Barrel Overflow

Black and white stretch limousines, cars, vans and tour buses clogged the narrow roadways of Russian River, Dry Creek and Alexander valleys Saturday for a barrel-tasting bash that brought thousands of people from San Francisco, the East Bay and beyond.

Groups of friends, full of smiles, laughter and hugs, formed long lines waiting for the chance to taste infant wines straight out of the barrel.

"It's a party atmosphere where you can meet a lot of people who come from different places," said Steve Gizzi, an attorney from Benicia.

Gizzi said getting the chance to taste next year's wines was a little like going to a Paris fashion show.

"It's like what's new for the next season," he said.

Thirty-two years running, the Russian River Wine Road Barrel Tasting is one of the largest wine events of the year. Last year, it doubled in size when organizers added a second weekend.

The number of wineries has increased from just six the first year to more than 100 this year, and more than 30,000 people are expected.

"I can remember my dad and I waiting two hours between visitors the first year it was held," said Dave Rafanelli of A. Rafanelli Winery in the Dry Creek Valley.

Rafanelli estimated that 2,500 people visited the family winery Saturday, a staggering number given that the winery only accommodates up to 25 visitor appointments for weekday wine tastings.

Rafanelli said the event helps get the word out about up and coming wines. But he said the ever-growing scene is getting so big it's starting to put a strain on Sonoma County's rural vineyards.

"It's a balance. It's a double-edged sword," he said.

Ken Fischang, president of the Sonoma County Visitors Bureau, said the event differs greatly from the usual visit to a tasting room.

"You get to go to different settings, talk to the winemakers, get a sense of what's coming."

The event, which has a $20 charge at the first winery visited, continues today and next Friday, Saturday and Sunday, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day

Some wines sell out without ever hitting the market, making barrel tasting one of the only opportunities to purchase new premium and limited vintage wines, said Beth Costa, executive director of Russian River Wine Road.

At Bella Vineyards and Wine Caves, young people -- many from San Francisco -- poured into the cavelike cellar to hear bluegrass music, eat red-eye pulled pork and stone-ground grits, and of course, taste wine. The wine cellar had an unmistakable nightclub feel.

"Early in the day, there were a lot of people buying. Then later in the afternoon, it turns into a party with younger people," said Leighann Lindsay, Bella's event director. "These are our future buyers, so we're taking care of them."

Some wineries, though, have opted out of the tasting because of what they said were overwhelming crowds.

"We don't have enough wine, and it's a lot of people coming," said Lisbeth Holmefjord of Lambert Bridge Winery, where only 9,000 cases of wine are bottled annually.

Lambert Bridge, in Healdsburg, will not participate for the second time this year, after large crowds poured into its tasting room for the organized barrel tasting.

Their 2004 Cabernet sells for $90 a bottle, Holmefjord said, and the winery's club members buy nearly all the wine.

"Our wines are not for the everyday consumers," she said. "People have a good time but there is not enough in the barrels for them. It is not for the masses."

Another Healdsburg winery, J Vineyards and Winery, is not participating either, although its tasting room will be open during the weekend, said Steven Pirak, assistant tasting room manager.

"It's gotten to be bigger than what we can participate in," Pirak explained. "We prefer to keep the focus on folks tasting wine and purchasing futures, the way barrel tasting traditionally is."

At barrel tastings, sippers are able to purchase "futures" on tastes they like, then pick up their order when it's bottled 12 to 18 months down the line.

"If you don't buy when you taste from the barrel, you may never get to," Costa said. "Some wines are only expected to produce maybe 400 bottles."

The gamble? A wine may increase or decrease in value after a future is purchased. The amount a taster spends on a future then, can either be a bargain buy or an expensive blunder.

You can reach Staff Writers Martin Espinoza at 521-5213 or martin.espinoza@pressdemocrat.com and Laura Norton at 521-5220 or laura.norton@pressdemocrat.

com.THE TRAFFIC

Cars on West Dry Creek Road come to a near standstill Saturday afternoon as thousands of barrel tasters created urban-like jams on Wine Country's scenic narrow roads, with visitors coming and going in cars, trucks, vans, black and white stretch limousines, and tour buses.

Visitors, such as Gloria Reynerston of Florida, and many from as far away as Kentucky and Canada, entered dark wine cellars and tasted young wines straight out of the barrel -- several months before the bottling process -- for a sneak preview of next year's favorites.

As the day wore on, younger wine tasters -- like Nikki Goodwin, left, and Sarah Gan of San Francisco -- who one event organizer called "tomorrow's buyers," helped create a party atmosphere full of laughter and music amid the usually quiet, green rolling vineyards.