We will depart from the Marriott Marquis Hotel at 7:00 AM on Wednesday, July 29th after the 2015 AAEA & WAEA Joint Annual Meeting. The tour of Sonoma County will begin in Sebastopol. Devoto Gardens is a 20 acre diversified family farm that was founded in 1976 by Susan and Stan Devoto. The farm started out as one of the North Bay's original micro-green growers, and slowly evolved in biodiversity. Together with their three daughters, the family grows over 50 varieties of heirloom apples, specialty cut flowers, and pinot noir grapes. The tour of the farm will be followed by a tasting of their hard apple ciders.The second stop will be in Geyserville where we will meet with one wine-grape grower to talk about farming practices, wine production, marketing strategies and key challenges. Also, the Sonoma County Cooperative Extension viticulture adviser will provide an overview of the county’s vineyard industry and answer questions. The discussion will continue over wine and a box lunch.
The final stop is McEvoy Ranch in Petaluma beginning with a walk in the orchards and vineyards. This introduction to McEvoy Ranch provides an overview of its history, its commitment to environmental responsibility, its wine program and how they produce award-winning olive oil. We'll walk in the orchards and vineyards where we will talk about the horticulture of their plantings. Next, we'll visit their state-of-the-art mill for an explanation of their unique process of extracting oil. To finish the tour, they will lead us through an oil tasting and sensory evaluation. Following the tour, we will enjoy a wine tasting featuring McEvoy Ranch's current releases. Their retail shop will be open at the end of your visit to purchase olive oil, wine, body care or other estate-produced and artisanal gift items.
The tour includes walking some distance around the properties. Comfortable shoes will provide stability on uneven/gravel surfaces. The weather will be hot or very hot. Please bring a hat, sunglasses, and sunscreen and a water bottle.
Schedule
7:00 AM Departure
Mariott Marquis
789 Mission Street, San Francisco
8:45 Arrival Stop 1
10:00 Departure
Devoto Gardens and Orchard
655 Gold Ridge Road
Sebastopol CA 95472
10:45 Arrival Stop 2
12:30 Departure
Constellation Brands
22280 Geyserville Avenue
Geyserville, CA
1:30 Arrival Stop 3
4:00 Departure
McEvoy Ranch
5935 Red Hill Road
Petaluma, CA 94952
5:30 Arrival at Marriott Marquis
The deadline to register for the Extension Tour is June 25, 2015.
You can register for a ticketed event while registering for the 2015 AAEA & WAEA Joint Annual Meeting in San Francisco: http://www.aaea.org/meetings/annual-meeting/2015-aaea--waea-joint-annual-meeting-new/registration
Very interesting stuff. keep us updated.
ReplyDeleteWhat a cool breakdown of a multi-location wine tour. My wife and I are wine enthusiasts. I've never seen a tour laid out so well before. Often times, we show up and don't fully know what we are doing.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.winedirt.com/tours/