Clos Pegase Winery has been named the 2010 global winner in the art and culture category of the Great Wine Capitals (GWC) “Best of Wine Tourism” competition. An awards ceremony will be held at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 1 at the winery, located at 1060 Dunaweal Lane in Calistoga.

Those who attend are encouraged to bring an art-inspired donation for Toys for Tots. Cash donations will also be accepted and used to purchase children’s art supplies for the program. Reservations are requested to 942-4981.

 “The integration of art and culture with the creation of outstanding wines is a lifelong passion for the owners of Clos Pegase,” said Bill Dodd, Napa County supervisor and chair of the regional Great Wine Capitals committee. “Their contribution to what makes Napa Valley legendary is highly regarded.”

Jan Shrem, founder and proprietor of Clos Pegase, said, “I am grateful for our many friends and the support we have been given in our efforts to create a temple to wine and art at Clos Pegase. My wife, Mitsuko, and I have devoted our lives to wine and the arts, and it is our passion to share our enthusiasm and further the enhancement of culture in our community and the world.”

Clos Pegase won the GWC regional competition (San Francisco|Napa Valley) on Oct. 15, and competed against wineries from seven other wine regions in the final global competition. The 2010 winners were announced Nov. 5 in Bordeaux.

Phase I of Napa River project completed

Spearheaded by winery and vineyard members of the Rutherford Dust Society, the first phase of a comprehensive design for saving the Napa River and protecting adjacent vineyards from erosion has been completed.

A ceremony to recognize the dedicated teams of the Rutherford Dust Napa River Restoration Project was held Monday afternoon at Quintessa Winery.

The design for the project is a product of over seven years of engineering studies and collaboration between landowners, the Napa County Resource Conservation District, Napa County and the Napa County Flood Control and Water Conservation District. 

Phase I of the Rutherford Reach Restoration began at the Zinfandel Lane bridge and entailed removing sediment pollution sources, replanting the river with native trees, and installing fish habitat structures along 1.3 miles of the Napa River. The project will reduce erosion and improve habitat for native trout and salmon over the long term. Landowners engaged in this phase of project construction include the Guggenheim family, Quintessa Winery, and Carpy Connolly Estates. 

The full extent of the project will ultimately extend 4.5 miles to Oakville Crossroad.

Kirk Venge named winemaker for Tudal Winery

Calistoga’s Kirk Venge, one of the country’s most promising young winemakers and the 33-year-old son of one of the Napa Valley’s elite winemakers, has been named winemaker for Tudal Winery.

Venge, who will continue to make wine for his family’s Venge Vineyards of Calistoga, as well as a number of small Napa Valley brands, began his relationship with Tudal with the 2009 vintage. Venge is the son of Nils Venge, considered to be one of the Napa Valley’s best winemakers.

Venge will work alongside winery owner John Tudal’s nephew and founder Arnold Venge’s grandson Matt Tudal Fidge, who will be his apprentice as they produce about 2,000 cases per year of two of the estate’s cabernet sauvignons. Tudal Winery, three miles north of St. Helena, began producing wines in the Napa Valley in 1979.

Policy, Seaver host ‘Legends of Wine’ dinner

Vintners Carmen Policy and Tom Seaver will be the guests at the next V Wine Cellar’s “Legends of Wine” dinner at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 4.

Chef Kevin Miller and sommelier Scott Lewis have created a four-course meal featuring luxurious seasonal fare skillfully paired with selections from celebrated Casa Piena and Seaver Family Vineyards, featuring the 2006 Casa Piena Cabernet Sauvignon,

2006 Our Gang, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2006 GTS Vineyard, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2006 Nancy Fancy, Cabernet Sauvignon.

Cost is $175 per person. For reservations, call (800) 351-1133. V Wine Cellar is located in Yountville.

Rutherford Passport Weekend planned

The Rutherford Appellation Wineries host their winter “Roll Out the Barrels” Passport Weekend from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 5 and Sunday, Dec. 6. 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.

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.

Proceeds from the barrel-tasting weekend will be donated to the Rutherford Grange Restoration Project. Over the past year, the Rutherford Appellation Wineries group 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. 

Weekend passports are available for $65 per person or $50 for a Sunday only pass. A limited number of passports are available for purchase online at www.rutherford-appellation-wineries.com and will be available for pick-up on Dec. 5 and Dec. 6 at the pre-selected winery.

Print this story   |   Email this story | Browse today's articles in this category: |