Finer side of harvest

Planners spend all year planning for harvest-time blow-out dinners, lunches, parties, tasting sessions and all manner of other ways to take in the harvest without getting dirty. And those don't even include the blockbuster Sonoma Wine Country Weekend, the biggest series of Wine Country events of the year, held over Labor Day weekend.

So take your pick and leave the grape-picking to the pros.

Stonestreet Winery's new Summit School program features classes led by top industry professionals. They are hourlong workshops on wine, viticulture and food; the next one will be held September 6 at the Alexander Valley winery. Sessions are limited to 25 students. For this session, Gilian Handleman, the former director of education for Wine & Spirits Magazine, will teach the dynamics of sensory analysis and varietal identification, using tried-and-true techniques used by winemakers and sommeliers. From 1 to 2 p.m. $25. 7111 Highway 128, Healdsburg, 473-3306 or jeff.bean@stonestreetwines.com.

This is a two-day package, Sept. 9 and 10, of interactive winemaking activities, local and seasonal cooking demonstrations and dining experiences, in and around Healdsburg, led by Relish Culinary Adventures.

The festivities begin with a Winemaker's Dinner at Barndiva restaurant where four seasonal courses will be accompanied by four different wines, presented by their respective winemakers. The next morning, guests gather at the Relish Culinary Center for a cooking demonstration of seasonal Wine Country dishes with chef Christopher Greenwald, one of Relish's favorite chefs, to learn creative ways of using locally grown and produced ingredients; samples of each recipe will be tasted and paired with Sonoma County wines.

A private three-course lunch and wines at Charlie Palmer's Dry Creek Kitchen will be held mid-day, then participants are transported to Quivira Vineyards and Winery in Dry Creek Valley to become Winemaker for a Day, an interactive winemaking experience and tasting.

$450. 14 Matheson St., Healdsburg, (877) 759-1004, www.relishculinary.com.

Get a behind-the-scenes tour of Michel-Schlumberger Wine Estate in Healdsburg, Thursday, Sept. 17, a chance to see the inner workings of an artisan wine estate during crush.

The tour is followed by a traditional harvest lunch in view of the vineyards sourced from the winery's own gardens. From 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. $75. 4155 Wine Creek Road, Healdsburg, 433-7427, www.michelschlumberger.com.

Clif Bar founders Gary Erickson and Kit Crawford live and farm in the Pope Valley part of St. Helena and will open their place Saturday September 19 for an afternoon of local food, olive oil and wine from their own property and their Ink Grade neighbors. Olive oil will be tasted, the farm toured, fresh produce from the vegetable garden enjoyed, food and wine paired and lots more.

Winemaker Sarah Gott will be on hand to guide wine tastings and explorations of the farm.

The day's proceeds will benefit the Community Alliance for Family Farmers. From 4 to 8 p.m. $100. 968-0625, www.cliffamilywinery.com.

The historic Charles Krug Winery in St. Helena hosts its 58th annual Tastings on the Lawn event, Saturday, September 19, a stroll-around tasting of the producer's current vintages, from its refreshing sauvignon blanc to its high-end Bordeaux blend, Generations, a nod to the Peter Mondavi family's longtime ownership of the property and its wines. With food pairings and live music on the lush lawn. Bring lawn chairs, picnic blankets, straw hats and comfy shoes.

From 2 to 5 p.m. $30 advance/$35 door. 2800 Main St., St. Helena, (888) 747-5784, www.charleskrug.com.

The first annual Zintopia kicks off Saturday, September 19, an open-air festival highlighting more than 50 small-production wines, put on by the Winegrowers of Dry Creek Valley.

In addition to wine tasting with the winemakers and growers of the area, with an emphasis on zinfandel, of course, there'll be educational events and a big-time harvest celebration, with live music by The SoulShine Blues Band and a pastoral market featuring local olive oils, jams, honey, fresh produce, sweets, soaps, crafts and wildflowers.

You'll also get an overview of the appellation's terroir, behind-the-scenes look at harvest and of course, de rigueur demonstration grape stomp. Dess is wine country chic but wear comfortable shoes.

From 2 to 7 p.m. $75. Lake Sonoma Warm Springs Recreation Area, 3333 Skaggs Springs Road, Geyserville, 433-3031, www.wdcv.com.

In its 112th year, the Valley of the Moon Vintage Festival, Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 26 and 27, is a weekend of walk-around wine and food tasting, live music and old-fashioned grape stomp, happening in and around the historic Sonoma Square. The festival begins with a blessing of the grapes and also includes a re-enactment of the Bear Flag Revolt.

No fee to enter the walk-around tasting. From 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Broadway and Napa streets, Sonoma, 996-2109, http://sonomavinfest.org/.

For those looking to enjoy the harvest from atop a bike, consider Mendocino County's Harvest Ride, a series of athletic events scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 4.

The most ambitious can sign on for the Harvest Century, a 100-mile ride starting at Fetzer's barrel facility in Hopland which then climbs up rural Mountain House Road to Boonville with another climb up and over the hills back to Ukiah on to Redwood Valley, over the Lake Mendocino dam and through plenty more vineyards and farmland. Others can look into a 62-mile course with many of the same points of interest, or the Harvest Fun Ride, a 31-mile course, or Harvest Family Fun Ride, a more reasonable 11 miles through gorgeous vineyard land. All conclude with a barbecue lunch at Fetzer.

$20-$45. 12901 Old River Road, Hopland, 467-4900, www.harvestride.com.

Virginie Boone is a freelance wine writer based in Sonoma County. She can be reached at virginieboone@yahoo.com