2005-12-30
WHAT’S GOING ON HERE AND THERE IN THE WINE COUNTRY By Millie Howie
If you were a grapevine you would now be preparing for a rejuvenating nap. But, lucky for you, while the vines are resting, the winery world is wide awake and inviting you to join in ring out the old year and welcome the new with delicious foods, wines, musical serenades and other entertainment. There’s so much going on during Mendocino County’s Seventh Annual Crab and Wine Days that it takes ten days to celebrate them all. Crab and Wine Days start Friday, January 20th and continue through Sunday, January 29th. Tickets are $60 each. For a full schedule of events visit www.gomendo.com or call 866-466-3636. A fabulous Winemaker Dinner is scheduled for Saturday, January 21st at Paradise Ridge Winery. Winemaker Dan Barwick and Chef Bruce Riezenman, of Park Avenue Catering, combine talents in a menu showing off the deliciousness of both the food and wine. Dining starts at 7 p.m. and reservations are required. This time of year pruning is on the growers’ minds and they salute the season with the Sonoma County Grape Growers Association’s annual professional pruning competition. Regional contests start January 16th at 10 a.m. To watch or compete in this popular demonstration of the skills of the men who tend the vines call (707) 206-0603 for details of time and location. Fran Repogle, co-owner of Fenestra Winery in the Livermore Valley, invites everyone to enjoy piping hot soup with Fenestra wines at the 14th Annual Soup and Wine Weekend, January 28th and 29th from noon till 5 p.m. Recipes for the most popular soups will be available, including Marla James’ Cream of Asparagus. There is a $10 tasting fee that includes a souvenir logo glass. Fabulous foods, fine wines and a lot of mystery, that’s what The City Hotel at Columbia State Historic Park will be serving up in January and February next year for four different weekends, starting Friday, January 20th. Each mystery weekend includes lodging for two nights, lunches, dinners and dancing as the plot thickens. All is revealed at a Sunday farewell brunch. Fees start at $385 per couple. The first New Release celebration is paired with a commemoration of Martin Luther King over the holiday weekend, January 14th and 15th at Chateau St. Jean. The weekend is highlighted by guided vineyard tours and educational walks, with tasting of the new vintages. There is a $5 tasting fee. Hours are 10 a.m. till 5 p.m. each day. - Chateau St. Jean, 8555 Highway 12, Kenwood – www.chateaustjean.com – 707-833-4124
- City Hotel, P. O. Box 1870, Columbia – 209-532-1479
- Fenestra Winery, 83 Vallecitos Road, Livermore – 925-447-5246
- Mendocino Crab and Wine, www.goMendo.com - 866-466-3636
- Paradise Ridge Winery, 4545 Thomas Lake Harris Drive, Santa Rosa – www.paradiseridgewinery.com – 707-528-9463
- Sonoma County Grape Growers Association, P. O. Box 1959, Sebastopol – 707-206-0603
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