Events - California Wines

Welcome. This website lists all of the tastings, seminars and other events of the California Wine Institute across Europe. We are the trade organization of California wineries. Register here for our upcoming activities or enjoy looking back at our past events over a glass of wine. Cheers.

Upcoming Events

1. - 30. Jun 2022

California Wine Weeks 2021/2022

Sommelier Summit Meininger

1:00 pm - 11:00 pm

Past Events

15. - 17. May 2022

ProWein @ Hall 12, D26–F40

Stockumer Kirchstrasse 61, 40474 Düsseldorf, Germany

9:00 am - 6:00 pm

GRAND TASTING & SEMINAR – Paris

12:30 pm - 6:00 pm

THIS IS US – Tasting & Seminar – Copenhagen

Raffinaderivej 22, 2300 Copenhagen

12:30 pm - 7:00 pm

California Wines Master Class

Sunshine & Smiles

About California Wines

Did you know that California is the 4th largest wine producer in the world. We have such a diversity of wine styles to offer, from crisp whites to full bodied reds and everything in between. Our natural wonder and constant sunshine makes it easy to smile and it shows in our wines. We are so excited to share our wines with you at our events across Europe. Feel free to register for any of the upcoming activities near you. See you soon!

More about California Wines

Get in touch

Questions or comments, send us an email

europe@discovercaliforniawines.com

@californiawineseurope

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Happy #InternationalChardonnayDay! 🥂 An excelle

Happy #InternationalChardonnayDay! 🥂 An excellent excuse to raise a glass of the queen of white wines. Thriving in different terroirs, Chardonnay can produce an impressive variety of styles – from rich, creamy and buttery, to cool-climate and zesty with pronounced minerality, as well as traditional method sparkling wines.

Chardonnay first made its way to California in the late-19th century, when vintner Charles Wetmore imported budwood from Meursault and established it in his estate vineyard in Livermore, still producing beautiful wines today! By 2000, Chardonnay had become the most-planted variety in California. Over 50% of the current plantings are concentrated in Monterey, Sonoma and San Joaquin counties.

📷 @breadandbutterwines

Tusind tak, Denmark! 🇩🇰 Cheers to the recent

Tusind tak, Denmark! 🇩🇰 Cheers to the recent THIS IS US Copenhagen tasting, which brought together over 500 guests and presented more than 400 wines.

There were 40+ wineries represented at this year’s event, ranging from Napa Valley and Sonoma County to Paso Robles and Monterey. As well as some from further afield in Washington State.

Not to mention another SOLD OUT seminar from celebrated wine writer and communicator @hawk_wakawaka. Titled ‘Elevations and Aspects’, it explored the Golden State’s diversity and the role that elevation, aspect and latitude plays in its wines distinctive impressions.

Last but not least, here’s to the glorious THIS IS US taxi bikes that helped our guests navigate the narrow streets of central Copenhagen in a greener, altogether more stylish fashion. With a glass of Californian wine in hand, naturally! 🥂

This weekend, it’s all about quintessentially Ca

This weekend, it’s all about quintessentially Californian Paso Robles reds 🍷 Our top choice? This rich and complex ‘Hilltop’ Cabernet Sauvignon from @jlohrwines…

The grapes come from a handful of top vineyard sites in Paso Robles AVA, renowned for the greatest diurnal temperature swing of all California’s wine-growing regions. Long summer days of intense sunshine are followed by chilly, ocean-cooled nights, creating natural stress for the Cabernet vines in the dry, often very gravelly soils.

These unique conditions, coupled with skilful winemaking — Hilltop is aged in the finest French oak barrels for 18 months — result in dense, elegant wine with firm yet polished tannins and notes of plum, tar, liquorice and a savoury black-olive touch.

A special occasion wine apt for your favourite weekend treats. Here @vindulge serves it with a juicy New York strip steak and roasted beetroot salad.

Available in Europe:
🇧🇪 @time2wine.be
🇩🇪 @hanspeterjoeckel
🇨🇭 flaschenpost.ch

And that’s a wrap for the #CaliforniaWines Grand

And that’s a wrap for the #CaliforniaWines Grand Tasting and Seminar in Paris! 🇫🇷 Yesterday, the majestic interiors of the US Ambassador's Residence in Paris set the stage for more than 40 wineries who presented over 400 wines from the Golden State.

Wine writer, speaker and educator @hawk_wakawaka led a sold-out seminar on ‘California Freshness: The Regions and Varieties of California Wine’. An exciting exploration of some of the dynamic, cool climate, and high elevation growing regions of California – from Anderson Valley to Santa Barbara. Followed by a tasting of distinctive California wines from the region’s iconic producers.

📷 @travelthewine • @sowine

Meet “the Frenchman in California” 🇫🇷 Pi

Meet “the Frenchman in California” 🇫🇷 Pierre Séillan from @veritewines in Sonoma. This seventh-generation vigneron left his native Gascony in France to head up Vérité vineyards for Jackson Family Wines in the 1990s.

Over the past 30 years, he has shaped the renowned Vérité estate in Sonoma, whose Bordeaux-style blends have been awarded an unprecedented 13 100-point scores by Robert Parker @wineadvocate since the debut 1998 vintage.

In a recent interview with @lefigarofr, self-taught Séillan confesses “never having had the luck or the misfortune to go to university”, but also admits to “liking challenges”. This unstoppable drive keeps fuelling his winemaking career that has spanned California, Bordeaux and Tuscany. In fact, 2022 will be his 50th vintage!

📷 @veritewines

This week we are exploring Paso Robles, located ha

This week we are exploring Paso Robles, located halfway between San Francisco and Los Angeles on California’s Central Coast. It is home to no less than 11 sub-appellations and 200 wineries, continually shaped by the region’s long-standing history, diverse climate and distinct landscapes. It is a hotspot for Rhône varieties and blends, with its annual Hospice du Rhône event.

“Paso Robles is a sum of all parts. It’s multiple varietals and multiple styles, all coming together in one place,” says Samantha Taylor, Assistant Winemaker at @hopefamilywines.

🎥 Watch the video to learn more about this very special corner of California from some of its top winemakers!

Our wine of the week is from the one and only @rid

Our wine of the week is from the one and only @ridgevineyards! 🍷 ‘Lytton Spring’ is a Zinfandel-led blend with the addition of Petite sirah, Carignan and Mataro.

🍇 This unique combination of grapes is a true field blend from the Lytton Springs vineyard, located on Ridge’s Dry Creek Valley Estate in Sonoma County: here 100 plus-year-old Zinfandel vines are interplanted with other grapes. It is also a prime example of Ridge’s commitment to championing heritage varieties, planted more than a century ago and surviving in numerous locations.

The result is a rich and structured red, with complex fruit flavors ranging from raspberry to blackberry to blueberry, velvety fine-grained tannins and a subtle raspberry-like tartness. A quintessential example of a Dry Creek Valley Zindandel.

Find Ridge Vineyards Lytton Springs in Europe:

🇧🇪 Piko Wines
🇳🇱 Finest Wine
🇨🇭 @martel_weinwelt

📷 @cmkwine

Happy #SauvignonBlanc Day, wine lovers! 🥂 Today

“A four-part course that will teach you everythi

“A four-part course that will teach you everything about Californian wine, put together by an extremely knowledgeable group of Master Sommeliers!” ✨ A glowing review of #CapstoneCalifornia by @hanswejnefalk.

Hans is one of the European educators for our unique wine certification programme that is now being offered by the network of our educators partners across the globe. Sweden-based California wine fans 🇸🇪 will be able to enrol for courses at @thewinehubse starting this autumn.

Tap the link in bio, or visit capstonecalifornia.com, to find out more.

California winegrowers do give a hoot about the li

California winegrowers do give a hoot about the little guys! 🦉 There are now over 300 owl boxes across California, as more and more vintners turn to these majestic birds of prey to keep pests under control.

Owls are certainly an eco-friendly solution, but they’re also an extremely effective one! Did you know one barn own can eat up to 3,400 rodents per year?

As an industry leader in sustainability, this is just one of the myriad ways California winegrowers are searching for greener solutions to safeguard their vines. 🍇 Stay tuned to learn more!

📷 @tressabores

Today is International Viognier Day! 🥂 And we a

Today is International Viognier Day! 🥂 And we are celebrating in style with this Sonoma Viognier from @clinecellars.

This family-owned winery pioneered the planting of Rhône varieties in cool-climate Carneros appellation and in an even cooler growing area in eastern Petaluma.

🍇 The grapes for this wine come from four of Cline’s Sonoma Coast Estate vineyards, three of which are located in the fog-shrouded area to the east of Petaluma. A combination of soil types, from volcanic to loam, combined with the warm days and cool evenings, provide ideal conditions for this ancient grape, believed to have been brought to Rhône by the Romans 1,700 years ago.

The result is a rich, soft and ripe-tasting white with honeysuckle, mango and butter flavours wrapped into a particularly smooth texture and full body. A perfect weekend treat!

Available in Europe 🇪🇺 at @californianwines_eu.

📷 @thewineceo

Today we’re toasting to the newest addition to t

Today we’re toasting to the newest addition to the California wines AVA family, the SLO Coast AVA! 🌊 Here are 3 things to know about this cool-climate region, located between the Pacific Ocean and the Santa Lucia Mountains.

🌬️ The new appellation is among the closest to the Pacific in California. Though the AVA boundary extends 25 kilometres inland at certain points, 97% of the vineyards are closer than 9 kilometres to the coast! This gives it some of the lowest temperatures of any wine region, and potentially makes it the coolest region in California.

🍇 These unique conditions make for an impressively long growing season. When other regions are done with harvest, many San Luis Obispo (SLO) Coast winemakers are still picking grapes late into October and even November.

🥂 It is no surprise that cool-climate-loving Burgundy grapes like Pinot Noir or Chardonnay thrive here. SLO Coast is also home to aromatic, high-acid white varieties such as Albariño and Grüner Veltliner or the Rhône classic reds like Grenache and Syrah.

📷 Kris M Beal via @slowinecountry • @autrycellarsslo

From foggy Carneros to cool, coastal Monterey, Cal

From foggy Carneros to cool, coastal Monterey, California boasts some of the best conditions for a great diversity of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir styles – and this impressive line-up proves it! Selected by Master of Wine, Konstantin Baum, who recently conducted a seminar on these two key California grapes for Master of Wine students.

As you might expect from a Master of Wine, his stellar selection features the likes of @jamiekutch, @rameywinecellars, @hahnwines, @schugwinery, @talbottvineyards, and other sought-after producers from the Golden State.

📷 @konstantinbaum_mw

WINE GIVEAWAY 🍷 Win a 12-bottle case of award-w

WINE GIVEAWAY 🍷 Win a 12-bottle case of award-winning wines from @BenzigerWinery, a biodynamic and sustainable family estate located on Sonoma Mountain.

Each case includes Benziger’s Rosé, Merlot and Sauvignon Blanc wines, because who wants to choose!

Simply follow these 3 steps to enter:

1) Like this post.
2) Follow @CaliforniaWinesEurope
3) Tag 2 wine-loving friends to share with. 🥂

Open to entrants residing in the EU. Must be 18+ to enter. This giveaway is exclusive to @californiawineseurope. If you receive messages pertaining to this competition from another source, do not engage. Read the full T&Cs at our link in bio.

Competition closes on Monday 2 May! ⏳ The lucky winner will be contacted directly via DM by @CaliforniaWinesEurope.

“Because we are so widely exposed to wines that

“Because we are so widely exposed to wines that are 'big' and loud, we generally don't respond so well to wines that say what they have to say in a much quieter fashion.” • Randall Grahm @bonnydoonvineyard

Randall Grahm is a renowned California producer of biodynamic wines at Bonny Doon Vineyard and Popelouchum in Central Coast's Santa Cruz. His journey in wine began in the 1970s with the quest for the Great American Pinot Noir that brought him to the Bonny Doon in the Santa Cruz mountains. The conditions in that corner of California proved too warm, and Grahm moved to Syrah and other Rhône varieties with a great deal of success.

That was the beginning of the Boony Doon vineyard, and a turning point in the history of Californian wine. Grahm’s biodynamic and adventurous wines are blended with his unique creativity (‘Howlbarino’ by Alain Gainesberger is just one of the masterworks in his "vinthology") and some unorthodox approach to winemaking.

📷 @bonnydoonvineyard

Happy Earth Day! 🌎 As farmers, winegrowers are

Happy Earth Day! 🌎 As farmers, winegrowers are on the front line of climate change, and it’s no surprise that many of them are taking steps to better safeguard the land from which they make their living.

One wine producer leading the way to a #RegenerativeFarming future is @TablasCreek in Paso Robles. Earlier this year, they bottled the world’s first wines to be certified ‘Regenerative Organic’ – “the highest standard of sustainable farming in soil health, carbon capture, biodiversity, animal welfare, and farmworker fairness.”

One of the fun ways they achieve these high standards is with these woolly weeders! 🐑 Tablas Creek introduced its Sheep Program over 10 years ago, and what started with just a dozen sheep is a fully-fledged stock management operation today, with 300 sheep and a full-time shepherd.

These ewes and lambs are busy eating cover crops and weeds and fertilizing “on the go”. In the process they eliminate the need for chemicals, herbicides, and help reduce tractor passes. As an added bonus, the stimulation of sheep’s hooves helps build microflora in the soil, making it more resilient to extreme cold and heat conditions.

📷 @tablascreek

Meet John and Gail Kautz, founders of @ironstonevi

Meet John and Gail Kautz, founders of @ironstonevineyards in Lodi, which they manage together with their four children.

This pioneering winery was established in Lodi and the Sierra Foothills in the 1950s. Ironstone is credited with being the first producer to plant Chardonnay in the region!

Today, their vineyards are home to several grape varieties, such as old-vine Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Symphony – an unusual cross between Muscat of Alexandria and Grenache Gris.

Ironstone uses sustainable viticulture practices that range from cultivating cover crops to build healthy soils, to reducing water consumption, and using raptors in the vineyards to scout for pests.

“If you are going to run a multi-generational business, you have no choice but to think sustainably and we've passed these lessons on to our children, and our children's children." – John Kautz

📷 @ironstonevineyards

Easter is the prime time for chocolate and egg-cel

Easter is the prime time for chocolate and egg-celent wines! 🍫🍷 But do these two treats go together…?

Pairing wine and chocolate isn’t always straightforward. Avoid the pitfalls with these three simple tips:

1) Pair a darker, less sweet chocolate with richer, mature reds, especially those that have been aged in oak. Think, a smooth and spicy Lodi Zinfandel, or a Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon with plenty of mature fruit notes.

2) Milk chocolate will pair beautifully with lighter-style, youthful reds with fresh fruit characteristics. Much like this elegant, cool-climate Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir (pictured) from @waltwines.

3) Fiona Beckett @food_writer also suggests adding a ‘harmony ingredient’ that works with both chocolate and wine. Fresh fruit like cherries or strawberries will do a great job. See what’s in season!

Walt Wines are available in Europe 🇪🇺 from @californianwines.eu and @8wines.

📷 @waltwines

Spring in California brings an explosion of colour

Spring in California brings an explosion of colour to vineyards that host flowering cover crops. 💐 But, besides their visual appeal, why do some estates grow these vibrant California poppies alongside the vines?

Not only are they the official state flower, California poppies also play a great role in #sustainable agriculture. Their abundant flowers help to attract pollinators and other beneficial insects, so some winegrowers purposefully plant them as cover crops in between vines rows.

“The place of highest beauty” • In Ancient G

“The place of highest beauty” • In Ancient Greek this is the meaning of ‘To Kalon’, one of the most-prized California vineyards, located between Highway 29 and the western hills of Oakville in Napa Valley. This coveted site is fragmented along six different owners in the region, with the largest percentage of the land – about 180 hectares – belonging to the iconic @robertmondavi winery. But what makes the To Kalon wines so special?

1. Mother Earth 🌎 To Kalon boasts magical well-draining gravelly soils, where vines must search deep underground for water, creating ideal stress conditions for grapes to ripen.

2. Perfect climate for grape growing 🌞 The area’s warm temperatures are tempered by the coastal fog from San Pablo Bay, and limited sun exposure and heat that prevents the fruit from maturing too rapidly.

3. From Bordeaux to Napa 🍇 This ‘first growth’ site in Napa Valley is second-to-none for Cabernet Sauvignon or Cabernet Franc, as well as other red Bordeaux varieties. It is also home to the oldest known Sauvignon Blanc vines in the New World, planted in 1945, that go into @robertmondavi ‘s treasured Fumé Blanc wine.

📷 @robertmondavi