Tasting the Past, Present and Future: Barrel Weekend 2025

Rebecca Germolus on Jan 31, 2025

The 2025 Barrel Weekend is all about tasting wines from the past, present and future. This annual weekend event has been reimagined for its 47th anniversary, letting the wineries along the Wine Road focus on more than just tasting wines from the barrel. And, giving tasters new opportunities for exploring and learning about wine.

Barrel weekend flyer listing out the details

 

More Tasting Options

With wineries pouring wines from past (library wines), present (current release wines) and future (barrel samples), attendees have more choices and can choose what they most enjoy or what they seeking to restock their wine cellars.

As you look through the online Barrel Weekend program, you’ll discover wineries pouring wines from one, two or all three of the category options. This information lets you, the ticket holder, design the tasting path that suits your palate preferences. If you love tasting only barrel samples and possibly buying wine futures, you can still do that. But, if you prefer to taste wines that are currently available to buy, or wines that have been in the bottle several years, you’ll find these options available to you as well.

Smiling young woman with long blonde hair sitting in front of a wine glass as a man in a black polo shirt pours read wine into the glass.
Winemaker and owner Craig Colagrossi pours his wine for a guest. Barrel Weekend is perfect opportunity to meet winemakers and winery owners.

 

Tasting the Past

Older vintage wines, often referred to as library wines, are not often poured in tasting rooms or during events. However, during Barrel Weekend, several wineries will be pouring library wines. Look for the word PAST on the program to see who is pouring older vintages.

  • At Longboard Vineyards, the PAST wine is a mystery that they’ll ask you to guess the varietal they’re pouring. Sounds intriguing.
  • You can try an Optima Winery 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon. An excellent vintage, and it’s rare to find a 2017 Cab that is still available.
  • TADDEI Wines is also pouring a rare find — a 2017 Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley.

These above wineries will also be pouring additional wines from the other categories, so be sure to check out the program for the full list of wines being poured.

  •  F. Teldeschi Winery will have five library wines available for tasting, including Terranova (a blend of Carignane, Valdiguie, Zinfandel and Petite Sirah) and a Zinfandel Port.

 

Tasting the Present

If your focus is on PRESENT (current release) wines, most participating wineries will be pouring at least one of their current release wines.

  • Capo Creek Winery & Wine Cave is the perfect stop for Rhône varietal wine lovers. They’ll be pouring five current release wines, with four of the five being Rhône varietals or blends.
  • Leo Steen Wines @ The Drink, located in Healdsburg, will pour their newly released Sparkling Chenin Blanc and their Jurassic Chenin Blanc, plus a Pinot Noir. If you haven’t tried the Leo Steen Chenin Blancs, it’s while worth seeking them out.
  • Stephen & Walker, another Healdsburg winery, will be pouring five current release wines, including their port-like dessert wine, Portentous.
  • due Ruscelli and Raymond Burr Vineyards will both be pouring three PRESENT wines. due Ruscelli, who specializes in Primitivo and other Italian varietals, will also have a library Primitivo and their FUTURE Barbera. Along with their current release wines, Raymond Burr Vineyards will be tasting barrel samples of Chardonnay and a port-like dessert wine.
Man in a black hat and black t-shirt, standing under a large orange umbrella pouring rosé wine into multiple wine glasses.
Capo Creek Winery co-owner Bob Covert pouring wine for visiting guests.

 

Tasting the Future

Have no fear, there will be plenty of wineries pouring wine FUTURES. There are too many to list, but here are a few wineries (according to the program) that will only be pouring barrel samples for guests during the Barrel Weekend.

  • Carol Shelton Wines – Barbera, old vine Carignane, two Zinfandel, and Cabernet Sauvignon and Petite from the Rockpile AVA
  • De La Montanya Winery – Tempranillo, Primitivo and Zinfandel
  • Orsi Family Vineyards – Barbera, Montepulciano and Sagratino
  • Overshine Wine Co. – Maple Vineyard Zinfandel, Pinot Noir and a Bordeaux blend
  • Porter Creek Vineyards – a very popular spot to try three Pinot Noir barrel samples, plus a Chardonnay and old vine Carignane
  • Rockpile Vineyards – two Zinfandels (Jack’s Block and Petroglyph Reserve) and their renowned Buffalo Hallow Petite Sirah
  • Soda Rock Winery – these guys have a charming rustic setting and their wines are always worth checking out. This year’s barrel samples include Zinfandel, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon.
  • Sunce Winery & Vineyard – their FUTURES offerings include Viognier, Dobricic (yes, they make a Dobricic), and several more.
  • VML – three Pinot Noirs (Earth, Moon, Stars). Just the names make me want to go try them.

If you just want to focus on tasting wine futures, the above list gives you interesting and delicious options, but there are so many more wineries to choose from as well. Be sure to review the Barrel Weekend program for details on what each winery is pouring.

A wine thief filling wine glasses with barrels in the background

 

Fun and Educational, Too

One of the benefits of tasting wine during Barrel Weekend is learning how wines evolve over time, from how they taste in the barrel to mellowing with age once they’re bottled. Now let’s explore your options to experience a wine’s evolution and where you might learn more about your own palate preferences.

 

Comparing Present and Future

Several wineries are pouring barrel samples and then offering the same bottled wine from a previous vintage. This gives you the opportunity to discover how wine evolves after it’s bottled. The qualities of a wine change from vintage to vintage, but the same variety, grown in the same vineyard, will most likely taste similar from year to year once it’s in the bottle.

There are many wineries who will share this tasting opportunity during Barrel Weekend. Here are just a few examples:

  • David Coffaro Winery – Dave has barrel tasting down to an art form. Coffaro will be offering five side-by-side comparisons, allowing tasters to sip 2024 barrel samples and then 2022 bottled wine of the same varietal or blend.
  • DeLoach Vineyards – Enjoy three barrel samples you can compare with three bottled wines—same varietal and same vineyard.
  • Moshin Vineyards – Compare their 2021 Chardonnay with a barrel sample of their 2024 Chardonnay, still in the barrel. There are very few white barrel samples being offered, so this will be a treat. You’ll also be able to compare their 2020 Pinot Noir, Calliope Vineyard with the 2024 barrel sample of the same wine.
  • Mounts Family Winery – Savor the Mounts estate-grown Grenache and old vine Zinfandel as you taste the 2023 barrel samples and compare them to the 2022 bottled wines.

Man dressed warmly pouring red wine into a wine glass using a wine thief. The man holding the glass is also dressed warmly. Between the men is a wine barrel with the bung off so the wine thief can extract the wine.

 

Tasting the Past, Present and Future

Time to explore the ultimate tasting experience — tasting the PAST, PRESENT and FUTURE of the same wine. This isn’t always possible unless a winery holds back a few cases when a wine is about to sell out. Lucky for Barrel Tasting ticketholders that several wineries had done just that.

  • Foppiano Wine Co., known for their Petite Sirah, offer a 2014 Petite Sirah (library wine), 2021 Petite Sirah (current release) and 2023 Petite Sirah barrel sample.
  • At Spicy Vines, they will focus on their Block 7 – Old World Cabernet Sauvignon, Pine Mountain, Cloverdale Peak by pouring a 2016 (library wine), a 2021 (current release) and a barrel sample from 2023.
  • Starlite Vineyards is all about Viognier during Barrel Weekend, with three library wines (2019, 2021 and 2022), the 2023 current release and the 2024 barrel sample wine.
  • Viszlay Vineyards has Pinot Noir for their PAST, PRESENT and FUTURE offering. They’ll be pouring a 2019 (library wine), 2021 (current release) and 2024 (barrel sample).

Stacked wine barrels with branded with Viszlay Vineyards and 23 Pinot written in pink chalk on the barrels.

 

Three Days of Tasting

Only a portion of the wineries and their offerings are listed above, and yet, I already wonder how I’ll be able to visit all the wineries on my “must visit” list? Luckily, several of the participating Barrel Weekend wineries are offering ticket holders complimentary tasting on Friday, February 28th.

Here is a list of some of the wineries open to ticket holders on Friday. Be sure to plan a three-day weekend to get the most out of Barrel Weekend.

Alexander Valley Vineyards
Amphora Winery
Carol Shelton Wines
CAST Wines
Char Vale Vineyards and Winery
David Coffaro Winery
De La Montanya Winery
Longboard Vineyards
Moshin Vineyards
Mounts Family Winery
Orsi Family Vineyards
Raymond Burr Vineyards
Soda Rock
Stressed Vines Cellars
Sunce Winery & Vineyard
Viszlay Vineyards
West Wines
Wilson Winery

Visit the Barrel Tasting info page to get a full listing of the wineries open to ticket holders on Friday.

 

Do You Have Your Tickets?

If you’re planning to attend Barrel Weekend (and I hope you are), be sure you get your ticket in advance. No tickets will be sold at the door.

Here are the online links to help you on your way:

Information link

Ticket link – Prices: Weekend $80, Sunday Only $60, Designated Driver $10

Participating Wineries List

Barrel Weekend Program

Event Map

Springtime vineyard with blooming mustard between the rows. Tree covered hillside in the background.
Enjoy mustard blooming in the vineyards while traveling along the Wine Road during Barrel Weekend.

 

Wine Trails Tasting Events

If you love spending time along the Wine Road, consider coming for one of the five upcoming Wine Trails in 2025. The Wine Trails are held on a Saturday from 11 – 4. Cost is $50 per ticket.

  • Feb. 15 – Wine Love Wine Trail –romance and chocolate with 37 wineries participating
  • May 10 – Spring Celebrations Wine Trail
  • July 12 – Summer Wine Trail
  • Sept 13 – Harvest Wine Trail
  • Dec. 6  – Holiday Wine Trail & Market

Hope to see you soon as you meander and taste your way along the Wine Road.

Happy Sipping!

 

Posted by Rebecca Germolus

Rebecca Germolus, co-owner of Maximum Value Marketing, loves Sonoma County and playing along the Wine Road. Rebecca daily immerses herself in wine country by providing cost-effective marketing and writing solutions to wineries and restaurants.

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