Here we go again!

The Bay Area Wine Project announces Pinot Days: A Celebration of Pinot Noir From California and Beyond. Pinot Days celebrates pinot noir in its many styles, ranging from modern to earthy to elegant. Unlike wine events that appeal to a narrow customer base featuring wines more alike than different, Pinot Days will bring together pinot producers representing every California appellation, style and price point, as well as from Oregon and Burgundy. It is our sincere hope that Pinot Days will enable you to explore new producers, find wines you love and can afford, and become a pinot devotee if you are not one already.

This year, we will feature Sunday’s grand tasting, with over 140 pinot producers presenting their wines, as well as a couple of more intimate events on Friday and Saturday. Each of the festival events will be educational, stimulating and fun. Our goal is to make each event accessible to everyone by keeping the costs reasonable and the attitude casual. Pinot Days will never become an elitist event affordable only to the rich, nor will it become an “insider” event accessible only to industry folks and pinot geeks like us. Rather, we invite insiders to come and enjoy, and we encourage those new to pinot noir – those of you who do not yet know the depth, breadth and sheer loveliness of our noblest grape – to come and taste for yourselves.


EVENTS

If you are not familiar with the Bay Area Wine Project’s tastings, a short synopsis: We conduct thematic tastings for relatively small groups (in this case, 80 attendees), featuring hard-to-find or costly wines in the pursuit of greater understanding of the chosen theme. Our events are informal and accessible to anyone, regardless of level of knowledge. Our focus is obviously the wine, as well as participants’ voluntary sharing of their impressions. In the end, our tastings are about having fun and enjoying wine with a group of people who take having fun and drinking wine seriously.


The Best Pinots From Sonoma Coast and Russian River Valley
Golden Gate Room Fort Mason, San Francisco
Saturday June 24, 2006 3pm - 6pm
$75

This is an opportunity to taste sixteen 2004 pinots from the finest producers of pinot from Sonoma Coast, Russian River Valley and Anderson Valley. We will taste the wines blind in four flights, and will then hold open discussion of the wines. Many of the producers will be on-hand to share with you their insight.



2004 Pisoni, Garys' and Rosella's Vineyard Pinots
Golden Gate Room Fort Mason, San Francisco
Saturday June 25th 2006 7pm - 10pm
$80


This is the fourth year we have conducted this tasting and it has always been terrific. We will blind taste sixteen wines from the three fabled vineyards in four flights. In years past, most of the producers have appeared at the event, and we expect most to attend again this year. The Pisoni clan will also be on-hand to discuss the unique characteristics of the vineyard and to answer your questions.



2004 Pinot Days Grand Tasting
Festival Pavilion Fort Mason, San Francisco
Sunday June25th 2006 1-4pm
$45


Sunday’s Grand Tasting will showcase 150 producers of pinot noir from California and beyond. This is the Bay Area’s largest single gathering of pinot producers ever. Consumers will be able to sample pinots from every important region in California, as well as some from Oregon, Chile and Burgundy. Patrons can sample a variety of artisan cheeses & other specialty foods. We will feature a pinot production demonstration in which attendees can learn about the making of pinot from the vine to bottling and every step in between. We will also offer a number of pinots for auction, donating proceeds to Project Mexico, a non-profit organization that builds homes in Mexico for the poor and needy.



2004 Pinot Days Grand Tasting And VIP Tours
Festival Pavilion Fort Mason, San Francisco
Sunday June25th 2006 11am-4pm
$65

This year we have added an event for the pinot lover who wants to go deeper. Our VIP Tours will take place two hours prior to the Grand Tasting on Sunday, June 25th. They offer specific opportunities to appreciate wines of particular styles, or from particular regions or vineyards. As a VIP, you will have the opportunity to go on three tours of your choosing . EXAMPLES: If you choose the Russian River Valley Tour, you will taste 4 wines from 4 noted Russian River Valley producers. If you choose the Keefer Ranch Tour, you will taste 4 wines made from Keefer Ranch fruit, but crafted by different winemakers. Or if you choose the Clonal Tour, you will taste wines made from a single pinot noir clone, enabling you to understand how significantly clones affect the wines that you love. (These are just three examples. For further description of the specific VIP Tour opportunities, please see the Pinot Days website.) Each VIP Tour will be guided by an expert related to the particular theme. (Example: Marcy Keefer will guide the Keefer Ranch Tour.) VIP Tours will begin at 11:00 a.m. They will end at 12:30, allowing you 30 minutes to roam the relatively uncrowded pavilion and taste wines before the general public is admitted at 1:00. (They include the Grand Tasting, of course, from 1:00 – 4:00.) In the interest of keeping these tours intimate, we will limit ticket sales, so if you are interested, please do not wait to sign up.


To sign up for an event, you may go to our webpage and buy tickets via our secured server at: Pinot Days or you may call us at 415-883-7299.

If you have any questions, please email me at srigisich@pinotdays.com .

Regards,
Steven Rigisich