Spring Mountain District Association's Premiere Napa Valley Tasting

Twin Cities Food and Wine Experience, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Taste Napa Valley, San Francisco, California

Time: 2 p.m. - 5 p.m
San Francisco City Hall
1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place
San Francisco, CA 94102

Website Information

9th Annual Family Winemakers Southern California Trade Tasting

Tuesday, March 18, 2:00 to 6:00pm
Pasadena Convention Center
300 East Green Street, Pasadena

Family Winemakers of California looks forward to welcoming you to the biggest tasting of California wines in Southern California ... a showcase for the state's small, family-owned wineries.

Resgistration deadlines and restrictions:

• Wednesday, February 20 to receive name tags by mail. (All name tags will be mailed by February 27.)
• Friday, March 7 to have name tags at Will-Call (under your business name).
• 3 employees per licensed business location may register at no charge. Exception: distributors/brokers may register additional staff at no charge.
• To purchase additional tickets for your staff, send a check payable to FWC for $40 per ticket to 443 LaVerne Ave., Mill Valley, CA 94941 by March 7. Include name(s) and title(s), business name, mail address, email address, and phone number. Sorry, we do not accept credit cards.
• Unregistered trade walk-ins will be charged $40 at the door, cash only.
• No children, including babies, admitted.

Host Hotels (request Family Winemakers rates)

• Sheraton Pasadena (626-449-4000 or 800-457-7940) $165, rate guaranteed until March 1. Adjacent to the Convention Center.
• Hilton Pasadena (626-577-1000 or 800-HILTONS or reservations@HiltonPasadena.com) $169, rate guaranteed until Feb. 23. Five minute walk to the Convention Center.

To register as trade, you must be professionally involved in the sale and/or purchase of wine for a licensed business. As Media, you must regularly publish articles on the wine trade and identify your media outlet on the registration form. Family Winemakers reserves the right to request confirmation of your professional status and to refuse admission to anyone without adequate professional credentials. Wine industry suppliers (i.e. financial institutions, insurance brokers, producers of winemaking equipment, etc.) must be FWC Associate Members to attend as trade. Call 916-498-7500 for membership information.

Family Winemakers reserves the right to request confirmation of your professional status and to refuse admission to anyone without adequate professional credentials.

Website Information

Heritage Gala, Chicago, Illinois

• Trade Tasting Hours 1:30-6:30pm

• Ritz Carlton Hotel, Grand Ballroom, 160 E Pearson, Chicago, IL

Winefest, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Enjoy exquisite wines, gourmet menus, and enticing auctions while supporting groundbreaking medical discoveries that help children.

Don't miss WineFest—a gathering of community leaders, medical professionals, and big-hearted wine lovers for a two-day celebration in support of the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Minnesota.

The Midwest's premier wine charity event includes a Grand Tasting and Fine Wine Dinner, plus exclusive opportunities to clink your wine glass with Australian vineyard principals and winemakers—this year's Honorary Winemasters.

Since its inception, WineFest has raised more than $6.5 million to:

• Support research to treat or cure childhood illnesses and disorders,
• Help launch the research careers of promising junior faculty, and
• Purchase medical equipment critical to breakthrough research.

Join the festivities! To learn more, call 612-626-5720, or
e-mail the WineFest office. All proceeds benefit the University Pediatrics Foundation, an affiliate of the Minnesota Medical Foundation.

Website Infomation

Auction Napa Valley

Friday, June 6
11:00am - 4:00 pm
Trinchero Family Estates

This festival, held at Trinchero Family Estates, focuses on all the best Napa Valley has to offer: its people, hospitality, food and, of course, wine.

Wander through and explore The Marketplace--not just any marketplace, but one filled with more than one hundred vintners personally pouring some of their finest releases, dozens of Napa Valley restaurateurs and artisan food purveyors plying you with their specialties, and a panoply of live music and entertainment.

Then head into the cool of the cellar for the hot Barrel Tasting & Auction, where 120 winery owners and winemakers preview unbottled futures of aging wine, pulling samples directly from barrel for you to taste. Then place your bid on a case or more in this high-energy celebration of the grape.

Just a few feet away from the Barrel Auction you'll find the E-Auction, where you'll bid against online bidders from around the world. The 80 e-offerings include wine in all forms of rare bottlings, special verticals and other collections, as well as unavailable-elsewhere library releases; special private events including private winery stays, parties and one-of-a-kind experiences; and more.

And don't forget to preview and make your bidding plans for the 42 ultra lots to be auctioned at the grand Live Auction on Saturday evening--they make their one and only appearance for the weekend here at Taste Napa Valley, in an eye-popping exhibition of vintner creativity and generosity. All are built on a solid foundation of the Napa Valley classics: internationally renowned wines, offered in special bottlings and rare collections the likes of which aren't to be found elsewhere; the gracious hospitality our vintners are known for; as well as fine dining, world-class accommodations and more. But a handful also go above and beyond these classics, adding to these offerings luxury items, jet-setter travel and once-in-a-lifetime experiences that span the globe.

Website Information

Sun Valley Wine Auction, Sun Valley, Idaho

Each year the Sun Valley Center holds a wine auction to raise funds to support educational arts programming and community outreach. Our 2007 Auction was another record setter in attendance and money raised: over 600 people attended the auction, 450 attended vintner dinners, 1500 reveled on the golf course for the picnic, 1500 sampled incredible wines at the tasting, and 85 wineries participated in the auction with generous donations of wine, amenities and services. The Auction is made possible through a remarkable volunteer effort on the part of hundreds of people actively and enthusiastically contributing countless hours of planning and labor over many months' time.

Website Information

Wine Educators Academy (WEA)

The Napa Valley Wine Educators Academy (WEA), an NVV signature program held in conjunction with the Culinary Institute of America, brings dozens of professional wine educators from across the U.S. to Napa Valley for a four-day, Napa Valley-focused "educate the educator" immersion experience.

August 20--Down & Dirty in the Vineyard Fantesca will host one WEA attendee in the vineyard for a morning educating them about soils, vines, canopy management, etc. We as vintners are encouraged to get the students “dirty”, and put them to work in order to provide a first hand look at vineyard practices.

August 21--Grand Tasting at Vintner/Grower Dinner Join your fellow vintners and the Napa Valley Grapegrowers for a strictly social gathering on the eve of harvest.

Family Winemakers Tasting, San Francisco, California

Family Winemakers of California's 18th Annual Wine Tasting featuring over 400 wineries. A Sunday wine seminar is planned.

Since it’s founding in 1991, Family Winemakers of California has presented an Annual Tasting. Originally, the Tasting was developed as a trade-only event; an opportunity for member-wineries and California’s wine trade to gather together and talk about the issues foremost in the minds of industry members while tasting great wine. Because FWC represented the smaller wineries the tasting was a unique opportunity to showcase the winemaking craftsmanship of vintners from across the state.

The original event at the Sheraton Palace Hotel featured 46 wineries and with each Annual Tasting, its reputation as one of the finest opportunities to taste a broad, cross section of California wines grew. And the size of the tasting grew. Each year more wineries chose to attend and pour wines. More restaurateurs, retailers, distributors and media converged on the tasting. The Annual Tasting quickly became one of the most anticipated wine events in California. How times have changed since 1991.

“Tasting 2008” will open its doors to wine trade, media and consumers on Sunday, August 24 at Fort Mason Center’s Festival Pavilion. Once again, it will be an opportunity to taste great wines and meet the winemakers and owners behind some of California finest wineries. Over 400 wineries poured 1,000 wines and upwards of 30 wineries make their debut at the event.

Website Informaiton

Hands on Harvest, St. Helena, California

Fantesca Estate & Winery announces its fourth annual Hands-On Harvest program, which will take place at Fantesca Estate & Winery in St. Helena, California.

Click Here to learn about Hands on Harvest

Fantesca's Harvest Party ~ For Wine Club Members

Come join us poolside as we Swirl & Sip the afternoon away with a FEW Friends to celebrate Fantesca’s 2008 Harvest. Have a sneak preview of our proprietor select wines that will be released to our Club Members this November.

Join Our Club Today!

Celebrate Mardi Gras with Fantesca~A Wine Club Exclusive Invite

Susan and Duane have some great friends in New Orleans who know how to celebrate Mardi Gras in grand style. Hoff's are part of the Krewe of Mid City, one of the finest Krewes in New Orleans. Mid City is one of the oldest Krewes in New Orleans. It is  famed for it's hospitality, beautiful foil floats and day parade.  

Thursday evening, you will dine in the private room at Commander's Palace. This famed restaurant where both Paul Prudhomme and Emeril Lagasse got their start. Zagat's named Commander's Palace New Orleans' most popular restaurant a staggering 17 years in a row. The restaurant has was awarded a James Beard Lifetime Achievement Award.

Executive Chef Tory McPhail will create wonderful dishes that pair with Fantesca's Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon.