(Late Breaking! Congratulations to Ashley Holland for taking the coveted Pinot Cup at Pigs and Pinot this year. This annual wildly popular event features the top Pinot Noirs in the country vying for honors as the best of the best. Ashley’s Read Holland 2018 Deep End Vineyard, Anderson Valley, took the glory! Checking the records to see if this is the first time a woman and an Anderson Valley wine have been honored at this event.)
Boonville, CA – March 18, 2024 – There is no one thing that makes Anderson Valley special. Some would say it’s the people and others would say it’s the rural charm. Still others point out that we have our own language in the region and you will find Boontling on the labels of wines and beers in the Valley, in a play that debuted at the Berkeley Repertory last year and dropped in conversation just to vex newcomers, which led to a recent feature in World Literature Today.
Although many who founded the wine industry here came to escape the city or grow a patch of weed as John Scharffenberger is repeatedly quoted, they accidentally founded a wine valley that many consider the finest Pinot Noir producing terroir in the U.S. We also grow fantastic Chardonnay and are known for our Alsatian whites, and watch newcomer varieties like Sauvignon Blanc, Grüner Veltliner and Syrah as they make inroads to the Valley’s palate and the small amount of Riesling still grown is a hot commodity for such luxe brands as Arista, Reeve and Cobb.
2024 marks the release of our documentary on the founding of Anderson Valley and twenty five years of our three day Pinot Festival. This festival is doing something right as it attracts guests from across the country and many buy their tickets for next year before they finish drinking and eating at this year’s fest.
Friday May 17, features our day long technical conference that this year has a focus on Pinot and food, thanks to our friends Lars Kronmark & Sommelier Traci Dutton at the Culinary Institute at Greystone, but also highlights the high elevation plantings that are unique to Anderson Valley. DipWSET Deborah Parker Wong will lead a discussion on why at 1800 feet and above the fog line, a lot can happen as fruit matures differently and flavors become more concentrated. Also, in this year’s tech conference, Sommelier Tonya Pitts will be involved in the discussion with Barry Herbst of Bottle Barn and others to be announced, and explore how Anderson Valley wines compare in the retail marketplace and why they have become known as a coveted addition to restaurant wine lists.
Frankly, the wine drinking public has realized that winemaking does not stop in Napa and Sonoma, and venturing a bit further North and toward the Coast not only puts you truly in God’s country, but the wines are significantly more elegant, balanced and Burgundian in style.
Join us for three days of Pinot Noir, including sparkling wines, as we roam from tech conference to community sunset barbecue to our signature VIP Roederer Family of Wines Bubble Lounge event, followed by the Grand Tasting. New this year are elevated food offerings prepared by some of Mendocino County’s best chefs distinctly to pair with our Pinots and satisfying enough to serve as a meal. Debuting his talents to the community this year is Chef Ryan Seals of Sacred Rock who some may recognize him from Masaharu Morimoto in Napa, or the Michelin-starred SPQR in San Francisco. The food will be as memorable as the wines and combine locally grown, sourced and fished specialties of Mendocino’s valleys and coast.
Media passes upon request. For information and tickets, visit avwines.com/pinot-noir-festival.
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About the Anderson Valley Winegrowers Association
The Anderson Valley Winegrowers Association (AVWA) was founded in 1983 – the same year as the appellation. Made up of 25 vineyard, 66 winery and 63 associate members, the nonprofit organization operates with the goal of supporting the region’s premier grape growers and wineries, as well as promoting the region’s distinguished wines. In addition to acting as a resource for its members, the association aims to better its community by donating funds yearly to local nonprofit organizations.
~ Barbara Barrielle, Public Relations
press@avwines.com
~ Courtney DeGraff, Executive Director
courtney@avwines.com
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The History of Anderson Valley’s Pinot Noir Festival