Tomorrow morning I’m driving to Sonoma County to taste wines during the day, warming up for Saturday night’s big wine tasting event in the Russian River Valley. Saturday, June 4, from 6:30 to 10:00pm at Thomas George Estate, I’ll be tasting some amazing wines. mostly Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, during the Single Vineyard Night event. Wine, food, auction, dancing. Tickets are $45 online, and a bargain considering the line up of Russian River Valley Wine Growers wines being poured.
Single Vineyard Night, June 4
Next Saturday, June 11, I’ll be driving back to Sonoma County, to taste more wines at the Vinify Winery Collective Tasting in Santa Rosa from 1:00 to 4:30pm. Vinify is a custom crush facility, however their clients are not vain amateurs with grand illusions, but top notch professional winemakers taking advantage of a top notch state of the art facility to make great wines. This tasting, with tickets available for just $25 online, offers these wineries a showcase, an opportunity to pour for new customers, and sell some cases. Wine, food, great stemware. Be there.
Vinify Winery Collective Tasting, Saturday, June 11
On Monday, June 13, many of my neighboring wineries from Mendocino County will be in San Francisco for Taste of Mendocino, a consumer tasting and buying opportunity at Fort Mason from 5:00 to 8:00pm. Mendocino County wineries are justly proud to grow an disproportionate amount of the organic grapes in California, in the United States. Without synthetic chemical fertilizers, poisonous insecticides, toxic pesticides, and bio genetic Frankenfruit, Mendocino County’s grapes make some of California’s best wines. The same grapes we turn into wine and sell in our tasting room ends up in more expensive Napaand Sonoma County wines.
For the most part, our wineries are smaller than the giants up north. Many of our wineries count production in hundreds or thousands of cases, grapes grown organically and handpicked, delicious reflections of the land, the winemakers desire, the growers commitment to perfection.
There is little opportunity for distribution when your winery is small, but once tasted your wines sell out, direct through tasting room or wine club sales.
Wineries wanting to grow a little larger need to sell more wine, and only so many people travel to Mendocino County for wine tasting. Taste of Mendocino allows the vintners of Mendocino County to bring their best wines to where the tasters and buyers are, in San Francisco.
Event guests will find that in addition to over 60 wineries, there will be Mendocino County food artists, crafters, and representatives of our attraction, lodging, and tourism industry. Taste of Mendocino is as close as someone can get to Mendocino County without a two hour (with no traffic) drive.
Taste of Mendocino, Monday, June 13
I don’t know what kept me to miss Pinot Days in San Francisco last year, but I was so thrilled to print my tickets for this year’s annual Pinot Days in San Francisco, also at Fort Mason, for Saturday, June 18, 2011. By far, the biggest Pinot Noir tasting event with over 200 producers pouring a tasty river of Pinot, several hundred different bottles possible to choose from during the Grand Tasting from 1:00 to 5:00pm, with tickets going for only $50 online.
Sadly, after printing my tickets, I was drafted to work a fundraiser for the Ukiah High School Freshman Basketball Program on the same day. I can only say honestly that I would rather be at Pinot Days than working a fundraiser, but my son is 6’2″ and will be a freshman at Ukiah High School next year, so I really have no choice. I love Pinot Noir, but I love my son even more. That said, if you love Pinot Noir and don’t know my son, this is the event to go to.
Pinot Days, Saturday, June 18
Okay, for the rest of this post, I’m taking off my wine guy hat and putting on my Dad hat.
Like to golf? Saturday, June 18, 2011 is the date of the 2nd Annual Ukiah High School Golf Tournament Fundraiser benefitting boys and girls basketball programs.
Due to the severe funding crisis at the state and school district, without community support, there would be no Freshman Basketball program for the young men and women athletes of Ukiah.
With an 8:00am shot gun start, the tournament is a 4 man scramble. Golfer’s donation is $100 per individual or $400 per team, and that covers green fees, cart rental, and tourney entry fees.
Want to help with a full Tee Sponsorship? $250 ensures your name is displayed on a custom made sign.$150 will get your name on a putting green sponsor sign.
We are also looking for raffle prizes, silent auction items, and gift certificates, no donation is too small or too large. Businesses and individuals made last year’s event a great success, and we would love to be able to continue the effort.
Want to write off your donation? use Ukiah High School’s Federal Tax ID number, 94-6002711. Checks made payable to UHS Golf Tourney Fundraiser (write “Basketball Programs” in the note section) can be mailed to: Jeff Mee, 2240 McClure Road, Ukiah, CA 95482
The Golf Tourney itself is a blast. Played at the Ukiah Golf Course, there are many games within the game, allowing you to donate money on most holes for a chance to improve your score. Lunch is provided at the park across the street after the golf where prizes, raffles, and the silent auction takes place.
Entry deadline for golfing is Monday, January 6. Call 707 272-0781, Jeff will be able to help you secure a spot.
Have a donation item? A gift certificate for a sandwich? A bottle of wine? A case of wine? Tickets for a future wine tasting event, even in 2012? Anything will help, call me at 707 548-9237 and I’ll arrange to pick up your item or meet for delivery. Deadline for donation items is Wednesday, June 15.
Thank you for helping if you are able.
John Cesano
#42 Charlie Cesano, possible starting center, Ukiah High School freshman team, class of 2015. Will you help?
Ukiah High School Golf Tournament Fundraiser, Saturday, June 18
