Wine is one of those wonderful aspects of life that goes with many things.
It goes with:
* Food.
* Art.
* Music.
We talk about wine and food often in this blog.
As far as art is concerned, you may be surprised to learn that numerous wineries in Northern California host art exhibits on a regular basis, and that the Napa Valley is home to a number of art galleries.
Which brings us to music. If you were to think of wine and music together, you’d likely think of classical music; even more specifically, you may think of the Baroque period.
While Baroque and Bordeaux do, indeed, make a wonderful match, there are numerous styles of music that meld quite nicely with wine. Jazz. Rock. Blues. To name a few.
And now that COVID restrictions finally are being relaxed, we’re hearing that many of our favorite wine-and-music venues are planning full concert schedules this summer and beyond.
To help you plan an evening or a weekend or a week in wine country, here are a few of the venues that are likely to offer concert series in 2022 (note: not all may have updated information just yet)…
Located in California’s Temecula Valley, north of San Diego, Thornton specializes in sparkling wine, and its Champagne Concert Series has attracted a Who’s Who of jazz artists for more than three decades. Guests can simply sink into festival-style seating, or opt for a dinner package that includes table seating and gourmet food.
Up the California Coast, in the community of Templeton in the Paso Robles wine region, Castoro Cellars hosts an annual festival with lots of great acts. Past performers have included Ben Harper, Toots & the Maytals and Lake Street Dive. Performances take place on two stages, and this year’s event is set for Sept. 17-18. It’s called the Whale Rock Music & Arts Festival, but it originally was called Beaverstock, a take on the winery founder’s nickname, “Beaver.” But it had to be changed when the winery received a cease-and-desist order from lawyers representing the Woodstock festival. So much for peace and love…
A great place to soak in blues and jazz music is Blue Note Napa, which is located on the first floor of the historic Napa Valley Opera House. It’s an intimate venue with seating for only 190, and a pre-concert dinner menu includes excellent wine choices. Trumpet man Rick Braun takes over the room for two nights in March.
From festivals to intimate venues to winery lawns, there’s no shortage of wonderful wine-and-music opportunities. Concerts are back, so it’s time to get out there and enjoy the music with a good bottle of wine.
