For those who like to mix up their kickoff to summer with some top-notch tastings, there are two very different events this weekend that are well worth your while.
Reach for the Moon
This Saturday June 1 is the Reach for the Moon! master class and tasting with critic Antonio Galloni of Vinous. It’s a unique event, just the second annual (last year’s event sold out), notable for the quality of the wines available to taste and the location at the landmark Monte Rosso vineyard—a spot rarely open to the public, high in the Mayacamas above the town of Sonoma.
The event is called Reach for the Moon because the focus is on rare wines from the Moon Mountain District AVA, with over 25 high-end wineries participating, including Repris Wines, Kamen Estate Wines, BRION, Bedrock Wine Co., and Winery Sixteen 600.
Critic Antonio Galloni’s morning master class session leads guests through a tasting of still-developing 2023 wines from the barrel, followed by a rare 10-year retrospective tasting of the 2013 wine from the same producer and vineyard. That’s followed by food and a larger group tasting in the afternoon.
And after shuttling back down from Monte Rosso, there’s a killer free afterparty at the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn featuring live music from jazz bassist Tony Saunders.
Sat. June 1, from $250 per person. moonmountaindistrict.org
Big West Wine Fest
Also this weekend, the second annual Big West Wine Fest, which also sold out in 2023, is back again at Solar Punk Farms in Guerneville, with over 50 natural and low-intervention wine and cider producers featured each day of the two-day fest, including selections from Sonoma Magazine 2021 and 2024 “winemakers to watch” winners Emme Wines, Ashanta, Maison des Plaisances, Ward Four Wines, Fres.Co, Orixe Sotelo, LOTIS Wines, Desire Lines, Caleb Leisure, Ruth Lewandowski, and more.
The vibe under the redwoods is relaxed and breezy, with plenty of time to chat casually with top natural winemakers. Event organizers Emily Fair Weber and Nina Kravetz explain the event celebrates mainstay winemakers as well as fresh faces, the farmers and the vineyards that make Sonoma County such a hotspot of the natural wine movement. There are food trucks and crafts for kids, plus live music all day both days and free ice cream.
June 1-2, one-day tickets from $80. bigwestwinefest.com