California Wine Month Kicks Off

September is California Wine Month: an exciting time of year for wine lovers and a much needed income boost as many winemakers in the Napa Valley recover from a 6.0 earthquake that damaged 100 wineries according to Napa Valley Vintners. With the grapes ready for harvest, the aroma of fermentation filling the air and nearly 100 great wine events to choose from, there's never been a better time to visit California's wine regions.

During California Wine Month wineries and festivals across the state will extend a warm California welcome to wine-loving consumers, who can mingle with their favorite winemakers and get in on the harvest action themselves.

Whether you're a novice or an expert, California's diverse winegrowing regions - encompassing more than 122 unique viticultural areas - offer plenty of ways to explore wine, from picking and crushing grapes to festivals, events, VIP tours, tastings and concerts. For full details on activities, go to: www.discovercaliforniawines.com/californiawinemonth.

This September marks the 10th consecutive year that California's Governor has proclaimed September California Wine Month. "We appreciate the recognition of the wine industry's contributions to our state's economy, culture and lifestyle by Governor Brown," said Robert P. (Bobby) Koch, President and CEO of Wine Institute, which created California Wine Month a decade ago. "As the leading wine and food destination in the U.S., we look forward to sharing California's excellent wines and innovative cuisine with both our neighbors at home and visitors from around the world."

Following are just a few of the exciting events and activities in September.

North Coast
Up in redwood country, Mendocino's 30th Annual Winesong 2014 Charity Auction & Tasting begins with the Anderson Valley Pinot Noir Celebration on Sept. 5-a chance to mingle with winemakers and savor the offerings of 25 wineries paired with culinary delights, all overlooking the ocean at the Little River Inn.

On Sept. 6 the Winesong Food & Wine Tasting offers guests a lush Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens setting paired with regional vintages, as well as 50 Mendocino County food purveyors and nine diverse music groups. That same day is the Winesong Charity Auction, featuring the chance to bid on incredible trips, wine, art and food-all benefiting local health services. This year guests can enjoy the new Art Salon, where attendees can mingle with the artists at the silent auction and ask questions about their work.

Inland Valleys
Lodi vintners and growers are excited to announce the launch of SIP SAVOR LODI - a premier, three-day harvest celebration held Sept. 26-28. The festivities include an alfresco Harvest Dinner downtown; Cellar Tours where you can enjoy barrel tasting, food pairings, live music, and special discounts; and a Grand Tasting finale at the beautiful Wine & Roses Hotel.

The Madera Vintners Association's California Wine Month Tasting Reception on Sept. 12 will offer wine tasting from local wineries, food by a variety of local restaurants and live music. Guests will also have the opportunity to participate in the People's Choice Award by voting for their favorite wine of the evening. Proceeds from this event benefit scholarships for Viticulture & Enology students.

Livermore and Santa Cruz Areas
In the Santa Cruz Mountains, the 32nd Annual Capitola Art and Wine Festival will bring together wineries, local restaurants, artists, crafts and music for a fun weekend Sept. 13-14-all just steps from the beach in Capitola.

Central Coast
Savor the unique California Central Coast wine country lifestyle Sept. 25-28 at the 5th Annual Sunset SAVOR the Central Coast - one of the premier wine and food events in the West. This four-day wine and food immersion event takes place at the renowned Santa Margarita Ranch and throughout San Luis Obispo County and features celebrity chefs, winemaker seminars, a sunset dinner at Hearst Castle, more than 200 regional wine tastings and much more. The event boasts many new elements this year, including expanded adventure tours, new VIP hotel and ticket getaway packages, signings and workshops with California celebrity chefs Fabio Viviani and Tanya Holland.

Santa Barbara's Santa Ynez Valley Wine Month Sept. 1-30 features various wineries offering fun events, classes, winemaker dinners, tastings and special wine and hotel packages in the towns of Buellton, Ballard, Los Alamos, Los Olivos, Santa Ynez, and Solvang.

Sierra Foothills
Over on the north side is the 29th Annual Lake Tahoe Autumn Food & Wine Festival Sept. 5-7, featuring grape stomps, wine and food pairings, celebrity chefs, wine seminars, cooking demos, the Blazing Pans Mountain Chef Cook-Off, a "winemaker for a day" immersion class, hikes, gourmet marketplace, culinary competition and grand tasting, farm-to-table dinner, winemaker dinners, Grand Tastings and live entertainment.

Headed for Gold Country? On Sept. 6, enjoy Nevada City Uncorked, a walk-about-town style festival that includes 20 different venues throughout downtown. This year's theme is "farm-to-table from grapes to zucchini" and 18 wineries from Nevada and Placer Counties will be pairing up with local chefs and farmers for a delightful culinary experience.

Southern California
Enjoy California wines at CRUSH: Temecula Valley Wine & Culinary Showcase, a multi-winery harvest festival with wine, food and live music on Sept.13. You can also purchase a SIP, Temecula Style passport, which offers savings at your choice of four out of 30-plus wineries anytime during the month of September. This year features a new VIP Winemakers Reception Sept. 13 boasting some of the region's renowned artisans and wines.

To learn more about California wine country, go to www.discovercaliforniawines.com for information on wine regions, wines and winery amenities to plan your trip. For more wine and food trip ideas, from great restaurants to agritourism experiences, check out Visit California's Wine and Dine page.

Established in 1934, Wine Institute is the association of nearly 1,000 California wineries and wine-related businesses that initiate and advocate state, federal and international public policy to enhance the environment for the responsible production, consumption and enjoyment of wine. For information, visit www.wineinstitute.org.