Affairs of the Vine Calendar

Gift certificates are available but non-refundable.

Past Events

Saturday, September 27, 2008 -
Sonoma Coast Mission Site:

Benovia http://www.benovia.com
Benovia produces Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from prestigious sites along the cold and windswept California coastline. Winemaker Mike Sullivan, proprietors Joe Anderson and Mary Dewane, and General Manager Bob Mosby look for individual, single-vineyard lots that transcend varietal correctness, melding grape, climate and topography into something honest, unique and special. Benovia aims for and achieves bottlings that are intricate, thought-provoking and iconic.

Valdez Family Winery http://www.valdezfamilywinery.com

Ulises Valdez

From a remote village in Michoacan, Mexico, to the vineyards of Sonoma County, the Valdez Family Winery is the story of Ulises Valdez' pursuit of the American Dream.

Ulises has been in the vineyard business for 20 years, first as field worker, then as a partner in the vineyard management business, and now owner of Valdez and Sons Vineyard Management. Working on several hundred acres of vineyards has enabled Ulises to select some of his favorite blocks for his first wines. Collaborators include such acclaimed winemakers as Mark Aubert, Jeff Cohn, Paul Hobbs, Kent Rosenblum and Rolando Herrera.

He started out working thirty acres of vineyards in Dry Creek Valley with partner Jack Florence. Their business grew to nearly six hundre d acres farmed by the time the Valdez and Florence partnership ended in early 2003. Now sole owner, Ulises farms over eight hundred acres as Valdez and Sons Vineyard Management.

There seems to come a time in the grape growers career, when he develops a taste for wine, and begins to look at his crop in a different light. Ulises was able to adjust to farming grapes as a commodity, to wine-growing. Growers such as Kent Ritichie of Poplar Vineyards introduced Ulises to some of Sonoma County's finest winemakers, such as Mark Aubert, and Paul Hobbs, in the late 1990's. Valdez released his first wines under the Valdez Family Winery name in July 2006.

Ulises magnetism, charisma, combined with hard work, continued to open doors. He will share his knowledge and enthusiasm with our Wine Boot Camp recruits on September 27th as we work in the vineyard beside him

Saturday, September 13, 2008 - Paso Robles Wine Boot Camp®

Paso Robles Mission Sites:

Still Waters Vineyards http://www.stillwatersvineyards.com
Still Waters Vineyards began as a dream of Paul and Patty Hoover to own a small one-acre vineyard. The dream grew into a large reality of 60 acres producing ten varieties of premium central coast grapes. The Hoover's commitment to producing only the finest quality fruit reflects in the excellence of Still Waters wines as well as the wineries to who they sell fruit.

The vineyard is located in an area with soils and climate perfect for growing premium wine grapes. Soils, sloping vineyards, perfect exposure to the summer sun, light afternoon winds, and daily temperature swings allow the fruit to cool at night, lengthening the ripening process to intensify the flavor. All of these influences from Mother Nature help create the perfect balance of Still Waters Vineyards estate wines.

The hands-on approach to farming practiced at Still Waters Vineyards reflects the underlying concept the family has had from the beginning: "Be small, have fun and focus on quality!"

Chateau Margene http://www.chateaumargene.com
A micro winery specializing in the production of small lots of luxury, handcrafted Cabernet Sauvignon and a few other select blends. With a total production of just 3,000 cases, Chateau Margene focuses on viticulture and winemaking practices that offer maximum expression of the Paso Robles terrior. Home of the world-class Bordeaux blend, Beau Melange.

Michael and Margene Mooney's dream of one day owning a winery was realized in 1998 that they found the perfect site for growing Cabernet Sauvignon, in Paso Robles, California.

The real launch-pad for Chateau Margene's success came from the International Cabernet Shootout in May of 2003, a comparative judging of 300 world-class cabernets, sponsored by Affairs of the Vine, Wine Works and Wine Enthusiast Magazine. Consumers voted Chateau Margene's 2000 Cabernet Sauvignon one of four first place winners and wine industry professionals honored it with first place.

Discover the passion of Chateau Margene wines!

Saturday, August 23, 2008 - Napa Valley Wine Boot Camp®

Napa Valley Mission Site:

Failla http://www.faillawines.com

January 16, 2008 - 6th Annual Pinot Noir Shootout Finals - Deadline for entries ~ January 2, 2008 6th Annual Pinot Noir Summit ~ February 9, 2008

November 26, 2007 - Cabernet Shootout Finals - Deadline for entries ~ November 16, 2007

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Innovator of Wine Boot Camp®, Affairs of the Vine is the top wine education company in the industry. Experienced educators enthusiastically share their knowledge and love of wine through interactive workshops that are educational, fun, and entertaining. AOTV conducts extensive wine industry training, corporate wine events, and team-building workshops. In 2006, AOTV passionately poured wine for over 100,000 people. Our Web site attracts over 1,000,000 visitors per year.