Gloria Ferrer’s Catalan Festival is Saturday and Sunday, and the Sonoma winery wants to transport you to Spain without a transatlantic flight. Sipping wine paired with paella, and taking in flamenco without a trace of jet lag is truly an irresistible offer.
To prepare your palate for the fun, here’s what’s best at the winery to pair with your paella:
Gloria Ferrer Brut Rosé , 2008 Carneros, $45.
Gloria Ferrer Royal Cuvee, 2005 Carneros, $35.
But if you prefer still wines with your paella, opt for:
Gloria Ferrer’s 2010 Carneros Pinot Noir, $27
Gloria Ferrer’s 2008 Carneros Merlot, $28.
The food and drink will be coupled with flamenco, the dance that is as proud and colorful as a peacock.
Joelle Goncalves, the artistic director of Sol Flamenco, is one of the dancers who will be preforming at the festival. She explained that ethnic music and dance truly have the bewitching power to transport people.
“Flamenco is a very proud and powerful art form,” Goncalves said. “Each year the combination of music and dance, the smell of the paella and clinking glasses, brings everyone to a summer’s day in Spain.”
Goncalves said she just returned from Spain in the spring, so she has an updated line-up of dances in store.
“What I love about the festival is that it is completely unique,” she said. “There is no other festival celebrating Spanish/Catalonian culture in northern California.”
The event is from noon to 4 p.m. and tickets range from $60 to $90. To order tickets visit www.gloriaferrer.com or call the winery directly at (707) 933-1917.)
The two-day festival was established by the Ferrer family of Spain to honor the opening of Gloria Ferrer Caves & Vineyards in 1986, the first Catalan-owned winery in California. The annual event, now in its 22nd year, benefits the Sonoma Valley Education Foundation.
