This past spring, Robyn and I fell in love with Livermore Valley Wine Country when we attended the Barrel Tasting Weekend there. (You can read our two-part series about our adventures here and here.) So we were very excited when we received the email from the Livermore Valley Winegrowers Association announcing the upcoming Livermore Valley Harvest Wine Celebration! The celebration is held on the Sunday of Labor Day Weekend, and this year promises to be a fantastic event!
This summer has been hot in Northern California. Hotter than ever? Apparently not. We humans have very short memories. Last year’s Livermore Valley Harvest Wine Celebration was canceled – the first time in 36 years – because of excessive heat. So maybe this summer hasn’t been so bad afterall!
With more than 35 wineries participating, the Harvest Wine Celebration is a great opportunity to experience the best that Livermore Valley has to offer. Not only wine – as if that’s not enough – but also food, art, crafts and music at the various wineries. The press release describes some of the special events at participating wineries:
- Embodied Wines, Livermore Valley’s newest winery, will give guests a sneak peek at their 5,000-square-foot tasting room that will open this fall. Embodied Wines is the latest addition to the cluster of “urban wineries” on Vasco Road in Livermore—there are currently eight wine tasting rooms, two distilleries and a brewery within a block of each other.
- Concannon Vineyard will host an Escape Room for ticketed guests
- Murrieta’s Well will offer vineyard tours every hour
- Retzlaff Estate Winery will give a cork demonstration and tours of the historic estate and organic vineyard and garden
- Garre´ Vineyard & Winery will host bocce ball and lawn games
- Wente Vineyards will serve up barrel samples with a food pairing at the Estate Tasting Room on Tesla Road
- el Sol Winery will present beekeeping demonstrations throughout the day
Participating wineries include: 3 Steve’s Winery, Bent Creek Winery, Big White House, Boa Ventura de Caires Winery, Caddis Winery, Cedar Mountain Winery, Charles R Vineyards, Concannon Vineyard, Crooked Vine Winery, Cuda Ridge Wines, Darcie Kent Vineyards, Eagle Ridge Vineyard, Embodied Wines, Eckert Estate Winery, Ehrenberg Cellars, el Sol Winery, Garre´ Vineyard & Winery, Fenestra Winery, Leisure Street Winery, Longevity Wines, McKahn Family Cellars, Mitchell Katz Winery, Murrieta’s Well, Nella Terra Cellars, Nottingham Cellars, Omega Road Winery, Occasio Winery, Page Mill Winery, Retzlaff Estate Winery, Rios-Lovell Winery, Rodrigue Molyneaux Winery, The Singing Winemaker, The Steven Kent Winery, Vasco Urbano Wine Co., Wente Vineyards, Winemakers Studio and Wood Family Vineyards.
Here are some photos from previous years’ events:
What a great line up, and all for $40 advance purchase or $45 on the day of the event. But wait, there’s more! Many participating wineries will help to make this a two-day event; by waiving tasting fees on Labor Day Monday to any guest with an event wristband. You can buy tickets online by following this link…
Another amazing benefit of visiting a smaller wine region, is the collaboration between wineries and other local businesses. Follow these links to make your Harvest Wine Celebration weekend extra memorable with help from Livermore Valley area hotels, transportation operators, and restaurants.
If you are looking for an amazing event to fill your Labor Day Weekend, point your car in the direction of Livermore Valley, and come experience the 2018 Harvest Wine Celebration!
Cheers!
- By Kent Reynolds and Robyn Raphael
Appetite for Wine 