The chefs are busy dreaming up their menus, the wineries are lovingly, carefully aging their best wines, and top musical talent are tuning their voices and instruments. It’s nearly time for Sonoma Wine Country Weekend, and excitement is building quickly for this year’s extravaganza, Aug. 29-31 2014.
If you haven’t already gotten your tickets for the world-class culinary extravaganza, you’ll want to right away – every SWCW event sells out each year. What’s the draw? How about hundreds of chefs, wineries and artisan food purveyors, all gathering for three full days of elaborate lunches, dinners, and the showcase events: Taste of Sonoma, and the Sonoma Valley Harvest Auction.
The event has grown bigger and better over time. For the 35th annual Taste of Sonoma at MacMurray Ranch in Healdsburg on Saturday, Aug. 30, more than 170 wineries and 60 of Sonoma County’s top chefs will ply guests with food, drink, and a rich array of educational and entertaining events staged all day long.
Through the day, some 2,500 guests converge on the historic property and vineyard site that the late actor Fred MacMurray purchased decades ago. The estate is rarely open to the public, but during Taste, Fred’s daughter Kate MacMurray invites everyone in for tours and tributes to the magnificent oasis surrounded by towering redwoods.
Multiple tents are spread on the lawn, each celebrating the cuisines and wines of different Sonoma County AVAs ranging from Dry Creek to the Russian River. Guests load up their plates, sip their wines, and relax under shade trees on the grass.
In addition to wine and food, guests at Taste of Sonoma can participate in seminars, take a personalized tour of the event with a Sommelier Star, watch the ever-popular Sonoma Steel Chef Competition, luxuriate at the Gloria Ferrer Bubble Lounge, or elevate the entire experience with VIP tickets to Club Reserve for exclusive wine tasting.
When the 22nd Annual Auction unveils at Chateau St. Jean on Sunday, Aug. 31, the theme will be “From Sonoma to Serengeti,” as hundreds of bidders compete for such mouthwatering prizes as a spa day and cooking class at Lodge at Sonoma, an 82-bottle wine collection, and a three day weekend at the Silver Oak Winery’s private apartment nestled amid the vineyards, complete with dinners and tours of Healdsburg.
And there’s more. Besides the always popular winemaker lunches and dinners from Friday through Sunday, there is the Sonoma Starlight Supper Club dinner at Francis Ford Coppola Winery on Aug. 30, featuring a poolside party complete with live music and dancing, 20 wineries pouring their best, and plenty of Sonoma County food.
To make attendance even easier, Pure Luxury Transportation is providing round-trip transportation to and from Sonoma Starlight at Francis Ford Coppola Winery from the town of Sonoma, Taste of Sonoma from locations throughout Sonoma County and Marin, and the Auction from Healdsburg and Santa Rosa (for information, click here).
Details: sonomawinecountryweekend.com.
Tip: With such popular events, parking can be challenging. Don’t worry about jockeying for a space, or concerns about enjoying your wine. Take the Pure Luxury Transportation shuttles to the events, of for a private experience, Pure Luxury can provide you with a chauffeured limo, Town Car, or even an elegant shuttle bus for you and your group of friends.
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