET qualifications have a strong reputation worldwide as the industry standard for knowledge.
In the last academic year (2018/19) over 100,000 candidates sat for a WSET qualification and, since 1969, WSET has awarded nearly one million individuals a WSET qualification.

For more information about WSET, please visit WSETglobal.com.

Garagiste Wine Festival Wins ‘Best of the Fests’, Kicks off 10th Anniversary Year in Sonoma on February 15th

January 1, 2020 by evebushman

PASO ROBLES, CALIF. (PRWEB) – The Garagiste Wine Festival, which was just named ‘Best of the Fests’ for 2019 by Fest Forums, is kicking off its 10th anniversary year with its popular Garagiste Northern Exposure event in Sonoma on February 15th, 2020. The Sonoma event offers wine lovers rare access to cutting-edge wines from over 40 micro-production, commercial wineries from Napa, Sonoma, Mendocino, Sierra Foothills, Lodi, Santa Cruz and more.

The Garagiste Festival premiered in 2011 and is the nation’s first and only festival to showcase the wines of micro-production commercial ‘garagiste*’ winemakers. The ‘Best of Fest’ Award from Fest Forums, the country’s leading conference for Event and Festival producers nationwide, recognized The Garagiste Festival for its innovation. Because Garagiste offers wine lovers one-of-a-kind opportunities to taste a range of each year’s most exciting handcrafted small-lot production wines, all under one roof, its four annual festivals in Sonoma, Solvang, Los Angeles and Paso Robles consistently sell out. This is the second national award for the festival which was also named the ‘Best Wine Festival in the US in USA Today’s 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards.

“2020 is a landmark year for Garagiste, and we are so grateful to receive this prestigious award as we head into our 10th anniversary year,” said Garagiste Festival Co-founder Doug Minnick. “The Garagiste Festival is the ‘little engine that could’ in a world of bigtime events featuring major stars and corporations, and we know it is all down to the amazing winemakers who pour at our festivals and each year inject freshness, creativity and a renegade spirit into the wine establishment.”

The non-profit Garagiste Festival also supports the Garagiste Festival Scholarships at the Wine and Viticulture Department at Cal Poly University San Luis Obispo.

“Our mission over the last decade has been to shine a spotlight on small-lot winemakers, who you don’t find in grocery stores or on wine country maps, while supporting the winemakers of the future through our Garagiste Festival Scholarships,” said Garagiste Co-founder Stewart McLennan. “Our intimate and ‘no snobs’ allowed atmosphere has made the Garagiste Festivals unique and memorable, while our winemakers have expanded the horizons and palates of thousands of wine lovers. 2020 will be our best year of festivals ever. Stay tuned!”

Northern Exposure in Sonoma:
The February 15th 2020 Garagiste Festival Northern Exposure will be held at the Sonoma Veterans Building near Sonoma’s historic downtown plaza and features 40 winemakers, one-in-four of which are brand new to the festival, pouring over 100+ wines from 20+ grape varieties. Limited availability VIP Experience tickets celebrate Valentine’s weekend with a Rare and Reserve tasting featuring library, club only and reserve wines; a wine county box lunch from local fave, The Girl & the Fig; a full glass of sparkling Rosé from Garagiste Festival winemaker, Carboniste Modern Sparkling, as well as a themed treat from artisan chocolatiers Fleur Sauvage Chocolates.

Among the 40+ winemakers scheduled to pour at the Sonoma Northern Exposure Festival are:
601 Cellars, Abbot’s Passage, Aesop Wines, Ampere/Pine Mountain Vineyards, Armitage Wines, Benevolent Neglect Wines, Boonville Road Wines, Brombeere Wines, Carboniste Modern Sparkling, Carpenter Wine, Crux Winery, Dane Cellars, DeWitt Vineyard, Enriquez Estate Wines, Fallon Place Wines, Ferguson Family Wines, Fields Family Wines, Frostwatch Vineyard, Greyscale Wines, Jardesca Aperitvo, JonEVino, March Wines, Mastro Scheidt, Montagne Russe Wines, Oceano Wines, Oceans Churning, Old County Cellars, Ondule Wines, Perri Jaye Vineyards, Piezo Winery, Purple Dragon Cellars, Ricci Vineyards, Sosie Wines, Sutro Wine, T. Berkley Wines, Weatherborne Wine Corp. and Zo Wines

2020 Garagiste Festival Dates and Places:
The Garagiste Festival’s 10-year anniversary celebration will continue throughout the year with special events, signature tastings, local chefs, after parties, and rare and reserve nights.

Feb 15 in Sonoma at the Veteran’s Memorial Hall: 126 1st Street W. Sonoma, CA
April 17 & 18 at the Veteran’s Memorial Hall in the heart of Solvang: 1745 Mission Drive, Solvang, CA
July 25 at the historic Glendale Civic Auditorium: 1401 N. Verdugo Road, Glendale, CA
Nov 12 -15 – The 10th Annual Garagiste Festival in Paso Robles includes a series of special events and The Grand Tasting at the Paso Robles Fairgrounds: 2198 Riverside Ave, Paso Robles, CA

For more information and full Garagiste Festival Northern Exposure schedule details, go to: http://californiagaragistes.com/

Tickets are limited for the Sonoma festival and Garagiste Festivals always sell out. To buy tickets, go to:https://www.eventbrite.com/e/3rd-annual-garagiste-wine-festival-northern-exposure-tickets-75598187213?aff=website For breaking 10 anniversary celebration festival news and special discounts, sign-up for our free newsletter, The Dirt athttps://www.garagistefestival.com/garagiste-blog or follow us on Twitter (@GaragisteFest) or Facebook.

About The Garagiste Wine Festival
The Garagiste Wine Festival (http://www.garagistefestival.com), named Best of the Fests for 2019 by Fest Forums and the ‘Best Wine Festival in the US in 2018 in USA Today’s 10Best Readers Choice Awards, is the first and only wine festival dedicated to the undiscovered and under-recognized American artisan ‘garagiste’ producers who are making some of the best, most exciting, handcrafted small-lot production wines in the world. Founded by fellow garagistes Stewart McLennan and Douglas Minnick, the Garagiste Festivals are committed to discovering the best and most innovative limited-production winemakers and promoting and showcasing them to a broad audience of discerning wine consumers. In addition to its flagship annual festival in Paso Robles, CA, the Garagiste Festival line-up includes Garagiste Festival: Southern Exposure, featuring Santa Ynez Valley garagistes; the Garagiste Festival: Urban Exposure, in Los Angeles; the Garagiste Festival, Northern Exposure, in Sonoma; winemaker dinners, a newsletter, garagiste profiles and more.

In addition to being named the US’ Best Wine Festival, the Garagiste Festival was named one of the ‘Top Nine Incredible Epicurean Vacations’ in the world by ABC News, * “one of the premier wine events of the year,” by the LA Times and “Best Festival” by Sunset Magazine’s ‘Best of the West.’ The festivals are produced by Garagiste Events, a non-profit dedicated to furthering the education of future winemakers and those training for employment within the wine industry. Proceeds from the festivals support the Garagiste Festival Scholarship fund of the California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo Wine and Viticulture Department.

*Garagiste (garage-east) 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. The Garagiste Festivals were the first to shine a light on the American garagiste winemaker in 2011.

Randall Grahm Earns Top Consumer Honor

December 25, 2019 by evebushman

St. Pete Beach, Fla. –Randall Grahm, founder of Bonny Doon Vineyard, received the American Wine Society Award of Merit at the organization’s national conference in St. Pete Beach, Fla., earlier this month.

In an acceptance speech, Mr. Grahm humbly and humorously discussed several particularly vivid career failures over the past 35 years, as well as plans for the future at his estate vineyard in San Juan Bautista, CA. But the audience of 600 applauded him for his decades of innovation and successes.

Randall Grahm. Photo from Wine Enthusiast

The AWS’s Award of Merit is the highest consumer honor conferred on individuals in the wine industry, recognizing contributions that have enhanced wine appreciation and enjoyment. Since 1974, the AWS has presented this award annually to leaders in winemaking, viticulture, marketing, journalism, or merchandising.

“Mr. Grahm has influenced wine styles, packaging, and marketing in enduring ways,” said AWS Executive Director David Falchek, citing Mr. Grahm’s pioneering experiments with Rhone grape varieties, his early embrace of Stelvin closures, and his innovative marketing, as with his flagship Rhone-style blend, Le Cigare Volant.

“Randall Grahm has been at the forefront of introducing new grape varieties, hastening the adoption of alternate closures, and marketing wine in fun, innovative ways,” Falchek said. “He is known as one of the industry’s great characters, but he has also been a force in shaping the wine industry for the better.”

When asked for a comment on this, his most recent accolade, Mr. Grahm said, “I am greatly honored by this acknowledgment from the AWS, but respectfully suggest that the real hard work is still yet to be doon. I look forward to many more productive years in this industry.”

The American Wine Society is the oldest and largest organization of wine consumers in the United States.