Winegrowers of Dry Creek Valley put on the show for wine lovers
The Winegrowers of Dry Creek Valley rolled out the carpet during Passport to Dry Creek Valley, impressing wine lovers with fantastic wines, delicious local foods, entertainment and imagination. Passport weekend was April 30 and May 1 and visitors arrived from all around the world to explore this unique wine region. This is the 22nd year of this event and it only gets better every year.
Dry Creek Valley winegrowers are a mixture of farmers who grew up on the land to professionals who turned their love of wine into business. The common trend among them all is a true love of the terrior of Dry Creek Valley, the narrow bench lands along the creek to the rolling hills surrounding the valley. From the early morning fog in the southern reaches to warm days of the north, Dry Creek Valley is known for long warm days during the growing season. But after the day is done, the cool breezes of the Pacific creep in from the nearby coast to deliver pleasant evenings for both the grapes and the growers.
Visiting Dry Creek Valley any time of the year is a pleasant drive in the country. Along the narrow West Dry Creek Road you will be winding along the ridge line, admiring the vineyards stretching across the valley as you keep an eye out for drivers coming from the other direction and bicyclists along the road. Many of the wineries on the west side are open for tastings during certain events like Passport to Dry Creek Valley. Many of the tasting rooms are simply rustic rooms off the winery. On the east side of the valley, Dry Creek Road starts at the foot of Lake Sonoma and winds past many of the older and, often, larger wineries. Between Lake Sonoma and Healdsburg you will be passing over a dozen wineries ranging from the beautiful landscaped grounds of Ferrari-Carano to small tasting rooms in the barrel rooms such as David Coffaro.
During Passport of Dry Creek Valley, the winemakers from one end of the valley to the other put on a show that wine lovers look forward to all year around. One visitor from the east coast said that she has been to previous Passports in Dry Creek Valley and loves the area saying that Passport is the time to visit. For another visitor from Southern California, this was their first visit to Dry Creek Valley as they were invited by friends in Santa Rosa. She said everything was perfect and that there was so much wine, food and hospitality in this corner of the wine world.
Each winery pours their best wines, paired with delicious treats, some provided by local restaurants and caterers, but in many cases the friends and staff of the winery will work together to cook up something special for the visitors while maintaining the theme of the winery event. For instance, David Coffaro winery, celebrating the magnificent world champion San Francisco Giants, took you from first base to home plate with a selection of fine wines, paired with your favorite ballpark foods. Seghesio Family Vineyards in Healdsburg gave you a Big Easy experience cooking up Cajun BBQ ribs, seafood gumbo, and Tasso shrimp fettuccini, and the big New Orleans treat, Beignets! Each of these treats was paired with the appropriate Seghesio wine, all the while listening to jazz.
Mounts Family Winery treated you to a Middle Eastern experience with belly dancers and Persian cuisine paired with their Zins, Petite Sirah and Malbec. Mill Creek winery took you to Hawaii where you could relax along the Mill Creek pond feasting on Huli Huli pork and other island dishes and seeing how they pair up with Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Syrah and Zinfandel. And Dutcher Crossing winery kept the attention of their visitors with many of their growers showing off the Dutcher Crossing wine from their grapes, pairing the wines with everything from coconut shrimp to a delicious ice cream sandwich paired with their port.
Every winery in the valley put on an event that highlighted their wines, food and wine pairing and the future of Dry Creek Valley. Look forward to visiting Dry Creek Valley any time during the year, but mark your calendar for next year’s Passport coming up April 28-29, 2012!