One of the best wineries around has one of the best summer celebrations. Matanzas Creek’s Days of Wine & Lavender. The annual event usually takes place in late June.
Though it’s always nice to visit Bennett Valley’s Matanzas Creek, when the lavender’s in full bloom it’s especially nice. The kind folks at the winery turn the lavender bloom and subsequent harvest into a big afternoon garden party with gourmet food, music and dancing, bocce to play and watch, lavender crafts to make and buy, along with other activities around the winery. (You should still be able to snap up Francois Cordesse’s awesome wines with festival discounts if you buy pre-2009 vintages.)
Of course, the main activity is wine tasting. On a sunny Sonoma day, when you’re sipping a glass of cool Sauvignon Blanc amidst the lavender blooms, you’ll feel just as happy as the tame bees buzzing around the purple plants. (The bees get a bit tipsy on the lavender, apparently, as will you on the fantastic wines.)
To purchase tickets and for more info on the winery, visit: http://www.matanzascreek.com/visit/events.html
Safety First Note: If you don’t have a friend who’s a designated driver, book a hotel in Santa Rosa and have a taxi take you to the event and pick you up. Or, hire a limo to and from with a crew of friends. It would be a shame if anything happened to you that precluded you from going to next year’s Days of Wine & Lavender.
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