On May 25-26, Auriga Wine Cellars, Holly's Hill Vineyards, Miraflores Winery, Narrow Gate Vineyards and Sierra Vista Winery will pair locally sourced food including lamb, beef, honey and olive oil, with Rhone varietals like Syrah and Grenache. Vineyard hikes, barrel tasting and winemaker discussions will demonstrate the region’s unique growing conditions and wine making techniques.
A raffle for a 100-bottle “Mountain of Wine” supports El Dorado County’s Ag in the Classroom programs. Ag in the Classroom connects students with their food sources and teaches them the role of agriculture in the community through experiential learning activities.
- What: Rocks & Rhones Wine Festival
- When: 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, May 25-26.
- Where: Five wineries in the El Dorado’s Pleasant Valley area, south of Placerville: Auriga, Holly's Hill, Miraflores, Narrow Gate and Sierra Vista.
- Tickets: $35/day available at pleasantvalleywineries.com; $40 at the door.
· Auriga Wine Cellars strawberry salad featuring Mad Dog Mesa olive oil, El Dorado honey and spring greens from the El Dorado County farmers' market, with roasted rosemary garlic chicken; Wild mushroom ravioli with sage brown butter and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, catered by Pheasant Wood. Don’t miss hand-rolled cigars from Art of Cigars of El Dorado Hills.
· Holly's Hill Vineyards savory pancakes with lime butter and lamb meatballs in tomato harissa sauce . Grass-fed lamb from Sinclair Farms in Penryn will be a perfect pairing with their Rhones, including some unusual varieties (can you say Counoise?). Learn how the soil affects these grapes.
· Miraflores Winery didn’t need to look far for good food to complement their Rhones. Allez! of nearby Diamond Springs is preparing pork tenderloin stuffed with apricots dressed with aioli ratatouille on crispy French baguette; French pissaladiere tart .
· Narrow Gate Vineyards Composed salad of apple, fig, walnuts & goat cheese on homegrown organic greens; wine and star anise braised short ribs from Archer’s Meats in Placerville with local olive oil and truffle oil; Yukon gold potatoes. Take a vineyard walk with the winemaker and compare Grenache wine grown in different soil/rock types.
· Sierra Vista Winery Imagine gazing at the snow-topped Crystal Range the area’s first Rhone-focused winery (started in 1972) while enjoying Chipotle BBQ tri-tip on Southwest polenta rounds; Duck confit on potato coins; apricot almond rugelach and a glass of their Rhone-style wine.
For more information, please visit pleasantvalleywineries.com.
Blog Post information and picture courtesy of Rocks & Rhones Festival.
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