September is California Wine Month and whether you’re a serious connoisseur of wine or a beginner seeking to learn more about varietals, now is the perfect time to experience the annual harvest season. Wine lovers can enjoy more than 50 special offers and virtual events at wineries during this year’s event, from grape stomps and wine auctions to cooking classes with wine pairings. They can also sip their favorite #Californiawines at fabulous restaurants celebrating #CaliforniaWineMonth. See some great examples below:
Wineries:
Sonoma County Wine Auction (through Sept. 20)
The virtual 2020 Sonoma County Wine Auction presents the region’s most renowned wines and more to distinguished collectors and bidders in an online auction.
Explore Lake County AVAs with Lake County Winegrape Growers (Through Sept. 30)
Virtually explore the AVAs of Lake County’s wine region through a series of photos, videos, and stories.
Taste of Sonoma at Home (Through Sept. 30)
Taste of Sonoma at Home showcases Sonoma County’s renowned wineries and chefs virtually for wine and culinary enthusiasts to taste and experience Sonoma County
Celebrate California Wine Month with the Santa Lucia Highlands (Through Sept. 30)
Discover special offers, experiences and tastings from the Santa Lucia Highlands winegrowers.
Temecula Valley CRUSH Wine & Culinary Extravaganza (Through Sept. 30)
CRUSH From Home – a series of virtual wine tastings and culinary demonstrations.
New California AVAs and Trends in California Wine with San Francisco Wine School (Through Sept. 18)
Join Master Sommelier David Glancy for a unique 8-wine virtual tasting to explore California’s new and emerging AVAs.Tasting kits available for shipping to 43 states.
Calaveras Virtual Grape Stomp: Backyard Edition with Calaveras Winegrape Alliance (Sept. 27)
Celebrating 27th Annual Calaveras County Grape Stomp. You won’t want to miss this opportunity to stomp in the First of Its Kind “Virtual Grape Stomp”!
Restaurants:
Archer Hotel Napa
Archer Hotel Napa celebrates California Wine month with 20 percent off staycations when booked through the month of September for stays through April 2021. With Northern California’s wine country as its backdrop, this award-winning boutique hotel blends elegantly elevated spaces and creative touches at every turn with the distinctly urban beat of its Downtown Napa neighborhood. Along with savoring curated California wines, guests enjoy luxe guest rooms and suites (many with private balconies and fireplaces), the progressive American cooking of Charlie Palmer Steak, a panoramic rooftop with Sky & Vine Rooftop Bar and a sincere staff dedicated to your service. Use “LOCAL” promo code.
Charlie Palmer Steak Napa
Located at Archer Hotel Napa, Charlie Palmer Steak will offer the following to-go weekend breakfast package throughout the month of September: a breakfast sandwich or avocado toast with a mimosa for $19. The restaurant is where celebrated Chef Charlie Palmer and Executive Chef Francisco Lopez, Jr. shaped menus in a bold American style, inspired by the surrounding Napa Valley agricultural and viticultural regions. While we wait for indoor dining – the breakfast and lunch menus, as well as our Coffee Bar, is available for to-go.
Dry Creek Kitchen
At Dry Creek Kitchen, we’re honored to be part of a diverse and dynamic community so dedicated to the craft of winemaking. In that spirit, we celebrate a prominent Sonoma County winemaker and winery each month, on our menus, in the restaurant and kitchen, and with our guests as part of our Maker of the Month program. This September, we lift a glass to Flowers Vineyards & Winery and will feature several of their wines on our menu, highlight a recommended food pairing and host a special pouring at our restaurant in the heart of Healdsburg. During the pouring, each guest will receive a taste of a selected wine plus access to the winemaker for questions and/or suggested wine pairings.
IRONWOOD, Cellar. Craft. Cook.
Ironwood, opened by Russ Bendel in Laguna Hills in 2016, showcases seasonal ingredients of the highest quality in cuisine prepared from scratch in the Wine Country style of chef-partner Jared Cook. The dinner-only restaurant has two outdoor patios with spectacular views of Saddleback Mountain. For California Wine Month, Chef Robert J. Barth selects the crowd-pleasing Zinfandel Braised Napa Lamb Shank with tapenade potato purée, mint yogurt, toasted feta and English cucumber to complement the smooth and silky Terena Cabernet Sauvignon 2018.
Lawry’s Restaurants
In September, we will be partnering with one of our favorite vineyards, Rodney Strong❤️. As a “family-owned, Sonoma grown” vineyard their wines pair perfectly with Lawry’s very own family-owned, California born restaurant brands. Their extensive portfolio has something to complement every diners’ taste and showcase all that California wine country has to offer!
OLEA, Cellar. Craft. Cook.
Russ Bendel opened Olea, his third wine country-inspired dining establishment in Orange County, in late 2017. The Newport Beach location embodies the best of a local, neighborhood restaurant, popular with an appreciative audience. It has received critical acclaim for its cuisine, beverage program and lively ambiance. Terena Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 pairs well with Chef Matt Viallette’s classic entrée, Pacific Northwest Filet Mignon. The tender beef is served with melted garlic & crème frache potatoes, farmers market vegetables, and zinfandel reduction. The Terena selection for California Wine Month is a personal favorite of Russ Bendel and is available by the glass or bottle.
Sapphire, Cellar. Craft. Cook.
Sapphire, Cellar. Craft. Cook. is found at one of Laguna Beach’s most beloved historic spots, the former site of the Old Pottery Shack, which goes back almost a century. Orange County restaurateur Russ Bendel assumed ownership of the restaurant in early 2020, bringing the Wine Country cuisine of chef-partner Jared Cook to the popular destination. Special dishes and cocktails have been created expressly for Laguna Beach. For California Wine Month, Chef Brent Hauck pairs the robust Treana Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 from Paso Robles with a 24-ounce Double R Ranch Bone-In Ribeye Steak, served with smoked blue cheese, mashed potatoes, Blue Lake beans, wild mushrooms and green peppercorn-cognac reduction. The wine is available by the glass or bottle.
Sky & Vine Rooftop Bar
Sky & Vine Rooftop Bar pays homage to California Wine Month with a special California wine tasting flight featuring a sparkling, white and red selection. This wine country-inspired, open-air rooftop retreat combines panoramic views of Downtown Napa and the valley beyond with elevated bar bites and beverages. Guests can cozy up in comfy lounge seating, in modern rockers around crackling stone fire pits to sip, savor and experience the valley on an entirely new level. Learn more about Sky & Vine and get ready to raise your glass, spirit and view.
The Pantry at Sapphire, Cellar. Craft. Cook.
The Pantry at Sapphire offers daily takeout breakfast, coffee, lunch and dinner with additional selections of wines, cocktails and grab-and-go sandwiches and snacks. Hope Family Wines’ Treana Cabernet Sauvignon❤️ is sold retail at a 25 percent discount from restaurants’ wine list price. Chris Hutten recommends pairing it with the best-selling American Wagyu Beef Burger, simply and perfectly prepared with Spanish cheddar cheese, Little Gem lettuce, house-made pickles, shaved onion, vine-ripened tomato, and secret sauce on a challah bun and served with hand-cut herb fries.
VINE Restaurant & Bar
Vine in San Clemente was acquired by Russ Bendel in 2013. It was his first restaurant and where he began his long and fruitful partnership with Chef Jared Cook. The concept of Wine Country cuisine is influenced by Napa Valley and other wine-producing regions and complemented by Cook’s impressive gardens at Vine, where an abundance of organic vegetables, fruit and herbs are grown and used in recipes and cocktails. Chef Nick Beutler has chosen the restaurant’s Pinot Noir Braised Prime Short Rib—with crème fraîche whipped polenta, forest mushrooms, fava beans and whole grain mustard cream—to go with the critically acclaimed Terena Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 from Paso Robles. The California Wine Month selection is available by the glass or bottle.
Heart: California Wine Month Benefiting Restaurants Care!
- Text CAWINE to 41444 to donate
- Visit https://restaurantscare.org/cawinemonth to donate
Serving Hope for Vulnerable Restaurant Employees in California
California Wine Month gives us a moment to pause and be thankful for the many ways that the wine industry enhances the restaurant business. As we celebrate all the amazing California wineries during California Wine Month, we invite you to make a donation to support restaurant workers facing an unforeseen hardship.
In 2017, the California Restaurant Association Foundation (501c3 nonprofit) launched Restaurants Care to provide direct relief to restaurant workers in times of crisis. Since its humble inception, they’ve provided aid and resources to more than 1,610 restaurant workers and their families. CRAF’s Restaurants Care fund is a critical safety-net for our restaurant community in times of need and funded by donations.
