Employing fire dancers, a gospel choir and a drone light show, in just two years, the TOWN dinner series — short for Traveling Off-Season For Wine Night — has turned the age-old model for a wine dinner upside down.
Now, its co-founders, Arthur Murray, co-owner of Flambeaux Wine, and Alexander Harris (who goes by A3l3xzand3r), co-owner of The Harris Gallery Art & Wine Collection, are using their fun ways to foster relationships among small, family-owned wineries in Sonoma County.
On Dec. 4, the inaugural Blind Bottle Bash took place at Flambeaux Wine in Healdsburg. Wax-sealed invitations were hand-delivered to a group of nearly 30 family-owned wineries and sommeliers. Unlike TOWN dinners, no tickets were sold, and the public wasn’t invited. But don’t mistake this for the typical industry party.
“It’s supposed to be a community, and this is how they used to do it, I’m told,” said Murray, who estimated he had never met about half of the Blind Bottle Bash attendees. “I want us all to get to know each other. There’s a synergy here. I think if we stand together as small, really good wineries, we can succeed. No one comes to Wine Country to taste at one place.”
In true TOWN fashion, the evening had a lively theme. A life-size animated Darth Vader, Stormtrooper and Chewbacca greeted guests — the TOWN duo has a soft spot for the Star Wars saga. Each of the 20 wineries in attendance was asked to bring a red and white wine of any vintage or varietal for a friendly blind tasting competition. That’s where an A-list of sommeliers dressed in Jedi robes came into play.
Sommeliers in attendance included Ryan Knowles and Adrienne Harkey (Maison Healdsburg); Jon Macklem (Dry Creek Kitchen); Jared Hooper (Mayacama); James Spain (Beckon and Major Tom restaurants in Denver, formerly SingleThread); Laurel Livezey (Little Saint); Shelley Lindgren (San Francisco’s A16); as well as radio and television personality Ziggy Eschliman.
As the sommeliers sipped and swirled, they took advantage of a rare opportunity to relax, chat, and in some cases, meet for the first time.
“Events like this remind me of why I love being part of the Sonoma winemaking community. Even though people often assume that winery owners all know each other, the truth is that we’re usually so focused on harvest, hospitality and our own vineyards that we don’t get many chances to just connect,” said Justin Plott, direct-to-consumer manager at Thomas George Estates. “I definitely met several winemakers/owners I hadn’t crossed paths with before and it was refreshing to talk shop in a relaxed setting rather than during the chaos of the season.”
Shelly Rafanelli of A. Rafanelli Winery said she enjoyed catching up with other vintners so much that at the end of the night, she realized she’d only taken one picture. “It was just a really fun night. To get out and talk to other vintners and other winery people; the camaraderie is really nice.”
Narrowing down the winery invite list was no easy task. TOWN’s general guidelines were based on a rule of 10, including wineries located within 10 miles of Healdsburg city limits, in business for 10 years, and a production of 10 thousand cases or less. Participating wineries included: Aldina Vineyards, Anthill Farms, Aperture Cellars, A. Rafanelli, Bacigalupi, Bella Vineyards + Wine Caves, Croix Estate Winery, Flambeaux Wine, Gros Ventre Cellars, Lambert Bridge, Leo Steen Wines, Limerick Lane, Papapietro Perry, Porter Creek Vineyards, Quivira Vineyards, Robert Young, Smith Story Wine Cellars, The Harris Gallery Art & Wine Collection, Thomas George Estates and Unti Vineyards.
“Familiar faces, long-overdue introductions, and conversations we’ve all been too busy to have in-person,” said Alison Smith Story, co-founder of Smith Story Wine Cellars. “Hearing how everyone is navigating this year and tasting each other’s wines was the highlight.”
Thomas George Estates won top honors in both the red and white wine categories of the competition. Gros Ventre Cellars took second in the white category after a tiebreaking vote and A. Rafanelli placed second in the red wine category. Papapietro Perry took third in both categories. In addition to a pair of lightsabers that will be returned next year when Thomas George defends its titles, the winery has been invited to be a 2026 TOWN dinner series partner.
Harris and Murray promised more theatrics and unexpected guest appearances for the upcoming TOWN dinner series, and next year’s Blind Bottle Bash is already the talk of the town. Apparently, some members of the Jedi Sommelier Council have already put in a request for Sith robes. From the silver screen to Wine Country, the sky’s the limit with the TOWN duo.