If for some fantastic reason all lines of communication and commerce become severed, Sonoma County could sustain the wine and food fanatic's cravings season after season on it's own local bounty. It's not often enough people living there get to experience the diversity of the wine and food products pouring in from the surrounding hills and valleys in one place at one time. The Wine Showcase features dinners and lunches at the wineries all week long building up to the weekend auctions and tastings.

Carmenet Vineyards winemaker, Jeff Baker

This year the Friday night auction, (the Sonoma County Barrel Auction) was filled with drama and suspense as people kept there eyes on people's bidding paddles. For the first time in the event history a quarter barrel (5 cases) and a half-barrel (10 cases) were offered along with full barrels. More than nine-hundred wine people gathered under a tent at Kendall Jackson's Wine Center.

Barrel Tasting

This event is fast becoming the place to get wine people can't get elsewhere. Mark Steve Pope owner of Bounty Hunter, a firm that specializes in rare wines, bought the 1996 Cinq Cepages to sell to his clients. Cinq Cepages was the first Sonoma County wine to be selected by the Wine Spectator as wine of the year.

Laura Salo Long of Deloach, Left and Friends

This year the fun and suspense was heightened by noted wine makers dressing in drag and being sold into temporary slavery for a catered dinner. To quote Marshall Stowell of Share OurStrength it takes more than food to fight hunger. "Tonight it takes wine and lots of it." This Auction shows the Sonoma County wine-peoples commitment to the community. This also made Saturday's event The Taste of Sonoma a tip of the hat to the $436,240 raised at Friday nights wine auction, helping support the Redwood Empire Food Bank, a selection of local charities, and Share Our Strength, a national organization that fights hunger. With top honors of the auction going to Chuck McMinn from Los Altos who paid $35,000 for a 1\4 barrel of Peter Michael Winery, 1999 Belle Cote Chard. In the 1\2 barrel lots Chateau St. Jean, 1997 Cepages Cabernet garnered $24,000. In the whole barrel lots Five Winery Friends, 1999 Zinfandel went for a solid $16,000.

Chalk Hill Winery Owners, Fred Furth, Peggy Furth, left, introduce new Sommelier, Yves Sauboua

As a side note the Some Like it Hot Auction lot, where the heads wineries dressed in drag and sold themselves into temporarily slavery fetched $7,500. With the total gross for the whole event including corporate sponsorship, ticket sales, and silent and live auctions was $1,131,790.

Chef and Writer, Michelle Anna Jordan

With a toast to a good cause after Friday night's wine auction, Saturday July 15th at Richards Grove and Sara Lees Vineyard in Windsor was just as successful. People from all over the country were introduced to the wine and food of the Sonoma region, with a whole day dedicated to eating and drinking. With thirty-five chefs, from all over the nation and sixty-five wineries offering samples it was overwhelming to choose from foie gras tomales, scallop ceviche or squash tempura with goat cheese, not to mention choosing between a Davis Bynum Pinot and Matanzas Creek Merlot.

Mix Restaurant Chef Dan Berman

This year was only the second time food purveyors were allowed to showcase their products right along side the wineries, once again adding more dimension to the breadth of enticing items found locally such as Liberty Duck and a brand new Meyer Lemon Olive Oil. Many more in the crowd of 1400 came from outside the area, an encouraging fact to Jamie Douglas, the Executive Director of the Sonoma County Wineries Foundation. "In general, ticket sales were up from last year and the event attracted national sponsors. We're selling futures here." The future of the Sonoma County wine industry. It's focused and gaining momentum." Jamie Douglas said.

Chalk Hill Winery Owners, Fred Furth, Peggy Furth, and Yves Sauboua

The Sonoma County Wine and Food Showcase's three-day party and fundraiser ended melodically with many event goers staying late into the evening twilight listening to the San Francisco Symphony play at Sonoma Cutrer Winery. This year was the most successful wine and food event to date, giving all those who attended a true taste of Sonoma County's Bounty.