“Doing what you love is the cornerstone of having abundance in your life.”
So said psychologist and best-selling author Wayne Dyer. And with that in mind, August 11 promises to be an “abundant” day for wine lovers along the California coast.
On that Saturday, two major wine-tasting events will be taking place almost simultaneously: the 20th annual Monterey Winemakers’ Celebration in beautiful Carmel, and the 2nd annual ZAP Grille O’Rama on the San Francisco Bay island-city of Alameda.
The Winemakers’ Celebration runs from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Barnyard Village Shopping Center, while the Grille O’Rama runs from 2 to 5 p.m. at Rock Wall Wine Company.
Tickets for the Monterey event are priced at $35 in advance, or $45 on the day of the event. The “early bird” deadline for the Grille O’Rama already has passed, and all remaining tickets cost $50.
At the Winemakers’ Celebration, more than 40 wineries and 150 individual bottlings will be featured, Barnyard Village restaurants will provide tasty food, and live music will be provided by blues band Red Beans and Rice.
At the Grille O’Rama, the focus is on Zinfandel, as the event is being presented by the Zinfandel Advocates & Producers organization. Some 30 different Zin bottlings will be available for tasting, accompanied by grilled fare from four acclaimed chefs—Tyler Stone, John Ledbetter of Bocanova, Dawn Wofford of Sonoma Smokehouse and Sophina Uong of Pican.
If you’re a Zindandel fan, the Grille O’Rama offers a great opportunity to compare styles from several different growing regions of California. If you enjoy trying different types of wine, the Monterey Winemakers’ celebration will provide an eclectic taste of one of California’s cooler grape-growing areas (look for plenty of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, in addition to other varieties).
August 11 truly does offer an abundance of vinous riches. Can’t decide which event to attend? Well, you could always play “spin the bottle” with your significant other. Just make sure the bottle has been drained of all its wine.
When you go to a wine-tasting event, do you prefer to focus on one variety, or to taste a number of different types of wine? Share your thoughts in the Comments box below.
