September is California Wine Month, and that makes it a fine time to enjoy a glass of California wine and a visit to wine country. September is harvest time in California and California Wine Month celebrates the state’s ideal climate for wine, beautiful wine country landscape, our talented and ingenious winemaking families, our celebrated lifestyle and cuisine; and our commitment to sustainability and the environment.
2011 is the seventh consecutive year (proclamation pending) that California Wine Month will be celebrated in September. To celebrate, many of the Golden State’s wineries, winegrape growers and regional associations are hosting special consumer wine events. Wine is an essential ingredient of the California lifestyle and it shows. The Golden State produces 90 percent of all domestic wines and is home to 3,364 wineries – nearly half the wineries across America! Special tasting events and wine and dine celebrations will take place throughout the state all month long, making it the ideal time to visit California’s many wine regions and toast to the good life. “As an industry, California wine brings innumerable benefits to the state. Our scenic and historic wine-growing regions, a renowned cuisine based on food and wine pairings, and the opportunity to taste and purchase our world-famous wines bring an estimated 20.7 million tourists to our state each year,” said Governor Brown in the proclamation. “Our state’s wineries create jobs for 330,000 Californians and revenue from retail sales of $18.4 billion, including $1.14 billion in exports sales to 122 countries.”
Visitors come to California to enjoy world-class wines in stunning and diverse settings – from lush green, tree-lined valleys and picturesque mountaintops to breathtaking coastal splendor and rustic ranches. Be it small, family-owned wineries or grand, majestic chateaus, California offers a variety of options that can be personalized to create a memorable and delicious wine country itinerary. And in honor of California Wine Month, visitors can experience their perfect wine vacation for a steal!
From special tastings and harvest tours, to wine education classes and wine and food festivals, consumers can take in many celebration events throughout California. Some major multi-region and multi-winery events occur during California Wine Month, which coincides with the launch of harvest season. On Labor Day weekend, Sonoma Wine Country Weekend, named one of the 10 Best Wine & Food Events in the U.S. (Celebrated Living), will feature more than 170 award winning wineries and 60 chefs showcasing their talents at Taste of Sonoma at MacMurray Ranch, as well as a wine auction, seminars, cooking demonstrations, vineyard tours and parties at other wineries. Also that weekend is Livermore’s 30th Annual Harvest Wine Celebration, where complimentary shuttle buses take guests to more than 40 Livermore Valley wineries sharing their finest wines, as well as local music, art and food.
Other highlights include CRUSH: Temecula Valley 2nd Annual Wine & Culinary Showcase, a multi-winery harvest festival with wine, food and live music on Sept.10, as well as the availability of passport savings to five wineries anytime during the month. On Sept. 16, Madera Vintners Association’s California Wine Month Reception & Wine Tasting will feature area wineries offering wine and food at Birdstone Winery on Sept. 16 in Madera, and Pinotfest Monterey is a Monterey beach party and charity auction with live music, food and wine that will showcase several wineries. On Sept. 17, more than 20 Santa Barbara area wineries are holding a Cabernet Franc wine tasting with live music, appetizers and a seminar at FrancFest at Buttonwood Farm Winery in Solvang.
Also on Sept. 17, CALIFORNIA WINE RUSH, a walk-around tasting showcasing top wines from more than a dozen California wine regions throughout the state will take place in San Francisco in the Grand Hall of the historic Ferry Building during the lively Saturday farmer’s market. Savor the Central Coast 2011, presented by Sunset Magazine and the San Luis Obispo County Visitors and Conference Bureau, will feature a grand tasting with 200-plus wineries, wine seminars, winemaker dinners and other culinary adventures during this four-day experience Sept. 29-Oct. 2.
California is home to more than 4,600 grape growers and 3,400 bonded wineries, its fertile land accounting for approximately 90 percent of wine production in the United States. Governor Brown’s proclamation highlights how the California wine community’s commitment to economic and environmental sustainability reflects its intention to remain in operation for many generations to come and to “preserve the land and human capital that make possible the continuing bounty of California wine.” California has a widely adopted sustainable winegrowing and winemaking program with participation by vineyards and wineries in all of the regions hosting California Wine Month events. California Wine Month, established and coordinated by Wine Institute and the California Association of Winegrape Growers, is also supported by several hotel, restaurant, retail and association partners.