Family Winemakers of California announce dates for 11th Pasadena Tasting event

Family Winemakers of California announce dates for 11th Pasadena Tasting event

Family Winemakers of California, an association of family-owned wineries in Californiahas announced the 2014 dates for its Pasadena tasting. This year, the trade and consumer tasting takes place at Exhibit Hall A at Pasadena’s Convention Center on Sunday, March 9. The tasting spotlights 175 producers from California’s small, family-owned wineries pouring upwards of 750 wines, said Paul Kronenberg, president of the Family Winemakers of California.

-Photo by Terry Miller

“The Pasadena tasting is one of the largest tastings of California wines. The event is always a fan favorite and this year is no exception. Many tastings allow guests to try exceptional, hard-to find wines, but our attendees have access to passion-driven winemakers products which makes our tasting even more special,” added President Paul Kronberg. “Every year, we have representatives from each individual winery, all of whom are directly involved in the winemaking process. What makes our tastings truly unique is having these representatives interact with the guests during the event. Attendees enjoy listening to winemakers share their personal stories behind each bottle being poured for the overall Family Winemakers experience.”

The 2014 Southern California Tasting begins with a trade-exclusive segment on Sunday, March 9 at 1:00 pm. From 1:00 pm – 3:30 pm, entry is limited to members of the trade and 100 consumers with trade segment access tickets. At 3:30 pm, admission opens to the rest of the consumer ticketholders, with the tasting lasting until 6:00 pm.

Debuting at this year’s Family Winemakers Tasting is the iSip Lounge, a special designated area where 30 wineries will be pouring wines that sell for $75.00 or more at retail price. The iSip Lounge begins pouring at 3:30 pm on Sunday until the end of the Tasting. A limited amount of tickets with iSip Lounge access are available for an additional fee.

Ticket options for the event are as follows:

Sunday, March 9
General Admission Pre-Sale (until March 8): $60
*General Admission + iSip Lounge Reserve Area: $80
*Trade Segment Admission (1:00 PM Entry) + iSip Lounge Reserve Area: $100
Designated Driver Tickets: No Charge
*While supplies last

Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased online at www.familywinemakers.org at the pre-sale ticket prices. The on-site general admission ticket price for Sunday, March 9 is $70.00.

Qualified trade and media interested in attending the tasting may register online at www.familywinemakers.org beginning January 18. Admission for members of the trade and media is complimentary to those who have pre-registered by February 21 and requires verifiable proof of trade or media affiliation. After February 21, trade members have the option to purchase tickets at the door at a special rate of $40.

For more information on the Family Winemakers of California Tasting, to register as trade or media, or to purchase tickets online, please visit www.familywinemakers.org. For any questions, contact tasting@familywinemakers.org. No one under 21 including infants will be admitted to the event. No pets are permitted with the exception of certified animals.

Established in 1991, Family Winemakers of California represents small, family-owned wine producers across the state. Formed to lobby for the rights of its members to freely produce, market and sell their products, Family Winemakers currently represents over 450 producers. Hosting these tastings allows FWC to provide a cost-effective marketing approach for small wineries to craft and produce the best wine in California. The organization draws its membership from every wine producing area of the state, with the largest concentration coming from Napa and Sonoma Counties.

Family Winemakers trade tastings, held in San Francisco since 1991 and in Southern California since 2000, remain well known for showcasing the finest wines they can from what vineyards across the state offer. This will be Family Winemakers 11th year hosting the Pasadena Tasting.

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