Celebrating Spring in the Foothills

When the Earth comes alive with neon green and yellow, and Easter reminds us that the cycle of life goes on, regardless of where we are in our own personal evolution, it must be spring. For wine-lovers, two events on Sunday offer excellent opportunities to celebrate.

A tasting party at Beatnik Studios will feature zinfandels from all the major Foothill regions (read more on page 27).

Meanwhile, Sutter Creek, always brimming with Gold Rush history, is particularly golden when the wine is flowing and the hillsides are flowering. Twelve wine tasting rooms are now tucked into every corner of this beyond-charming downtown, and they are teaming up for a one-day event devoted to art, wine, music, gourmet food and wildflowers.

Bouquets of flowers on wine barrels will brighten downtown, while locals flaunt flower crowns and boutonnieres. Stations will be set up where visitors can make their own wildflower crowns (with help).

Each of the Wine On 49 tasting rooms will pour specialty wines paired with gourmet bites by local chefs:

1850 Wines: 2016 viognier paired with herbed chèvre on toasted crostini; grenache paired with spinach-and-cheese stuffed mushrooms.

Baiocchi Wines: 2013 del Maggio Red Blend and Roussanne paired with pork rillettes crostini with wildflowers.

Bella Grace Vineyards: Bella’s rosé paired with goat cheese, berry and balsamic crostini.

Feist Wines: barbera and viognier paired with farm-to-fork wood fired pizza.

Le Mulet Rouge Vineyard and Winery: sauvignon blanc and syrah paired with chicken tagine and couscous.

Matthew Gibson Winery: 2014 nebbiolo and 2013 cabernet, paired with three-mushroom bruschetta (shitake, oyster and crimini) with goat cheese, lemon zest and baby chives.

Miller Wine Works: 2015 grenache blanc (Naked Vine Vineyard) paired with prosciutto and pear on grapefruit crisps with cider crème; 2014 zinfandel (Shake Ridge Vineyard) paired with orecchiete with spring asparagus, leeks and shiitake, blueberry-bacon jus.

Sera Fina 2: 2015 malvasia bianca paired with sliced parmesan cheese drizzled with honey; 2014 primitivo paired with spinach and cheese tortellini skewers.

Scott Harvey Wines: 2017 Jana rosé paired with tomato risotto with edible flowers (Pansies, Nasturtiums, Violas, Chervil, Micro Arugula, Tarragon); 2014 barbera paired with California cassoulet.