Just like California’s Lodi area, parts of Napa Valley and “Gold Country,” the Dry Creek Valley of Sonoma County is a big Zinfandel-growing area. If you love Zin, or are curious about the variety and would like to give three Vinesse-approved Zins a try, click here.
Considering a trip to North Coast wine country this summer? Plan to spend a day exploring some of the wineries of the Dry Creek Valley, and then wrap up the afternoon by attending a free concert at Ferrari-Carano’s Seasons of the Vineyard Wine Shop on the historic Healdsburg Plaza. The shop has unveiled the 2016 lineup for its free “Jazz it Up” wine and jazz concert series, which kicked off this past Saturday.
Guests may sip wines from Ferrari-Carano Vineyards and Winery as well as Lazy Creek Vineyards, while sampling small bites and enjoying free, live jazz performances. “Jazz It Up” takes place on Saturdays from 4 to 6 p.m.
The rest of the lineup for this year includes:
Saturday, July 9
Stephanie Ozer Quartet
Brazilian jazz and standards gems
Saturday, July 23
The Walter Savage Quartet
Playing Ray Charles, Nat Cole and Old Blue Eyes
Saturday, August 13
Sandy Cressman’s Homenagem
Tribute to great Brazilian composers
Saturday, August 27
Ratatel 4 Quartet
Alan Hall, Paul Hanson, Dillon Vado, Jeff Denson
Saturday, September 10
“Trio Vino Dolce”
Lively, swinging, soulful timbre
Saturday, September 24
Chris Amberger and the Hot Dogs, featuring the Young Brauts
Energetic jazz from up-and-coming musicians
Saturday, October 8
Susan Sutton Trio
Sparkling original compositions and jazz standards
Saturday, October 22
Gary Johnson Quartet with Greg Hester
Hard swinging be-bop
These concerts are free, and no reservations are required. However, seating is on a first-come basis. For more information, visit www.seasonsofthevineyard.com.
And if you can’t make it to Healdsburg this summer, simply open a bottle from this Zinfandel collection and put on your favorite jazz record or CD. Heck, the music doesn’t even need to be jazz; Zinfandel goes well with all genres.
