Three serious sipping events

There are plenty of wine events in May to consider. Here are three, and if I could, I would go to all of them. I’ve written about these festivals before, so I’ll cut to the quick and give just a brief summary of each.

The fourth annual Four Fires Festival is May 5 at the Amador County Fairgrounds in Plymouth. If you have just one day free and don't want to travel too far, put this event on your calendar. Food is cooked over open flames and paired with varietals from Spain, Portugal, Italy, Southern France and California. You’ll discover that what they have in common is the unique terroir of Amador County. Add to that, live music, cooking demos, beer tastings, wine seminars and there you have it, a major wine festival. Find out more at www.amadorwine.com.

If you are a zin-fanatic or a red blend lover, put the 36th annual Paso Robles Wine Festival in your mind set. It starts May 17, with local restaurants hosting winemaker dinners. May 18, is the RESERVE tasting from 4-6:30 p.m. In this tasting the wineries offer two of their best wines in four categories; library, reserve, white/rose and futures. May 19, is the Grand Tasting held in the idyllic setting of Paso Robles’ Downtown Park. Seventy wineries will share their wine and food samples prepared by local chefs will be offered; there will be bands at both ends of the park. On May 20, the festival winds down with open houses at more than 100 wineries. After 35 years, I think they know wine festivals! Learn more at www.pasowine.com.

Pinot-philes pay attention, this is the bomb (my grandkids say that)! The 21st annual Anderson Valley Pinot Noir Festival is May 18-20 and if you’re a pinot lover, GO. The Navigator and I went last year and didn’t want to leave beautiful Anderson Valley or the pinot noir or the friendly people. My neighbor even had pinot envy. The event this year will be held at Camp Navarro located on the Navarro River in the middle of towering Redwood trees. The majority of the events will be held there including the educational sessions, grand tasting and winemaker dinners. Get all your questions answered at www.avwines.com.

What’s On Our Table this week is the 2106 Hess Select Monterey County Chardonnay. I think this is only the second chardonnay that’s made our table. The Hess has the citrus zest, apple tang and crisp acidity we like in white wines. The SRP is $13 and sale priced less. Buy a bunch. Cheers!

This story was originally published April 10, 2018 at 9:19 AM with the headline "Three serious sipping events."