America’s Best Wine Festival brings over 30 Nor Cal micro-production wineries to Sonoma’s historic downtown for the eighth year; over one-third are pouring for the first time
America’s Best Wine Festival[1], The Garagiste Festival: Northern Exposure, returns to Sonoma on May 2nd with 30+ micro-production wineries from Sonoma, Napa, Mendocino, Santa Cruz, Marin County, Sierra Foothills, and Petaluma Gap. The wineries, which include nine locals pouring for the first time, will showcase over 100 diverse wines from 20+ grape varieties. Held at Sonoma Veterans Memorial Hall, walking distance from Sonoma’s historic downtown Plaza, the festival is celebrating its eighth year in Sonoma. Tickets are now on sale here.
Recognized as “America’s most dynamic wine region” (San Francisco Chronicle) and Wine Enthusiast’s 2019 “Wine Region of the Year,” Sonoma County consistently grabs the spotlight for its Michelin Star restaurants and award-winning wineries. As a recent Guardian article highlighting California wine country, and featuring the Garagiste Festival, said about the area: ‘Its rich, complex soils and powerful red wines are just a small part of what has made this area…world famous. This is a landscape combed with row upon row of vines overlooked by hilltop, honey-hued chateaux, with historic wineries and newer, edgier tasting rooms.”
“Sonoma holds a special place in our hearts, and not just because of its beauty, but also because it gives us another opportunity to showcase the remarkable diversity of microclimates and grape varieties in California, expressed as only these passionate, small production winemakers can,” said Douglas Minnick, co-founder of the Garagiste Festival. “With wine lovers and enthusiasts gathering together just off the Sonoma square, the festival is like a family reunion where everyone’s favorite topic is the next glass of wine, where the winemakers share their magic in person, and where you’re part of a celebration, a vibrant community where each sip is a cheer to the art of small lot wine producer winemakers.”
Among those pouring for the first time are winemakers with Italian roots, as well as those with a sense of adventure, and those whose wines honor family legacies, pouring a diverse range of grape varieties including: Italian and Sicilian varieties, distinctive Zinfandels, big and bold Chardonnays, smoky Syrahs, and complex and rustic Petite Sirahs.
The new winemakers include: Chaney Family Winery, Crosby Roamann, Jambe de Bios, Flora Wines, Gothic Noir Wine, Krueger Vaught, Mayback Family Vineyards, Nicolina Wines, and Puccioni Vineyards.
The line-up for the 8th Annual Garagiste Festival – Northern Exposure includes:
- Rare and Reserve Early Access (1pm-2pm): exclusive access to library, club only or reserve wines, only being poured during the first hour of the festival.
- Grand Tasting (2pm-5pm) featuring over 30 excellent, hard-to-find micro-wineries pouring 100+ wines and 20+ varietals. Includes complimentary cheese and charcuterie, along with samples from local artisan vendors and a souvenir crystal wine glass.
- Silent Wine Auction with proceeds supporting the Garagiste Festival Scholarship at Cal Poly SLO, to help fund the future of California winemaking.
The Garagiste Festival, which premiered in Paso Robles in 2011, held its first festival in Sonoma in 2018 to focus on the wines of Sonoma and surrounding Northern California AVAs. The Northern Exposure festival will be followed by The Garagiste Festival: Urban Exposure in Los Angeles (June 20) and the ‘OG’ Festival in Paso Robles.
Among the 40+ winemakers scheduled to pour in Sonoma are:
Amalgam Wines, Boonville Road Wines Burning Bench Cellars, Carpenter Wines, Cazadero Winery, *Chaney Family Winery, Cormorant Cellars, *Crosby Roamann, *Flora Wines, Forgotten Union Wines, G&C Lurton Estates, *Gothic Noir Wine, Greyscale, *Jambe De Bois Wine, Kendric Vineyards, *Krueger Vaught Wines, Lussier, *Maybach Family Vineyards, McCarter Cellars, Mersenne Wines, Mon Premier Wines, *Nicolina Wines, Oceano Wines, Oxlee Graham Wines, Panther Ridge Vineyards, Pine Mountain Vineyards, *Puccioni Vineyards, Rock & Clay Wines, Shick Family Wines, Spur Road Wines, Staysail Wines, and Y.B. Wine Co.
*New to the festival
For more information and full Garagiste Festival: Northern Exposure schedule details, go to: http://www.garagistefestival.com/
Tickets are limited for Garagiste Festival Northern Exposure. Garagiste Festivals always sell out in advance. To buy tickets, go to: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/7th-annual-garagiste-wine-festival-northern-exposure-tickets-1096516523439?aff=oddtdtcreator
Garagiste Tasting Pass
Wine lovers can also celebrate Garagiste all year long with the Garagiste Tasting Pass offering a one-of-a-kind road map to California’s under-the-radar wineries with 2-for-1 tasting at artisan wineries across California. With wineries from San Diego to Mendecino, the pass is less than the average cost of two winery tastings – and includes discounts to the festival’s four annual events.
For breaking Garagiste Festival news and special discounts, sign-up for our free newsletter, The Dirt, at https://www.garagistefestival.com/garagiste-blog or follow us on Twitter (@GaragisteFest) or Facebook.
Sponsors include:
G3 Enterprises, MW Wine School, Glenn Burdette, Laffort USA, AgWest Farm, ETS, Fortis Solutions Group, KSVY 93.1, Weeklys, WithWine.
For sponsorship info, email [email protected].
