Wine Season Begins Today

With the earthquake occurring recently in the Napa Valley area, wine harvest season is on everyone’s mind. Vineyards help generate about $1.4 billion dollars yearly due mostly to tourism. It seems that for the majority of vineyards there will be special events to commemorate the beginning of wine season.

Over 40 vineyards will be open this Sunday in Livermore Valley, CA to celebrate the start of the season.  Each winery has different activities and tasting as well as live music.  Participating wineries include La Rochelle, 3 Steve’s Winery and Eagle Ridge Vineyards. Go to the Livermore Valley Wine Country website for more details. In Sonoma there is a Harvest Wine auction as well as winemaker lunches, dinners and barbecues throughout the weekend.

We’ve also highlighted our top 5 picks of wine season festivities that will be occurring not only in California, but around the U.S. during the next several weeks.

Niagara Wine Trail Harvest Fest, September 19-21- Niagara Falls, New York
The Niagara Wine Trail Harvest Fest is filled with 3 days of wine themed events. In addition to wine, each of the participating wineries has harvest-themed food items to sample. Participants will also receive a commemorative wine glass to take home. The hours for this event are Friday from 12-5pm, Saturday from 10am-5pm and Sunday from 12-5pm. Tickets are $30 if you buy them online before the event or $35 at the door.

Vermont Wine & Harvest Festival, September 19-21- West Dover, Vermont
Those who attend the Vermont Wine & Harvest Festival will not only get to sample some of the area’s wine they will also get to see some of Vermont’s beautiful fall foliage. The deep reds, oranges and yellows of the tree’s leaves are the backdrop of this festival. Participants will get the chance to take part in cheese making demonstrations, talk to the area’s farmers and purchase handmade pottery and jewelry. The hours for the Vermont Wine & Harvest Festival are 5-8pm on Friday, 11am-5pm on Saturday and 11am-3pm on Sunday. Tickets to attend on Friday cost $10 and for Saturday and Sunday tickets cost $15.

Sonoma County Harvest Fair, October 3-5- Santa Rosa, California
This year marks the Sonoma County Harvest Fair’s 40th year. This event showcases all of the hard work put into Sonoma County’s harvest. It is estimated that individuals from more than 30 different states visit Santa Rosa to attend this fair. The fair is open on Friday from 4-9pm and Saturday and Sunday from 10:30am-5pm. For those that bring a nonperishable food item to donate they can get in for free, otherwise admission is $5. For those that want to taste all the wines and beers that Sonoma has to offer, tickets for the Grand Tasting Pavilion is $55.

Castello di Amorosa Harvest Celebration & Grape Stomp Competition, September 20- Calistoga, California
This event is for those 21 or over. Participants will get to experience a night of dancing to live music performed by Sticky Notes, tour the wine cellars and taste wine right out of the fermentation tank. This event will be taking place from 7-10pm. Tickets are $95 for those that are wine club members and $115 for guests. For those that want to participate in the grape stomping competition, tickets costs $10 more.

Clif Family Farm Fest, September 27- Pope Valley, California
Even kids can get on the wine season festivities at the Clif Family Farm Fest. This family friendly event offers kid’s activities, a farm tour and food items for sale that are directly from the farm. For the adults there are wine tastings as well. The 6th Annual Clif Family Farm Fest will be taking place from 4-9pm. Tickets cost $50 for CSA members, $75 for nonmembers, those ages 12-20 are $20 and kids under 12 are free.

Harvest Sunset Over the Vineyard – Sonoma Valley

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