For the 21st annual April in Carneros, Friday and Saturday, from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. more than 20 wineries will open its doors and invite visitors to join a variety of activities including food and wine pairings, live music, art or craft shows, special tastings (barrel, reserve, library, new release) and discounts or special pricing.

Admission is $40 per person and is valid for both days of the event. No advanced tickets are available or necessary. To participate, simply pay your “admission” at any participating winery on either day. You’ll receive an April in Carneros 2008 logo glass and access to all the fun. Some activities may have additional fees, but all participating wineries have generous offerings for April in Carneros participants at no cost above the price of admission. Proceeds fund scholarships at Santa Rosa Junior College and Napa Valley College.

Participating wineries are Adastra, Artesa @ Cornerstone, Bouchaine Vineyards, Ceja Vineyards, Cline Cellars, Enkidu Wines, Etude Wines, Folio Winemakers’ Studio, Homewood Winery, Jacuzzi Family Winery, Larson Family Winery, Larson Family @ Cornerstone, MacRostie Winery and Vineyards, Mahoney Vineyards, McKenzie-Mueller Vineyards & Winery, Richardson Vineyards, Robledo Family Winery, Schug Carneros Estate Winery, Talisman Wines, Tin Barn Vineyards, Truchard Vineyards, Ty Caton Vineyards and Viansa Winery. Additional information is available at www.CarnerosWiner ies.org or 800-909-4352.

 

The Napa Valley Vintners announces the second convening of the Napa Valley Wine Educators Academy Aug. 18-21, 2008 at the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone in Napa Valley. This educate-the-educator-style intensive is one of the association’s signature programs and provides tools for professionals to teach about winegrowing and winemaking along with the attributes of the wine industry in the Napa Valley.

The curriculum was designed in conjunction with Karen MacNeil, director of the wine studies at the CIA, along with a host of expert winemakers, viticulturists and industry leaders. Attendance in the program is by application from qualified individual who professionally educate about wine.

Attendees will spend time with these top-notch winemakers and growers in the winery and in the vineyard experiencing first hand, or "down and dirty," the processes of growing and crafting world-class wine. Educational and social wine tastings will be showcased each day and provide these educators with rare chances to meet with, taste with and dine with the leaders in the wine world in intimate venues.

Attendees are provided a scholarship by the NVV to cover the cost to attend the academy which includes most meals, special room rate lodging is available.

For more details or to apply for the program, please contact NVV marketing manager Teresa Wall, at 968-4210, or by e-mail at twall@napavintners.com

Central California Winegrowers is seeking judges for its “Warm Weather” wine competition Aug. 1 in Madera. Wine entries must either be made from grapes grown in hot areas, or wines made in hot areas of the state. Interested parties should contact Peter Vallis via phone (559) 905-7748 or e-mail pvallis@ccwinegrowers.org, by May 2.

Wine industry vendors are encouraged to participate in the competition as event sponsors. Opportunities are available in several levels of financial commitment, and each features advertising to a focused audience of over 450 wineries in California. Sponsorship information is available from Ranetta Bron, who can be contacted at (559) 618-1856 or rbron@ccwinegrowers.org.     

More information is at  www.ccwinegrowers.org or www.idrinkwine.net

 Flora Springs Winery & Vineyards has promoted Paul Steinauer to the position of full-time winemaker. Steinauer joined Flora Springs as assistant winemaker in 1990 and has worked closely with Flora Springs winemaker Ken Deis, vineyard director Pat Garvey and President John Komes for 18 years. Deis left Flora Springs last week.

“Ken Deis has been with us since 1980, and over the last 28 years, has helped to build Flora Springs into the respected brand it is today,” Komes said . “We are grateful to Ken for all that he’s enabled us to do, and for his hard work and dedication to producing world-class wines for Flora Springs.”

Born in St. Helena, Steinauer studied marketing and finance at the University of Oregon. He worked five harvests at Joseph Phelps Winery between school years before realizing that wine was his true calling. In 1990, he joined the Flora Springs team

 “It’s been an absolute honor to work with Ken for nearly two decades,”  Steinauer said. “I have an enormous amount of respect for him and am humbled to have the opportunity to follow in his footsteps at Flora Springs.

Jess Jackson and Greg and Fred Biagi Jr. have teamed up to create a new wine transport and warehousing company called Vin Lux.

Equipped with 35 temperature-controlled delivery trucks that feature real-time tracking capability, and two computerized, temperature-controlled warehouses in Northern California and Southern California, Vin Lux is transporting 700 orders per day and tracking more than 1,200 wines in its first month of operation.

In keeping with the company’s Green Initiative, Vin Lux will take possession of two new hybrid trucks this summer to be used for delivery in urban areas such as Los Angeles and San Francisco where energy savings will be the highest.

An open house at the Vin Lux offices in Napa will be held on Wednesday, May 21, 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. For more information about Vin Lux or the open house, contact Tom Tunt at (707) 265-4101 or tom.tunt@vinluxtransport.com.

Tim Malette has joined Quixote Winery with responsibility for winery-direct sales in California. Malette comes to Quixote after nine years with the Henry Wine Group where he was regional manager for the Los Angeles East sales team for the past five years.

Before entering the wine industry, Malette had a career in graphic arts, which included 12 years in the international marketplace serving Europe and South America and a two year-assignment in the Paris office of Compugraphic Corporation’s European headquarters. While living in Paris, Malette developed a strong interest in food and wine.

Malette holds an advanced certificate in wine and spirits from London’s Wine and Spirit Education Trust and a bachelor of arts degree from the Rochester Institute of Technology.  

Calistoga wineries Bennett Lane Winery, Summers Estate Wines, Calistoga Cellars, Casa Nuestra Winery, Envy Winery, Graeser Winery and Zahtila Vineyards celebrates spring May 3, 11 a.m. to  4 p.m., with offerings including current release tastings, barrel sampling, food, live music and other special offers, all to benefit St. Luke’s Preschool, a non-denominational, non-profit school in Calistoga. Fifty percent of their students are able attend through scholarships funded by private donations and special events.

The cost of a tasting pass for the event is $30 per adult. Tasting passes are valid at all seven participating wineries. Purchasers and users of the tasting pass must be over 21 years. Tasting passes may be purchased in advance online with a credit card at www.CalistogaWineEvent.com or the day of with cash or check at any of the participating wineries.

 A tasting of  more than 100 wines from Mount Veeder, Spring Mountain and Diamond Mountain  will be held on Tuesday, April 23 at the Fort Mason Officers Club, Bldg. 1, Bay & Franklin Streets, San Francisco. It opens to consumers from 6-9:30pm.  The cost is $75 per person. For more information and to register on-line, www.uncorkedevents.com.

Participants include 25 -30 Napa wineries and will profile the entire mountain spectrum whose terroir includes a range of micro-climates, altitudes and multitude of volcanic soil types that differentiate the wines.

 Women for WineSense’s 2008 Celebrating Women in Wine takes place May 2-4 beginning with a wine reception May 2 at Paraduxx Winery. The educational program on May 3 begins at 9 a.m. with seminars on wine & food pairings, organic and biodynamic vineyard practices, sensory training and perspectives from the next generation of women in the wine industry. The morning sessions will be followed by the Women for WineSense Awards presentations including the 2008 Rising Star awards, the 2008 Lifetime Achievement Award and the 2008 Hall of Fame Award, which is housed at COPIA in Napa.

At the luncheon following these awards, the keynote address will discuss ‘Icon Wines and the Women Behind Them’.  Panelists include Mia Kline, Owner-Winemaker of Selene Vineyards, Dawnine Dyer, Owner-Winemaker of Dyer Vineyards and Mary Hall, Vineyard Manager for Harlan Estates Vineyard.  The panel will be moderated by Deborah Brenner, author of “Women of the Vine: Inside the World of Women Who Make, Taste and Enjoy Wine.”

 The price for the complete weekend package, including Friday’s Wine Reception, Saturday’s Educational Seminars, Lunch & Grand Tasting plus Sunday’s special programs is $195 ($150 for WWS members). Tickets for Saturday only are priced at $140 ($115 for WWS members). Admission to Friday’s Wine Reception is $30 ($20 for WWS members); Sunday’s special program ticket is priced at $40 ($30 for WWS members). Tickets are available online at www.wwsgrandevent.org. Program attendance is limited to 250 participants. Proceeds from the event will underwrite the educational programs and activities of Women for WineSense and fund scholarships for women in viticulture, winemaking and wine education.

 

 The Rutherford appellation wineries holds its Spring Passport Weekend  May 17 and 18, 2008 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Two-day tickets are $50 per person. A Sunday only pass will be available for $40 per person.

Events include barrel samples, special library wine offerings, wine and food pairings, winemaker and winery owner presence and special Passport Weekend discounts. Wineries slated to open their doors for the special event are Alpha Omega Winery, Conn Creek Winery, Elizabeth Spencer Winery, Fleury Estate Winery, Honig Vineyard and Winery, Martin Estate Winery, Peju Province Winery, Pina Napa Valley, Raymond Vineyard and Cellar, Rubicon Estate, Rutherford Grove Winery, Rutherford Hill Winery, Sawyer Cellars, Slaughterhouse Cellars, St. Supery Vineyards and Winery and Sullivan Vineyards.

Profits from the event will be donated to a Rutherford community charity.

Passports may be purchased online and will be available for pick-up May 17 and 18 at a pre-selected winery. To purchase a passport and learn more about the Rutherford Appellation Wineries visit www.rutherford-appellation-wineries.com.

Tickets are now on sale for the third Carneros Heritage Festival, Wines, Vines, Woolies & Wetlands, May 31 from noon to 4 p.m. at the Donum Estate, 24520 Ramal Road in Sonoma. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Carneros Land Stewardship Foundation. It will include pairings of Carneros wines with a Carneros lamb barbecue, environmental and sustainable agriculture exhibits, vineyard walks, marsh talks, and other activities and exhibitions by the California Department of Fish and Game.

The event also features a sheep herding exhibition by ranchers Sandy Milberg and Jack Mathieson, artisan wool boutiques, and music by the Back Burner Blues Band.

All inclusive tickets are $75 per person, children under 12 (accompanied by parent) are free. Tickets are available from the Carneros Wine Alliance Web site, www.carnerosheritagefest.com, or by check from Carneros Wine Alliance, P.O. Box 178, Vineburg, CA 95487.  

 For more information,  visit www.carnerosheritagefest.com or call 253-2678.

The fourth annual Wine, Women & Shoes – Napa Valley benefit is scheduled for June 29, 4-8 p.m. at St.Supéry Vineyards and Winery at 8440 St. Helena Highway in Rutherford.

The benefit features the popular fashion show of chic shoes, wine, live and silent auctions and the “Sip-n-Shop” boutique, where guests can preview the season’s hottest shoes and accessories. “The Shoe Guys” will return for the 2008 benefit to “wait” on guests by offering them up-close previews of shoes carried on silver trays.

All proceeds benefit Planned Parenthood: Shasta-Diablo, the affiliate serving the Napa Valley.

Tickets are $150 for general admission and $250 for premiere admission, which includes front-row, table-side seating at the fashion show. To purchase tickets call Belle Orpilla or Katie Wolford at Planned Parenthood at (925) 676-0505 ext. 5220 or ext. 5222 or e-mail info@ppshastadiablo. For more information, visit: www.ppshastadiablo.org

 Nearly 40 Jewish Vintners and winemakers from the Napa Valley, Sonoma and elsewhere in California as well as Israel will gather at locations in the Napa Valley in a celebration of wine, cuisine, camaraderie and history at the Jewish Vintners celebration Connecting with our Roots June 20-22. All proceeds benefiting Jewish nonprofits.

The event begins with evening wine reception at a private St. Helena country estate, followed by open houses on June 21, and a gala at the Culinary Institute of America in St. Helena on Saturday evening. A farewell Sunday brunch on June 22 at the Napa Valley Museum features guest speaker Scott Turow,  author of “Presumed Innocent and Limitations.”

Tickets are $650 per guest for the weekend or $600 per person if reservations are made before May 10. For more information, to sponsor or reserve a space at the event or to request an invitation, call 968-9944 or visit Web site at http://www.jewishvintners.org.