Barrel Tasting

Barrel Tasting is Wine Road's March weekend in the cellar. Dozens of wineries across Alexander Valley, Dry Creek Valley and the Russian River draw young wine straight from the barrel with a wine thief, and many offer it as futures: you order now and collect the finished bottles once they are released. Alongside the barrel samples, wineries pour current releases, and some open library wines, so a single stop can show the past, present and future of one cellar. It is the north county's great cellar weekend.

Go for access. This is the weekend the cellar opens to visitors who would normally stop at the tasting bar, and the person drawing your sample is often the winemaker, ready to explain what the wine will become. March is quiet in the vineyards and the roads are calm, which makes room for unhurried stops. Taste a few barrels side by side with the bottled vintage and you learn more about how a wine grows up than any tasting note can teach. Pack a picnic, keep the list of stops short, and bring a designated driver.