Anderson Valley Winegrowers Association Announces May 17 Technical Conference Agenda

 
   
 
Anderson Valley, CA, 10 April, 2019 – The Anderson Valley Winegrowers Association is pleased to announce that this year’s Technical Conference will be held on Friday, May 17^th 2019, the day before the Anderson Valley Pinot Noir Festival Grand Tasting, at the beautiful Camp Navarro in northern Anderson Valley. The popular annual event will focus exclusively on Pinot Noir this year, featuring a day of educational seminars, vineyard-focused tastings, and much more, with a light breakfast and full lunch provided. Guests will have a chance to learn from winemakers, vineyard owners, wine educators and members of the wine media as they discuss Pinot Noir grape growing and winemaking.
 
Kicking off the region’s 22^nd annual Pinot Noir Festival (which will take place May 17, 18 and 19), the agenda for this year’s Technical Conference has expanded to include an overview of the region from Wine & Spirits Magazine Editor, Patrick Comiskey and an Anderson Valley trade panel moderated by Master Sommelier Nick Hetzel. The latter session will be informed by experts from the marketplace, from the perspective of a restaurateur, retailer and distributor of Anderson Valley Pinot Noir.
 
Also new this year will be a self-guided walk around tasting of 2018 Pinot Noir from neutral barrels, which is part of a larger terroir study currently being undertaken in Anderson Valley. The day will wrap up with a roundtable discussion of regional mesoclimates through the lens of vineyard designates, led by several duos of winemakers and viticulturists.
 
Admission is $100 and includes breakfast and lunch with accompanying Anderson Valley wines. Tickets can be purchased here. The day’s full agenda is below:
 
2019 Pinot Noir Technical Conference Agenda
8:30 AM          Welcome
9:00 AM          State of Pinot Noir—American and Global Review
9:30 AM          Anderson Valley: History, Terroir & Geographical Overview w/Patrick Comiskey, Wine & Spirits Magazine
<Break>
11:00 AM        Soil, Water and Climate Resiliency for Vineyards in the Navarro Watershed: A presentation by Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Mendocino County Resource Conservation District (MCRCD) and The Nature Conservancy (TNC)
 
11:45 AM        G3 Diam cork presentation
12:00 PM        Lunch 
1:00 PM          Walk around tasting of neutral barrel samples of Pinot Noir from 2018, grouped by region
<Break> 
2:15 PM          Barrel roundtable discussion led by winemaker/viticulturist duos
3:20 PM          Anderson Valley Trade Panel moderated by Nick Hetzel, MS
4:20 PM          Wrap
 
Attendees can stay in a variety of different accommodations at Camp Navarro, from teepees and tents to cabins. Hot showers, picnic tables and a rustic elegance provide a welcome respite for those who do not wish to drive. More information, as well as a full list of events and tickets for the full weekend festival, can be found at avpinotfest.com.
 
“We are excited about the expanded offerings of this year’s Technical Conference,” says Courtney DeGraff of the Anderson Valley Winegrowers “It’s always such an informative event, but we’re especially thrilled to have a focus on Pinot Noir through the lens of 2018 neutral barrels, as well as the expertise of both Patrick Comiskey and Nick Hetzel MS this year. We are looking forward to the education and discussions this additional content and focus will generate.”
 
About Anderson Valley
The remote Anderson Valley, located less than 100 miles north of San Francisco, is an area blessed with a cool, temperate climate and a complex patchwork of ridges and foothills with well-drained sandstone soils. Cutting laterally through the coastal range rather than lying between ridges, the region is diminutive yet has a broad range of mesoclimates: the cool, west or “deep end” of the Anderson Valley is only a few miles from the cold Pacific Ocean, while the town of Boonville is some 20 miles to the east and sees more sunshine and heat hours. The planted acreage in the Anderson Valley consists primarily of the classic Burgundian varieties—Pinot Noir and Chardonnay—while Alsace varieties such as Gewürztraminer, Pinot Gris and Riesling also play a significant role. The valley is also home to three world-renowned methode champenoise sparkling houses. 
 
About the Anderson Valley Winegrowers Association
The Anderson Valley Winegrowers Association (AVWA) is a not-for-profit trade group created in 1983 to promote the grapes and wines of the Anderson Valley winegrowing appellation. The AVWA is supported through the dues paid by its membership, generous sponsorships, and proceeds from the festivals and events the association produces each year.
 
Along with promoting the Anderson Valley as a viticultural region, we also work to build our community.
To date over $400,000 has been donated to local community groups such as the Anderson Valley Health Center, Anderson Valley Housing Association, Anderson Valley Ambulance, the Anderson Valley Fire Department, as well as the Community Foundation of Mendocino County Disaster Fund for the most recent fire relief and recovery efforts. For more information on the AVWA, please visit www.avwines.com.
 
For press inquiries and images, please contact Courtney DeGraff of the Anderson Valley Winegrowers Association at courtney@avwines.com or 707.895.9463 or reach out to Kimberly Charles of Charles Communications Associates at press@charlescomm.com or 415.701.9463.