Nothing captures the excitement of wine making quite like harvest time! A year of labor in the vineyards finally comes to fruition, and the focus shifts from the fields to the crushing floor. The Livermore Valley Winegrowers Association harnesses this excitement with a celebration of local wines with their Harvest Wine Celebration. Make your plans now, this landmark event is just around the corner!
We have attended the Harvest Wine Celebration before, and loved every minute of it. This year adds some new and exciting elements and retains key parts of the past. We have already marked our calendars for Sunday, September 3rd, from noon until 5:00. This is too good to miss.
In past years, the Celebration was structured as a self-guided tour of wineries across two days. This gave everyone a chance to see what was new in each winery, but involved a lot of travel, which took away from the fun a bit. This year the Celebration will be hosted at Las Positas College. All the fun, with far less driving!
There will be so much going on, taking it all in will be the greatest challenge. With over 40 wineries, there will be more than enough wine to celebrate. Add food trucks, live music, seminars, lawn games, painting classes, and arts & craft vendors, and the afternoon will be chock full of fun!
Tickets are available in advance at a discount (available here). General admissions is $55 through September 1st and $65 at the door. VIP tickets are $85 through September 1st and $100 at the door. All tickets entitle attendees to wine tastings, a commemorative Livermore Valley Wine Country glass, wine discounts at select wineries on Monday and a Celebration program. VIP tickets add preferred parking, complimentary small plates of food, lounge seating, reserved shade areas, and exclusive tasting of signature wines. Choices, choices, choices.
So mark your calendar, buy your tickets and set a strategy! Here are some details of what’s in store:
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The Bacchus Brothers Live Music by Icelandic Underbelly, Kingsborough, and the Bacchus Brothers
- Mini Painting Classes by Pinot’s Palette Livermore
- A raffle to win an A’s Game Luxury Suite for 18 donated by the office of Supervisor Scott Haggerty
- VIP Mini Seminars: Food Pairing with Concannon Vineyards & Spice Blending with Van Young of Simply Spice
- VIP Local Small Bites: Shrimp Boil by Backyard Bayou, Vegetarian Sandwiches by La PanotiQ, and Dessert samples by Pretty Little Bakers
- Food Trucks from the Food Truck Mafia
If that’s not enough, on Monday over 30 wineries will offering specials for people with Celebration wristbands in their tasting rooms.
See you there!
About the Author: John grills a mean steak and is always in the market for another wine fridge. Believes that if a winery has more than 10 employees, it's probably too big. Buys wine faster than he drinks it, but who cares?
