TEMECULA, Calif., Dec. 19, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- Two more California wine-making regions have agreed to participate in an historic wine tasting to be held at South Coast Winery Resort & Spa in Temecula, Calif., on March 11.
Fourteen wineries will be pouring more than 100 different wines at the first California Regional Wine Tasting to be held in nearly two decades.
"This is an exciting way to partner with fellow wine-making regions to promote quality California wines," said Rhonda Motil, executive director of the Monterey County Vintners and Growers Association, which represents 50 wineries. "It's also a great way to taste the diversity of California wines in one central spot."
Hosted by the Temecula Valley Winegrowers Association and sponsored in part by the Wine Institute, the event will include wines from Amador, Calaveras, Mendocino, Monterey, Napa Valley, Paso Robles, Santa Cruz Mountains, Sonoma County, Livermore Valley, Lodi, San Diego, Sonoma Valley, Santa Barbara and Temecula Valley.
"It was the vision of our president to re-establish this program and promote wines from the regions on up," said Tom LaFaille with the Wine Institute, a San Francisco-based wine industry lobbying and promotional group.
The event also gives each region a chance to learn about the other and see how their wines stack up.
"Southern California is an important consumer market for growers and vintners from Sonoma," said Nick Frey, executive director of the Sonoma County Grape Growers Association. "We see this event as an attractive opportunity to showcase our wines."
For Temecula, hosting the regional tasting is recognition that Wine Country is an important wine making region.
"We are excited that other wine regions have agreed to come to Temecula," said Peggy Evans with Callaway Vineyard & Winery and who helped organize the event. "This just adds more weight to fact that Temecula is a premier wine-making region."
Tickets are $45 per person and include the tasting, a souvenir glass and hors d'oeuvres prepared by guest chef Dan Saito of South Coast. Tickets sold exclusively through the Temecula Valley Winegrowers Association and LocalWineEvents.com. For additional information or media passes call 800-801-9463.