Admirers, aficionados and devotees of Sonoma County¹s incredible
array of varietal wines have more than a few reasons to look
forward to the 31st annual Harvest Fair scheduled for Oct. 6, 7 and
8.
In fact, when the panel of professional judges have sipped,
sniffed and sifted their way through nearly 1,000 wines entered in
this year¹s competition, local wine lovers will have at least 550
reasons to attend the annual fall festival at the Sonoma County
Fairgrounds.
That¹s the number of wines that Harvest Fair officials expect to
win gold and silver medals and that will be available to taste and
purchase during the three-day harvest celebration.
The Harvest Fair wine competition accepts only wines made from
Sonoma County grapes and is considered the biggest ‹ and best ‹
event of its kind.
³We would venture to say we are the largest regional competition
anywhere,² said Sheila Quince, coordinator of the food and wine
exhibits at the fair. ³And the professional wine competition is the
best of the best.²
But don¹t take her word for it. The Harvest Fair wine tasting
opens on Friday with a new ³Medal Winners by the Ounce² event that
is an all-inclusive $40 ticket price that includes admission to the
fair and unlimited tasting of gold and silver medal wines. In
addition to unlimited tasting opportunities, tasters will find the
award-winning wines arranged by varietal rather than by individual
winery.
³We tended to see the individuals who come out to the Friday
tasting format, they are tasting by the varietal,² said Quince.
³This allows them to go to one area and taste a variety of labels
of the same type of wine … it¹s a little more conducive to getting
in there and seriously tasting some wines.²
Even with the $40 ticket price, the ³Medal Winners by the Ounce²
appears to be a popular addition. ³We¹ve been selling a lot of
tickets already,² said Quince. ³The reaction to the format seems to
be fine for a lot of people.²
Not only can tasters sample the 550 gold and silver medal
winners, but all of the wines will be available for sale, which
fair organizers call ³the only destination in the world to offer
such an extensive selection of Sonoma County wines for tasting and
purchase.²
The fair is also a tribute to the people who labor to make the
wines, said Bill Kreck, Harvest Fair board president and a member
of the family that owns and operates Mill Creek Vineyards in
Healdsburg.
³It¹s a recognition of the efforts that the industry puts into
making fine wines,² said Kreck, whose own wines have won the grand
sweepstakes award twice (1992 and 1994). ³It¹s a good shot in the
arm.²
Harvest Fair Awards Night is another favorite among wine and
food fans. The event takes place a week before the actual fair, on
Saturday, Sept. 30, just after the wine judges have completed their
work. The gala events includes the presentation of the Harvest Fair
medals, tasting of more than 800 wines and hors d¹oeuvres from the
county¹s top food purveyors. Tickets are $65 and can be purchased
at the fairgrounds office or online at www.harvestfair.org.
There may not be 550 reasons other than wine to visit the
Harvest Fair, but there are plenty of other family oriented
activities for non-wine drinkers and kids.
The ever-popular grape stomping contest takes place throughout
the fair, and there is continuous entertainment for all ages, jazz
music, art, crafts, animal exhibits (including sheep dog trials),
hayrides and lots of contests, including the giant pumpkin contest
and the grape-spitting contest.
A full schedule of events, entertainment and contests is
available at www.harvestfair.org or by calling 545-4023.
