Gay Wine Weekend

Gay Wine Weekend is Out in the Vineyard's three-day July gathering for the LGBTQ+ community and friends, rooted in Sonoma Valley. It opens with a VIP reception and moves through winemaker dinners, guided winery tours, the signature Twilight T-Dance, a drag queen brunch with a wine auction, and a closing pool soirée. Tours have ranged from Carneros to the Russian River, and one of the most memorable stops is Three Sticks, which pours in a historic adobe by Sonoma Plaza. Most events are booked one by one, so the weekend is yours to assemble.

Go for the company as much as the wine. Winemakers pour their own bottles, a warm crowd of regulars and first-timers fills the estates, and the T-Dance on a summer evening is the moment the whole weekend comes together. There is real purpose underneath it: proceeds benefit Face to Face, the Sonoma County HIV/AIDS network, and over the years the weekend has raised more than $700,000 for its work. Few wine events feel this much like a reunion, and few leave you with a stronger sense that the valley is glad you came.