Some of the wineries, winemakers, and topics we have covered over the years for Wine Tributaries often find their way as links on other wine sites. We decided to include some as a way to pay tribute to the wines and people who who have shaped the wine industry. The Sonona County Showcase is one such event that really shows the spirit of giving back to the commnity.

Under the Big Top - Sonoma Showcase 2000
By Tim Hayes & John Koetzner

Given the tenor of attacks against the grape growing community in recent months, and the wine industry in general, it is nice to recall all the good things that the industry has done in addition to contributing over eight billion dollars to California's economy. Each year, countless volunteers and winery employees show up in force to support numerous charitable causes. They range from supporting organizations such as Canine Companions for Independence and the American Cancer Society to smaller charitable groups such as the Redwood Empire Food Bank and local scholarship funds such as the Torkelson Tasting.

One group that has consistently worked toward promoting good will for Sonoma County's abundance is the Sonoma County Wineries Association that has used an auction and other activities to support charitable causes. Last year, they renamed the event as the Sonoma County Showcase of Wine & Food. It highlighted that an emphasis on marrying the other part of Sonoma County's bounty, the agricultural products that make their way into restaurants and stores --vegetables, fruits, cheeses, meats, etc. -- would be just as significant as the wine.

The events started on Thursday evening (July 13) with winery dinners. Events continued on Friday afternoon with winery luncheons, where we lunched at Jordan Winery on Squab and Tarte Fine aux Abricots prepared by Udo Nechutnys, Executive Chef at Jordan.

Barrel Tasting and Auction Dinner
More than an abundance of Pinot Noir, representing the 1999 vintage, was on hand at the barrel tasting and auction later Friday evening. We were impressed by the Iron Horse 1999 Estate Pinot Noir, the 1999 Five sisters Pinot Noir from Lynmar, 1999 Pinot Noir Maison Grand Cru from Rutz Cellars, and the 1999 Lindsay's Knoll Vineyard Pinot Noir from Davis Bynum out of the eighteen on hand.

After tasting for a couple hours, we moved to the big top, a tent that was placed on the lawn behind Kendall-Jackson's Wine Center and secured our seats for dinner. We sat at the table where Rick Sayre of Rodney Strong and his wife Peggy were seated, and followed the auction action as Fritz Hatton, the auctioneer, got the crowd into a bidding frenzy.
Sayre was following the bidding on the Pinot Noir that was blended from the Russian River Winegrowers and to which he had contributed. He was happy to see it reach a $1,000.00 a case. However, the big winner of the night was Peter Michel's 1999 Belle Cote Chardonnay that fetched $7,000.00 a case.

Maybe it was the wine, maybe it was the circus atmosphere of the tent, or maybe it was the hilarious antics of winemakers in drag that got the crowd into a party mode. Ed Killian of Chateau Souverain, as well as Tom Hobart of Clos Du Bois, joined four other winemakers to strut their stuff for a Some Like It Hot lot that came as the last item on the program. By the time they left the stage, Fritz Hatton had lipstick on his cheek and bidders had jumped to $7,500.00 for the chance to have a private dinner at Michel- Shlumberger prepared by women chefs, served by wine industry women, and with wines made by women winemakers. The lot also included some library reserve wines.Eventually the bidders hit the dance floor to do a little jump and jive swing moves to Blue Moon.

After all the tallies were done, the total for the barrel auction had climbed to $436, 240.00. That was double last year's auction total, and there was still the Taste of Sonoma on Saturday as well as the San Francisco Symphony at Sonoma Cutrer Vineyards.

Beneficiaries from the evening were Share Our Strength, a national organization to stop hunger, and the Redwood Empire Food Bank. All of this was a result of the months of planning to make the Sonoma County Showcase a world class event.

Taste of Sonoma
Saturday's gourmet grazing festival, the Taste of Sonoma, was even more incredible than last year. Drawing chefs from across the country and from the local Bay Area restaurant scene, including local chefs who have made winery kitchens as famous as the wines they pair with their food, it was a food festival that left people as stuffed as the quail on one of the menus.
On hand were such luminaries as Chad Callahan of Masa's in San Francisco, Craig Strattman of Chalk Hill Winery, Udo Nechutnys of Jordan Winery, Ralph Tingle of Bistro Ralph in Healdsburg, Jim May of Alderbrook Winery, and Steven Pyles of AquaKnox in Dallas, Texas.
Also on hand was Denver radio personality, Pat Miller, The Gabby Gourmet, who lunched with us at Jordan Winery Friday afternoon and invited us to be on her show as she broadcasted live from Saralee Kunde's Vineyard. Chad Callahan joined in the conversation about taking the mystique out of wines and putting the pleasure back into the experience. Our consensus: we had to keep tasting as much as possible to make informed decisions about what to buy, what to pair with foods, and what to consume for pleasure.

After the radio interview, we continued to acquaint ourselves with more of Sonoma County's bounty and we left the event filled with gastronomical pleasures such as quail, duck, salmon, puff pastries filled with enticing ingredients, vegetables, and of course the wine. All of this was given the best opportunity to let flavors flood our palates was we wined on White Oaks Vineyards, Acorn Winery, Murphy-Goode Estate Winery, Lambert Bridge, Clos du Bois, and Arrowood Vineyards wines amongst the many standouts.

San Francisco Symphony
Jeffrey Kahane, conductor of the Santa Rosa Symphony, led the San Francisco Symphony for the second year in a row in a program that was ambitious and adventurous. Opening with Dukas' Sorcerer's Apprentice, the fantasy-filled weekend was drawing to a close. Yet, it seemed that the music mirrored the whole weekend of fantastic food, wonderful wines, and marvelous moments. The program continued and included Stravinsky's The Firebird, Tchaikovsky's waltz from The Sleeping Beauty, and led to the finale of Berlioz's Witches' Sabbath that ignited a pyrotechnics display to make any Fourth of July event envious.

While the Sonoma County Showcase of Wine and Food has passed us for this year, it is never too early to begin planning early for next year's event. The Sonoma Showcase of Wine and Food will run on July 12, 13, & 14 in 2001. Put it on your calendar and contact the showcase for more information at showcase@sonomawine.com. You'll be glad you did.