-45+ Dry Creek Valley wineries -Elaborate themed celebrations at each winery -Exquisite food & wine pairings -The best Sonoma County chefs -An intimate series of winemaker lunches & dinners -Grape to glass experiences in the wine world’s most coveted vineyards For participating wineries click here The writers and editors of the San Francisco Chronicle present THE PRESS, an interactive guide to the very best of California wine country. They’ve squeezed all the best winery and restaurant expertise you crave into one delightful sip, pairing it with interactive features for planning your next weekend getaway or weeklong adventure. Sign-up today and be the first to meet THE PRESS when it launches. / drycreekvalleywines      / drycreekvalley       / drycreekvalley “While there are many wine festivals around, few offer the access to winemakers and intimate tastings that Passport to Dry Creek Valley in northern Sonoma County, California, boasts.” – Jeanne O’Brien Coffey, Forbes

“The great part is that unlike many other multi-winery tasting events, this one has a long-standing tradition. When buying your ticket, you also choose which winery you would like to pick your passport up at, which spreads the crowds over the entire valley.” – Esther Tseng, E*Star LA “After your lunch and/or dinner is complete, you have the whole passport-y weekend to look forward to…best wine store detroit areaAdd to all of this the exquisite April-ness of Dry Creek Valley, with everything in early bud and bloom, and you have a prelude not just to a wine-nice weekend but, also, to one of the best times of year in the area.” – Alysia Gray Painter, NBC Bay Areabuy wine glasses near me Reminder – tickets go on sale to the public February 1st at 10ambest wine label printer

Passport to Dry Creek Valley 2017 Weekend Schedule April 28th – Prelude to Passport (ticketed separately; times vary by host) April 29th & 30th – 9:30am Vineyard Tours Begin (ticketed separately), 11:00am Check-In at your Starting Winery, 4:30pm End of Event Additional information on Passport to Dry Creek Valley: 2017 – Participating Wineries 2017 – Winery Map 2017 – Winery Themes 2017 – Group & Dietary Accomodations 2017 Vineyard Designate Experience Descriptions 2017 Vineyard Tour Descriptions 2017 – Prelude to Passport Lunch Descriptions 2017 Prelude To Passport – Dinner Descriptions History of Passport to Dry Creek Valley Passport to Dry Creek Valley was introduced in 1990, by the Winegrowers of Dry Creek Valley, as a time every year when the winegrowing community could come together to celebrate the generations of farmers, vintners and families that are the roots of the Dry Creek Valley wine region.

Over the 27 years since, the event has become a beloved tradition among wine lovers who enjoy a world-class tasting experience with a festive twist, all within the idyllic Dry Creek Valley. Over one weekend, Passport guests are welcomed into 45+ wineries throughout Dry Creek Valley, each offering a unique pairing of premium wine, gourmet food and entertainment. Take a vineyard tour for a grape-to-glass look at Dry Creek Valley wine. Sample exclusive vintages, rarely available to taste. Meet winemakers and grapegrowers – the generations of people behind the wine and magical ‘Dry Creek Valley spirit’. Savor exquisite food and wine pairings from acclaimed chefs.  Delight in discovering each winery’s unique Passport “theme,” a tradition of the event. The possibilities are as varied as the wineries themselves and promise a fun, unforgettable weekend. Winegrowers to Dry Creek Valley thanks its sponsors for Passport to Dry Creek Valley! CLIFFTON DRY WINE-STYLE BUBBLY IS MADE WITH FRESH APPLES INSTEAD OF GRAPES.

THE PROCESS IS AKIN TO SPARKLING WINE RATHER THAN TRADITIONAL CIDER. Cliffton Dry is wonderfully delicate and pure – our golden, crisp and refreshing sparkling cider is organically made in The Finger Lakes Region of New York.  Cliffton Dry offers a low-alcohol (5.5%), low sugar, gluten-free bubbly, that serves as the perfect stand-alone refreshment or accompaniment to the finest farm-to-table meal. Cliffton Dry embraces drinkers with a light, refreshing feeling without undesirable heaviness or hangovers. You must be 21 to visit Cliffton Dry Please verify your age I am at least 21 years old Remember me Price: Low to High Price: High to Low 2014 Barrel Fermented ChardonnayPriceSizeVintageWe like blends because they allow us to show off our creative side. Pour-me-another-glass drinkability, dark cherry aromas , and a lingering berry finish in this combination of Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. A great go-to wine for every day. Frogtown makes wonderful Sangiovese.

The Sangiovese grown at Frogtown has all of the qualities of classic Sangiovese you would find in a premium Italian Chianti. This light to medium bodied wine possesses delicate cherry and raspberry aroma and taste with a complex earthly finish. Brightly floral on the nose exhibiting huge earthy black fruit flavors with black pepper spice accents. Frogtown Tannat is an “in your face” meat-taming wine, possessing very supple round tannins. Frogtown Tannat a favorite red wine of our “frogofiles.” Pair this wine with big flavorful red meat or lamb. 2010 Frogtown Touriga Nacional Touriga is a very dark full-bodied wine. In addition to the deep full-bodied texture of this wine, the most compelling reasons for growing and producing Touriga wine is the purple violet aroma of these wines. The aroma of Touriga gives no hint of the flavor of this wine. This is an aromatic wine with supple tannins and a long lingering finish of bright intense dark cherry, blackberry, and cassis fruit.

The only red grape indigenous to the United States, which in our opinion, makes a premium red wine. Big, berry flavors of ripe red fruit, coupled with loads of mouth-watering acid and super rich finish. Merlot begins with ripe aromatic fruit quality in the nose, followed by long, well-defined flavors of dark blue fruit (blackberry and cassis) and nuances of vanilla and chocolate with a very supple mouthfeel and a real complex long finish. Personality is notable as our first blend of the American wine grape Norton with Premium European wine grapes. In addition to Norton, Personality contains Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Tannat, Touriga Nacional, and Petit Verdot. Personality has ample supple tannins and bright fruit flavors of blackberry and dark cherry. This is a big complex wine delivering a lush, jammy mouth feel from the front palate through the long lingering finish. Applause is primarily a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Tannat, and Touriga Nacional.

Dark fruit aromas and taste of blackberry and cassis are bound together with a hint of vanilla and tobacco. This is a very supple wine. It is delicate and complex and easy to drink. Bravado is our second Super Tuscan Blend. Bravado contains Sangiovese, Tannat, and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes. Bravado is a medium to full-body wine, with a hearty flavor of blackberry, black cherry, and cassis. Like all Frogtown premium red wines, Bravado exhibits a smooth lush palate and an elegant finish. Shotgun is a multi-vintage blend of Tannat, Touriga Nacional, Cabernet Franc and Merlot grapes. Shotgun is a BIG bold, yet supple, red wine. Bright fruity flavors develop on the palate to an intense chewy ripe finish, making this wine both age-worthy and enjoyable now. 2010 KRITZER FAMILY RESERVE TANNAT PREMIUM & ULTRA PREMIUM DRY WHITE WINES Seyval Blanc and Viognier are fermented in steel at very low temperatures and some of the fermented wine is transferred into previously used neutral French and American oak barrels.

This bright crisp white wine is a refreshing combination of pineapple, citrus with a touch of toast. Vineaux Blanc is a wonderful food wine made in the old world French Wine Style and one of the best “value to price” wines offered by Frogtown. Frogtown’s Sauvignon Blanc expresses rich flavors of citrus and flowers with mouth watering acid and a clean, velvety smooth, complex finish. Sauvignon Blanc is grown in a number of different parts of the world. Frogtown Sauvignon Blanc is very similar to a French Sancerre with its emphasis on crisp citrus fruit and weighty mouthfeel. Chardonnay, Viognier and Vidal blend. Chardonnay and Vidal are fermented in French and American oak barrels to deliver ripe flavors of citrus, apple and toast. Viognier is fermented in stainless steel tanks at low temperatures and aged in stainless steel and adds elegance and fruit flavors to our Inclination. This very distinctive full-bodied white wine blend is only made by Frogtown and enjoys the recognition as one of our most awarded and best-selling white wines.

Fermented in 100% new oak (French and American) this Chardonnay is complex, rich and layered. The front palate and nose consists of citrus flavors with hints of apple and pear. The mid palate adds soft nuances of melon and fig and well integrated rich creamy oak flavors. This Chardonnay has a long round supple finish with clinging acidity that adds to the enjoyment of many food pairings. Fermented at 50 degrees in stainless steel (never saw the inside of an oak barrel) for three months, this wonderful crisp, acid rich Chardonnay has citrus flavors complementing a green apple nose and finish. This French Chablis-like wine is remarkably rich and round notwithstanding the absence of oak aging. MRV is Frogtown’s Rhone style white wine blend of the three white wine grapes traditionally grown in the Rhone region of France – Marsanne, Roussanne and Viognier. Our 2011 MRV yields a full-bodied and complex white wine with flavors of honeysuckle, apple, pear, hazelnuts and almonds.