Rutherford Wineries Announce “Roll Out The Barrels” Passport Weekend Dec. 5-6, 2009

PRLog (Press Release) - Oct 30, 2009 -
Rutherford, CA – The Rutherford Appellation Wineries invite the public to take a wine tasting journey through Napa Valley’s famed Rutherford appellation during their winter “Roll Out the Barrels” Passport Weekend on Saturday, December 5 and Sunday, December 6, 2009 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Passport holders can experience the wineries of the Rutherford appellation with exclusive barrel tastings, wine and food pairings, sales of future wines and special Passport Weekend discounts.

The event highlights and celebrates the wineries of Rutherford, the historic heart of Napa Valley. Each winery will feature its own unique barrel tasting experience aimed to teach visitors about Rutherford varietals, Napa Valley terroir and diverse barrel types and toasts. Fourteen wineries are slated to pour their wines for the event, including many that are not normally open for public tastings. Host winery sites are Alpha Omega, Beaulieu Vineyard, Franciscan Estates, Honig Vineyard and Winery, Peju Province Winery, Pina Napa Valley, Provenance Vineyards, Rubicon Estate, Rutherford Hill Winery, St. Supery and Tres Sabores Winery.  Guest wineries include Elizabeth Spencer Wines, Martin Estate and Round Pond Estate.

Weekend passports are available for $65 per person or $50 for a SUNDAY ONLY pass. Members of participating winery wine clubs will receive a 20% passport ticket discount applied with the use of a promotional code. A limited number of passports are available for purchase online at www.rutherford-appellation-wineries.com and will be available for pick-up on December 5 and December 6 at the pre-selected winery.

Proceeds from the barrel tasting weekend will be donated to the Rutherford Grange Restoration Project. Located in the heart of Rutherford on Highway 29, the Rutherford Grange houses and coordinates community programs to serve all the people of Napa County. Over the past year, Rutherford Appellation Wineries has donated more than $8,000 to local charities from Passport Weekend ticket sales, including the Rutherford River Restoration project, Queen of the Valley Community Outreach Service and the Rutherford Volunteer Fire Department.  

Rutherford Passport Weekends are semi-annual events held the first weekends of May and December. To learn more about the Rutherford Appellation Wineries please visit www.rutherford-appellation-wineries.com.

About Rutherford Appellation Wineries
Rutherford Appellation Wineries was established as the direct to consumer marketing arm of the Rutherford Dust Society (www.rutherforddust.org) to educate the public about the significance of the Rutherford appellation as Napa Valley's preeminent grape-growing area. This consumer-focused organization was created to promote the uniqueness of the area and encourage visitors to experience personally the quality of the wines produced in this special place.

MEDIA NOTE: For more information or to attend the event for editorial inclusion, please contact Katie Vandermause at (707) 302-1162 or kvandermause@peju.com.