From Gamay to Barbera, take a deep dive into the wine you love at one of these festivals happening in 2019.
Let’s be honest: We all have favourites. While you explore the wide world of vinous options, why not also take a deeper dive into the wines you already love?
Many are familiar, for instance, with the International Pinot Noir Celebration that breaks out for one weekend each July in McMinnville, Oregon. Now in its 33rd year, the popular event features educational seminars and vineyard tours alongside Pacific Northwest cuisine, winemaker meet-and-greets and some of the best local pours. But the concept has grown over the last decade or so, and additional festivals offer the chance to hone in on a single grape variety and sample its finest styles.
Sauvignon (January)
Marlborough, New Zealand
The Marlborough region has churned out premium Sauvignon Blanc since the late 1900s, and the variety now accounts for more than half of the area’s wine production. Only in its second year, this festival offers agricultural, scientific and culinary seminars in addition to 200-plus wine samples.
Zinfandel Experience (January)
San Francisco
Put on by the Zinfandel Advocates & Producers (ZAP) organisation, this three-day wine and food event showcases the range of California’s heritage variety. It features four major events: a welcome, “dine-around” pairings dinner of local cuisine, a seminar-style tasting, an auction-driven gala fundraiser and a “Grand Tasting” of more than 100 different Zinfandels. Read more