John on wine – Two upcoming local wine events
Originally published in the Ukiah Daily Journal newspaper on Thursday, August 27, 2015
John Cesano holding down the McFadden tasting table at Winesong! 2014. Photo by Linda Compisi
On Saturday, Sept. 12, two of my favorite Mendocino County wine events are being held. One may be the county’s largest wine event for the year, the other is smaller but more dear to me. First, let’s start with my favorite: Testa Vineyards is having their 5th annual Blending Party from 6 to 11 p.m., and it is at Testa Ranch in Calpella, right here near Ukiah. Before making a Coro red blend, Maria Testa Martinson and husband Rusty Martinson had their Black wine, a blend of wines made from the different red grape varieties grown on Testa Vineyards.
The wine changes each year as different wines and percentages find their way into the mix and become the finished wine. I attended the first Testa barn blend party and sat with local industry luminary Kelly Lentz, and although we each had different ideas about what blend would yield the best wine, we came to find that it was nearly impossible to blend a bad wine from Testa’s juice. Last year, Maria announced that Testa’s sixth Black blend would rely heavily on the blend put together by the wine blend judged best at the 4th annual Testa Blending Party. I was honored to be one of three judges and, together with my fellow judges, we reconfirmed that there are many paths to a delicious Testa blend as we tasted through 25 different wines created by folks sitting at 25 different tables. This year, from 6 to 7 p.m., guests will enjoy appetizers and try to unleash their inner winemaker, blending Cabernet Sauvignon, Carignane, Zinfandel, and Petite Sirah into a possible winning blend.
From 7 to 8 p.m., it is scrumptious dinner time, with catering champs Bella Ciba returning. During dinner, the judges will pick this year’s Blending Party wine winner. Don Willis returns with his accordion to play early in the evening.
A hint to blend a winning wine: last year, the judges tasted each of the four blending wines and independently found we agreed upon our favorite, and unsurprisingly the winning blend was the one relying most heavily on that favored variety.
After dinner, from 8 to 10 p.m., DJ Bob will have the party guests up and dancing. Of course, this being Mendocino County, and a wine event, times may be flexible a bit, so show up on time, and roll with the flow.
The food is great, the blending is fun, the wine is terrific, the music is fantastic, and the Testa Family — Maria and Rusty, their kids, their aunts and uncles — they are all just the nicest people. Tickets are $80, Testa wine club members get a 25 percent discount, and with limited seating you’ll want to get your tickets early; tickets are nearly sold out. Visit TestaRanch.com/order, or call Maria at (707) 391-7273 to get your tickets now.
The second Sept. 12 wine event is Winesong, a charity auction and wine tasting, enjoying its 31st year, held at the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens located in Fort Bragg. More than 100 wineries will pour tastes, over 50 food purveyors will offer bites, and nine different musical groups will perform and entertain from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. during the Winesong wine and food tasting.
A charity auction runs from 2 to 5 p.m., with a special gourmet lunch additionally available. “The centerpiece of Winesong weekend is our Charity Auction, featuring both a silent and live auction. Excitement builds in the Auction Tents with lively bidding for over 200 lots, featuring spectacular wines from the world’s most prestigious wine producers, rare vintages, large format bottles plus special vertical and horizontal collections.
Other auction highlights include original art from acclaimed California artists, vacations packages and highly coveted international wine getaway packages to Tuscany, South Africa, France, Spain, South America the Caribbean, and other enchanting parts of the world. Rounding off the travel offerings are one and two night getaway trips to the West’s most romantic inns, resorts, and spas. Coupled with the Wine & Food Tasting, the day can’t be beat…” is how the event website describes the most exciting part of the day’s events.
Winesong is presented by the Mendocino Coast Hospital Foundation with proceeds benefiting the Mendocino Coast District Hospital.
Tickets are $150 for the entire day, wine and food tasting, silent auction, and live auction, or $250 for reserve seating and a three course meal prepared by a celebrity chef to enjoy during the auction. To purchase tickets, or for more information, visit Winesong.org.
That’s it, two great events, just over two weeks away. Pick one, or the other, or — like me — both and I’ll see you on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2015.
John on Wine - a wine blog 