Hello, Pinot Fans –
Why is such a little grape such a Big Deal? Pinot noir is much more than a grape variety � it’s an art form. No other grape can assume so many different and beautiful styles, which makes it the grape of choice for the most gifted, visionary winemakers. Spend your time at the Pinot Days Grand Festival experiencing how very different pinot noir can be when rendered by various artists’ hands, and from various regions and vineyards and clones. There will be 140 producers at the Pinot Days Grand Festival, and over 300 pinots � it is a veritable museum of pinot noir in all of its color and depth.
Below are a number of the events for the upcoming festival. We also are producing a number of Retail Store Tastings at K&LWine Merchants, Beltramo`s Wine and Spirits and The Vine at Bridges. You can see how to sign up for those events at our website under San Francisco Events.
We have two very big items to share with you. Foremost, as members of our mailing list, we are offering you an "earlybird" 33% discount toward the Grand Festival, the VIP Tasting and all three Focus Tastings. This is our way of showing appreciation for 9 years of support of the event and to the producers. Simply enter the Promo Code EARLYSF13. By clicking the link below, the promo code will be automatically entered, thereby you will see the discounted prices. The regular price for the Grand Festival is $60, VIP is $105 and the focus tastings are $50 and $70. This offer will expire at midnight on May 31st, 2013.
Also, we will be selling wine at Pinot Days in 2013. We ran a pilot in Chicago in April with great success. Many of the wineries will be providing discounts and/or free shipping available only at Pinot Days. You will be able to order via the web or via our paper form. The orders will be processed and delivered by a major carrier the following week. To sweeten the deal, if you purchase a VIP Grand Festival ticket, we will credit back to you the early entry amount (i.e. the amount that is beyond the price of a regular Grand Festival ticket) toward your wine purchases.
Click HERE to visit the Pinot Days website and order tickets or go directly to the Order Form by clicking HERE. Next week we will be announcing the wineries participating in the Auxiliary events. That said, you can count on them being the very best; after all, they produce pinot noir.
9TH ANNUAL PINOT DAYS SAN FRANCISCO GRAND FESTIVAL PUBLIC TASTING
Sunday, June 30, 2013 2:00pm – 5:00pm Festival Pavilion, Fort Mason -Price: $60
Pinot Days San Francisco celebrates the amazing noble grape in all its gloriously diverse styles, and this year’s offering is more broad and complete than ever. 140 artisan winemakers representing every domestic pinot noir region will pour the fruits of their craft, each sharing their unique interpretation of pinot noir and the stories of their winemaking.
But don’t stop there; please taste pinot of all regions and styles, no matter what your particular stylistic preference because good pinot is good pinot, and the proof will be in your glass. Wander from a Santa Rita Hills producer to one from the Santa Cruz Mountains. Taste how pinot from Sonoma Coast is different from Santa Lucia Highlands pinot. No matter what preconceived notions you arrive with, leave your "camp" and go in search of great wine! No place, no event, celebrates such great wine in so many styles. With an open mind and a ready glass, you will discover new favorites right and left…and sideways.
VIP DIVERSITY SEMINAR AND EARLY ACCESS TO GRAND FESTIVAL
Sunday, June 30, 2013 Noon – 5:00pm Festival Pavilion, Fort Mason – Price: $105
This VIP ticket will allow you to enter Sunday’s Grand Festival two hours early, at Noon, to experience a sit-down tasting featuring four wineries, each sharing two of their best pinots. For the last hour you can roam the festival and taste any of the featured wineries in an intimate setting. The public will be admitted at 2:00pm, and you are welcome to stay and taste until our 5:00pm closing. Also, there will be certain wines for sale at the event (the wines for sale will be listed in the tasting brochure). If you purchase a minimum of $100 of the selected wines, we will credit your early entry fee (that is, above the price of a "regular" Grand Festival ticket) toward your order.
FOCUS TASTING: CELEBRATED VINEYARDS: KEEFER RANCH, PISONI, BIEN NACIDO AND GAP’S CROWN
Saturday, June 29, 2013 1:00pm – 3:00pm Fleet Room, Fort Mason – Price: $50
Those who love pinot noir appreciate that, more so than any other variety of grape, it always offers up the land from which it came. And all vineyards are not equal! Come taste pinots from four of the most celebrated vineyards in California. This is what we call a horizontal tasting; you will taste four wines from each vineyard, each from a different winemaker. To add to the banter and discussion, the tasting will be moderated by Alder Yarrow, Founder and Editor of Vinography. Alder’s blog is one of the most respected and oft-visited on the internet and we welcome his contributions. So, come and meet and taste with the winemakers and see what difference land makes in the glass.
FOCUS TASTING: TASTING BURGUNDY AND CALIFORNIA PINOT WITH JEAN CHARLES BOISSET
Saturday, June 29, 2013 4:00pm – 6:00pm Fleet Room, Fort Mason – Price: $50
Ever seen a Burgundy holding hands with a California pinot? Jean Charles Boisset has made the match, and it�s a beautiful one. We have invited Jean Charles to host one of our Focus tastings not just because he is arguably the most charming man on the planet, but because he bridges the two greatest pinot regions in the world: California and Burgundy. Jean Charles grew up in Vougeot among the historic vineyards of the C�te de Nuits into one of Burgundy�s great families. The Russian River Valley compelled him to move from Old World to New, where he is now the father of several California pinot labels, including DeLoach and Buena Vista Carneros, as well as JCB, which blends Russian River Valley grapes with pinot from Burgundy. Join us for a tasting of 12 spectacular burgundies, spectacular California pinots, and unparalleled blends of the two. We will learn much from Jean Charles as he tells of his life and passion in both regions, and discusses what we all know: T hat no m atter where it�s from, well-made pinot noir trumps any other variety, taking you to particular places with each taste. And with Jean Charles, the journey is on a Vespa (metaphorically speaking). We hope that you won�t miss this rare meeting of old world and new; as for us, we will be in the front row. NOTE: To sweeten the evening, you�ll have an opportunity not only to taste but to buy a number of these wines right at the event, and take them home with you. To boot, if you have purchased both an Early-Entry ticket to the Grand Festival, you will have a $50 credit toward the purchase of wines.
FOCUS TASTING: A SOJOURN THROUGH THE MANY STYLES OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA APPELLATIONS
Saturday, June 29, 2013 7:00pm – 9:00pm Fleet Room, Fort Mason – Price: $70
We have assembled 16 of the finest representations of the many regions and diverse styles of California pinot from the Russian River Valley and Sonoma Coast. James Laube, Wine Spectator�s SENIOR EDITOR AND PINOT NOIR expert, will play host to the tasting journey, commenting on the wines within each flight, introducing the acclaimed producers and discussing their various approaches that have enabled them to craft the most sought-after pinots in the market today. During each of the four flights one of our favorite chefs will pair the flight of pinots with one of her amazingly creative pinot-focused dishes. At the end of the tasting, James will take some time to answer your questions and cap off a truly special evening of pinot noir.
PINOT DAYS WEEKEND PACKAGE #1: VIP DIVERSITY SEMINAR and CELEBRATED VINEYARDS
Saturday and Sunday, June 29th-3th, 2013 – Price: $165
Why not make it a weekend of Pinot?! The package includes early entry to the Grand Festival, a one-hour VIP seminar with 4 special producers before the Grand Festival, and a seat at the Jean-Charles Boisset Focus Tasting. You will also receive a food voucher of $10 for El Porteno Empenadas to be redeemed at the Grand Festival.
PINOT DAYS WEEKEND PACKAGE #2: VIP DIVERSITY SEMINAR and JEAN CHARLES BOISSET
Saturday and Sunday, June 29th-3th, 2013 Price: $165
Why not make it a weekend of Pinot?! The package includes early entry to the Grand Festival, a one-hour VIP seminar with 4 special producers before the Grand Festival, and a seat at the Jean-Charles Boisset Focus Tasting. You will also receive a food voucher of $10 for El Porteno Empenadas to be redeemed at the Grand Festival.
PINOT DAYS WEEKEND PACKAGE #3: VIP DIVERSITY SEMINAR and NORTHERN CALIFORNIA APPELLATIONS
Saturday and Sunday, June 29th-3th, 2013 Price: $175
Why not make it a weekend of Pinot?! The package includes early entry to the Grand Festival, a one-hour VIP seminar with 4 special producers before the Grand Festival, and a seat at the Sojourn Through The Many Styles Of Northern California Appellations Focus Tasting. You will also receive a food voucher of $10 for El Porteno Empenadas to be redeemed at the Grand Festival.
WINEMAKERS ‘TABLE HOP’ DINNER AT ONE MARKET RESTAURANT
Thursday, June 27, 2013 6:30pm-10:30pm One Market Restaurant – 1 Market St San Francisco, CA 94105 Price: $140
Pinot Days joins forces with the American Institute of Wine and Food to offer you a spectacular Pinot Days Winemaker Dinner: Twelve wines, Twelve winemakers and incredible one-night only menu specially designed to highlight pinot noir’s great stylistic versatility and pairing ability at the iconic One Market Restaurant by Executive Chef/Partner Mark Dommen who will offer starters to enjoy with wines from 4 pinot producers in a walk-about style, and then a four-course sumptuous dinner plus dessert to remember, each course paired with two pinots from two different producers. Enjoy this incredible, pinot-paired dinner and the colorful, gifted winemakers who create them. The winemakers will move to different tables wi th every course so that they are able to share their stories with attendees.
As previous year’s attendees can attest, we explore the diversity of styles and terriors of Pinot Noir. Which styles do you prefer, which wine goes best with each course. It all makes for lively discussion at your table as you engage with the people who make these wines. Producers and menu will follow. But please save the date and reserve early as this event does sell out. Once again we will feature a silent auction of large format bottles from these great producers. All the proceeds from the silent auction will benefit The AIWF of Northern California, and $50 of your dinner ticket is tax deductible.
Participating Exhibitors- Aberrant Cellars, Alma Rosa Winery & Vineyards, Alta Maria Vineyards, Amalie Robert Estate, Amelle Wines, Ancient Oak Cellars, Apogee Wines, Artesa Winery, August West, Auteur, Bailiwick Wines, Balo Vineyards, Banshee Wines, Baxter Winery, Belle Glos Wines, Benovia Winery, Bien Nacido Vineyards, Big Basin Vineyards, Blair Estate, Blue Dragonfly Alpaca, Bonneau Winery, Bridge Brands Chocolate, Bucher Vineyard, Buena Vista Winery, Calstar Cellars, Cargasacchi Wines, Cartograph, Clos Saron, Clouds Rest Vineyards, Cornerstone Cellars Oregon, Couloir Wines, Davis Bynum, Davis Family Vineyards, DeLoach Vineyards, Derby Wine Estates, Domaine Serene, Dutton-Goldfield Winery, Expression, Failla, Fess Parker Winery & Vineyard, Freeman, Garnet Vineyards, Gary Farrell Winery, Goldeneye Winery, Gundlach Bundschu Wine ry, Hand ley Cellars, Hilliard Bruce Winery, HKG Estate Wines, Hook & Ladder Winery, Inman Family Wines, It’s Just Lunch, J Vineyards & Winery, JCB by Jean-Charles Boisset, Kanzler Vineyards, Kendric Vineyards, Kessler-Haak Wines, Ketcham Estate, Kokomo Wines, La Fenetre, La Rochelle Winery, Ladd Cellars, Landmark Vineyards, Loring Wine Company, MacMurray Ranch, MacPhail Family Wines, MacRostie Winery, Mahoney Vineyards, Mansfield-Dunne Wines, Manzoni Estate Vineyard, Martinelli Winery, Meiomi , Miner Family Winery, Morgan Winery, New Zealand Winegrowers, Pali Wine Company, Papapietro Perry Winery, Pence Ranch, Philo Ridge Vineyards, Presquile Winery, Raff Distillerie, Ritual, Riverbench Vineyard & Winery, Roadhouse Winery, Robert John Russo Gallery, Rusack Vineyards, Russian Hill Estate Winery, Sally Spicer Bags, Scherrer Winery, Schug Carneros Estate Winery, Sequana Vineyards, Siduri Wines, Small Vines Wines, Sojourn Cellars, Stomping Girl Wines, Ten Acre Winery, Testarossa Winery, Thomas Fogarty Winery, Thomas George Estates, Thorne Wine, Tondre Wines, Truchard Vineyards, Twomey Cellars, VML Winery, Wait Cellars, WALT Wines, Weibel Family Vineyards & Winery, Willowbrook Cellars, Winderlea Vineyard and Winery, Windy Oaks Estate, Wrath, ZD Wines, Z’ivo Wines,
HOW PINOT DAYS WORKS: For those who have not been to this type of wine festival before, here is how it works: You will enter at 2pm and grab a Burgundy glass. Each of the 140 wineries will have their own table and will pour two to five of their pinot noirs. You can taste at your leisure, approaching each table for a taste while discussing the wines with the winemaker, winery owner, or the friends you rub elbows with while tasting. We will serve complimentary bread and cheese to pair with the wines and there will be food there to sample and purchase.
Get your tickets at www.pinotdays.com. We hope to see you and yours there, with glass in hand.
Regards,
Steven Rigisich
Producer
Pinot Days
(925)891-4553
www.pinotdays.com
