The Healdsburg-based Sonoma County Wine Library Association is bringing back its Sonoma County Wine Legends event this year, after a three-year hiatus, on Thursday, Nov. 10, at the Steele Lane Community Center in Santa Rosa.
The Legends fundraiser returns to feature a panel of five “next gen” professionals of the local wine community. Wine writer and sommelier Christopher Sawyer will moderate a panel discussion with five legends-in-the-making, most of them second or even third-generation wine professionals whose roots are in Sonoma County viticulture and wine making.
There are several familiar names among the panelists: Jamie Benziger, winemaker at Sonoma Valley’s Imagery Wine Estates, is daughter of organic wine pioneer Mike Benziger; Shelly Rafanelli, current winemaker and owner of Dry Creek’s A. Rafanelli Wines; Alan Ramey, president of Ramey Wine Cellars, founded by his parents, David and Carla Ramey of Healdsburg; Drew Damskey, son of Kerry and Daisy Damskey, is now winemaker/consultant at Palmeri Wines of Geyserville; and Mari Jones, president of Emeritus Vineyards, is daughter and successor to Russian River winemaker Brice Jones.
In addition to discussing the past, present and future of the Sonoma County wine industry, the panelists will be pouring their wines during the reception, and a charcuterie platter will be offered. To help support the wine library’s mission, a silent auction will feature special wines, gifts and wine-country experiences; details of the silent auction are forthcoming.
“Year after year, our Legends event has always been the biggest fundraiser for the Wine Library,” said Julie Pedroncelli St. John, president of the Sonoma County Wine Library Association (and herself a third-generation winemaker). “We’re looking forward to resuming this ‘fun-raiser’ and are grateful for the support of our wine community here in Sonoma County and beyond.”
Dedicated in 1989, the Sonoma County Wine Library is the definitive historical archive of the North Coast wine industry, located at the Healdsburg Regional Library (139 Piper St.). The esteemed collection includes 5,000 books (with over 1,000 rare books dating back to 1514), subscriptions to some 40 periodicals and more. It is open to the public, and many though not all books can be checked out by patrons.
Megan Jones has been the librarian at the Wine Library for five years, coming over to Healdsburg from Napa. “The Wine Library is primarily funded by Sonoma County Library, but the contributions of the Sonoma County Wine Library Association are vital to helping us achieve the Wine Library’s mission,” Jones told the Tribune.
“Their support allows us to work on special projects, purchase particularly expensive books or periodicals, and provide upgrades to the space,” Jones continued. She promises to be at the Santa Rosa event on Nov. 10. The event at the Steele Lane Community Center (415 Steele Lane, Santa Rosa) begins at 6:30pm on Nov. 10 with a wine reception, and rolls into the hour-long panel discussion at 7:30pm. Tickets are $55 for members and $70 for non-members. For tickets or to join the Sonoma Wine Library Association, go to sonomawinelibraryassn.org/events.
