Now in its second year, the West of West Wine Festival provides wine lovers and members of the wine trade an opportunity to celebrate some highly acclaimed cool-climate Pinot Noirs, Chardonnays and Syrahs from Western Sonoma County.  The 2012 West of West (WOW) Wine Festival will be held the weekend of August 3rd-5th in the quaint coastal community of Occidental, just one hour north of San Francisco.

The West of West (WOW) Wine Festival offers attendees several chances to taste small production wines in the terroir where they were grown, a front row seat at exciting seminars featuring prominent guest speakers, winemaker dinners at beautiful and scenic locations, and the chance to revel in a Whole Hog Feast.  All Access passes for the entire Festival weekend have sold out, but tickets are still available for some of the individual events including Winemaker Dinners on August 3^rd and a Grand Tasting on August 5^th.   For complete details about the weekend and to purchase tickets, please go here.

At the WOW Winemaker Dinners on Friday evening, you can be an honored guest of West Sonoma Coast vintners and enjoy local cuisine prepared specifically to complement the wines.  Tickets are still available (at $150 per person) for:  

• Dinner at Fort Ross Vineyard and Winery in their new tasting room overlooking the Pacific Ocean.  Resident Chef Lorin Dewees will pair Fort Ross’s wines with locally grown ingredients.
• An evening of wine and food at the acclaimed Nick’s Cove Restaurant , a spectacularly situated restaurant on the coast next to the Point Reyes National Seashore.  This dinner is jointly offered by Hirsch Vineyards, LIOCO, and Red Car Wine.
• An al fresco 4-course dinner paired with old and new vintages of wines from Peay Vineyards, at the Underwood Bar & Bistro in Graton.  Dinner will be on the back patio around the popular bocce court.

On Sunday afternoon, the WOW Grand Tasting is an exciting opportunity to taste the wines of more than 40 producers and growers.  These high-quality wines will reflect the unique characteristics of grapes grown in terroirs such as Annapolis, Fort Ross/Seaview, Occidental, Freestone, Green Valley and the Sebastopol Hills.  The Grand Tasting takes place between 1:00 and 4:00 p.m. at the Occidental Center for the Arts.  Some of the participating wineries you should stop and taste at first are Benovia, Flowers Vineyard and Winery, Fort Ross Vineyard and Winery, Freeman Vineyard and Winery, Freestone Vineyards, Hartford Family Winery, Littorai Wines, Marimar Estate Vineyards and Winery, Merry Edwards Winery, Patz & Hall Wine Company, Paul Hobbs Winery, Peay Vineyards, Siduri Wines, and Sojourn Cellars. 

As of now, several parts of the West of West Wine Festival have sold out, including the following events scheduled for Saturday, August 4^th (but who knows, maybe you can find something on Craigslist or eBay for these if you are really interested):

• From 10:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.,, the WOW Seminar Series will cover three topics: “Wines Tell The Story: One Winemaker’s Journey,” focused on Ted Lemon from Littorai; “Exile On Main Street,” a Chardonnay tasting; and “Flying Blind,” a comparison of Pinot Noir wines.
• Then, from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., a WOW Grand Tasting will take place (the Grand Tasting event is also repeated on Sunday, and tickets are still available to purchase for that session), and
• From 6:30 to 10:00 p.m., the WOW Whole Hog Feast of slow-cooked locally raised heritage pigs happens, with live music.

Don’t forget that tickets for several Winemaker Dinners on August 3^rd and the Grand Tasting on August 5^th are still available for purchase.   At least for now – you really shouldn’t wait much longer or those will surely sell out too.

The West Sonoma Coast has distinguished itself as one of the world’s leading regions for top quality Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.  The West Sonoma Coast Vintners, an association of wineries and growers, is dedicated to preserving and protecting the history, landscape and culture of the West Sonoma Coast, and to promoting its wines to the media, trade and public.

Wild Flour Bread Bakery

If you’re coming to the West of West Wine Festival, we think you should strongly consider driving just a few minutes past Occidental to Freestone Valley at some point during the weekend so you can revel in the products of Wild Flour Bread Bakery, fresh out of their wood-fired oven. Their Sticky Buns, the Bohemian (apricot, orange, pecan), the Egyptian (pear, fig, and candied ginger), and their Cocoa Scone (with sour cherry, almond, and ginger) are among our favorites.   Generally, they have 10 to 12 kinds of bread daily and each day the selection of breads changes.  140 Bohemian Hwy, Freestone, (707) 874-2938, open 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Friday, Saturday, Sunday,  and Monday only

In addition, the Wild Flour Bread Bakery is literally just around the corner from Freestone Vineyards, so if you want to taste more of the Freestone wines and visit the winery itself, this would be a great side trip while you’re in the area.