Auburn Wine & Food Festival Guide

By Juliet Farmer

Auburn Wine & Food Festival
New Central Square, Lincoln Way & High Street
Auburn, CA 95603
(530) 885-9644
Hours: October 8, 1 p.m. – 5 p.m.

The Annual Auburn Wine & Food Festival is a great time to get out and enjoy a beautiful locale while sampling some of Auburn's best restaurants and regional wineries. Held October 8, 2011, in Old Town Auburn, this year's Festival hosts 25 local wineries paired with 25 local eateries. Each pairing is presented in a downtown Auburn vendor, so you can eat and drink while you browse garden shops, art galleries, jewelry shops, salons, and more. The 1.5-mile route is walkable, although shuttle service will be available.

Half-ounce pours of participating wineries and small bites/appetizers from each restaurant are included in the ticket price, as well as one raffle ticket and a complimentary wine glass (for those drinking). Ticket prices are $45 available in advance and on the day of the event on a first-come, first-serve basis. Food-only and designated driver tickets are $20, and are available in advance and day of as well. (Warning: You must be 21 and over to attend this event, regardless of whether or not you will be drinking.)

Wine will be available for sale on site, as well as wine aerators, stemware, and more. Check-in starts at 11 a.m. in downtown Auburn's New Central Square (located on the corner of Lincoln Way and High Street), and the Festival starts at 1 p.m., with the final pour at 5 p.m. (wine sales will continue until 6 p.m.).

Below is a sampling of the wineries and food vendors participating in the Festival:

Pilot Peak Winery
12888 Spenceville Road
Penn Valley, CA 95946
(530) 432-3321
More information

Pilot Peak Winery will be pouring their 2008 Pilot Peak Syrah, with earthy flavors of dark cherries and blackberries, and light oak on the nose; their 2008 Cabernet Franc, boasting hints of cinnamon, spicy chocolate and whole fruit cherry jam, as well as raspberries, anise and bittersweet chocolate; and a medium-bodied 2010 Pilot Peak Viognier, with essence of pears, citrus and ripe melon.

Casque Wines
4344 Cognac Court
Loomis, CA 95650
(916) 660-9671
www.casquewines.com

Casque Wines will be pouring their third vintage of a white Rhone-style blend called Calotte Blanc (winner of the 2009 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition "Best of Class" for white Rhone-style wines). This unique blend of Viognier, Roussanne, Vermentino, and Marsanne has a nose of tropical fruit, honey and lemon drop, and a palate of with hints of grapefruit, pineapple and kiwi. They will also be pouring their 2009 Vermentino (which won Double Gold at the 2010 California State Fair Wine Competition "Microwinery Best of Show - White Wines"). This wine has a nose of green apples, pear, mineral and lime, and a palate of those, plus grapefruit.

Casque will also be pouring two reds, their Calotte (which won Silver at the 2011 California State Fair), a blend of 50 percent Grenache, 25 percent Syrah, and 25 percent Mourvedre with a fruity, peppery nose with hints of eucalyptus and steak, and a palate that continues those flavors, plus oak; and their 2007 Cabernet Franc (2010 California State Fair "MicroWinery Best of Show - Red Wine" winner) with a nose of dark berries, sage, menthol, earth and mineral, and a palate with notes of plum, spice and oak.

Lone Buffalo Vineyards
2682 Burgard Lane
Auburn, CA 95603
(916) 663-4486
More information

Lone Buffalo Vineyards will be showcasing their signature wine, the 2009 Where the Buffalo Roam, a Rhone-style blend of Syrah, Mourvedre, and Grenache with silky tannins and a hint of spice.

Vina Castellano
4590 Bell Road
Auburn, CA 95603
(530) 889-2855
More information

Vina Castellano will be pouring two red wines, their 2006 Tempranillo, featuring a crisp acidity and fuller body, with hints of smoke, cherry and earth, and their 2006 Mourvedre (Monastrell), which is earthy and rustic, with hints of raspberry and strawberry.

Awful Annie's will be serving chili, clam chowder, cashew chicken croissants, and raspberry
truffle brownies.

In addition to cheese and pepperoni pizza, Old Town Pizza will be serving five specialty pizzas,
including their Gunfighter's Pesto, Doc's Chicken, BBQ Bonanza, The Miner, and Auburn Aloha.

Monkey Cat will be serving duck confit with herbed goat cheese on a crostini.

Tre Pazzi Trattoria will be serving their Mostacciolo al Pesto, featuring fresh mostacciolo pasta in
a light creamy pesto sauce.

Bootleggers Old Town Tavern plans to serve Spanish-inspired tapas. In the past, they have served prosciutto-wrapped figs, chickpea salad, Manchego cheese, and the like.