Wine tasting with a Boisset twist

Adventure sipping?

DeLoach Vineyards now has a series of tasting experiences for those who like to pair wine with whimsy.

"Vintner Jean-Charles Boisset has always believed that a hands-on approach is the best way to educate guests," said Anna Miranda of Boisset Family Estates. "People learn by doing. Here at DeLoach, we make learning fun, approachable and accessible."

The most exotic experience is to taste the winery's limited-production wines with the backdrop the authentic decor and fashion of the 17th-century royal court.

"The renaissance of DeLoach has been a longtime dream for Jean-Charles, whose vision has always been to transform the winery into the premiere destination of exploration and discovery in Sonoma County," Miranda said.

The "Theater of Nature" is another interesting activity. It's a self-guided tour through the vineyards and garden that illustrates DeLoach's organic and biodynamic farming philosophy.

"Providing guests with hands-on experiences not only leads to a memorable experience, but they also learn something in a fun way," Miranda said.

Foodies will find the "The Magic of Wine and Mustard" particularly intriguing. Guests actually make their own mustard from Dijon mustard seed, and the tour ends with mustard-inspired food and a flight of DeLoach wine.

Yet another hands-on adventure is the "M.F.S. Blending Experience." M.F.S. stands for "My Finest Selection" and it's a take off of O.F.S. or "Our Finest Selection." Here, guests blend their own bottling with a personal, custom wine label.

For those who like to know where the grapes in their glass were grown, the "The Vineyard Designate Tasting" will appeal to them. Here, guests taste a flight of vineyard-designate wines beneath a towering, three-dimensional map of Sonoma County.

DeLoach Vineyards in Santa Rosa has been producing pinot noir, chardonnay and zinfandel in Sonoma's Russian River Valley since 1975. The Boisset Family of Burgundy has been at the helm since 2003, transporting approaches of Burgundy to winemaking in the Russian River Valley. Under Boisset, DeLoach has become a certified organic and Biodynamic winery.