Grape Days of Summer, August 6th & 7th: Ticket Giveaway!!

Do you want to sample the wines of the Placer County Vintners Association and taste some of the best restaurants in the area for FREE on August 6th & 7th? Win a pair of tickets by commenting below and sharing this post on twitter and facebook for extra entries.

7 Placer County Wineries to Host August “Grape Days of Summer” Winery Tour

Placer County Vintners Association (PCVA) announces Grape Days of Summer on the Placer County Wine Trail, taking place August 6th and 7th in Lincoln, Auburn, and Newcastle. A “Mediterranean Sojourn” theme takes participants to 7 participating wineries along the Placer County Wine Trail where Mediterranean wine, food and culture are the highlights in addition to the standard wine tasting experience.

Each winery will feature a specific Mediterranean varietal and the food, music and wine education that goes with it.   In addition to the opportunity to learn about the origin and characteristics of unique varietals like Roussanne and Tempranillo, Grape Days also includes food from some of the region’s premier restaurants like the Chef’s Table, Source Global Tapas, The Rustic Table and Café Zorro.    This is something the region has never offered before! The event takes place from 11:00 am-5:00 pm on Saturday and Sunday and tickets are good for both days. 

Participants can purchase tickets online at www.placerwine.com for $25.00 in advance or $35.00 at the door.  The ticket covers: wine tastes at all participating wineries, food, music and educational activities, plus a special event wine glass. But you can win a pair of tickets by commenting below!

Designated Driver Tickets are also available for $10. PCVA has donated a number of raffle prizes to a local cause and on this weekend will also be selling raffle tickets. The fundraiser is for Amanda Barnes, a Placer High School graduate who was struck by a hit and run motorist recently resulting in injuries requiring extensive surgery. The raffle drawings will take place on August 15th during the Old Town Auburn Street Dance.

Join in on the Grape Days fun, and taste some great award winning, small production wines, while you learn something from the winemakers and owners themselves.  Participating wineries are Casque, Dono dal Cielo, Fawnridge, Lone Buffalo, Mt. Vernon, Vina Castellano and Wise Villa.

SPECIAL ACTIVITIES - Mediterranean Sojourn:

They say that with wine, it's “all about the grapes”. Placer County's warm, dry summers and mild to cool, wet winters mixed with rich decomposed granite soils make for a “Mediterranean-like” terroir where an abundance of wine grape varietals thrive.

Casque Wines & Wise Villa Winery (shared tasting room) - Experience the Rhône Valley of France and learn from Casque about all things Roussanne with a 3 year vertical tasting, while Wise Villa focuses on Syrah, paired with food from Loomis restaurant, Cafe Zorro and live music from Fuse-A-Nova (an eclectic blend of bossa nova and jazz with latin and world rhythms) from 1-4 pm each day.

Dono dal Cielo Vineyards - Be transported to the Greek side of the Mediterranean, one of the origins of Zinfandel, while you learn a thing or two about corks, and enjoy live music.  Enjoy food pairings by Celebrity Chef, Dave Hill, from his Rocklin restaurant, The Chef's Table.

Fawnridge Winery - It's all about Italia the classic Italian wine, Barbera, paired with what else but Italian food.

Lone Buffalo Vineyards - Learn to say Rioja ("ree-OH-ha") and enjoy Spain's "noble grape," Tempranillo, with a special sensory tasting experience led by winemaker Phil Maddux and food pairings from Chef Irie of Granite Bay restaurant, Source Global Tapas.

Mt. Vernon Winery - Learn about dessert wines and their region of origin - it's only "Port" if it's produced in Portugal nowadays - paired with what else but delicious desserts from Chef Brian Reed from The Rustic Table. Winemaker Ryan Taylor will host mini-seminars on how port is made and describe the flavors derived from the pairing.

Viña Castellano Vineyards - Will share some of their Spanish heritage highlighting Monastrell (Mourvedre), the 5th most planted varietal in Spain. This wine is paired with Gazpacho and other culinary delights from Chef Spencer Shapton.

OK, to win the pair of tickets, tell me which winery you are most looking forward to visiting and why! Then if you have a twitter account follow me @cakegrrl and "like" The Placer County Vintner's Association here on Facebook for 2 extra entries in the contest! You should write on their wall and send me an @message telling me you want to win(e)!! :D

I will pick a winner on Wednesday, August 3rd! Good luck!