MAY NEWS
Amador to host Barbera wine fest P
lymouth, Calif.—More than 80 California wineries have signed up to participate in and pour their Barbera wines at the 2011
Barbera Festival scheduled for June 11 in Amador County. Festival organizer Brian Miller has identified more than 200 California wineries that produce Barbera. About 55% of those participating in the festival are based in the Sierra Foothills AVA, but other areas of the state will be represented such as Sonoma, Napa, Mendocino, Lake and Ventura counties; Paso Robles, Lodi, the Santa Cruz Mountains and Suisun Valley.
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wineries outside the Sierra Foothills. There is no charge for wineries to participate. Miller is expecting 1,500 paid attendees plus an additional 300 people including vendors and volunteers. Organizers expect the festival to become an annual event and evolve over time, perhaps with the addition of educational sessions and wines from international pro- ducers in future years.
Dick Cooper grows 35 acres of Barbera vines in amador County.
Although Amador County has the highest concentration of Bar- bera producers—the majority of the county's 48 wineries produce a premium varietal Barbera—Miller emphasized that the festival is a California event, and he encourages more participation from
The outdoor event will be held at the 120-acre Cooper Ranch in the Shenandoah Valley, adjacent to the ranch's Barbera vineyard. Owned by grower Dick Cooper— known locally as "the Godfather of
Barbera" due to his long association with the variety—Barbera was first planted on the ranch in the early 1980s; about 35 acres are now in production. Details: barberafestival.com.
—Jon Tourney
22 Wines & Vines MAY 201 1
JON TOURNEY
