Nine varieties make up 93% of the total wine-grape plantings in California. and wine drinkers can probably name them all easily.
But what about the other 7%? More than 100 varieties comprise that group — and those are the wines that industry expert Allison Levine sought to highlight when she created the Festival of Undiscovered Grapes two years ago in Los Angeles.
The festival will come to the Bay Area for the first time Saturday, Jan. 31, with tastings from noon to 5 p.m. at the Rotary Summit Center in downtown San Jose. This year’s Southern California event is scheduled for March 28 at Mica Studios in Los Angeles.
“These wines aren’t just relics of the past. They are vibrant, relevant and full of potential,” Levine said in announcing the San Jose festival. “Our goal is to introduce people to what’s possible beyond the usual handful of California varieties.”
More than 65 wineries will be pouring such rare varieties as Aligote (Terah Wine Co.), Fiano (Dry Creek Vineyard), Clairette Blanche (Absolution Cellars), Teroldego (Ridge Vineyards), “Kid Sister” Zweigelt (Trail Marker Wine Co.), Vaccarese (Tablas Creek Vineyard), Friulano (Clif Family Winery), Touriga Nacional (Alamitos Vineyards) and dozens of others.
General admission tickets, $75, include a three-hour tasting from 2 to 5 p.m., a guidebook with maps and a one-time delivery fee of $20 for any wine ordered at the event (fee waived for purchases of 12 bottles or more).
The VIP tickets, $125, include a pre-tasting discussion about Lodi, which Levine says is the epicenter of California’s hidden grape diversity, as well as early admission to the tasting and free delivery of all wines ordered.
Details: Doors open at noon for VIP ticket holders; the general admission tasting starts at 2 p.m. Food will be available for purchase. The event will be held in the Scott’s Seafood Ballroom of the Rotary Summit Center, 7th floor (top floor), 88 S. Fourth St,, San Jose, Onsite parking garage offers 90 minutes of free parking. Tickets: https://festivalofundiscoveredgrapes.com/
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