The 10th Annual Pinot Noir Summit is upon us!

by barbara on February 22, 2012

The Pinot Noir Summit, one of the best Pinot Noir events in the world,returns to the Bay Area for its 10th year on February 25, 2012.

On Saturday, February 25, 2012 Pinot Noir lovers will gather for the remarkable
10th Pinot Noir Summit hosted by Affairs of the Vine at the Hilton San Francisco Financial District.

Be among a select group of wine lovers wowed by the ultimate Pinot Noir experience. Tickets for the 10th Pinot Noir Summit are on sale now.

Only 350 tickets are sold for this event.
Hurry! We’re almost sold out.

Pinot Noir can be mysterious and somewhat intimidating. This event creates fun, excitement, and allows people to trust their own palates.

What’s it like to be a Pinot Noir judge?

Monique Soltani of Wine Oh TV reports from the 9th Pinot Noir Summit.

If you love Pinot Noir or just want to know what all the fuss is about, you must attend this interactive, educational and fun event.

The Pinot Noir Summit attracts wine lovers from the consumer, media and trade segments. Attendees have the opportunity to pit their palates against the expert judging panel at the Pinot Noir Showdown, attend a Pinot Noir Workshop, enjoy wines made from Pinot Noir at the Sparkling Wine Reception, and attend the Grand Awards Tasting & Ceremony.

Pinot Noir Summit Agenda
Pinot Noir Showdown ~ A Blind Tasting
1:30-4:00 PM ~ A distinctly different format and atmosphere from other wine-tasting events, attendees blind taste and judge 40 of the top wines. Male and female votes are tallied separately and announced at the Grand Awards Ceremony.

Pinot Noir Workshops
4:00-5:00 PM
“Sleek, Silky and Seductive – Pinot Noir”
Moderator: Ellen Landis, Sommelier & Wine Director, Landis Shores Oceanfront Inn
Join us for this enlightening workshop to swirl, sniff and savor Pinot Noir crafted by producers from a variety of viticultural areas, who will showcase their unique style. Taste Pinot Noir from appellations including Sonoma Coast, Willamette Valley, Russian River Valley and Carneros, and embrace their geographic distinction. No matter how much you know about wine, there is always more to learn!
Panelists: John Drady, Sonoma Coast Vineyards; Dave Grooters, Carlton Cellars (Willamette Valley); Deanna McArdle-Eames, Willamette Valley Vineyards; Ted Elliott, TR Elliott Vineyards (Russian River Valley); and Michael Richmond, Bouchaine Vineyards (Carneros).

“What Makes a Great Vintage”
Moderator: Sid Sall, Wine Director, Great Chefs & Wineries of the North Bay
Is it just the weather conditions?
Is it the viticultural practices?
Is it great winemaking?
This workshop will address these questions and more to five people who know. Winemakers and a vineyard manager will share their insights on how this challenging grape varietal always surprises them.
Panelists: Dan Sullivan, Rosehall Run Vineyards (Prince Edward County, Ontario); Lino Bozzano, Laetitia Vineyard & Winery (Central Coast); Greg Freeman, Winemaker, Hahn Winery (Santa Lucia Highlands); Ken Foster, Winemaker, Mahoney Vineyards (Carneros); Tim Borges, Winemaker/Owner, Portalupi Wine.

“A Taste of Place: Exploring the Santa Lucia Highlands and The Sonoma Coast AVAs”
Moderator: Laura Ness, Wine Judge and Wine Writer
What makes ocean-influenced Pinot growing regions unique? Do you want to learn more about two of California’s most intriguing, maritime-ruled AVAs? Explore the taste of terroir with some of the salty winemakers who are crafting some of today’s most expressive Pinots.
Panelists: Dave Coventry, Coventry Wines; Greg Gauthier,G. Gauthier Cellars; Steve McIntyre McIntrye Vineyards; and
Chris Towt, Dunstan Wines.

“Looking at Pinot Noir Sideways ~ A Conversation with Rex Pickett”
Rex Pickett, Author of Sideways, Vertical and the SIDEWAYS play
in a Conversation With
Alana Gentry, Girl With a Glass

Wineries: Dave Archinal, Leucadia Red and Michael Brughelli, Kenneth Volk Vineyards will be sharing their wines.

Sideways novelist Rex Pickett will make a rare public appearance at the 10th Annual Pinot Noir Summit on February 25, 2012 at the Hilton San Francisco Financial District.

Santa Monica-based Pickett will reveal the truth and fiction between his life and Miles the protagonist in Sideways and chat about his two newest projects: the release of his own Merlot “Apostate” and the premiere of Sideways, The Play. Pickett will be interviewed on stage by writer and wine blogger Alana Gentry a.k.a. Girl with a Glass.
After Pickett stars at the San Francisco event, the winning wines from the Pinot Noir Summit will play a leading role at the12-week run of Sideways, The Play premiering at Santa Monica’s Ruskin Group Theatre in April. Sideways fans will receive complimentary Pinot Noir during the show and intermission.

Oyster & Sparkling Wine Reception
5:15-6:00 PM – In celebration of the 10th year of the Pinot Noir Summit, sparkling wines will be paired with oysters from Marin County’s Drakes Bay Oyster Companyin a casual reception after the blind tasting. An international selection of cheeses and other tasty tidbits will also be served.

Grand Awards Tasting & Ceremony
6:00 -8:30 PM- The Bay Area’s favorite meteorologist and celebrated wine aficionado, Spencer Christian of KGO/ABC will be the Master of Ceremonies at the Grand Awards Tasting & Ceremony. Top Pinot Noir winemakers will showcase their wines with a pinot-friendly selection of light hors d’oeuvre with Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Company and Walnut Creek’s Recente Italiano adding other local flavors.

Attending wine enthusiasts will pick the winners for the Summit and the new Sideways play. No information will be revealed about the wines until the Grand Awards Tasting & Ceremony at 8:00 p.m. Attendees will also cast votes to select five of the wines that will be invited to pour at Sideways, The Play. Avid wine collector, Spencer Christian, of KGO/ABC, will unveil the wines that received the most votes from the professional and amateur tasters.

Saturday, February 25, 2012
The 10th Annual Pinot Noir Summit
Hilton San Francisco Financial District

All Day Ticket (Recommended) $130 per person – Full Day: 1:30-8:30 PM (includes The Final Showdown…A Blind Tasting, Pinot Noir Workshop, Sparkling Wine Reception, Pinot Noir Shootout Grand Awards Tasting & Ceremony)

Grand Awards Tasting Only $85 per person
10th Pinot Noir Shootout Grand Awards Tasting & Ceremony at The 10th Annual Pinot Noir Summit
6:00-8:30 PM

Hurry! We’re almost sold out!

 

Attendance is limited. Only 350 tickets will be sold to wine lovers who are passionate about Pinot Noir.

 

The Pinot Noir Summit is produced by Chief Wine Evangelist, Barbara Drady and Affairs of the Vine, the Sonoma-based company dedicated to converting people to wine.

Winners will be announced at The Pinot Noir Summit at 8:00 p.m. on February 25, 2012.

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Pinot Noir is Meant for Lovers

by barbara on February 14, 2012

Supple and sexy, Pinot Noir is luxuriously exquisite and elegant. Pinot Noir is arguably the ultimate food pairing wine. The celebrated red wines of the French district of Burgundy are produced from Pinot Noir.

The popularity of Pinot Noir can be attributed to three things: its intoxicating complexity and depth; its remarkable versatility with food; and a movie that emerged out of nowhere known as SIDEWAYS that exploded onto screens and captured the hearts and minds of wine lovers and aspiring wine lovers.

Crafting great Pinot Noir is by no means an easy task for even the most accomplished winemaker. No single varietal is more temperamental or difficult to guide through the challenge of winemaking. The process can easily go off course, or sideways, and in an attempt to fix the problem, the remedy often compounds the issue further. Many experienced winemakers have turned prematurely gray due to the unique challenges posed by this finicky grape.

Pinot Noir lovers are seldom at a loss for words to describe this alluring wine. Flavors and aromas run the full spectrum and can include black cherry, raspberry, cranberry, fresh strawberry, Bing cherry, and blueberry. Often found in the aromatics of fine offerings are rose petal, cinnamon, vanilla, anise, black pepper, lavender, mushroom, forest floor, and an array of assorted spices.

The aromas and flavors are only the beginning…the mouth feel of good Pinot Noir is often rich and silky if not outright velvety.

Don’t expect dark inky colors like you find in Cabernet Sauvignon or Zinfandel. Pinot Noir color can range from a light red almost rose to a deep garnet. The flavors are as uniquely distinct as are the aromas. Pinot Noir at its best is sexy; elegant, smooth and velvety on the tongue…”satin sheets in a bottle.”

Pinot Noir uniquely reflects the characteristics of its growing climate, soils, and surroundings like no other varietal. It is difficult to describe all the flavors and styles as there are more than 1000 different Pinot Noir clones that produce a wide variety of styles from jammy, “in your face” wines, to delicately complex wines with all possible combinations in between.

When drinking Pinot Noir, look to its elegance. Savor the bouquet as its aromas are the window to soul of this wine. The balance and complex layering of flavors will envelop your senses. Let its sexiness entice you while it caresses your palate!

It may be the day after Valentine’s Day but Pinot Noir is good 365 days a year.

Begin an Affair with these great wines at The 10th Annual Pinot Noir Summit!

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Precious Metal or No Medal at All

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The Pinot Noir Summit…10 Years of Outstanding Pinot Noir

January 12, 2012

Be among a select group of wine lovers wowed by the ultimate Pinot Noir experience. Tickets for the 10th Pinot Noir Summit are on sale now. On Saturday, February 25, 2012 Pinot Noir lovers will gather for the remarkable 10th Pinot Noir Summit hosted by Affairs of the Vine at the Hilton San Francisco Financial District. [...]

Read the full article →

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  When do you wear footie pajamas? When it’s cold. When do you wear footie pajamas during the summer months? When you live on The Extreme Sonoma Coast where some of the best Pinot Noir in California (and perhaps the world) are grown. When I was growing up, I loved difficult math problems, working on [...]

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Wine Harvest 2011

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As the summer days quickly fly by, the grapes are ripening on the vine and harvest is looming on the horizon.  My mind and Much of my energy focus on the Wine Country activities in the coming months.  I know intimately the craziness, passion, and exhaustion that are an integral part of this time of [...]

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Technical World vs. Wine

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The technical world has dominated my life for what seems like an eternity as I’ve worked with my webmaster and mentor, Jose Diaz, on upgrading this website. What we envisioned as a two week project has stretched into 10 very long weeks including sleepless nights and 18-hour days and we’re not finished yet. The goal [...]

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