2006-01-06
WHAT’S GOING ON HERE AND THERE IN THE WINE COUNTRY By Millie Howie
If your 2006 resolutions included learning more about wine you’ll get a lot of help at the January wine events and you might want to start with the Russian River Wine Road’s major winter celebration, Winter Wineland, Saturday and Sunday, January 14th and 15th. 102 local wineries will be dishing up the chef’s best along with the choicest wines both days from 11 a.m. till 4 p.m. Tickets good for both days are $35. Call your favorite winery to purchase yours. Madrona Vineyards up in Placer County invites everyone to help celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the planting of the estate vineyards, Saturday and Sunday, January 28th and 29th. The event is marked by the release of a 2003 Zinfandel and 2003 Chardonnay. Tickets to taste these special low production wines are $15, for which you will receive an Anniversary Riedel Glass to make the event even more special. Outstanding Central Coast wines will be offered at the Temecula Valley Winegrowers’ Winter Barrel Tasting, Saturday and Sunday, January 28th and 29th. Twenty wineries are participating and you can visit each at your own pace between 10 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Tickets are $80 each and may be purchased online at www.temeculawines.org. Although the annual concert by Flamenco guitarist Eric Symons at Gloria Ferrer Champagne Caves isn’t scheduled until February 11th, it is wise to call well in advance for reservations. Concert time is 8 till 10 p.m. and the tickets are $25 per person for those over 21 and $20 for those younger. Price includes complimentary sparkling wine and soft drinks. One of the most unusual events in the North Coast Wine Country is the Annual Professional Pruning Competition. The next regional event, with the best of the pruning crews in the Sonoma Valley, takes place Monday, January 16th, followed by Russian River Valley expert pruners competing Tuesday, January 17th. The first clip each day is at 10 a.m. There is no charge. Call (707) 206-0603 for full details. Ironstone Vineyards provides an evening of hearty laughs inspired by old time comedy films, Friday, January 27th. The evening begins with a buffet dinner at 6:30 p.m. and the film starts at 7:45. Dave Moreno supplies appropriate background music on the Alhambra Theatre Pipe Organ. Tickets are $20 per person and the price includes free popcorn during the movie.
- Gloria Ferrer Champagne Caves, 23555 Highway 121, Sonoma – (707) 996-7256
- Ironstone Vineyards, 1894 Six Mile Road, Murphys – (209) 728-1251 Ext. 29
- Madrona Vineyards, 2560 High Hill Road, Camino – (530) 644-5948
- Russian River Wine Road, P. O. Box 46, Healdsburg – 1-800-723-6336
- Sonoma County Grape Growers Association, P. O. Box 1959, Sebastopol – (707) 206-0603
- Temecula Valley Winegrowers, P. O. Box 1601, Temecula – 1-800-801-9463
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