David Auerbach performs his 21st holiday season of “Carols in the Caves” this year in Sonoma, Calistoga, San Francisco and Los Gatos. His concerts utilize ancient harps, psalteries, dulcimers, flutes and percussion to present traditional Christmas carols in wine caves and cellars.

A special New Year’s Eve performance “Temple of Drums: Drums of Peace on New Year's Eve” takes place in the 1892 landmark, Trinity Episcopal Church in San Francisco.

The 21st holiday season blends nostalgia with innovation. The acoustics of these spaces showcase the simple purity of the instrumental sounds  in the exotic settings. Auerbach’s Cave Music, which began with a single show more than two decades ago, has grown along with its audience and now presents ancient instruments throughout the year.  “Carols in the Caves” continues to be the seasonal flagship of the series. 

“Carols in the Caves” begins in the vaulted underground cellar of Viansa Winery near Sonoma 7 p.m. Dec. 9. He performs in the cave theater at Clos Pegase Winery in Calistoga 2 p.m. Dec. 16-17 and 23. The site for the concert is the candlelit, mountain-top cave at Hans Fahden Vineyards near Calistoga .

Performances last two hours; wine is sold during intermission. All tickets are $40 general admission. These concerts are appropriate for children over age 10. Directions to the concerts are mailed with tickets to customers who order in advance and are also available online.  Doors open one hour before performances.  Info, 224-4222 or www.cavemusic.net.