Earn Your Wine Geek Merit Badge…and Drink SB

ATTENTION: All seriously over the edge Wine Geeks (and members of the trade)

International Symposium on Sauvignon Blanc 2005
Embracing the Sauvignon Revolution
May 8 – 11, Konocti harbor Resort & Spa — Kelseyville, CA

Very few people, it seems, get excited about Sauvignon Blanc. I’m one of the few. I love that this grape is can be so expressive of different styles as well as grown in a number of locations.

My first SB Epiphany came when I tasted the Robert Mondavi To-Kalon I-Block Sauvignon Blanc about a decade ago. What an amazing, over the top experience from an old vine SB vineyard located in Oakville California. Since then I’ve sought them out, aged and young, green and fruity, oaked and nude. The wine, as it’s made in California these days and as it’s made in New Zealand and Sancerre, is almost always a better choice for food than Chardonnay. And the real beauty of Sauvignon Blanc is that the very best examples from California rarely cost more than $25 and can be found for under $20 most often.

If you want to learn all about Sauvignon Blanc, you probably need to attend the International Symposium on Sauvignon Blanc. Consider some of the topics to be discussed in two days of seminars and talks:

-A History of SB in California, 1960’s to the Present, TASTING
Dan Berger, Syndicated Wine Columnist

-Sauvignon Blanc Styles of the World, TASTING
Karen MacNeil, Director, Center for Professional Wine Studies, Culinary Institute of America

-SB Trends and Future in California
Dr. Jim Wolpert, Chairman, Dept. of Viticulture & Enology, University of California at Davis

-Organic and Biodynamic Farming Systems for SB, TASTING
Ron Bartolucci, Bartolucci Vineyards, Lake County
Jim Fetzer, Ceago del Lago Winegarden, Lake County

-Terroir Components’ Influence on the Aromatic Potential of SB Grapes
Xavier Choné, University of Bordeaux

Now keep in mind, these are only five of the 18 different sessions that will be presented over a two day period. The price? $300.

If  you are a hard core SB Fan, a serious wine geek, a member of the wine trade, or if want to earn your wine geek merit badge, this conference will do.

The location on the shores of Clear Lake, the Konocti Harbor Resort, a great line up of speakers and topics, all the Sauvignon Blanc you can drink, and all for the cost of 3/4 of a bottle of 1997 Harlan Cabernet Sauvignon. The event is sponsored by the Lake County Winegrape Growers.

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