Harvest events you won't want to miss
By DIANE PETERSON and MEG McCONAHEY
Like bunches of grapes clustered on the vine, people have gathered together to celebrate the life-sustaining harvest for thousands of years.
An old pole barn at Rutherford's Round Pond Estate will be the site of a Harvest Stomp gala put on by the Napa Valley Grapegrowers at 5 p.m. Saturday. Tickets start at $100.
In accordance with tradition, you need to share a rustic meal outdoors with friends, raise your glass with gusto and toast to the sweat of the farmers and the sweet, intoxicating fruits of their labor.
Here in Northern California’s Wine Country, there are countless ways to celebrate the harvest, as the wineries of Napa and Sonoma continue to open their doors ever wider to the general public, not just their own wine club members.
“We are seeing more and more consumer events taking place during harvest season up here,” said Honore Comfort, executive director of the Sonoma County Vintners. “There’s definitely a trend toward more hands-on ... for people to get out in the vineyard and pick grapes, and to be on the crush pad.”
At the hands-on events, you can get close to the earth, where the scent of the crushed grapes fills the air and the autumn heat radiates off the dusty fields.
But if you’re more into food, you can also choose a transcendent taste experience — a farmers market smorgasbord, a tour of artisan producers around the county, or a Tuscan-style feast featuring a whole pig roasted in a wood-fired oven.
We’ve gathered a handful of harvest happenings to whet your appetite and set you off on a few delicious adventures this fall. Tractors and overalls are optional, but bring your straw hats and your dancing shoes. It’s time to party.
Landmark Harvest Lunch Experience
Taste freshly harvested grapes bound for the bottle and then help prepare your own three-course gourmet meal under the guidance of professional chefs at Landmark Vineyards’ Harvest Lunch Experience.
The Sonoma Valley winery known for its chardonnay, pinot noir and syrahhas joined forces with Bay Area catering companyHands-on-Gourmetto offer a close-to-the-vineyard experience. Learn about farming practices with a vineyard walk, take in the harvest smells and excitement, and remember it all with a souvenir apron. 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily throughout September. $135. Reservations required. 101 Adobe Canyon Road, Kenwood. 833-0228.
Harvest Lunches at Michel-Schlumberger
Michel-Schlumberger Wine Estates in Dry Creek Valley offers a series of Harvest Luncheons from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from Sept. 11 through Oct. 11.
The lunches begin with a behind-the-scenes harvest tour. Afterward, guests sit down to a harvest feast prepared by chefs from some of the finest restaurants in the region:Zin in Healdsburg, Santi in Geyserville, Odyssey in Windsor and Willi’s Wine Bar and Monti’s in Santa Rosa.
The $65 cost includes tour and lunch paired with estate wines. Reservations: (800)447-3060. 4155 Wine Creek Road, Healdsburg.
Foppiano, Flappers & Fun!
Foppiano Vineyards in Healdsburg will transform itself into a Roaring Twenties Speakeasy for an afternoon of wine, music and appetizers at 4:30 p.m. Sept. 13. Inspired by the Prohibition era, the party encourages flapper attire and requires a secret password at the door. There will also be a “poker run” through the vineyards, followed by an Italian dinner. The dog-friendly event includes paw-painting by the Paws for Love Foundation from 2 to 4 p.m. Dinner tickets are $65. 433-7272. 12707 Old Redwood Highway, Healdsburg.
Bingo and Barbecue at St. Francis
St. Francis Winery, known as “The House of Big Reds,” will offer an all-American evening of outdoor bingo and barbecue at 7 p.m. Sept. 13 at the winery. Prizes range from the “absurd to the delicious.” Tickets are $55. (888)675-9463, ext. 255. 100 Pythian Road at Highway 12, Santa Rosa.
Valley of the Moon Vintage Festival
Not just another glittering event whipped up to promote Wine Country, Sonoma’s harvest festival Sept. 26 to 28 is the real deal, with roots going back 111 years.
Some of the festivities have changed since that first harvest pageant staged by high school principal Benjamin Weed, complete with nymphs, goatherds and the god of excess Bacchus blessing young newlyweds with a prayer for a bountiful harvest.
Now locals honor the harvest gods with a folksy parade at noon Sunday, this year headed by the Bundschu clan, an amateur wine competition, a grape stomp, wacky competitions like a waiters’ relay race and the corny traditions Sonomans hold dear, from the re-enactment of the Bear Flag Revolt to a costumed re-staging of the wedding of Gen.Mariano Vallejo’s daughters to Count Haraszthy’s sons at the old Mission. Live music in the plaza runs the gamut from multi-instrumentalist Dave Lindley to the Madison Blues Band.
The Vintage Fest begins Sept. 26 with a Patron’s Night Gala at the historic Sonoma Barracks with more than 70 wines and food served to the beat of a live 10-piece big-band. Tickets are $75. The free and low-cost fun starts at 10 a.m. Sept. 27with the Blessing of the Grapes on the steps of the Mission. Continues all day Sept. 27-28. www.sonomavinfest.org.
West County Epicurean Tour with J Winery
J Vineyards & Winery will take you on a bus tour of Sonoma County artisan food producers from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sept. 27, starting with a glass of bubbly at the winery. First stop is at Middleton Farms, where Nancy Skall grows the world’s most perfect produce. Then it’s on to St. Rose restaurant in Sebastopol, where chef/owner Mark Malicki will prepare a delicious lunch from the garden paired with wines from J Vineyards. After lunch, guests head out to Bellwether Farms in Valley Ford to meet cheesemakers Liam and Diana Callahan. The day ends with a glass of chardonnay on the terrace of J Winery. 11447 Old Redwood Highway, Healdsburg. $150. 431-5430.
Festiva Della Vendemmia
Lambert Bridge Winery in Dry Creek Valley is throwing a harvest party at 3 p.m. Oct. 4 that promises to give guests a taste of Tuscany. The event starts with a lesson in winemaking and pizza-making at the outdoor kitchen, while artisan cheeses are served at stations throughout the property. Then, guests will sit down to a sumptuous Tuscan-style feast —a whole roasted pig, cooked to buttery perfection in the Mugnainiwood-fired oven, with authentic side dishes and desserts. Tickets are $150. (800)975-0555, ext. 21. 4085 W. Dry Creek Road, Healdsburg.
Share the Crush at Ladera
You can get an insider’s tour at Ladera Vineyards’ historic winery on Howell Mountain during the month of October, by appointment. Tours offer one-on-one time with the winemaking team and hands-on time amid the vines, plus a picnic lunch paired with Ladera’s rugged mountain cabernets. Tours cost $1,200 for groups of four to six people. Reservations: 965-2445 or www.laderavineyards.com. 150 White Cottage Road, Angwin.
This article originally appeared in the Press Democrat
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