Serious wine lovers in the San Francisco Bay area get several opportunities each year to indulge their passions for wine. Large, themed tastings like the ZAP Zinfandel Festival or the recent Pinot Days are great opportunities to get a sense of a certain varietal and the quality of the recent vintage in California and events like the upcoming Family Winemakers are an opportunity to taste wines from smaller producers.

It is quite rare, however, despite the nearness of the appellation and the saturation of wine in the Bay Area, for consumers to get the opportunity to get an in-depth or comprehensive look at the wines of Napa Valley. Perhaps it’s just because Napa wines don’t need much marketing help, or perhaps it’s because the Napa Valley Vintners association exhausts itself with its two major events each year, but there just isn’t a real good opportunity for members of the public to survey the breadth and depth of wines from the Napa valley.

Unless, that is, you happen to be a member of the Napa Valley Wine Library Association.

The Wine Library is just what it sounds like: a library with books about wine. Started in the early Sixties by a group of winery owners that realized the irony of having a public library in the heart of Napa Valley that possessed virtually no literature or resources about wine, the library association was built on donations of money and books from Napa’s wine families over four decades. Now occupying a special section of the St. Helena public library and even owning a small vineyard out behind the building, the Wine Library Association is a membership organization that gives its members access to these materials, some of which are rare and historic, as well as to annual tasting events.

Each year the organization hosts a two part event: On Saturday they offer a full day seminar on a specific topic, often a certain AVA or certain varietal, and then on Sunday they offer a tasting event showcasing a specific varietal as represented by hundreds of wineries in the valley.

This year’s event will feature an all-day seminar on August 23rd at the Culinary Institute of America in St. Helena focused on “White Winemaking — Techniques and Trends”, in which prominent winemakers and vineyard managers from Charles Krug, Robert Mondavi, Spencer Roloson, Stony Hill, and Louis. M Martini discuss the current state of white wine making in Napa Valley.

On Sunday the 24th, over 100 wineries will pour their recent vintages of white wines in the grove at the Silverado Country Club. Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Marsanne, Vermentino, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Grigio, Roussanne, Albariño, Viognier and more will be on offer.

“That’s all well and good,” you may be saying, “but this is a members-only event and I’m not a member of the Napa Valley Wine Library Association.” That’s true. But a check for $60 sent in advance, or a check for $85 on the day of the tasting will do the trick. Membership is available on the spot, and covers the tasting plus any others that you choose to go to for the rest of the year. If you’d like to attend the seminar on the 23rd, there is an additional cost of $150.

Sound like a steal? It is. Unless you’re a member of the trade that attends Premiere Napa Valley, or someone willing to pay in the hundreds or even thousands for a package at the annual Auction Napa Valley, there is generally no other way to get the opportunity to taste so many Napa Valley wineries in a single setting. If you’re serious about learning more about Napa wines, especially if you’re interested in some of the less famous wines of the valley, this is an event you don’t want to miss. I’ve provided an initial list of the wineries scheduled to pour at the bottom of this post organized by the varietal they’ll be showcasing.

Napa Valley Wine Library Association Member Tasting
Sunday August 24th
Silverado Resort and Country Club
1600 Atlas Peak Road
Napa, California 94558
707-257-0200

Annual membership dues for the Association are $60, or $85 if purchased at the door. Only checks and cash will be accepted, I believe, so stop at an ATM or bring your checkbook. Additional details on how to get membership in advance and on the event can be found on the Association’s web site. Please note that the location for the Saturday event is the Greystone Castle in St. Helena

My usual tips for such outdoor public tastings apply: wear loose fitting but dark colored clothing (but keep in mind that it may be very warm for the outdoor tasting). Eat a good meal before going and drink lots of water while tasting. Decide in advance which wineries you would like to visit, and make sure to spit rather than swallow the wine to make sure you get a chance to enjoy (and remember) a number of wines.

The wineries and the varietals currently scheduled to pour are as follows:

Albariño
Mahoney

Chardonnay
El Molino
Fleury Estate
Forman
Grgich Hills
Hendry
Hyde de Villaine (HdV)
Jocelyn Lonen
Keenan
Kongsgaard
Long Vineyards
Mayacamas
Monticello
Muir’s Legacy
Northfield
O’Brien
Patz & Hall
PEJU
Pine Ridge
Pride
Prix
Richard Partridge
Rombauer
Rutherford Ranch
Saddleback
St. Clement
Saintsbury
Sedna
Stags’ Leap Winery
Stony Hill
Swanson
The Hess Collection
The Terraces
Trefethen
Truchard
Tulocay
ZD

Chenin Blanc
Ballentine
Casa Nuestra

Gewürtztraminer
Madonna Estate
Stony Hill
Marsanne
Krupp Brothers

Moscato Canelli
Robert Pecota

Muscato Azul
La Sirena

Pinot Blanc
Saddleback

Pinot Grigio
Madonna Estate

Pinot Gris
Hendry

Riesling
Casa Nuestra
Prix
Stony Hill
Trefethen

Rousanne
Prix
Truchard

Sauvignon Blanc
Broman
Cakebread
Carrefour
Crocker & Starr
Duckhorn
Ehlers Estate
Emmolo
Frog’s Leap
Green and Red
Hall
Heitz
Hill Family
Honig
Jericho Canyon
Joseph Phelps
Long Meadow Ranch
Markham
PEJU
Rios
Rutherford Grove
Rutherford Ranch
St. Supery
Silverado Vineyards
Spring Mountain
Teaderman
Vinoce
Vermentino
Mahoney

Viognier
Saddleback
Seps
Spencer Roloson
Stags’ Leap Winery

Proprietary Blends
Ceja, Vino de Casa
Hill Family, Carly’s Cuvée
Krupp Brothers, Black Bart’s Bride
Prix
Robert Mondavi, Fumé Blanc
Robert Sinskey, Abraxas
St. Supéry, Vertú
Schramsberg, Blanc de Blancs
Venge, Bianco Spettro