Publisher Forum Sonoma Offsite Activities
Publisher Forum Sonoma Offsite Activities
Tuesday, March 3 1:00-5:00 p.m.
Available on a first come, first served basis so the earlier you send us your selections the better!
Wine Tasting 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM
This afternoon’s adventure begins as we board our coach and head to Kunde Estate Winery. Family owned and operated for 5 generations, the Kunde family produces ultra premium 100% estate grown wines. The experience will begin with a tour through their 32,000 sq ft wine caves that are tunneled through 5 million year old volcanic lava flows. Once inside the cave, you will experience a sample of wine directly from the barrel. After that you will finish with a tasting of an array of Kunde wines. Then we will head over to the Mayo Family winery. This small, family owned operation specializes in small batch, single vineyard wines. Here you will do a private tasting in their Barrel Room.
Sonoma Bike Tour & Wine Tasting 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM
After being fitted for bikes and helmets at the hotel we will have a a short safety lecture and away we go! We will ride through historic Sonoma along paths and quiet country roads as we head towards our first winery The first winery we will stop at is Gundlach Bundschu, California’s Oldest Family Owned (6 generations, est. 1858) for a tasting and tour of the property. We hop back on the bikes for a quick 2.5 mile ride to Buena Vista Winery, California’s Oldest Winery (est. 1857) where we will learn the history of California’s wine country, taste their fabulous wine and peak into what wine making and Sonoma living would have been like 150 years ago. The Bossiett Family has resurrected Buena Vista into an experience hat everyone visiting Sonoma must see. Following the Tasting & Tour experience, we’ll head back for the hotel. The 6.2 mile outing is designed for the novice rider.
Wear comfortable shoes and appropriate biking clothing. We will need your height to order your bike.
Wine Blending Class at Anaba 1:30 PM – 5:30 PM
Act like a winemaker for the day—do what the professional winemakers do! Spend this afternoon carefully mixing separate varieties of wine into a blend to rival highly-rated Rhône-style wines! After an overview and instruction from Anaba’s winemaker, Jennifer Marion, participants will be divided into teams and gather at their team table where they will have three wines from select barrels in our winery – Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre. First, everyone tastes the raw materials. Then the real fun, creativity and team work begins… teams will carefully begin to add measured amounts of wines to formulate their blends. It’s amazing how the blend can change so dramatically with the smallest change. Once the team has finalized their wine and named it (all great blends have proprietary names), it will go to to the winemaker to be evaluated and judged. The winning team will have earned bragging rights!
Hiking in Skyline Park 1:30 PM – 5:00 PM
Join us for a hike in Skyline Park, Napa’s natural wonder! Managed by a non-profit formed to protect the area, Skyline has over 850 acres and 25 miles of hiking, biking and equestrian trails. Today we will be hiking the ridge trail, not for the faint of heart, but the spectacular views at the top of the trail are worth every step. From this trail on a clear day, you can see San Francisco Bay, Mt. Tamalpais and Mt. Diablo. Oak Tree lined trails escort you throughout the park along with a variety of wild flowers and ferns in some locations. Join us for some exercise as you take a conference break!e evaluated and judged. The winning team will have earned bragging rights!