Smart Meetings

Welcome to Wine Country

Author: Carolyn Koenig
June 2008

Features

Uncorking the West

The secret’s out: Meeting in wine country rejuvenates your employees and wows your clients. The reason? It’s more than a destination, it’s an experience.

From the anticipation that builds when “wine country” is announced, to the instant relaxation upon arrival and superb food and drink, wine country evokes the feeling of living the good life—which we all aspire to. Its sense of place is palpable—with a visual feast of manicured vines flowing over rolling hills, the sparkle of sunlight on ripe clusters of juicy grapes, and on the horizon, a whisper of fog floating through cuts in the mountains, cooling the evening. Then there’s the taste of tannins in well-aged cabernet, the tang of farm-fresh artisanal cheese and, increasingly, the satiny mouth-feel of extra-virgin olive oil locally grown and pressed.

Wine country, in fact, offers much more than the usual complement of flexible function space and luxurious lodgings. There’s also an abundance of activities and recreational pursuits, some directly related to wine, like tastings and blend-your-own, some not (but even your spa menu may offer a grapeseed massage). Plus, there’s an element of escape. “It almost feels like you’re cheating—not at a meeting necessarily, although you are,” says Natalie Alvanez, director of marketing and membership for the Tri-Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Of course, California’s Napa Valley and Sonoma County are synonymous with the concept of “wine country” as well as the destination (see sidebar). But wine grapes have been grown throughout the West for centuries. And the boundaries of “wine country” have now expanded to “wine countries” throughout California and the Pacific Northwest, plus surprising entries like British Columbia and Idaho.

CALIFORNIA
Tri-Valley: Go east, wine-country lovers, go east—that should be the mantra of the Tri-Valley region, tucked into the rolling hills and scenic valleys on the east side of San Francisco Bay. More than 40 wineries dot the countryside, along with fine dining, top-tier retail and nine public golf courses. It’s a lesser-known gem than its more famous neighbors, but offers all the amenities and easy access to Oakland and San Francisco International airports (plus BART, the area’s rapid transit system linking to downtown San Francisco). Encompassing the towns of Dublin, Pleasanton, Danville, Livermore and San Ramon, the region has added numerous new event spaces to attract meeting groups who are staying in the area or interested in a convenient day trip from the city. Set in the middle of a vineyard, Casa Real, a huge multifunctional space, just opened at Ruby Hill Winery last month and can accommodate up to 550 guests. Deer Ridge Winery debuted its Estate Gathering Place for up to 130. And the Patrick David Event Center—run by one of the area’s top caterers—can host groups up to 450. Two winery spaces should also be on your radar: Wente Vineyards—the region’s anchor property, which often hosts live concerts—and Palm Event Center. Pans on Fire, a cookware shop in Pleasanton, can arrange private team-building cooking classes, and a new venue—Umigo—is an indoor cart-racing track that will dress up your group in racing outfits and pit them against each other in races like NASCAR pros.

San Luis Obispo County: In the center of California’s scenic Central Coast is Paso Robles—exploding exponentially on the scene, with a jump from 35 to nearly 170 wineries over the past decade (fans of zinfandel will note it’s the area’s heritage wine grape variety). Eberle Winery has two unique venues for events: the Wild Boar Room in the winery caves, suitable for 80 seated guests and 100 for receptions; and the Vineyard Deck, for 80 to 120 guests for dining or a casual barbecue (music and dancing can be accommodated here). Lodging can be found in Paso, as the locals call the area, at La Quinta Inn and Suites in downtown or the new Hotel Cheval, an intimate new luxury inn, or right on the water at the Cliffs Resort in Shell Beach and Mission Inn at Pismo Beach. A side trip to Hearst Castle in San Simeon is always a popular option.

Santa Barbara County: By now, who isn’t aware of Santa Barbara’s gorgeous wine country? Along with beautiful vistas, the Santa Ynez Valley offers a diversity of options for groups longing for that laid-back meeting experience. Located in north county, about 35 miles from the city’s beaches, the valley still retains its western heritage, in small towns like Santa Ynez and Los Olivos (made famous by the film Sideways); you can go horseback riding at Alisal Ranch, then work in a round of golf, also on-site. Los Olivos has more than a dozen wine-tasting rooms, along with art galleries and boutiques, but you’ll want to explore the entire area. Well-regarded wineries such as Lucas & Lewellen Vineyards in Solvang offer event possibilities, whether on-site or at your hotel (they also work closely with Alisal for winemaker programs).

Temecula: With the slumbering peaks of the San Jacinto Mountains defining the horizon, Temecula is Southern California’s wine country. Only 60 miles north of San Diego, the area grew slowly, purposefully, from a small clutch of wineries two decades ago to reach more than 20 today. Most are located along a loop trail, which makes visiting easier, and many have both indoor and outdoor event spaces suitable for groups. Callaway Vineyard & Winery, which just opened a 5,000-square-foot restaurant available for buyout, can accommodate groups of up to 800 in its barrel room and 1,200 on its West Lawn. Ponte Family Winery features more intimate space indoors (up to 12 in its VIP room and 150 in the Barrel Room), but its tented pavilion can host 500. A beautiful, Mediterranean-style property, South Coast Winery, Resort & Spa has room for large groups up to 1,200. Ballooning is a major attraction, whether a privately organized ride before dawn or to view the skies filled with the colorful behemoths at the Temecula Hot Air Balloon & Wine Festival each June.

OREGON
What if Miles had looked “sideways” at the Willamette Valley instead of Santa Ynez? Well, maybe it’s better that he hadn’t—the valley has become well-known enough as it is. It hosts two-thirds of the state’s wineries—more than 200—and is world renowned as a pinot producer. Bordered to the east by the Cascade Mountains, the valley follows the Willamette River for about a hundred miles, from the Columbia River near Portland to just south of Eugene, two of the state’s largest cities. In fact, the other “beauty” of the Willamette Valley is its accessibility: for instance, in 45 minutes to two hours from Portland, you can be at any winery in the region. The closest to the city, and one of the most interesting, is Oswego Hills Winery in West Linn. Located on a historic property, the winery has a new events center, making it ideal for 40 attendees, banquet-style indoors and 300 guests outdoors. Events like food and wine pairings and winemaker dinners can be arranged. Still only minutes from downtown, Ponzi Vineyards in Beaverton, sits on 140 acres of vineyards and offers Vineyard Home, a new structure, for retreats, meetings or seminars for groups up to 60. Adjacent to the winery itself, it features an open floor plan, plus a veranda and lawn overlooking the vines that can accommodate up to 120.
 
A much smaller pocket of wine country is the Applegate Valley wine region, in southern Oregon. The up-and-coming area has a low-key ambience—one your execs can go home and brag about as discovering—with wine-tasting opportunities along a 35-mile trail, including King Estate, which offers dedicated conference facilities, beautiful terraces and private dining rooms. Nearby cities are Medford and Grants Pass. But not all of southern Oregon’s wine country attractions are quiet and bucolic—with the Rogue River close, there are jetboat excursions, and fishing and rafting trips to fill up the rest of your free time. Country House Inns has several inns on or near the Rogue River with meeting space.

WASHINGTON
Washington has muscled out New York State to become the second-largest wine producer in the country (after California, of course). And like its competitors, it has more than one wine region of interest to planners. Just 25 minutes northeast of Seattle is Woodinville Wine Country, a relatively new alliance of grape growers and wine producers. The town of Woodinville itself is a small community in the Sammamish River Valley, but the wines are big (think Chateau Ste. Michelle, Columbia Winery for starters), crafted from grapes grown in eastern Washington. The pretty river valley has myriad opportunities for outdoor recreation; you’ll find biking, horseback riding and jogging along the Sammamish River Trail, conveniently connected to downtown. Woodinville has a Pacific Northwest ambience, with the Four-Star Willows Lodge in town and several other lodging options in nearby Redmond. Chateau Ste. Michelle, Washington’s oldest winery, offers a variety of classes and events, including wine-tasting courses, winemaker dinners and other custom events for meeting groups.

The Yakima Valley, in south central Washington, is actually the oldest and largest of Washington’s wine regions, with more than 60 wineries that produce nearly one-half of the state’s wines. Blessed with abundant sunshine, the valley also has year-round recreational opportunities, particularly due to its proximity to two spectacular mountain passes—White Pass and Chinook Pass (best visited between April and October). During these months, hiking, fishing and mountain-bike riding make ideal adjuncts to wine tasting. Plan an easy 11-mile float downstream on the Yakima River in summer, or fly-fishing for rainbows in the spring. During September, white-water enthusiasts from all over the country come to challenge the river, which doubles its flow due to dam release.     

Less than 200 miles from Seattle and Spokane, the city of Yakima itself attracts mid-size conferences with the Yakima Convention Center, now featuring 41,000 sq. ft. of space due to a brand-new expansion (there’s also 23,400 sq. ft. of column-free meeting area and 6,000 sq. ft. of prefunction space). Among the wineries offering group event space is Terra Blanca Winery, in Benton City, just west of the Tri-Cities area, which can host intimate events or groups as large as 350 in a variety of event spaces, including terraces with beautiful views and a cave grotto. Olsen Estates in Prosser, has an airy, open tasting room that can be used for group events up to 64, plus a barrel room, a private patio with a natural rock waterfall and a commercial kitchen. Lodging is available nearby.

BRITISH COLUMBIA
Canada’s westernmost province is home to two major winegrowing areas: the newly dubbed “Wine Islands” (Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands), which are Victoria’s wine country, and farther inland, the sunny, dry Okanagan Valley. The Wine Islands are the fasting-growing wine region are Canada (10 years ago, there were only seven licensed wineries; today there are more than 30). Get your golfers out on Bear Mountain Resort’s new second course one morning and venture to explore the area’s burgeoning wine and culinary offerings on another. Vine Seekers is a new tour company in Victoria that offers three guided tours, including Vine Seekers, a culinary adventure focused around visiting vineyards, and Wave Seekers, where you experience the Wine Islands by boat. Regular tours can accommodate up to 12 people, but custom tours for larger groups are also available.

Spring and fall are the best times to meet in the Okanagan Valley, when temperatures are pleasantly mild. The valley has more than 88 wineries, although the highest concentration can be found in the Penticton area. Named one of the top 10 best North American destinations to visit in 2008 by MSN.com, Penticton is surrounded by low mountains, vineyards and flowering orchards. The city is also close to Okanagan Lake to the north and Skaha Lake to the south; you can arrange a float down the Penticton River Channel, rent watercraft and golf in one of more than 40 courses. There’s also the sternwheeler SS Sicamous for lake cruising and the Kettle Valley Railway, which has a hiking and biking trail system and a steam train. Most of the wineries don’t have meeting space per se, but they will host special events like winemaker dinners and special tastings for groups. Penticton offers a wide range of hotels, and the Penticton Trade and Convention Centre is the largest meeting facility in B.C. outside of Vancouver (60,000 sq. ft.). Opening this fall is the brand-new South Okanagan Events Center, with flexible meeting space, sports arenas and performing arts capabilities.     
 
IDAHO
While vineyards may not be the first image that comes to mind when you think of Idaho (more likely it’s ski slopes and fly-fishing rivers), you’re in for a pleasant surprise. Idaho, in fact, is home to 37 wineries, many of which have put the state on the world stage—particularly the chardonnays. Several wineries are located in northern Idaho and the Panhandle area, but the majority are clustered in the Snake River Valley, in a region dubbed “Sunny Slope.” Many are convenient to Boise, so it’s easy enough to meet in the city and plan wine-tasting events, plus other typical wine country activities such as hot-air ballooning (and some not so typical, such as white-water rafting). Ste.  Chapelle in Caldwell, one of several west of Boise, offers both indoor and outdoor venues for group events, with a landscaped park and a banquet room that overlooks not only vineyards and orchards, but also the Snake River and the Owyhee Mountains.  

CONSIDERATIONS FOR WINE COUNTRY MEETINGS
As with all destinations, there are certain considerations when planning your meeting.

• While some wine countries are convenient to major cities, some require a one- or two-hour drive or transportation.
• If your group has nondrinkers, you’ll need to plan alternative activities to wine-tasting (spa-ing doesn’t sound like too bad of a
• second choice!).
• Summer temperatures can get quite warm, so plan your golf early in the morning.
• Match the wine country to your group: some might prefer more rural and rustic locales, others the luxury of established wine regions.

The Original Wine Country
When European immigrants arrived in the San Francisco Bay Area in the mid-1800s, they gravitated to Napa Valley and Sonoma County, drawn by the Mediterranean climate and geography similar to their own countryside villages. The soil was similar as well, and they planted acres upon acres of grapes; today you can still see the thick, gnarled trunks of old zinfandel vines tucked among the newly planted pinot.

Along with grapes, they also planted the seeds of today’s “wine country,” a style of living among the vineyards that celebrates the good life with slow-cooked meals made from local ingredients and dining as a pleasurable event. It’s a way of life we yearn to regain, and a visit to wine country is one way for meeting-goers to capture it.

NAPA VALLEY
Napa Valley is a sublime slice of the Bay Area, rural countryside dotted with charming towns perfect for strolling, shopping and dining on fresh, local California cuisine. Groups seeking lodging will find conference hotels mainly clustered around the county seat of Napa, while smaller properties and wineries, many offering meeting and event spaces, are to be discovered in the small, historic communities of Yountville, St. Helena and the hot springs spa town of Calistoga, which still looks much as it did more than a century ago.

Francis Ford Coppola’s Rubicon Estate Winery is a place for luncheons under the trees, and receptions and dinners for up to a hundred people in the 2,500-square-foot, lofty barrel room, impressive with huge turn-of-the century barrels and antique carriage house doors. Visitors ride an aerial tram to a sky-high terrace at the pure white, Greek-island-style Sterling Vineyards for bird’s-eye views of the valley.

Andretti Winery seats 60 for meals, and features a large fireplace and display kitchen. In a Tuscan villa setting, the lawn seats 300 and the garden terrace has room for 80. On a quiet country lane in the Napa Valley, the winery is co-owned by Indy and Daytona 500 winner, Mario Andretti.  

For groups of up to 450 people, the Vista Dome or the entire nine rail cars of the Napa Valley Wine Train can be reserved for scenic trips up the valley with casual or formal lunches, dinners and wine tastings.

For large groups, one of the most impressive event properties in the West is the medieval-style Castello di Amorosa. The crenellated stone fortress near Calistoga has a two-story-tall, 2,100-square-foot Great Hall, where the walls are covered with vibrant paintings of medieval scenes, a long banquet table and giant fireplace accommodating up to 3,000 for receptions and parties.

COPIA, The American Center for Wine, Food and the Arts, is a sprawling campus comprised of demonstration gardens, an amphitheater-style lawn, a two-story event lobby, seminar and meeting rooms, on-going museum exhibits and a high-tech demonstration theater. Gather around the outdoor wood-burning oven for pizza-making? Sample artisanal chocolates, cheeses and ice creams? Learn wine pairing?

The Vintage Inn Conference Center in Yountville is a new, 23-acre compound that incorporates The Pavilion, a 16,000-square-foot, multilevel greensward for outdoor events, the ballroom-style, three-story Historic Barrel Room, plus conference rooms, breakout patios, executive villas and boardrooms galore, all with team-building activities available and on-site catering.   
– Karen Misuraca
                         
SONOMA COUNTY
Napa’s neighbor to the west, Sonoma County is a diverse region of almost 1,800 square miles that runs the gamut from dramatic coastlines and mountains to farmlands to mid-sized cities such as Petaluma and Santa Rosa. Smaller communities like inland Healdsburg and Sonoma and the coastal Bodega Bay are also worth a look. And when it comes to grape escapes, the county features more than 250 vineyards and wineries.

The Sonoma County Tourism Bureau has a new campaign (Sonoma Country) for their area, reflecting this appeal. “Sonoma Country represents what the destination is all about—America’s premier wine, spa and coastal destination,” says Tim Zahner, director of public relations for the organization. “We’re one of the few wine regions with Pacific coastline, one of the many ways in which we stand out.”

Among the attractive meeting hotels available, planners should consider the Vintner’s Inn at the northern end of Santa Rosa, with its lovely vineyard setting and the acclaimed John Ash & Co. restaurant; the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa, featuring an amazing spa and tasteful meeting spaces; and the Bodega Bay Lodge & Spa, located hillside with sweeping views of the Pacific plus nearby golf.    

As for the many wining options, a bell tower and gracious mission style architecture distinguish St. Francis Winery, in the countryside by Santa Rosa. More than 200 guests are comfortable at picnics, receptions and dinners in the fireplace room, which opens onto a spacious lawn with a dramatic Hood Mountain backdrop. Nearby Paradise Ridge is another solid choice, set on 156 rolling acres and showing off incredible views.

In enchanting, upscale Healdsburg, Ferrari-Carano Vineyards and Winery (ferrari-carano.com) is a lavish oasis of manicured gardens, Italianate-style architecture and pretty fountains. In Sonoma, Viansa (viansa.com) is another Italian-styled estate—with a Tuscan villa overlooking a 90-acre waterfowl preserve. At Kunde Estate Winery and Vineyards in Glen Ellen, aging caves and the ruins of an 1800s stone winery are unique gathering places. And quaint Kenwood offers a few choices, including Ledson Winery & Vineyards, headquartered in a stunning French Normandy mansion.
An excellent way to explore Sonoma County (or other wine regions) is through a coordinated outing, such as those provided by Beau Wine Tours in Sonoma. Beau can help your group experience the very best of the area with customized wine tours via limos of all nature—including stretch, Hummer and bus.

When groups aren’t winding their way through wineries, Sonoma offers a host of other diversions to dive into. Among them, the Charles M. Schulz Museum in Santa Rosa offers “peanut galleries” sure to appeal to anyone familiar with Snoopy. Also in Santa Rosa, Historic Railroad Square, located in restored turn-of-the-century structures, offers a host of varied shops and restaurants. And the Wells Fargo Center for the Arts provides countless live performances throughout the year, plus a host of top-notch event and meeting spaces.
The Relish Culinary School in Healdsburg offers tasty team-building fun and much more, including cooking parties, wine and food pairings, and even “grape camps” that will teach your bunch everything about the wine-making process from the vine to the bottle.
–Zach Chouteau 

 

Resources
Beau Wine Tours
beauwinetours.com
A Napa/Sonoma DMC, tour and chauffeured limousine service.

Country House Meetings
countryhousemeetings.com
Serving groups from 10 to 350 people, with properties in Southern California and the Oregon countryside.

La Quinta Inn and Suites Paso Robles
lq.com
70 rms/1,250 sq. ft.
In the heart of the Central Coast wine region, La Quinta offers modern amenities and spacious guest rooms.

Mission Inn of Pismo Beach
missioninnpismobeach.com
120 rms/1,600 sq. ft.
Located in the heart of Pismo Beach (Central Coast). Wireless high-speed Internet, a variety of conference and banquet options available.

Pismo Beach Conference & Visitors Bureau
pismobeach.org
Central Coast town dubbed “California Classic,” with long white beaches, golf, four-wheeling ATVs, wine-tasting and more.

Sonoma County Tourism Bureau
sonomacountry.com
Offers more than 250 wineries, plus luxurious spas and hotels. Area includes picturesque Sonoma coast and inland valleys.

Tri-Valley CVB
trivalleycvb.com
Located in San Francisco’s East Bay, easily accessible to Oakland and San Francisco International airports. Includes towns of Danville, Dublin, Livermore, Pleasanton and San Ramon.

The Upham Hotel and Country House
uphamhotel.com
50 rms/240 guests
Victorian treasure in the heart of downtown Santa Barbara. Three executive board rooms plus Garden Room (60 people each).

Willows Lodge
willowslodge.com
84 rms/5,000 sq. ft.
Pacific Northwest-style lodge located in Woodinville, a 20-minute drive from Seattle and a short walk from many wineries.