Shop the Sales: Sonoma's Barrel Tasting Weekends - Demeter Certified (Biodynamic) Wine Futures at Up To 30% Off

There's Napa style futures - up to $4,333 a bottle, in record making headlines. And then there's Sonoma style. This weekend's barrel tasting could net Sonoma vintners millions of dollars of sales, but from much broader base of patrons.

For consumers, the barrel tasting weekend - a chance to save big money on wine futures - is a popular draw. More than 16,000 people flocked to the event last year - that's 8,000 per weekend. As in previous years, large bus parties are no longer invited to participate (due to the fact that their patrons had an above average rate of becoming rowdy and drunk).

This year's 36th annual barrel tasting takes place this weekend and the following weekend and features seven wineries with wines from certified organic or Biodynamic vineyards. To taste at multiple wineries, purchase a ticket for $50 for a weekend or $40 for one day. For details, click here.

The Biodynamic producers happen to be the only ones open with a large number of estate grown wines.

A Gift from Me

In addition, you can read detailed descriptions of the wineries and the certified wines each offers. See below for details.

A LIST BIODYNAMIC WINERIES

Porter Creek Vineyards

Porter Creek Vineyards, in the Russian River Valley AVA, is the winery of Alex Davis, grower and maker of coveted Pinot Noirs. The winery's offering 30% off on futures by the case. The wines will be released 10-18 months from now.

• For A Limited Time Only (through March 9, the end of Barrel Tasting):

I'm offering a Free Winery Listing for Porter Creek Vineyards (in .pdf format) from my app Biodynamic® Wines and Vines: Tasting and Touring Guide which lists all the Biodynamic vintners in Sonoma (8) and the rest of the country that visitors can tour. Click here to download the .pdf.

Quivira Vineyards & Winery

In Dry Creek Valley, find certified Biodynamically grown Rhone wines and Sauvignon Blanc at Quivira on Dry Creek Road. The winery's offering 20% off on futures of their Petite Sirah and Quest Zinfandel (40% off to wine club members).

• For A Limited Time Only (through March 9, the end of Barrel Tasting):

Get the Free Winery Listing for Quivira Vineyards & Winery (in .pdf format) from my app Biodynamic® Wines and Vines: Tasting and Touring Guide which lists all the Biodynamic vintners in Sonoma (8) and the rest of the country that visitors can tour. Click here to download the .pdf.

Happy touring.

And of course, if you wish to purchase the full app - Biodynamic Wines & Vines: Tasting and Touring Guide - don't hold back. This $9.99 app features all the wineries in the U.S. that you can tour that offer wines from certified Biodynamic vineyards, including 7 wineries in Sonoma alone.

While we're still in the process of changing the cover art of the three apps, everything inside is final copy. And the interactive maps are really awesome. (I didn't make them, but some good programmers did.) For info on all three apps, see here. Or to receive a launch invite for our new site BiodynamicWineFinder.com, click here.

ORGANICALLY GROWN WINES

You can also score a few bottles of organically grown wines from other wineries participating in the barrel tasting weekends. While most of the following produce mainly chemically farmed wines, they also have a few bottles that come from certified organic vineyards.

Carol Shelton

• Monga Zin (Cucamonga Valley grapes)
• Wild Thing Zin (Mendocino County grapes)

DeLoach

DeLoach makes about 500 cases of estate sourced wines from its certified Biodynamic vineyard and one additional Pinot sourced from a Biodynamic certified grower. These wines are not easily obtained, due to their limited production.

• Chardonnay-Estate
• Pinot Noir-Estate
• Pinot Noir-Maboroshi
• Rosé-Estate

Korbel 

Almost all of its production is from chemically farmed vineyards - except for one.

• Brut-Organic

Old World Winery

• Sauvignon Blanc, Elk Mountain (Lake County)

All these and more than a 100 more will be included in the new app Organically Sonoma: Wine Finder, coming in April 2014.