5 Ways to prep for Sonoma’s Wine Road Barrel Tasting

Five things to know about this year’s Wine Road Barrel Tasting:

1. This is the 41st Wine Road tasting, and the serious tasters will be focused on the sneak preview of the barrel samples and their pure potential. Those who fancy what they taste will be inclined to purchase “futures” or barrel samples that require another 12 months or so of aging before they’re bottled.

2. If you’re a procrastinator, the barrel tasting is a spring rite of passage that has great appeal. If you don’t want to commit yourself, you can go on a whim, pluck down $50 for the weekend or $40 for a Sunday-only pass, grab a glass and taste away.

3. For the planners among us, half the fun is designing the blueprint - the route. Search out your favorite wineries and most treasured varietals. Color-code your map and enjoy each sip en route.

4. There has been plenty of generational sniping between baby boomers and millennials in the past. Will this be a year where there is more or less of it? Who knows? But one tip from those who want to dodge overzealous tasting is to show up for the Friday events and/or the Saturday morning Winemaker Breakfast and Q&A.

5. The barrel tasting gives people a peek at the backroads of Sonoma County - the Russian River, Dry Creek, and Alexander valleys. It has become an international affair, with people coming from many states, as well as several countries. Factor in traffic because limousines will be snaking through the winding roads, reminding us that Sonoma County has guests.

The Wine Road Barrel Tasting is Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and March 9-11, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. For detailed information about the participating wineries, etc., visit www.wineroad.com.

Wine writer Peg Melnik can be reached at 707-521-5310 or peg.melnik@pressdemocrat.com.