Wine Festival by the Bay

Take the Ferry to Tiburon, Saturday, May 17th

Stroll along the quaint picturesque main street of Tiburon May 17th to Point Tiburon Plaza for the first big community wine tasting event of the 2003 season. The Tiburon Wine Festival is sponsored by the many businesses of Tiburon through the Chamber of Commerce. The annual Festival is in its 20th year. This is the Chamber’s fundraising event of the year, so they make it rock with live music food, wine, and fun. The Festival has sold out in the past, so it’s wise to get your tickets in advance. That way, you won’t be disappointed (or turned away) at the gate.

What makes the Tiburon Wine Festival a major event? Fifty wineries are on hand presenting samplings of their many varieties. Vintners include Clos du Bois, Raymond, Mumm Napa, Kenwood, Guenoc, Hanley, Hart’s, DeLoach, Chateau St. Michele, Buich, Benzinger, Murphy Goode, Rosenblum, Windsor, and many more. This is not a contest for wines, it is simply an enjoyable afternoon of tasting wine and food.

The Festival is across the street from the ferry docks, which makes getting there by ferry an easy option that does not include driving after drinking. For a special treat to take home, a silent auction will be held during the event featuring large format bottles not generally available to the public, including sought after Library Wines. Library wines can vary in value from $30 to $1000 for standard-sized bottles. Large format bottles are also of special value. Winemaker and architect Peter Hoyt Berg and Jim Bryant are the auctioneers.

If you lose in the competitive auction, Ron Skellenger, manager of Tiburon’s Windsor Wine Tasting shop up the street at 72 Main Street, still has some revered ’97 Cabs for sale along with a few other Windsor library wines. Windsor, according to the book of 2003 California Wine Festival Winners, is ranked #3 from last year’s contests. Kendal Jackson is #1, Geyser Peak is #2. Ron said, "Many wineries have excellent years or blends. The book shows, by wine, what won in each variety. The advantage the top three have is extensive choices. The book’s ranking system totals all the winning wines per vintner. Windsor has 24 varieties in multiple styles totaling 51 wines which is an advantage over smaller wineries. The top positions are determined by cumulative scores of all their winning wines. Still, being recognized as a top California winemaker is an honor."

Fine restaurants of the town are catering the Festival with samples of their cuisine as free appetizers, including Sam’s Anchor Café, Servino’s Restaurante, Caprice, Guyamas, Café Liaison, and Bell Market Sushi and Deli. There will also be complimentary cheeses, breads, BBQ sausages, and pates.