May 17, 2007

By Dan Clarke

CARNEROS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Tickets are on sale now for the 2nd Annual Carneros Heritage Fest on June 1 and 2. Hosted by the Carneros Wine Alliance, the Fest will feature a weekend of activities showcasing the Carneros region’s acclaimed wines, exceptional cuisine, unique history and rustic environs.

A highlight will be the first-ever “Taste of Carneros” lamb cook-off that will test the culinary talents of 12 local chefs in a competition to create the region’s most tantalizing lamb recipe. The event also will feature Carneros wines chosen to complement the lamb dishes.

Visitors enjoye Carneros lamb at last year's barbecue

Chefs participating in the cook-off will hail from top restaurants in the area as well as from several of the popular “taco trucks” that canvas the region with their own special brand of home-cooked specialties. Chefs will serve up bite-sized samples for ticket-buyers and a panel of celebrity and media wine and food experts will judge the samples based on taste and presentation in a blind tasting. The winner of the competition will receive a four-day expense-paid trip to the Taste of Vail culinary festival in Colorado, awarded by the American Lamb Board. Ticket-holders will also vote for a People’s Choice Award that will go to the chef with the most votes from the lamb tasters.

While food and wine will take center stage at the event, guests will also partake in journeys into unexplored Carneros. These will include vineyard tours led by some of the region’s winemakers and grape growers, marsh visits and environmental activities and tours. Sheep herding and falconry – and the role these creatures play in vineyard management – will also be demonstrated. Live music and entertainment will be provided by the Back Burner Blues Band, led by food, TV and Bay Café Chef Joey Altman. 

Located about 45 minutes north of San Francisco, Carneros is a unique region encompassing “a little bit of Napa and a little bit of Sonoma,” spanning the southern portions of both counties. A rustic, wind-swept agricultural area, Carneros was one of the first wine regions to be designated an American Viticulture Area (AVA) based onclimate rather than political boundaries. Carneros, which means “the Ram” in Spanish, is a fully independent,federally-designated “cool climate” appellation.

The event is presented by the Carneros Wine Alliance and co-hosted by The Donum Estate and Buena Vista Carneros. Further information on the events of the festival can be had at www.carneros.com.

Editor’s note: Those planning a visit to the Carneros will find links to the websites of all the region’s wineries, as well as hundreds of nearby Lodging and Dining options at Taste California Travel’s Resource Directory