We understand those of you coming from out of the area might want to extend your trip to see wine country itself and not just the conference hotel. At the same time, many conference attendees will be locals and those coming from out of town have likely been to Napa and Sonoma before or will have specific things to do or people to see anyway.
Because of that, we are offering just two events for you to consider, one before the conference and one after.
On Tuesday, November 15 we will offer a special Sonoma Vineyard Walk for conference attendees. Sonoma Vineyard Walks are a wine country attraction created by conference co-organizer Zephyr Adventures, which runs active wine, beer, and food tours around the world. The walks are designed to get visitors out of the tasting rooms and into the vineyards, where much of the beauty is and, as winemakers will tell you, all the important things happen in wine. The guided walk will include lunch and a tasting at Michel-Schlumberger, located in Wine Creek Canyon just off Dry Creek Valley in Sonoma County. The walk starts at 1:00 PM and is free for conference attendees (normally $125 for the public).
You must be pre-registered to join – please email info (at) winetourismconference (dot) org to register. More information will be forthcoming regarding share rides from the conference hotel in Napa.
On Friday, November 18 our partners at Legendary Napa invite you to participate in Flavor Napa Valley. Flavor Napa Valley is a “four-day extravaganza of farm-to-table fine cuisine, world-class wines, and the fun that is had when these elements come together”. It is a series of wine and food events, many of them being held at the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone. Events are ticketed and so you should purchase tickets on your own and have your own transportation. This is the inaugural festival and net proceeds will benefit the scholarship fund at the CIA. You can learn more about activities available in the Napa Valley at legendarynapavalley.com.