Events!
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Listed below is a very limited listing of events which focus on Pinot Noir.
If you have any to add please send an email!
January
Central Otago Pinot
Noir Festival
Held in Queenstown, New
Zealand three out of every four years, alternating with the Pinot Noir festival
held in Wellington. Begun in 1999, 200 people attend this festival. Held
in late January. Next festival is January 30-31, 2009. For information: www.pinotcelebration.co.nz.
Russian River Valley Winter Wineland
Two days of wine tasting, tours,
education, and winemaker talks. Over 100 wineries participate. For information: www.wineroad.com.
February
Pinot Noir New Zealand
First begun in 2001, this
festival draws winemakers and enthusiasts from all over the world to Wellington,
New Zealand. Tastings are held with 100 top New Zealand Pinot Noir producers.
Many world-wide wine luminaries attend. It is
expect to attract 500 attendees at the next event. For information: http://www.pinotnoir2007.co.nz/Pinot-Noir-2010.
Mornington Peninsula Pinot Noir Festival
This local festival in
Melbourne, Australia attracts 150 people to celebrate Pinot Noirs from around
the world. Held in late February. For information: www.mpva.com.
March
La Paulée de
New York
The Burgundy celebration
La Paulée de New York, on March 7, 2009,
pays homage to La Paulée de Meursault,
a convivial Burgundian fête shared by growers and their guests. At
La Paulée de New York guests will sample current releases
and older vintages from over twenty of the most sought after Domaines of
Burgundy. The wine service will be led by fifty of our nation's most noted
sommeliers. Our Chef D'Honneur, Daniel Boulud, will welcome other leading chefs to collaborate
on an unforgettable menu. For more information and to order tickets, visit lapaulee.com
Pinot Noir Summit
Sponsored by Affairs of
the Vine, this event began in 2002. Over 250 Pinot Noirs
from North America are evaluated by a diverse professional tasting panel.
The top 30 wines are then presented at a blind tasting at the California
Culinary Academy in San Francisco, California. Awards are given to the Pinot
Noirs voted the favorite by the tasting panel as well as the consumers who
attend the event. Seminars on Pinot Noir and dinner with the winemakers
are offered. 100 people attended last year. Held in early March. For information: www.affairsofthevine.com.
Russian River Valley Barrel
Tasting
Two weekends. Over 100 participating wineries. Taste from barrel and order
futures. Very popular and very crowded event. The
first weekend of the Barrel Tasting is also the Crab & Fennel Fest in
the Russian River Valley. For information: www.wineroad.com and http://rrvw.org/crab-fennel-fest/.
World of Pinot Noir
This annual 3 day Pinot
Noir Festival is held in California's Central Coast at The Cliffs Resort
in Shell Beach. Seminars, tastings of over 120 different
Pinot Noir producers, and a Burgundy seminar featuring Alan Meadows, aka Burghound. Held in early/middle March. Register
at: www.wopn.com.
Pinot Paradise
This festival features
the Pinot Noirs of the Santa Cruz Mountains. It is held at The Mountain
Winery (formerly the Paul Masson Winery) in Saratoga, California. Over 30
wineries pour their Pinot Noirs along with an auction and seminars. Over
900 people attended this year's festival. Held in late March. For information: www.scmwa.com.
Pinot Plus
Sponsored by the Carneros Wine Alliance. Live and silent
auction of unique wines from Carneros including
large lots and magnums. Many premium and ultra-premium
boutique and cult wines and wines from family-owned wineries. Proceeds
benefit the education, scholarship and training progrms of early stage wine and food professionals. For
information: www.pinotplus.com.
April
Dundee Hills Appellation Passport
Tour
Winery
open houses and vineyard seminars. For
information: www.dundeehills.org.
Santa Barbara County Vintner's
Festival
Held at River Park in
Lompoc. Over 100 local wineries, food from top local restaurants and caterers,
live music. Sponsored by the Santa Barbara County Vintner's Association.
For information: www.sbcountywines.com.
May
Hospices of Sonoma Barrel Auction
This event is modeled
after the Hospices de Beaune auction in Burgundy.
Held in early May. For tickets and further information: 707-823-9463, www.hospicesofsonoma.org.
Anderson Valley Pinot Noir
Festival
This festival is held
annually in Philo, California, in the heart of the Anderson Valley. Dating
back to 1998, it is focused solely on Pinot Noir from the Anderson Valley
and attracts approximately 450 people. Lodging is limited in the Anderson
Valley so many attendees stay on the Mendocino Coast and use a shuttle to
the Festival. Held in mid-May. For information: www.avwines.com.
Carneros Heritage Fest
Last
weekend in May. Chef competition, sheepherding
and falconry demonstrations, artisan exhibits, lamb BBQ with Carneros wines. For information: www.carneros.com.
Memorial Weekend in the Wine
Country
Visit wineries in the
Willamette Valley Friday thru Sunday that are rarely open to the public.
For information: www.willamettewines.com.
Paso Robles Wine Festival
Always
3rd weekend in May. For information: www.pasowine.com.
Santa Lucia Highlands Winegrower's Galat
Tasting of Santa Lucia Highlands wines with gourmet food pairings.
For information: www.santaluciahighlands.com.
June
Marin County Pinot Noir Celebration
Marin County growers and
wineries present their Pinot Noirs at the historic Escalle Winery
in Larkspur, Marin County, California. Held in June. Price is $40 for everyone.
For information and tickets: www.marinwines.com. Information
also at www.malt.org.
Pinot and Paella
The 4th Annual Pinot and
Paella Cookoff will be held at the Templeton
Community Park in Templeton, California on June 8, 2008. 12 Paso Robles
area Pinot Noir producers will be pouring and 16 chefs will be cooking.
Proceeds go to the Paso Robles Youth Arts Foundation. Tickets: 805-238-5825. www.pinotandpaella.com.
Sta. Rita Hills Open House
Weekend
Vineyard
and winery tours, winegrower dinners, golf. For information: www.staritahills.com.
Pinot Days
A very
large event featuring Pinot Noir producers from California. Over 1500 people attended last year's inaugural
celebration held at Ft. Mason, San Francisco, California. Held in late
June. For information: www.pinotdays.com
Vintner's Festival in Santa
Cruz Mountains
Wineries and restaurants
offer wine tasting, food, music, art shows, and other entertainment. Purchase
glass at any festival location and the glass serves your
ticket to all of the festival sites. For information: www.scmwa.com
July
International Pinot Noir Celebration
This year marks this festival's 21th year.
Held on the beautiful campus of Linfield College in McMinnville, Oregon,
the event is limited to 600 people. The lunches and dinners are extraordinary
including the traditional northwest-style salmon bake. Besides numerous
seminars, there are two large walk-around tastings of Pinot Noirs from all
over the world. There are plenty of B&B type accommodations and small hotels
in the area, but many attendees choose to stay on campus in the inexpensive
students living quarters for convenience (walking distance to all events).
Held in late July. For information: www.ipnc.org.
Central Coast Wine Classic
Dinner at Hearst Castle, Paulee Dinner,
educational and tasting symposia, bicycle tour, wine and lifestyle auction.
For information: www.centralcoastwineclassic.org.
August
Russian River Valley Grape
to Glass
Third
weekend in August. Winery and vineyard tours,
educational tastings, bike riding, kayaking the
Russian River, ballooning over the vines. For information: www.rrvw.org.
Wally's Central Coast Wine
& Food Celebration
A one day tasting of wines
from distinguished Central Coast wineries paired with foods from some of
Los Angeles' best restaurants. A benefit for the Michael Bonaccorsi UC Davis Scholarship Foundation. For
information: www.wallywine.com.
Winemaker's Celebration
Monterey
Wine Country's annual event featuring over 45 wineries. Wine seminars, wine tastings, foods, and auction.
For information: www.montereywines.org.
September
Winesong!
Mendocino
County's celebration of food, wine, art, travel, and giving. Tastings, wine and lifestyle auction held on the
Mendocino Coast. For information: www.winesong.org.
October
Sonoma County Harvest Fair
First
weekend in October. Sample the best Sonoma
County wines and food at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds. 707-545-4203.
For information: 707-545-4203 or http://www.sonomacountyfair.com/hf_home.php.
Pinot on the River
A three-day symposium
begun in 2004 featuring technical seminars and tastings of California Pinot
Noirs Last year 85 people attended the festival held in Sebastopol, California.
Held in late October. For information: www.pinotfestival.com.
Harvest Wine
Tour
Paso Robles. Held the third weekend
in October. For information: www.pasowine.com.
November
Hospices de Beaune (Les Trois Giorieuses Burgundy Wine Festival)
Begun as a charity wine
auction in 1859, it is now a three day festival
celebrating Burgundy's food and wines. Thousands attend the winery dinners
and tasting. Held in mid-November. For information: www.hospices-de-beaune.com/fr/hospices/index.php.
A Wine & Food Affair
First
weekend in November. Wine
and food pairing at over 70 Russian River Valley wineries. For
information: www.wineroad.com.
PinotFest
This is a classy tasting
and dinner featuring top California Pinot Noir producers. Started in 1999,
it is held at the Farallon Restaurant in San
Francisco, California. Limited to 300 people, the event sells out every
year. Held in mid-November. For information: www.farallonrestaurant.com.
Salud
Oregon's Pinot Noir Auction. A
weekend of wine, food, and fun to support efforts to bring healthcare
to seasonal vineyard workers and their families. For information: www.saludauction.org.
The Great Wine Escape Weekend
Seminars, winemaker dinners,
progressive dinner, wine country tours and open houses in Monterey County
wine region. For information: www.montereywines.com.
Wine Country Thanksgiving
A three
day open house in the Willamette Valley of Oregon of wineries usually
not open to the public (also Memorial Day weekend - see May). For information: www.willamettewines.com.
Multiple Months
Napa Valley Mustard Festival
Many seasonal wine country
events. For information: www.mustardfestival.org.
Passport Program - Santa Cruz
Mountains
For $30 receive a passport to Santa Cruz Mountain wineries, many
of which are not open to the public at any other time. The
3rd Saturday in January, April, July, and November. For information: www.scmwa.com
A
huge thanks to Rusty at www.princeofpinot.com , for providing the above
information on events.