The World of Pinot Noir, the organization dedicated to pinot noir grape education and celebration, has announced its extensive event lineup for its March festivities at Bacara Resort & Spa in Goleta.
The March 3-4 lineup will feature nearly 200 wineries that showcase pinot noirs from around the world, and includes two days of lunches, dinners, in-depth wine seminars and two grand tastings.
While portions of the event are sold out, some tickets remain, and are available via the World of Pinot Noir website.
The World of Pinot Noir is a 501(c)(6) trade organization that was established in 2001 by a group of Central Coast winemakers.
“We are excited for another full slate of events at Bacara Resort & Spa,” Coby Parker-Garcia, president of WOPN, said in a news release.
“Every year we strive to bring a diverse set of events that showcase the awesome world of pinot noir, and this year’s lineup is special.”
Members of the WOPN Board of Directors and the advisory committee work hard to secure prominent wine brands, among them Kosta Browne, Maison Louis Latour, Hitching Post, Hirsch Vineyards, Brewer Clifton and Merry Edwards.
Newer and smaller winemakers make attendance at WOPN a priority, as do wine labels from Oregon, New York, Chile, New Zealand and Tasmania.
I asked two longtime WOPN winemaking board members — Karen Steinwachs of Seagrape Wines and Buttonwood Farm Winery & Vineyard and Norm Yost of Flying Goat Cellars — what makes WOPN, now in its 17th year, such a popular event with both consumers and winemakers.
“There’s a camaraderie among the people who attend the event,” Yost said. “There’s a core group of people who return every year, creating a sense of purity.”
In addition, “there’s A-plus wines and food, which just make WOPN a great event,” he said.
“This year, we’ve got a great combination of chefs, including Brian Collins, from Ember in Arroyo Grande, and Vincent Lesage, from the host restaurant at the Bacara,” he added.
Yost said he first participated in WOPN as a member of the advisory committee, and became a participating winemaker at least 10 years ago. He touts the weekend’s educational dimension, nothing that “it’s as good for me to learn as it is for the consumer.”
Steinwachs, who has been a WOPN board member since 2005, voiced her appreciation for the two additional lunches this year — Friday’s rosé lunch and, on Saturday, a sparkling wines brunch. Both will take place inside Angel Oak, Bacara’s newest restaurant.
A perennial favorite of Steinwachs’ is the seminar led each year by Don Kinnan. This year’s is entitled “La Cote D’Or — Vintage Does Make a Difference,” and takes place Saturday morning.
“It’s so educational; he’s such a great teacher,” Steinwachs said. “He chooses wines for the following year’s WOPN seminar early on,” putting tremendous effort into his selections.
Kinnan has 35 years in the wine industry as a retailer, supplier and education, and has been recognized by the federal government for his contributions as the founding president of the Society for American Wines, in Canada. Currently, he is the lead instructor for the Wine Scholar Guild’s Burgundy Master-Level Program certificate.
While some of the seminars and wine-pairing meals are sold out, tickets for the grand tastings are available.
Among the highlights this year:
» Kosta Browne’s 20th Anniversary Dinner: The winemakers are digging deep into their cellar for rare and large format offerings from the Sonoma Coast and Santa Lucia Highlands vineyards. Chef Dustin Valette of Valette, in Healdsburg, will craft creative pairings.
» A tasting of premier and Grand Cru wines from Maison Louis Latour: Patrons may choose from a seminar and luncheon and/or dinner, both moderated by noted wine writer Michael Apstein. Maison Louis Latour, established in 1797 and passed from father to son for 11 generations, owns nearly 125 acres in 21 appellations of the Côte-d’Or, making it the largest Grand Cru property.
» The Merry Edwards Rock Star Dinner: One of the most celebrated pinot noir producers, Merry Edwards, will pair wines alongside her counterparts, among them the producers of Brewer-Clifton, Fiddlehead and Hartford Court.
— Laurie Jervis blogs about wine at www.centralcoastwinepress.com, tweets at @lauriejervis and can be reached via winecountrywriter@gmail.com. Click here for previous columns. The opinions expressed are her own.
