Avenue Vine

Among the young chefs invited to compete for the “Taste of Carneros” prize are Chefs: Preston Dishman, The General’s Daughter; Graham Jones, Regusci Winery; Matt Mermod, Bleaux Magnolia, and Janine Falvo, Carneros Bistro/The Lodge at Sonoma.

Judges for the event include Food TV/Bay Cafe Celebrity Chef Joey Altman, Google Executive Chef Marc Rasic, Steve Sando, owner, Rancho Gordo Beans and Kimball Jones, Executive Chef, The Carneros Inn.

The Carneros Heritage Fest takes place Saturday, June 2, 2007 from noon to 4 pm at the rustic ranch and vineyards of The Donum Estate in Sonoma, CA 95476 (24500 Ramal Road). Tickets are $75 per person and may be ordered through the Carneros Wine Alliance website at www.carneros.com or by calling (707) 253-2678. Proceeds from the Fest will support Vineyard Worker Services programs in Napa and Sonoma counties and Napa and Sonoma Farm Bureau “Ag in the Classroom” programs.

Fest Highlights:
• Taste of Carneros “Iron Chef”-style competition

• Carneros Lamb BBQ created by Marc Rasic, executive chef, Google, and grilled by the Napa County Farm Bureau Grillers Team.

• Sweepstakes of racks of lamb to be given away to the public.

• 22 Carneros wineries will pour their premium and ultra-premium wines, pairing perfectly with the lamb served.

• Silent auction of special magnums of Carneros wineries participating in the event.

• Live music and entertainment by the Back Burner Blues Band, led by Food TV and Bay Café Chef Joey Altman.

• Sheep herder Jack Mathison from Sebastopol, falconer Karl Kerster, and a wide range of environmental representatives, including The Hungry Owl Project, Worms Unlimited, Todd Adams and his beneficial insects and others, plus watershed talks, tractor-drawn carriage rides through the vineyard, and hay maze.

• Local artisan producers of honey, olive oil, herbs, and cheese.

The event is presented by the Carneros Wine Alliance and co-hosted by The Donum Estate and Buena Vista Carneros, in partnership with the American Lamb Board and the Napa and Sonoma County Farm Bureaus.

What: 2nd Annual Carneros Heritage Fest
When: June 1 & 2, 2007
Who: The wineries and growers of the Carneros Wine Alliance
TICKETS: left click here
Where: The Donum Estate, 24500 Ramal Road, Sonoma, CA 95476
Cost: $75.00 per person, Saturday Fest; $120 per person, Friday dinners
Reservations: www.carneros.com
For information: (707) 253-2678

Preceding the outdoor Heritage Fest, on Friday evening, June 1st, a series of intimate dinners will take place at selected Carneros Wine Alliance wineries, hotels and restaurants. Intimate, multi-course dinners, with some of the region’s most well-known winemakers and chefs collaborating to pair artisan lamb with special wine selections, will take place as part of “A Cut Above II: Carneros Cooks!” June 1 dinners include: Acacia and BeaulieuVineyards at Acacia Winery, Buena Vista Carneros at The Carneros Inn, Ceja Vineyards at Sienna/Meritage Hotel, Napa, Etude Wines at Carneros Bistro/Lodge at Sonoma, Sabor of Spain at Gloria Ferrer, MacRostie at Harvest Moon (Sonoma), Schug Carneros Estate Wines at The General’s Daughter. Tickets for “A Cut Above” dinners are $120 per person and may be ordered from the Carneros Wine Alliance website at www.carneros.com.

A short (45 minute) drive from San Francisco, Carneros is a unique region encompassing “a little bit of Napa and a little bit of Sonoma,” spanning the southern portions of both counties. A rustic, wind-swept agricultural area, Carneros was one of the first wine regions to be designated an American Viticulture Area (AVA) based on climate rather than political boundaries. Carneros, which means “the Ram” in Spanish, is a fully independent, federally-designated “cool climate” appellation.

CARNEROS, CA--May 14, 2007