Sonoma Valley Vintners’ ‘Signature’ event grows in second year

Three day ‘experience’ aim to highlights local wines.|

The Sonoma Valley Vintners & Growers Alliance is dedicated to promoting awareness of Sonoma Valley’s grapes, wine and history as the birthplace of the California wine industry.

While once a partner in the big Sonoma County Wine Auction, for the past two years the nonprofit SVVGA has run its own event, Signature Sonoma Valley.

This year’s iteration has grown in scope and size, and is set to take place from Friday, April 6 to Sunday, April 8.

Maureen Cottingham, executive director of the Alliance, describes the three-day wine event as highlighting Sonoma Valley’s world-class wines, iconic vineyards, heritage, legacy, and the entrepreneurial spirit of the next generation of winemakers and winegrowers.

“Our goal is to educate, inspire, and delight our oenophile guests with once-in-a-life-time experiences that showcase our world-class wine region,” she says.

The wine experiences in 2018 include:

ICON (Friday, April 6) – Set in the heart of Los Carneros at the stunning Ram’s Gate Winery, this walk-around tasting offers guests the opportunity to meet the winemakers and winegrowers who are shaping the future of Sonoma Valley wines. Ram’s Gate Winery executive chef Taylr Behnam will serve curated tasting dishes to complement the distinctive wines.

RETROSPECTIVE (Saturday, April 7) – New this year, Retrospective offers a tasting experience for wine aficionados and collectors, showcasing vintages across multiple decades from Sonoma Valley winery, Hanzell Vineyards. Only 30 seats are available for this experience led by Winemaker Michael McNeill and President Jason Jardine of Hanzell Vineyards.

LEGENDS (Saturday, April 7) – During this dinner hosted at the private estate of Don and Nancy Sebastiani, vintners will share legendary wines from their private collections – bottles both rare and personal, that speak to the history, passion, and innovation that brought acclaim and worldwide attention to Sonoma Valley’s wines and vineyards.

IMMERSION (Friday, April 6 and Saturday, April 7) – Immersion will take guests behind the scenes of Sonoma Valley’s most iconic vineyards. The experience includes a sommelier-moderated tasting and discussion of wines produced from each distinctive site with the winemakers who crafted them, followed by a farm-to-table lunch.

WINE AND DESIGN (Friday, April 6 and Saturday, April 7) – Hosted by prominent vintners, Wine and Design lunches will offer the opportunity to visit exclusive properties and private homes not open to the public. Each lunch will showcase a special selection of wines paired with lunch prepared by local celebrity chefs.

BUBBLES AND BRUNCH (Sunday, April 8) –Signature Sonoma Valley will close with a “authentic wine country” brunch paired with a curated range of sparkling wines, many only available in limited quantities from the wineries.

This year, Signature Sonoma Valley will also introduce the Hub, a pop-up lounge located on the Plaza. Open each day for all SSV guests, the Hub will serve as a central gathering place for attendees.

Packages and tickets for individual events are available at SonomaValleyWine.com/Signature-Sonoma-Valley. For more information, 935-0803 or visit SonomaValleyWine.com.

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