Sip, Savor & Stroll at Food & Wine Festivals

Here’s a sampling of food and wine festivals in our region:

AUTUMN FOOD & WINE FESTIVAL, SEPT. 8-10
The 32nd Lake Tahoe Autumn Food & Wine Festival at Northstar California on September 8-10 is one of Northern California’s premier gourmet gatherings.

Attendees enjoy three days of events, including hands-on cooking demonstrations, beer and wine tastings, food and wine seminars, mixology classes, a backyard barbecue, wine and beer maker luncheons, a “Farm-to- Tahoe” dinner on the mountain, a gourmet marketplace, and a kid’s zone.

Seminars for this year’s festival range from intimate tastings to large-scale, gastronomic celebrations in the Village at Northstar. The finale is the Grand Tasting, featuring food from the region’s finest restaurants, prepared by top local caterers and chefs, and paired with premium wines and craft beers.

Participating restaurants include Manzanita at the Ritz-Carlton, Moody’s Bistro, Bar & Beats, PlumpJack Café, Sunnyside Restau- rant and Wolfdale’s Cuisine Unique, among others. The region’s wineries, including ones from the foothills, and local breweries such as FiftyFifty Brewing Co. in Truckee, also participate. TahoeFoodandWine.com

Along with the Lake Tahoe Autumn Food and Wine Festival, Tahoe-Truckee’s other culinary adventures include farmers markets, the Alpen Wine Festival at Squaw Valley, Farm to Peak dinners at Homewood, Guitar Strings vs. Chicken Wings at Squaw, and the Thunder- bird Lodge’s winemaker dinners and “grape and gourmet” food and wine festival.

SIERRA VINTNERS SUMMER REGIONAL WINE TRAIL, JULY 15 & SEPT. 23
A premier wine tasting experience from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. on scenic backroads in Placer and Nevada Counties. The trail includes wineries that are relatively near one another, reducing the driving time. The wineries offer delicious food to go with their wines, live music and other activities.

The wineries on the July 15 wine trail are Amour Privé, Bear River Winery, Bonitata Winery, Fawnridge Winery, Lone Buffalo Vineyards & Winery, Mt. Vernon Winery, Naggiar Vineyards, Sierra Knolls and Viña Castellano.

Wineries on the September 23 wine trail are Bent Metal Winery, Gray Pine Winery, Pilot Peak Vineyard & Winery, and Szabo Vineyards. SierraVintners.com

GRAPE DAYS OF SUMMER, AUG. 5-6
Self-guided tour of wineries on the Placer County Wine Trail. PlacerWine.com

NEVADA CITY UNCORKED, AUGUST 26
Nevada City Uncorked is a celebration of wine, food, and history, in downtown Nevada City.
The town’s charming Victorian architecture is an ideal backdrop to showcase Uncorked, a sip and stroll, walk-about-town event from 1-4 p.m. that includes 17 venues featuring local wineries and food purveyors in the historic downtown.

Each venue, whether it’s an historic location, B&B, art gallery, restaurant, winery, or retail shop, includes wine tasting and food sampling. Wines are available for sale at the Uncorked Wine Store. Attendees also can buy tickets to win one of three Nevada City vacation packages.

Nevada City Uncorked is a collaboration between the Nevada City Chamber of Commerce and Sierra Vintners. NevadaCityChamber.com, SierraVintners.com

BARBERA FESTIVAL, SEPT. 16
An outdoor wine and food festival focusing on Barbera wines. Enjoy over 80 wineries, top area restaurants and chefs, music and local artists at Terra d’Oro-Montevina Winery in Plymouth in Amador County. BarberaFestival.com

SAMPLE THE SIERRA, SEPT. 16
The 8th annual Sample the Sierra at Bijou Community Park in South Lake Tahoe brings together the region’s top chefs and restaurants with neighboring growers and farms to create delicious samples paired with the appropriate wine or craft brew.

Sample the Sierra also features a festival marketplace, “pop up” dinner, music, art and Sierra Chef’s Challenge, a cook off between three regional chefs cooking with local ingredients. The festival is a collaboration between Tahoe South, TahoeChamber.org, and El Dorado County. SampletheSierra.com

BIG CRUSH HARVEST FESTIVAL, OCT. 7-8
Visit over 50 Amador County wineries for creative food and wine pairings, music and harvest activities. AmadorWine.com

DOWNTOWN TRUCKEE WINE, WALK & SHOP, OCT. 7
Now in its 14th year, the Downtown Truckee Wine, Walk & Shop is one of the town’s leading annual events. It draws nearly 1,000 locals and visitors to sip wine and sample local food tastings while shopping in historic downtown Truckee.

Attendees sample wine at more than 30 locations and receive a commemorative wine glass, as well as five food tickets and a map to all participating venues.

In addition to being an ideal hub for out- door recreation, this vibrant town offers a wealth of shopping, dining and historical venues. TruckeeWineWalk.com