The weekend of June 26 thru 28 will mark the return of one of Calaveras' most popular events of the wine year: Passport weekend. Starting with a festival in the bucolic Murphys Downtown park on Friday evening, the weekend continues with two days of special winery events and tastings on Saturday and Sunday.
The Friday evening event was added to the weekend for the first time last year. It turned out to be one of the highlights of the Passport event. For 2 1/2 hours, the wineries of the Calaveras Winegrape Alliance come together to showcase the unique viticultural diverstity that defines the Sierra Foothills. The park is divided into five "regions" with each region showcasing both wines and foods endemic to those regions. Start in Spain with Tempranillo, Albarino, and some delicious Spanish tapas. Continue your tour to Italy for wines such as Sangiovese. There are two regions of France: Rhone (Syrah and Viognier) and France Majoris (traditional Bordeaux varietals) and, finally, California and its fabulous Foothill Zinfandels.
On Saturday and Sunday, tour the member wineries of the CWA for special barrel and/or library tastings, fabulous food at each winery, and live entertainment. Most wineries also offer special discounts for Passport holders during this weekend. There are 23 member wineries, most within a fifteen minute drive of Murphys. Plus, there are the fabulous Murphys restaurants for Saturday evening (if you even have room for more food after your day of Passport visits!). Accommodations are always tight, so plan to book your room soon Wineries are open from 11:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. both days.
A three-day Passport costs $60.00 ($50.00 if purchased online at www.calaveraswines.org by May 31) and includes admission to the Friday "Taste the World of Calaveras" event as well as the full weekend Passport activities. Sunday only tickets are available for $30.00, as well as Friday evening only tickets for $30.00 as well. Ticket sales are limited to 500 for the event - and they are selling quite quickly, so act now. I hope to be able to greet you personally at the Solomom Winery tasting room in downtown Murphys or in the Park on Friday.
If you have a comment on this - or any - of my blog entries, please contact me at paladin.mod@gmail.com. I promise to respond to all emails and will post responses that seem appropriate.
The Friday evening event was added to the weekend for the first time last year. It turned out to be one of the highlights of the Passport event. For 2 1/2 hours, the wineries of the Calaveras Winegrape Alliance come together to showcase the unique viticultural diverstity that defines the Sierra Foothills. The park is divided into five "regions" with each region showcasing both wines and foods endemic to those regions. Start in Spain with Tempranillo, Albarino, and some delicious Spanish tapas. Continue your tour to Italy for wines such as Sangiovese. There are two regions of France: Rhone (Syrah and Viognier) and France Majoris (traditional Bordeaux varietals) and, finally, California and its fabulous Foothill Zinfandels.
On Saturday and Sunday, tour the member wineries of the CWA for special barrel and/or library tastings, fabulous food at each winery, and live entertainment. Most wineries also offer special discounts for Passport holders during this weekend. There are 23 member wineries, most within a fifteen minute drive of Murphys. Plus, there are the fabulous Murphys restaurants for Saturday evening (if you even have room for more food after your day of Passport visits!). Accommodations are always tight, so plan to book your room soon Wineries are open from 11:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. both days.
A three-day Passport costs $60.00 ($50.00 if purchased online at www.calaveraswines.org by May 31) and includes admission to the Friday "Taste the World of Calaveras" event as well as the full weekend Passport activities. Sunday only tickets are available for $30.00, as well as Friday evening only tickets for $30.00 as well. Ticket sales are limited to 500 for the event - and they are selling quite quickly, so act now. I hope to be able to greet you personally at the Solomom Winery tasting room in downtown Murphys or in the Park on Friday.
If you have a comment on this - or any - of my blog entries, please contact me at paladin.mod@gmail.com. I promise to respond to all emails and will post responses that seem appropriate.