A Sipping Season

For every thing there is a season. For wine festivals, the season is now, with handfuls of them happening left and right starting this weekend and many more to come as we ease into summer and through fall.

Friday-Sunday

Anderson Valley Pinot Noir Festival

More than a decade since its founding, this festival is hot, hot, hot, not only because of where it is (which tends actually to be cool) but what it is -- pinot.

Things kick off Friday with a technical conference (8 a.m.-4 p.m., $100) featuring John Winthrop Haeger, author of "North American Pinot Noir," along with Andrew Walker from UC Davis and a sommelier panel featuring Catherine Fallis, Peter Marks and John Burke. That's followed by a vineyard tour and barbecue at the historic Day Ranch, the current home of Standish Wine Company.

A grand tasting is held Saturday afternoon at Goldeneye Winery, offering food from local purveyors as well as local art, entertainment and a silent auction. The weekend concludes Sunday with a series of open houses throughout the Anderson Valley.

Participants: Baxter Winery, Black Kite Cellars, Breggo, Brogan, Cakebread, Copain Wines, Drew, Elke Vineyards, Foursight Wines, Goldeneye, Greenwood Ridge, Gryphon Wines, Handley Cellars, Harmonique, Husch, Jim Ball Vineyards, La Crema, Lazy Creek, Londer, MacPhail, Madrigal, Navarro, Phillips Hill Estates, Philo Ridge, Raye's Hill, Roederer, Roessler, Saintsbury, Scharffenberger Cellars, Standish Wine Company, Toulouse Vineyards, Williams Selyem and Zina Hyde Cunningham Winery.

When: Saturday 11 a.m.-3 p.m.; Sunday hours vary by winery

Cost: $50-$135

Info: 895-WINE, avwines.com

Saturday

Uncorked! Wine Festival

Hosted by Copia at San Francisco's Ghirardelli Square, this annual fest features 45 top-tier wineries from Napa, Sonoma, Mendocino, Santa Cruz, Monterey, Paso Robles and Santa Barbara counties, as well as food demonstrations, wine and chocolate pairings, wine education and more.

Participants: Beringer, B.R. Cohn, Chateau St. Jean, Etude, Hook and Ladder, Naumann, Oberon, Quivira, Rutherford Ranch, Souverain, Stags' Leap, St. Clement, TAZ and more.

When: 1-6 p.m.

Where: 900 North Point St., San Francisco

Cost: $40 advance, $45 door

Info: (415) 775-5500, ghirardellisq.com

Saturday-Sunday

Passport to Sonoma Valley

More than 40 Sonoma Valley wineries present hundreds of their wines, food pairings and other amusements throughout the Sonoma Valley. At B.R. Cohn, for instance, they'll be featuring nine varieties of Belgique Truffle Gateau, a truffle baked with Belgian dark and milk chocolate, with their wines.

At Gundlach Bundschu, which is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year, the draw is a Bavarian Wine Garden Oktoberfest with gewurztraminer, Bavarian appetizers and live music by Lederhosen-wearing accordionists.

Participants: Arrowood Vineyards, Audelssa Estate, Blackstone, B.R. Cohn, Chateau St. Jean, David Noyes Wines, Gundlach Bundschu, Gloria Ferrer, Jacuzzi Family Vineyards, Kunde, Landmark, Larson Family, Matanzas Creek, Mayo Family, Petroni, Ravenswood, Spann Vineyards, St. Francis, Tin Barn, Valley of the Moon, Viansa and more.

Cost: $50 weekend, $45 one day, $10 designated driver in advance; $60 weekend, $55 one day at the door.

When: 11 a.m.-4 p.m. both days

Where: Check in at The Lodge at Sonoma, St. Francis Winery, Valley of the Moon Winery or Viansa.

Info: 935-0803, sonomavalleywine.com

Saturday-Sunday

Rutherford Appellation Spring Passport

They say the wines of this Napa Valley sub-appellation exhibit a special "Rutherford dust" quality, a good thing in a cabernet sauvignon, for which Rutherford has long been known.

Taste for yourself during this weekend of food and wine pairings galore, including barrel tastes, special library wines and such.

Participants: Alpha Omega, Conn Creek, Elizabeth Spencer, Fleury Estate, Honig, Martin Estate, Peju Province, Pina Napa Valley, Raymond, Rubicon Estate, Rutherford Grove, Rutherford Hill, Sawyer Cellars, Slaughterhouse Cellars, St. Supery and Sullivan.

Cost: $50 weekend, $40 Sunday only

When: 11 a.m.-4 p.m. both days

Info: rutherford-appellation-wineries.com

May 30-31

Carneros Heritage Fest

On May 30, there will be an all-lamb winemaker dinner (6:30 p.m., $125) at the Carneros Inn in Napa with Michael Terrien of Kazmer & Blaise, Sean Foster of Merryvale, Jeff Stewart of Buena Vista Carneros, Axel Schug of Schug Carneros Estate, Steve Rogstad of Cuvaison Estate, John Clews of Clos du Val, Matthew Glynn of Acacia Winery and Anne Moller-Racke of The Donum Estate.

At the May 31 Heritage Fest, expect a lamb barbecue, wine pairings, sheep herding and falconry demonstrations, artisan wool boutiques, live music by the chef-infested Back Burner Blues Band, vineyard walks, marsh walks and other outdoorsy activities, with a new feature this year: two grower pavilions in which Carneros growers will pair themselves with the wineries who buy their grapes.

Cost: $75

When: Saturday fest runs noon-4 p.m.

Where: The Donum Estate, 24520 Ramal Road, Sonoma

Info: 253-2678, carnerosheritagefest.com

June 7-8

Russian River Passport

A highlighting of Russian River Valley wineries with rare access to some of the smaller players and another fine event for small-lot pinot noir lovers, this is a drive-around tasting where one ticket gets you into all the participating wineries. Lots of food, music and tours, too.

Participants: Arista, C. Donatiello, Churchill Cellars, De La Montanya, Deloach, Harvest Moon, Hook and Ladder Winery, Kasuari, Kokomo, Martin Ray, Matrix, Moshin, Papapietro Perry, Pellegrini Family, Russian Hill Estate, Russian River Vineyards, Roessler Cellars, T.R. Elliott and more.

Cost: Tickets only available in advance; $89 weekend, $49 Sunday only

When: 11 a.m.-4 p.m. both days

Info: 922-1096, russianriverpassport.com

June 7-8

Taste of the Alexander Valley

Taste the wines of more than 25 wineries throughout the stunning Alexander Valley at this annual event with plenty of wine (refreshing whites, too), food and music. A kick-off alfresco winemaker dinner ($80) begins Friday night at 5:30 p.m. at Hoot Owl Creek Vineyard's lovely picnic grounds.

Participants: Blue Rock, Hanna, Meeker Vineyard, Mojon's Bench, Mosaic/deLorimier, Robert Young Estate, Rosenblum Cellars, Silver Oak (Saturday only), Simi, Stonestreet, Stryker Sonoma and Souverain.

Cost: $65 advance, $75 door

When: 11 a.m.-4 p.m. both days

Info: (888) AV-WINES, alexandervalley.org

You can reach Staff Writer Virginie Boone at 521-5440 or virginie.boone@pressdemocrat.

com.