There is no time quite like fall at a winery. The grapes are ripe and being harvested. New wines are revealed. All around you, the leaves are changing in a display worthy of a state with actual seasons.
Fall is a great time to settle down with a nice cup of red and start preparing for winter. It is also a great time to check out winery events!
If you have money to spare, and you are looking for a fall winery party, I would check out V. Sattui’s Crush Party. Alas, I do not have money to spare, so I cannot go nor have I been in the past, but it looks like a lot of fun. They take you through the wine production process with a good, old-fashioned grape crushing…with your bare feet. There’s really nothing quite like people telling you it’s OK to squish a giant vat of grapes by stomping on them.
Watch and tell me this doesn’t look like a ton of fun:
Fall also means passport days are upon us! For those of you who are unfamiliar with the awesomeness that is winery passport days, this is the time when you can try any winery you choose for a flat rate. Wineries that generally do not do tastings are open and all sorts of special stuff can be found like barrel tastings and food pairings and vineyard tours and unique wines not generally available to the public. Passports are split up by region, so take a look at where your favorite wineries are and mark your calendars!
Around these parts, we have…
Santa Clara Valley October 5 – 6 $30
Santa Cruz Mountains November 16 $45
Napa and Sonoma also have a continual passport deal. For details, see sonomapassport.com and napavalleypassport.com.
Harvest Festivals abound this time of year as well in all parts of wine country. The big wineries all have their own, but check out these to see a bunch of wineries at once:
The Sonoma County Harvest Fair encompasses three days worth of wine tastings from over 150 wineries, complete with food, demonstrations, seminars, and a FREE grape stomping competition.
If you’re looking for something a little more wine-centric, Reserve Sonoma Valley offers special peeks at wineries generally closed to the public along with food pairings and winery tours.
Of course, there are tons more harvest and fall events all across Northern California, so be sure to check with favorite vineyards for their festivals. Which fall wine events are you favorites?