Much like the movie industry is mainly based in Los Angeles, California’s popularity as a purveyor of fine wine stems from Napa and Sonoma. For years tourists have traveled worldwide to sip their way through the Northern California region in search of the perfect bottle of red or white.
Beyond these standby wine regions, the state is now known for the wine areas of Temecula, the Central California coast and even the far Northern California coast, according to Caroline Beteta, president and CEO of the California Travel & Tourism Commission (CTTC).
"Local breweries also abound, some home to generations of brewers crafting sustainable or organic beers," she says.
In short, California provides plenty of local wines and beers with which—and event-ready wineries and breweries in which—to toast to a fantastic meeting.
Sonoma County, a premier wine, spa and coastal destination, is home to more than 300 wineries, including Sonoma-Cutrer Winery, featuring a newly renovated testing center, and the new Francis Ford Coppola Winery. According to Paula Higgins, associate director of sales at the Sonoma County Tourism Bureau, dozens of wineries are available for off-site events.
Among the popular group gathering spots are Benziger Family Winery (707.935.3017) and Trentadue Winery (707.433.3104), which has a new event center.
"Wineries also offer a lot of opportunities for team building," Higgins adds, citing wine-blending classes at Paradise Ridge Winery (707.528.9463) and Ravenswood Winery (888. 659.7900).
Sonoma County’s Santa Rosa-based, 400-acre Safari West (707.579.2551) will launch its "Wines over Watusi" program in October. Parties of 10 will enjoy a three-hour guided safari during which they’ll learn about more than 400 exotic African mammals and birds. Then the safari will make a wine country detour as the group stops for a hillside picnic complete with a tasting of select wines made in Sonoma County and South Africa and a selection of local artisanal cheeses.
In Napa Valley, according to Clay Gregory, president and CEO of the Napa Valley Destination Council, world-famous wineries are joined by spectacular scenery and an exceptional culinary scene.
Several wineries offer meeting spaces with amazing views or wine caves, along with some fun programs, including Robert Mondavi Winery (707.968.2022), where the Discover Wine Tour provides an interactive experience educating guests about food, wine and entertaining, and Cakebread Cellars (800.588.0298), which offers cooking classes that include a tour of the property and wine tasting.
Meanwhile, Rubicon Estate Winery (707.968.1156) is one of Napa Valley’s grandest settings for private events.
In Clarksburg, a historic Delta town just 20 minutes from downtown Sacramento, is the Old Sugar Mill (916.744.1615), a renovated, circa-1934 sugar refinery that is now home to six California wineries with tasting rooms and event space for up to 1,000 people.
In Oakland, groups can combine tasting with exercise by joining the new East Bay Winery Tours. The rides are flat, and therefore easy, and offer a look at the new crop of urban wineries popping up throughout the area.
Another booming wine area in the East Bay is Tri-Valley, including Livermore, where groups will enjoy a lovely wine country landscape.
Founded 125 years ago, Wente Vineyards (925.456.2300) is the country’s oldest, continuously operated family-owned winery. The winery boasts an impressive summer concert series with top-name entertainment and several unique event venues. Highlights include the Barrel Room at Murrieta’s Well Historic Winery, originally built in the 1880s; Cresta Blanca Event Center & Terrace Lawn; and the historic sandstone Caves at Wente Vineyards, which were recently remodeled. All three large caves, available for private wine tastings and group meetings, connect by pathways that provide the option of utilizing one or all three for events accommodating up to 60 people.
In Carmel Valley is Bernardus Winery, located just five minutes from the Bernardus Lodge (831.658.3528), which has more than 4,000 square feet of indoor meeting space and 5,000 square feet of landscaped outdoor function space.
"Because we own and operate the winery, we do greet each guest with a glass of wine at check-in," says Sue Dreyer, director of sales and marketing at the lodge. "In our spa we have a number of vinotherapy treatments that explore the use of chardonnay and other grapes."
Dreyer adds there are many on-site programs ideal for groups, including a guided vineyard walk and wine tasting, or a facilitated bocce or croquet game.
In Southern California, the Santa Barbara Adventure Company (805.965.1414) has created a delicious adventure, The Tasty Cupcake & Wine Tour.
Groups will explore the Santa Ynez Valley tasting wine and learning the difference between a pinot blanc and a pinot gris. The added treat is a stop at Solvang-based Enjoy Cupcakes (805.451.0284), where attendees can sample six miniature wine-infused cupcakes ranging from Pomegranate Mango Chardonnay to Chocolate Blackberry Syrah. The price of the guided tour includes wine tasting fees at three locations, cupcake tasting, shuttle service and a deli lunch.
With new kegs being tapped all the time, beer drinkers across the Golden State have as much to celebrate as their wine-drinking buddies.
America’s oldest original brewpub is Berkeley’s Triple Rock Brewery & Alehouse (510.843.2739), according to the CTTC. The industry icon is joined by other Berkeley-based breweries, including Pyramid Brewery & Alehouse (510.527.9090), which offers daily public tours and event space for up to 200 people.
Belmont Brewing Co. (562.433.3891) is Southern California’s oldest operating brewpub, located on the beach at the foot of the Belmont Pier in Belmont Shore, Long Beach. The facility features a separate patio area by the water for groups of up to 40 people, and menus can be customized to suit a planner’s budget.
For the past few years, San Diego-based breweries have brought home major awards from the annual Great American Beer Festival. It’s no wonder the city produces award winners, as it’s become to beer what Napa is to wine, and groups convening there can tour or meet at many brew-centric venues.
Popular brewpubs that accommodate group events and mingle fine beers with a tasty menu include Escondido-based Stone Brewing Co. (760.471.4999) and Karl Strauss Brewing Co. (858.273.2739), which has several locations.
Planners might also look to the San Diego Brewer’s Guild, which offers mapped-out itineraries for visiting local beer purveyors by rail, including a Central San Diego route with stops at Ballast Point Brewing Co. and San Diego Brewing Co. Or they might book an outing with Brewery Tours of San Diego (619.961.7999), which offers regularly scheduled tours that include transportation to three breweries, tastings and lunch.
