The ‘Godfather of Zinfandel’ to share his story in Sonoma

The Sonoma County Wine Library will present its Visual Oral History of vintner Joel Peterson, founding winemaker of Ravenswood Winery.|
PEG MELNIK
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
September 19, 2022

SONOMA

The Sonoma County Wine Library will present one of its Visual Oral History videos and events with vintner Joel Peterson, founding winemaker of Ravenswood Winery, Sept. 29 at the Sonoma Community Center, 276 E. Napa St. in Sonoma. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the event starts at 7 p.m. Tickets are $40 per person, $30 for wine library members and $20 for Sonoma State University and Santa Rosa Junior College students. To reserve, visit sonomawinelibraryassn.org/events. Peterson is known as the “Godfather of Zinfandel” and also was president of ZAP, Zinfandel Advocates and Producers. The vintner will be pouring his current brand, Once and Future, before the screening and will be available afterward to field questions.

SONOMA

Johnny Doughnuts has partnered with Anaba Wines to curate an exclusive tasting experience featuring a series of three of Anaba’s Turbine wines, paired with three doughnuts. The appointment-only tasting, which is $45 per person, will run through October. To reserve, visit anabawines.com. Anaba is at 62 Bonneau Road, 707-996-4188. Johnny Doughnuts is known for its use of local and organic ingredients with vegan and wheat-free options. Founded in 2012, it now has four locations in the Bay area and Sonoma County.

NAPA

Tickets are now on sale for the Collective Napa Valley Vintage Celebration coming in November. The string of events includes a Winemaker’s Tasting at Inglenook, 1991 St. Helena Highway S. in Rutherford, Nov. 4.

On Nov. 5, there will be a Boots on the Ground tour of various wineries, followed by a Vintage Celebration Dinner at Opus One, 7900 St. Helena Highway in Oakville. To reserve, you must be a member of Collective Napa Valley. Visit collectivenapavalley.com to find details for the range of donations available, including Fund-A-Need for fire prevention, mitigation and restoration.

The Cabernet Classic Grand Tasting will be at 2:30 p.m. Nov. 5 on the lawn of the Meritage Resort & Spa, 875 Bordeaux Way, Napa. Guests will sip on wines from more than 30 wineries from Napa Valley and beyond while sampling light bites. Paul Hobbs, Freemark Abbey and Beringer will be among many wineries pouring. Tickets are $150 per person. To reserve, visit cabernetclassic.com.

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

Peg Melnik

Wine, The Press Democrat

Northern California is cradled in vines; it’s Wine County at its best in America. My job is to help you make the most of this intriguing, agrarian patch of civilization by inviting you to partake in the wine culture – the events, the bottlings and the fun. This is a space to explore wine, what you care about or don’t know about yet.

UPDATED: Please read and follow our commenting policy:

  • This is a family newspaper, please use a kind and respectful tone.
  • No profanity, hate speech or personal attacks. No off-topic remarks.
  • No disinformation about current events.
  • We will remove any comments — or commenters — that do not follow this commenting policy.