By Virginie Boone

Local winemaker dinners hosted in Sonoma County restaurants abound this summer, a chance to enjoy a great meal with local wines. Tomorrow night Valley Bar and Bottle in Sonoma is the location for a Darling Wines takeover from 5 pm to 9 pm, with winemakers Thomas and Ashley Darling on hand.

Next week, Wit & Wisdom at The Lodge at Sonoma will start the Wine Cellars Series, a bi-monthly tasting event celebrating local winemakers and wineries where wines are paired with a four-course meal. The inaugural dinner is May 28th, 6 pm to 8 pm, featuring Three Sticks Wines and a menu of favorites such as Hamachi Crudo, Lobster Risotto, Grilled Duck Breast and Buttermilk Panna Cotta. July’s dinner will feature Blue Farm Wines, followed by Sangiacomo Family Wines in September and JCB in November.

Wit & Wisdom is an award-winning restaurant from acclaimed Chef Michael Mina, but not only for its food. It has been awarded Wine Spectator’s Best of Excellence Award in recent years, as well as earning a spot on The World’s Best New Wine Lists by The World of Fine Wine Magazine. Better still, it breaks its wine list into sections, including one they call “Our Backyard,” where Sonoma County wines are highlighted across varieties, down to the appellation.

Nearby, on June 5 MacArthur Place Hotel hosts the Sonoma Spritz Soiree in partnership with the Sonoma Valley Vintners & Growers Foundation, a relaxed evening poolside with local wines and Sonoma Spritz cocktails, from 5 pm to 8:30 pm. With food stations around the pool, participating wineries include Chateau St. Jean, Hamel Family Wines, Sangiacomo Family Wines, Three Sticks and Buena Vista Winery.

MacArthur also regularly hosts Pours at the Porch Fridays 3:30 pm to 5:30 pm, where it partners with local wineries for a tasting of three of their wines paired with small bites made by the on-site culinary team, a complimentary offering to guests and members of the community. The next one will take place this week, May 23, featuring Dunstan Wines/Durell Vineyard.

Up the road along Highway 12, Santé Restaurant at Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn will have two Sunday Supper nights this summer, specially made prix fixe menus that feature local vintners, farmers and ranchers. Held from 5:30 pm to 9 pm, June 22 is with Domaine Carneros Winemaker TJ Evans, while August 24 will feature Hamel Family Wines and Pt. Reyes Cheese.

In Santa Rosa, John Ash at Vintners Resort holds a Winemaker Dinner Series of five-course farm-to-table menus paired with local wines and will next feature Aperture Cellars on Thursday, June 26 from 6 pm to 9 pm. On July 24, it’ll be Croix Estate; August 14 is DuMol.

Out on the coast, The Inn at the Tides in Bodega Bay hosts Winemaker Dinners at its Bay View Restaurant and Lounge. August 15 is Sangiacomo Family Wines, September 26 is Marimar Estate and October 24 is Carol Shelton. In November and December St. Francis Winery & Vineyards and Ferrari-Carano Vineyards & Winery will be on hand. Winemaker dinner guests are able to get special room rates for the dinners, held at 7 pm following a 30-minute reception.

Up in Healdsburg, Dry Creek Kitchen will hold its Three Valley Wine Dinner Series with Mauritson Wines on June 11. Winemaker Emma Kudritski Hall will join in on the four-course dinner plus dessert and wine pairings. The monthly series has been hosted by Bob Cabral Wines, Papapietro Perry, Radio-Coteau, Bella Vineyards and Read-Holland Wines this year, each of whom has showcased three of Sonoma County’s winemaking valleys – Alexander, Dry Creek, and Russian River, among others.

Don’t miss out. These dinners are a wonderful way to get to know new and legendary winemakers alike around a dinner table, the way it should be.

Image by: Inn at the Tides