Sonoma County Showcase Weekend Of Wine & Food
Debuts Exciting New Offerings For 2007
Wine Country's Most Popular Consumer Event Expands with
New Activities and National Partners

May 4, 2007 - Santa Rosa, CA: Sonoma County Vintners has unveiled the new look of the Sonoma County Showcase Weekend of Wine & Food, which for 2007 features innovative new events, national lifestyle partners, and the ultimate in luxury epicurean experiences. Taking place July 12-15 at locations throughout Sonoma County, Showcase is the definitive Wine Country experience, offering the best of wine, food, and upscale accommodations to a national audience.

As the Presenting Sponsor of the Sonoma County Showcase of Wine & Food, Visa Signature cardholders will enjoy access to an exclusive ticket pre-sale (through May 7) and other on-site benefits.

Additionally, Wine Spectator and The Wall Street Journal return as national media partners and are joined for 2007 by Gourmet magazine, the epicurean media sponsor of the Taste of Sonoma portion of Showcase. Together, they will provide unrivaled marketing and promotional support for the event and Sonoma County's wines and wineries.

Noteworthy among the many enhancements to Showcase is the removal of the live auction component. Proceeds from the Showcase events will continue to benefit local charities, but Sonoma County Vintners' new partnership with the Imagine Auction allows the live auction to move from Showcase to the inaugural Sonoma Paradiso auction held in October, 2007. With this change, Showcase focuses exclusively on creating the ultimate Wine Country epicurean gala, which features several exciting new events.

Sonoma Weekend Experience makes its debut with four extremely limited all-access luxury packages for the upscale traveler. Guests have a choice of the Mayacama Golf Experience at the private Mayacama Golf Club and its Jack Nicklaus-designed course, Kenwood Spa Experience at the Kenwood Inn & Spa, Wine Camp Safari Experience among the 400 wild African animals at Safari West Wildlife Preserve, and the Winery Experience, offering lodging among the vineyards and behind-the-scenes access at private winery guest houses. Each package is limited to between 6 and 30 couples and includes VIP tickets to all Showcase events.

Also new for 2007 is the Sonoma Family Style Benefit and Gala, which kicks off the weekend onFriday evening at Kendall-Jackson Wine Center. This grand celebration of Sonoma County's heritage and traditions is the party of the year, with dancing and live entertainment along with a unique twist on a gala winemaker dinner. Sponsored by Wine Spectator, Sonoma Family Style features the favorite recipes of six local wine families interpreted by some of the County's best chefs: Duskie Estes & John Stewart with the McWilliams family of Arista Winery, John Ash with the Schug family, Jonathan Waxman with the Hanna family, Josh Silvers with the Jackson family, Mark Stark with the Bertran family of Gloria Ferrer, and Jon Helquist with the Seghesio family. Within each chef area, guests enjoy their meal at intimate winemaker-hosted tables.

Saturday and Sunday, Taste of Sonoma will be hosted by the Gallo Family at beautiful MacMurray Ranch. The event expands this year to two full days to truly encompass all that Wine Country has to offer. More than 100 wineries and 50 chefs will sample their wines and food, and for the first time consumers will have the unique opportunity to purchase the wines they've tasted on site at the Taste of Sonoma Wine Shop. They'll also enjoy a chef competition and seminars at the Gourmet Demonstration Kitchen, wine education classes presented by Wine Spectator and sample sparkling wines in the Macy's Bubble Lounge.

Other popular events include In the Vineyard Experience, a "hands-on, get your boots dirty" interactive vineyard tour and tasting held at Gallo's Barrelli Creek Vineyard and Kunde Estate's Wildwood Vineyard and presented in cooperation with the Sonoma County Winegrape Commission. Winery Lunches and Dinners are held on Thursday and Friday and offer intimate winemaker-hosted meals on-site overlooking the vineyards. More than 20 wineries open their doors and kitchens for these memorable experiences. Additionally, Gary Farrell Vineyards & Winery celebrates its 25 th anniversary with a Showcase winemaker dinner extravaganza on Thursday evening.

Tickets to all events are on sale now exclusively to Visa Signature cardholders, and will be available May 8 to the general public. They can be purchased at www.sonomawine.com/showcase or by calling the Showcase hotline at 800-939-7666.

Sonoma County Showcase of Wine & Food is produced by the Sonoma County Vintners, the nonprofit organization dedicated to the promotion of the county's world-class wines and wineries. Throughout the event's 27-year history, proceeds have benefited local charities. Beneficiaries for the 2007 event are the Redwood Empire Food Bank, the Santa Rosa Junior College Foundation, and area Boys & Girls Clubs.

The 2007 Sonoma County Showcase Weekend of Wine & Food is presented by Visa Signature, whose cardholders will receive exclusive benefits throughout the event. Taste of Sonoma is hosted by Gallo Family Vineyards and MacMurray Ranch. Premier sponsors of Showcase are the Sonoma County Winegrape Commission and Southern Wine & Spirits of California. Major sponsors are Acqua Panna, San Pellegrino, Land Rover, Macy's, and Caliber WinePak. National media partners are Gourmet, Wine Spectator, and The Wall Street Journal. Vintner sponsors are Gallo Family Vineyards, MacMurray Ranch, Matanzas Creek Winery, Rodney Strong Vineyards, and Stonestreet Alexander Mountain Estate. Supporting sponsors are American Ag Credit, Weber, and the Sonoma County Tourism Bureau.

For more information about Showcase, visit www.sonomawine.com/showcase.

About Sonoma County Vintners
Sonoma County Vintners is the leading voice of Sonoma County wine, dedicated to increasing awareness and improving the quality image of its wines to consumers, media, and trade locally and globally. With almost 65,000 vineyard acres planted among the county's 13 American Viticultural Areas (AVAs), Sonoma County is considered one of the world's premier winegrowing regions, producing an unparalleled range of varietals and wine styles. SCV has promoted this diversity and quality since 1944, and currently represents more than 150 member wineries. For more information on the wines and wineries of Sonoma County, visit www.sonomawine.com.