The theme is Sonoma Somba so expect plenty of  Carmen-Miranda look-a-likes.

( See details below regarding tickets and the full weekend roll out Aug. 30 to Sept. 1st.)

Photographer Ron Zak recently captured the hijinks in the shoot for the iconic poster at Atwood Ranch in Glen Ellen. About 30 costumed vintners and growers took the stage set to convey, as one organizer put it: “Classic Brazilian Somba goes Sonoma Somba.”

There were colorful street venders, people in lounge chairs and others dancing. Dan Kosta, for one, was clad beach whites, busy talking on his banana phone.

With a bullhorn in hand, Zak said. “Let’s get this thing rocking and rolling …we want you sparkling, we want your best exuberence. Be sure you have a glass of wine.” Later he belted “more energy, more energy!”

The award for the most zany costume has to go to Squire Fridell, co-vintner of Glenlyon winery in Glen Ellen. The 6 foot-plus Fridell made for one quirky Carmen Miranda.

For those who savor off beat, here’s the weekend roll out:

Friday, August 30

12:30 p.m. – Winemaker Lunch Series at wineries throughout Sonoma County

6:30 p.m. – Sonoma Starlight at Francis Ford Coppola Winery

6:00 p.m. – Winemaker Dinner Parties

Saturday, August 31

11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. – Taste of Sonoma at MacMurray Ranch®

6:00 p.m. – Winemaker Dinner Parties at Wineries throughout Sonoma County

Sunday, September 1

12:30 p.m. – Winery barbecues at wineries throughout Sonoma County

1:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. Sonoma Harvest Wine Auction at Chateau St. Jean

Tickets

Sonoma Starlight at Francis Ford Coppola Winery: $95/person or $175/person Patron

Winery barbecues: $85/person

Winemaker Lunches: $85/person; Winemaker Dinner Parties: $150/person

Taste of Sonoma at MacMurray Ranch®: $165/person (General), $195/person (Grand Reserve)

Sonoma Harvest Wine Auction: $500/person

* Special Visa Signature account holder pricing and benefits available at www.SonomaWineCountryWeekend.com

For more information visit www.SonomaWineCountryWeekend.com, call (855) 939-7666, like it on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/winecountryweekend and follow on Twitter at http://twitter.com/SonomaWCW.

]]> http://tastingroom.blogs.pressdemocrat.com/2013/05/16/pen-in-irreverence-tickets-go-on-sale-for-the-sonoma-wine-country-weekend-today/feed/ 0 http://tastingroom.blogs.pressdemocrat.com/2013/05/16/kj-winery-in-new-episode-of-undercover-boss-friday/ http://tastingroom.blogs.pressdemocrat.com/2013/05/16/kj-winery-in-new-episode-of-undercover-boss-friday/#comments Thu, 16 May 2013 18:40:49 +0000 Tasting.Room http://tastingroom.blogs.pressdemocrat.com/?p=1448 Read More »]]> Rick Tigner, president of Kendall-Jackson Winery, will appear yet again on the CBS reality series ‘Undercover Boss’ Friday, and this episode will feature the most intriguing bosses from the four seasons of the series.

Read Press Democrat stories about the last time Tigner was on the show here and here and see photos from that show here.

What would the late Jess Jackson think of Tigner’s latest star turn? Who knows? But the irony is that the industry icon could have never been an undercover boss. Everyone knew Jess with his thick white hair, often beneath a cowboy hat, whether he was walking in the vineyards, or tasting blends in the lab. There would have been no way to keep the visionary under wraps.

As for Tigner, the show will revisit his last appearance in the third season and focus on how it affected his life. Tigner, a 20-year veteran of the winery, became president after Jackson passed away in 2011.

A quick heads up for Twitter socialites: KJ is having a Happy Hour Twitter party on Friday at 5 p.m. You can follow the action on Twitter @KJWines and use the hashtag #KJHappyHour to be part of the online bash.

Take a peek: http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/independent/somm/

SOMM will be in a limited number of theaters on June 21st and also available for download on iTunes.

Geoff Kruth, who works at the Farmhouse Inn in Forestville, is the chief operating officer of the Guild of Sommeliers, and he played the role of advisor in SOMM. First off, Kruth had a strong connection with the four main characters, who were students of his. Kruth knows all too well the onerous task of the test; he’s one of about 200 people worldwide who has passed and has the prestigious MS Master Sommelier title.

About 3 year ago Jason Wise, a young film director from Los Angeles showed Kruth a teaser trailer he put together after being inspired by watching his friend Brian McClintic prepare for the Master Sommelier exam. Kruth said he was “blown away” by the quality of the teaser and offered to help in making his project a reality.

While Kruth doesn’t play a big role on screen, he is interviewed on camera about the topic of blind tasting, which is one of the three parts of the exam. It’s an area of expertise for him.

Kruth’s role – behind the scenes — was to help set up interviews with wine producers and fellow sommeliers. He also had the chance to travel to Europe with the film team to shoot b-roll of classic wine regions which are interspersed throughout the film.

“The most gratifying aspect of the film for me is exposing the wider world to this fascinating microcosm, which is the professional sommelier,” Kruth said. “Hopefully it will increase the recognition and respect of the profession.”

Will SOMM be a hit with anyone other than wine geeks? Who knows? But here’s an interesting nugget — the trailer is one of the most popular on iTunes right now.

She never gave up back when the wine world could make women’s lives a living hell.

The founder of Sebastopol’s Merry Edwards Winery first made headlines this year when she was inducted into the Vintners Hall of Fame at St. Helena’s Culinary Institute of America at Greystone. Edwards has said she believes one reason she was inducted is because she stood up to discrimination and never wavered

“Early on I was a woman who did not give up, even in the face of adversity towards my gender,” she has said. “I have been supportive of all young people coming into the field, but have tried especially hard to support young women …”

Edwards opened her winery in 2008 and produces highly sought-after pinot noir and sauvignon blanc. (www.merryedwards.com).

In honor of her James Beard win, I’m reposting a recent Q&A with the dauntless Merry Edwards.

Q: What do you feel has been your biggest contribution to the world of wine?

Edwards: “Perhaps my most important contribution was introducing and championing the concept of the importance of clonal selection on wine quality to California winegrowers. When the massive replanting began in the 1980′s here in America, following the failure of the AxR rootstock, the clonal landscape was revolutionized.”

Q: What has been your biggest contribution specifically to our Northern California Wine Country?

Edwards:  “I have designated Russian River Valley as the epicenter for pinot noir and have been a tireless promoter of Sonoma County wines, especially those from my home appellation, the Russian River Valley.”

Q: What has been the biggest challenge in being a woman winemaker?

Edwards: “Once I got past the discrimination of the first few years, and showed I just wasn’t going to go away, I think integrating children into my career was perhaps my largest challenge. I could not have done this without the support of my extended family and my early bosses at Matanzas Creek.”

Q: What has been the most gratifying part of being a winemaker?

Edwards:  “… The most gratifying part has been realizing that my life-in-wine has made a contribution to and has had an impact on improving the quality of wine in America. “

Of course Bochy wouldn’t disclose much about where he roams when he was at AT&T Park on Monday. He only said that he frequents this area and he’s a wine guy who drinks red, white and champagne.

“I have to be careful,” Bochy said. “I don’t want to leave anybody out. I spend time in Napa Valley. Yes, Sonoma and Healdsburg, as well.”

Bochy, who is 6’4”, towered over the curious who came to sample the sparkler that Mumm Napa produced in collaboration with the Giants. But they also came, no doubt, to catch a glimpse of Bochy, who was at the helm during the Giants’ 2010 and 2012 World Series wins.

It’s not every day you get to meet up with the mastermind of victories who made the entire Bay Area go crazy for a spell. And a World Series win is just that – a spell – an intoxicating spell, with confetti flying and an endless uncorking of frothy sparklers.

Of course when Bochy isn’t caught up in the spell, when he’s not consumed by baseball, he’s fishing or wine tasting, and we can expect him to continue his jaunts into Wine Country since he recently signed an extension of his contract through 2016.

Bochy is looking to have more wins and wants to make bubbly a staple. The collaboration makes Mumm Napa the official sparkling wine of the Giants, and here’s a glimpse of the two bottlings:

For sports collectors and wine aficionados, the Championship Brut ($125) is a onetime run, limited edition release of only 2,012 bottles created to celebrate the Giants’ 2012 World Series win.

The Giants Brut Prestige ($27) will be more widely available throughout the baseball season. As the name suggests, this wine is a special bottling of Mumm Napa’s Brut Prestige. The Giants have had a long standing love for Brut Prestige: during last year’s playoff series and World Series Championship, they celebrated each series win with the wine.

Can Giants fanatics become bubbly fanatics? Who knows? But there is something to what winemaker Ludovic Dervin says: “In victory one deserves champagne, and in defeat one needs champagne.”

Take a peek at www.nationalparkswinecollection.com.Yosemite Artisan Red is a blend of zinfandel, syrah, merlot and petite sirah, while Yosemite Artisan White is a blend of viognier, moscato, semillon and sauvignon blanc.

The National Park Foundation raises private funds to support American’s nearly 400 national parks and their programs. Adler Fels Winery, nestled on the slopes of the Mayacamas Mountains, decided this was a fitting project to support.

As the winery’s General Manager Dan O’Leary put it: “As artisan winemakers, land stewardship is at the heart of what we do. We are grateful for the opportunity to contribute to the protection and preservation of our national park …”

Before I tell you the back story, pen this date in your calendar – May 11^th – for what is being billed as “The Seven Percent Solution Tasting.”

Curious as to The Seven Percent? It’s a claim – pure and simple — made by a group of producers who say 93 percent of California’s vineyard acreage is planted to eight major grape varieties, leaving only seven percent for all the others. As for these left-of-center varietals. they include grenache blanc, trousseau, gamay, refosco, tempranillo, verdelho, touriga nacional, and semillon

The 17 producers who will be pouring these lesser-known varietals are inventors, leading-edge thinkers who are compelled to experiment. Some of my favorites include Leo Steen, Bedrock Wine Co., Unti and Wind Gap. Others I want to explore include Idlewild Wines, Jolie-Laide, Massican, Scholium Project, and Two Shepherds.

The tasting will be from 3 to 7 p.m. at Bergamot Alley Bar & Wine Merchant in Healdsburg and tickets are $40 a pop. For more information, visit www. bergamot alley.com.

It turns out that day trippers are the largest segment of tourists — 66.2 percent – and they fancy wine tasting, with an average of 3.5 tasting rooms typically on their itinerary, according to a recent study.

Destination Analysts did the research, which focused on Napa Valley, and with this study in mind, here’s my favorite day-cation in the valley.

It begins with breakfast at Bouchon Bakery in Yountville and be sure to order an authentic Parisian croissant, and then follow it up with a macaroon for dessert. Dessert for breakfast? You bet when the macaroons are that irresistible. (Bouchon Bakery, 6528 Washington Street, Yountville, 707-944-2253, www.bouchonbakery.com.)

After you’ve filled yourself up with Parisian treats, you’re off for a day of wine tasting. Here are my 3.5 (plus) tasting rooms.

The Hess Collection. Tip: This winery is best known for its Mount Veeder Cabernet, but give other varietals a try in its highbrow Hess Small Block Series. (4411 Redwood Rd  Napa, 707-255-1144, www.hesscollection.com)

St. Supery. Tip: This winery makes knockout sauvignon blanc so why not taste its best effort yet – the 2011 Dollarhide Estate Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc at $35?  (8440 S St Helena Hwy  Napa, 707-963-4507, www.stsupery.com)

Mumm Napa. Tip: the 2008 Blanc de Blancs is a hot new release not to be missed. It’s vibrant with notes of apple, almond and mineral. (8445 Silverado Trail, 800-686-6272, www.mummnapa.com)

Domaine Chandon Tip: The Chandon Sparkling Red is a winery exclusive, and it has the body of a still wine but the refreshing character of a sparkling wine. (1 California Dr., Yountville, 707-944-8844, www.chandon.com)

At some point during your day of tasting, stop in at Oakville Grocery, Napa Valley, for a picnic. A house special is the Chicken Gruyere sandwich — sophisticated comfort food at its best. (7856 St. Helena Highway, Oakville, 707-944-8802, www.oakvillegrocery.com)

During your picnic, be sure to pull out your tasting notes so you can talk “taste,” the favorite conversation in Wine Country. No doubt, your palate will have plenty to say.

The Rhone Rangers, for the uninitiated, are vintners and growers producing wines in America from grape varieties originally made famous across the pond in France’s Rhone Valley. The group is having a big tasting in San Francisco this weekend, one that usually draws quite a few Rhone-lovers from the North Bay. (www.rhonerangers.org)

Grahm is one of the original Rhone Rangers, and he coins himself “President-For-Life at Bonny Doon Vineyard in Santa Cruz. Here’s what he has to say about everything under the sun:

Q: You are often called a maverick. Do you think it’s a fitting description of you and if so, why?

Grahm: “I may be a maverick, just don’t call me Brett Maverick. (Insert laugh here). I’m not sure that I’m really that much of a maverick, just someone who is trying to do things a little bit differently from everyone else. Part of this may well be my slightly narcissistic personality, but the other part is really just simple business. You really need to have a differentiated product if you are to survive in the market. (This is in fact the only thing I really know about business.)  I also have something like a mild (or major) case of Attention Deficit Disorder, which leads me to explore every possible winemaking/grape growing idea that I can imagine.”

Q: You’ve spent the last 25 years producing Rhone wines in California. Why Rhone wines? What about them romanced you?

Grahm: “As you may know, I more or less accidentally came to Rhône varieties as a sort of default when it was clear to me that it was not likely that I was going to produce an utterly brilliant pinot noir at my estate vineyard in Bonny Doon.  It was Kermit Lynch who really got me interested in Rhone wines in the first place, back when he had a little shop in Albany, CA.  I had the very simplistic idea that maybe one could produce a complex blend from Rhone varieties in the style of a Chateauneuf-du-Pape. We had the most important grapes of the blend already in California; the real question was could you make a blend that would additively synergize, i.e. make something far more complex than the sum of its parts. Miraculously, there were still some beautiful extant cool climate grenache vineyards.  David Bruce had made a powerful, red grenache twice (in ’70 and ’71). If he had made this kind of wine, then theoretically it might be possible to have a very good starting point for a blend. And then further, there was very old vine, dry-farmed mourvedre still extant; also boding very well for a blend. syrah – a bit iffy at the time, but, we wouldn’t use too much syrah. (There was no cool climate syrah then to be had.)”

Q: You’re being honored this weekend with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Rhone Rangers event in San Francisco. Do you like awards or are you like Woody Allen and dodge the spot light?

Grahm: “I am of course quite honored, but generally quite flummoxed when people say nice things about me.  I think that it would not be particularly gracious to dodge the award, but it is in fact a little bit of a torture for me.”

Q: How has your off beat packaging served you?

Grahm: “Honestly, it’s a bit of a mixed bag.  On the one hand, it has been enormously successful in selling popularly priced wines, but it has also established the perception that I can never really get serious about anything, that I’m always, on some level, kidding around.  This has to change. (Serious face.)”
Q: What has been your biggest achievement in your life regarding wine?

Grahm: “This is almost impossible for me to answer. I’m not really sure that I’ve really made much of a contribution to date.  (If I were to die any time soon, they would say, “What a great marketer he was!”).  Certainly, the popularization of the Rhône varieties was something, but the reality is that this was something that was inevitable.  If it hadn’t been me, it certainly would have been someone else a year or two later.  In candor, I really do believe that my very best work is ahead of me if I can live long enough.  Now that I imagine I understand a thing or two about wine, I feel I am ready to do something truly original and potentially helpful to the accretion of wine knowledge.  (Hint: it’s about wines of place.)”

No, the winery isn’t an official member of the Wine Road, although it’s trying to make that happen. For now it’s riding the wave of the barrel tasting festivities by offering barrel tasting at its downtown tasting room.

Perks: The winery offers a tasting experience away from the crowds and vintners will be pouring four barrel samples, three of which are entirely new – two Bordeaux-style wines and one rosé of pinot noir. For more information about Ancient Oak Cellars, check out www.ancientoakscellars.com.