Spending a weekend sipping superb wines while savoring the perfect food pairing sounds like heaven. Add in breathtaking scenery and the relaxing ambiance of Sonoma County’s Wine Country, and now you have paradise perfected! This magical wine and food weekend becomes reality on November 1st and 2nd as the Wine Road hosts the 27th annual Wine & Food Affair. A Sneak Peek at the Food Pairings With 50 wineries to select from, there are too many food pairings to list, so here are just a few highlights. If you love Italian-based comfort food, check out: Mushroom and Winter Squash Risotto at Pedroncelli Winery Lobster Ravioli with Vodka Sauce at Pech Merle Winery Tatiana’s Famous Lasagna at Colagrossi Wines If you’d rather pair Mexican, French or Cajun with delicious wines, here are some options: Roger’s Colorado Pork Green Chili at J. Cage Cellars Creamy Mushroom Chicken Facon Grand Mère at GC Lurton Vineyards Alison’s Jambalaya at Mat

Wakefield Taylors Wines and 1800 Milenio Take Top Honors July 14, 2025 — Winners have been announced in the 18th annual Women’s International Wine & Spirits Competition (IWWSC). The competition, which took place recently in Santa Rosa, Calif., was founded on the premise that the majority of wine purchased for home consumption is bought by women. The IWWSC judging panels consist entirely of professional women in the wine and spirits industries — winemakers, distillers, marketers, buyers, sommeliers, educators and journalists.  This year, Wakefield Taylor Wines 2024 Estate Riesling and 1800 Milenio Extra-Aged Añejo took top honors. Wakefield Taylor, a heritage winery in Australia’s Clare Valley (a region known for quality Reislings), wowed judges with its “mouthwatering citrus blooms” and “gentle salinity.”  A representative from 1800 Mileno remarked, “1800 Milenio is backed by 11 generations of tequila-making e

What is "Visionary Leadership"? Although most winemakers would hope that their entries into the wine world would be more unique than the next, crafting excellence in a wine from "X-AVA", or like Carol Shelton Wines "Monga Zin" from Cucamonga CA, what sets apart visionaries is having a unique approach that produces much more than simply another 'great wine'. The questions we ask ourselves are critical in 'self-evaluation' with a primary one being; "What exactly are we doing as an organization to lead with a Vision?" This is the question Wine Technology, Inc. Founder Kelly Graves posed to himself when he purchased the Vin Wizard technology and company. "I wanted to create a layer of useful technology that could enhance existing technologies in winery automation by being able to go right over the top of other existing technologies & that a winery doesn't have to abandon a good tool for a 'better one. We needed a comp

The 2025 Barrel Weekend is all about tasting wines from the past, present and future. This annual weekend event has been reimagined for its 47th anniversary, letting the wineries along the Wine Road focus on more than just tasting wines from the barrel. And, giving tasters new opportunities for exploring and learning about wine. More Tasting Options With wineries pouring wines from past (library wines), present (current release wines) and future (barrel samples), attendees have more choices and can choose what they most enjoy or what they seeking to restock their wine cellars. As you look through the online Barrel Weekend program, you’ll discover wineries pouring wines from one, two or all three of the category options. This information lets you, the ticket holder, design the tasting path that suits your palate preferences. If you love tasting only barrel samples and possibly buying wine futures, you can still do that. But, if you prefer to taste wines that are currently availabl

Afternoon Brief: New US Alcohol Report Tainted by Bias, Conflicts

Broad Group of National Agriculture, Beverage and Hospitality Associations Urges Secretaries of USDA and HHS to Reject Findings...

JUNE 28, 2024 – Winners have been announced in the 17th annual Women’s International Wine & Spirits Competition (IWWSC). The competition, which took place June 10-12 in Santa Rosa, Calif., was founded on the premise that the majority of wine purchased for home consumption is bought by women. The IWWSC judging panels consist entirely of professional women in the wine and spirits industries — winemakers, distillers, marketers, buyers, sommeliers, educators and journalists.  “As always, the International Women’s Wine & Spirits Competition shined a spotlight on hundreds of deserving wines,” says Debra Del Fiorentino, owner of Wine Competitions Management & Production, which organizes and presents IWWSC. “And even though entry is open to all winemakers regardless of gender, I found it gratifying that six of this year’s sweepstakes wines were created by women. And our overall wine winner also was named Best Woman Winemaker

Best of Show Awarded to Brecon Estate Albariño    June 6, 2023 (Santa Rosa, Calif.) — Winners have been announced for the 2023 Sunset International Wine Competition, which took place in May in Santa Rosa, Calif. Taking the top spot this year is Brecon Estate 2022 Albariño, which judges described as “fresh and bright,” “honeysuckle,” with a “lingering finish.” Ultimately, they concluded, “a very well-made wine.”  Brecon Estate is a boutique estate winery located in the westside hills outside of Paso Robles, Calif. “This particular varietal has been hugely successful for us,” says winemaker Damian Grindley. “It fits so well with alfresco summers in Paso Robles and so many Southern states, as well as the seafood culture of the [San Luis Obispo] Coast. It’s helped put both Brecon Estate and Central Coast Albariño on the map.” He continues, “Its fruit sourcing h

Best of Show Awarded to Brecon Estate Albariño    June 6, 2023 (Santa Rosa, Calif.) — Winners have been announced for the 2023 Sunset International Wine Competition, which took place in May in Santa Rosa, Calif. Taking the top spot this year is Brecon Estate 2022 Albariño, which judges described as “fresh and bright,” “honeysuckle,” with a “lingering finish.” Ultimately, they concluded, “a very well-made wine.”  Brecon Estate is a boutique estate winery located in the westside hills outside of Paso Robles, Calif. “This particular varietal has been hugely successful for us,” says winemaker Damian Grindley. “It fits so well with alfresco summers in Paso Robles and so many Southern states, as well as the seafood culture of the [San Luis Obispo] Coast. It’s helped put both Brecon Estate and Central Coast Albariño on the map.” He continues, “Its fruit sourcing h

Did you know that Wine Road is now doing seminars? We have found that visitors appreciate the opportunity to attend smaller, more intimate tasting experiences, featuring two to four different wineries. In these smaller setting, guests get to know the people behind the wines. They learn a little winery history and have the opportunity to sample wines from different wineries, side-by-side.  When planning, we also leave plenty of time for "audience participation" with Q & A. These seminars are open to the general public, but are offered at a 50% discount to our Wine Road Insider members. Details on Insider Membership HERE To keep that small, personalized vibe, each seminar/tasting is limited to 20-30 people, depending on the location. We have scheduled them early in the day, so you can start with the seminar, then head out for an afternoon of wine tasting. Our 2023 Seminar Series Schedule Sparkling Discoveries ~ May 13, 2023  9:30-11:00am Location: Amista Vineyar

Carol Shelton Named Winemaker of the Year by Women’s International Wine Competition 2021 

Best of Show Awarded to 2019 Carol Shelton Wines “Coquille Rouge” Rhone Blend Santa Rosa, Calif., — July 5, 2021— Winemaker Carol Shelton was honored by her peers at the 2021 Women’s International Wine Competition, which is judged exclusively by women, who named her “Winemaker of the Year.” Not only did she take Best of […]