Calling all wine lovers! It’s time to raise a glass to the El Dorado Wine Country Passport Weekend. For the 26th year, the El Dorado Winery Association is hosting the event to highlight the area’s award winning wineries. There are two chances to take advantage of this year’s passport, April 22-23 and April 29-30 — taste a variety of vintages as you take in stunning views and stroll through foothill vineyards!
Here’s how it works. Purchase your passport, which allows you access to over twenty wineries. Choose one to start with. This is where you’ll pick up your passport for the weekend. You’ll also receive a commemorative wine glass. From here, you can linger at one winery or visit as many as you’d like. The wineries will also have small snacks to go along with their offerings.
Here’s a few wineries that we recommend stopping by:
Busby Cellars
Busby Cellars will not only be offering samples of their award-winning wines, but will also have a gourmet menu that includes chicken marsala and garlic mashed potatoes.
DiVittorio Winery
Stop by the DiVittorio Winery to sample an Orange Muscat Port, a 2013 Barbera, or a favorite Sangria. Samples of Italian meatballs and black walnut preserves with blue cheese will also be available.
Chateau Davell
Make Chateau Davell a stop on your passport for hand-crafted limited production wines paired with local seasonal ingredients.
Findleton Estate Winery
Take an “Under the Sea Adventure” at the Findleton Estate Winery. You’ll be greeted with a glass of a bubbly beverage. The winery’s fine vintages will be available for sampling along with mango shrimp cocktail, roasted pork with spaetzle.
For a complete list of the wineries attending and to see what each is offering, click here.
You also have the option to take it up a notch with the Pre-Flight and Winemaker Dinner! At the Pre-Flight, you’ll have exclusive access to seven wineries that won’t be available during the regular passport experience. After the tastings, enjoy a six-course winemaker dinner at Sienna Restaurant in El Dorado Hills. The Pre-Flights are taking place April 21st and April 28th.
For those of you who like to roll VIP, there’s also the Legacy VIP Experience. If this isn’t your first time at the Passport Weekend then you may already be a member. You can get VIP status by attending the Passport weekend year after year and by spending a total of $300. When you’re a Legacy VIP member you have access to special discounts, complimentary tickets to the pre-flight, as well as perks at various wineries. If you want to have VIP status for 2018, attend this year, purchase a total of $300 worth of wine, save your receipts and fill out a form. It’s that easy!
If you’re looking to kick back and enjoy some of El Dorado’s best wineries, then the passport weekends are just the thing. Get your tickets today because they do sell out. You don’t want to be left holding an empty glass!
