More Tasting Options

With wineries pouring wines from past (library wines), present (current release wines) and future (barrel samples), attendees have more choices and can choose what they most enjoy or what they seeking to restock their wine cellars.

As you look through the online Barrel Weekend program, you’ll discover wineries pouring wines from one, two or all three of the category options. This information lets you, the ticket holder, design the tasting path that suits your palate preferences. If you love tasting only barrel samples and possibly buying wine futures, you can still do that. But, if you prefer to taste wines that are currently available to buy, or wines that have been in the bottle several years, you’ll find these options available to you as well.

Winemaker and owner Craig Colagrossi pours his wine for a guest.

Tasting the Past

Older vintage wines, often referred to as library wines, are not often poured in tasting rooms or during events. However, during Barrel Weekend, several wineries will be pouring library wines. Look for the word PAST on the program to see who is pouring older vintages.

• At Longboard Vineyards, the PAST wine is a mystery that they’ll ask you to guess the varietal they’re pouring. Sounds intriguing.
• You can try an Optima Winery 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon. An excellent vintage, and it’s rare to find a 2017 Cab that is still available.
• TADDEI Wines is also pouring a rare find — a 2017 Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley.

These above wineries will also be pouring additional wines from the other categories, so be sure to check out the program for the full list of wines being poured.

•  F. Teldeschi Winery will have five library wines available for tasting, including Terranova (a blend of Carignane, Valdiguie, Zinfandel and Petite Sirah) and a Zinfandel Port. 

Tasting the Present

If your focus is on PRESENT (current release) wines, most participating wineries will be pouring at least one of their current release wines.

• Capo Creek Winery & Wine Cave is the perfect stop for Rhône varietal wine lovers. They’ll be pouring five current release wines, with four of the five being Rhône varietals or blends.
• Leo Steen Wines @ The Drink, located in Healdsburg, will pour their newly released Sparkling Chenin Blanc and their Jurassic Chenin Blanc, plus a Pinot Noir. If you haven’t tried the Leo Steen Chenin Blancs, it’s while worth seeking them out.
• Stephen & Walker, another Healdsburg winery, will be pouring five current release wines, including their port-like dessert wine, Portentous.
• due Ruscelli and Raymond Burr Vineyards will both be pouring three PRESENT wines. due Ruscelli, who specializes in Primitivo and other Italian varietals, will also have a library Primitivo and their FUTURE Barbera. Along with their current release wines, Raymond Burr Vineyards will be tasting barrel samples of Chardonnay and a port-like dessert wine.

Tasting the Future

Have no fear, there will be plenty of wineries pouring wine FUTURES. There are too many to list, but here are a few wineries (according to the program) that will only be pouring barrel samples for guests during the Barrel Weekend.

• Carol Shelton Wines – Barbera, old vine Carignane, two Zinfandel, and Cabernet Sauvignon and Petite from the Rockpile AVA
• De La Montanya Winery – Tempranillo, Primitivo and Zinfandel
• Orsi Family Vineyards – Barbera, Montepulciano and Sagratino
• Overshine Wine Co. – Maple Vineyard Zinfandel, Pinot Noir and a Bordeaux blend
• Porter Creek Vineyards – a very popular spot to try three Pinot Noir barrel samples, plus a Chardonnay and old vine Carignane
• Rockpile Vineyards – two Zinfandels (Jack’s Block and Petroglyph Reserve) and their renowned Buffalo Hallow Petite Sirah
• Soda Rock Winery – these guys have a charming rustic setting and their wines are always worth checking out. This year’s barrel samples include Zinfandel, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon.
• Sunce Winery & Vineyard – their FUTURES offerings include Viognier, Dobricic (yes, they make a Dobricic), and several more.
• VML – three Pinot Noirs (Earth, Moon, Stars). Just the names make me want to go try them.

If you just want to focus on tasting wine futures, the above list gives you interesting and delicious options, but there are so many more wineries to choose from as well. Be sure to review the Barrel Weekend program for details on what each winery is pouring.

Fun and Educational, Too

One of the benefits of tasting wine during Barrel Weekend is learning how wines evolve over time, from how they taste in the barrel to mellowing with age once they’re bottled. Now let’s explore your options to experience a wine’s evolution and where you might learn more about your own palate preferences.

Comparing Present and Future

Several wineries are pouring barrel samples and then offering the same bottled wine from a previous vintage. This gives you the opportunity to discover how wine evolves after it’s bottled. The qualities of a wine change from vintage to vintage, but the same variety, grown in the same vineyard, will most likely taste similar from year to year once it’s in the bottle.

There are many wineries who will share this tasting opportunity during Barrel Weekend. Here are just a few examples:

• David Coffaro Winery – Dave has barrel tasting down to an art form. Coffaro will be offering five side-by-side comparisons, allowing tasters to sip 2024 barrel samples and then 2022 bottled wine of the same varietal or blend.
• DeLoach Vineyards – Enjoy three barrel samples you can compare with three bottled wines—same varietal and same vineyard.
• Moshin Vineyards – Compare their 2021 Chardonnay with a barrel sample of their 2024 Chardonnay, still in the barrel. There are very few white barrel samples being offered, so this will be a treat. You’ll also be able to compare their 2020 Pinot Noir, Calliope Vineyard with the 2024 barrel sample of the same wine.
• Mounts Family Winery – Savor the Mounts estate-grown Grenache and old vine Zinfandel as you taste the 2023 barrel samples and compare them to the 2022 bottled wines.

Tasting the Past, Present and Future

Time to explore the ultimate tasting experience — tasting the PAST, PRESENT and FUTURE of the same wine. This isn’t always possible unless a winery holds back a few cases when a wine is about to sell out. Lucky for Barrel Tasting ticketholders that several wineries had done just that.

• Foppiano Wine Co., known for their Petite Sirah, offer a 2014 Petite Sirah (library wine), 2021 Petite Sirah (current release) and 2023 Petite Sirah barrel sample.
• At Spicy Vines, they will focus on their Block 7 – Old World Cabernet Sauvignon, Pine Mountain, Cloverdale Peak by pouring a 2016 (library wine), a 2021 (current release) and a barrel sample from 2023.
• Starlite Vineyards is all about Viognier during Barrel Weekend, with three library wines (2019, 2021 and 2022), the 2023 current release and the 2024 barrel sample wine.
• Viszlay Vineyards has Pinot Noir for their PAST, PRESENT and FUTURE offering. They’ll be pouring a 2019 (library wine), 2021 (current release) and 2024 (barrel sample).

Three Days of Tasting

Only a portion of the wineries and their offerings are listed above, and yet, I already wonder how I’ll be able to visit all the wineries on my “must visit” list? Luckily, several of the participating Barrel Weekend wineries are offering ticket holders complimentary tasting on Friday, February 28^th.

Here is a list of some of the wineries open to ticket holders on Friday. Be sure to plan a three-day weekend to get the most out of Barrel Weekend.

Alexander Valley Vineyards
Amphora Winery
Carol Shelton Wines
CAST Wines
Char Vale Vineyards and Winery
David Coffaro Winery
De La Montanya Winery
Longboard Vineyards
Moshin Vineyards
Mounts Family Winery
Orsi Family Vineyards
Raymond Burr Vineyards
Soda Rock
Stressed Vines Cellars
Sunce Winery & Vineyard
Viszlay Vineyards
West Wines
Wilson Winery

Visit the Barrel Tasting info page to get a full listing of the wineries open to ticket holders.

Do You Have Your Tickets?

If you’re planning to attend Barrel Weekend (and I hope you are), be sure you get your ticket in advance. No tickets will be sold at the door.

Here are the online links to help you on your way:

Information link

Ticket link – Prices: Weekend $80, Sunday Only $60, Designated Driver $10

Participating Wineries List

Barrel Weekend Program

Event Map

Wine Road Sonoma County Barrel Weekend