Sonoma County Barrel Auction

The Sonoma County Barrel Auction is Sonoma County Vintners' trade auction of one-of-a-kind wines. Member wineries make small lots that exist only for the auction, billed as never before, never again, and wine trade buyers bid on them as futures in lots of five to twenty cases. It takes place in Sonoma County each spring, in late April or early May, with a host venue that changes from year to year. Attendance is by invitation for the wine trade and media; it is not a public event.

For a visitor, the auction is a glimpse of where Sonoma County winemakers like to experiment. The lots are made for the trade and reach the public only through the shops and restaurants that win them, so keep an eye out for auction bottlings on local wine lists. The vintners behind them pour their regular wines in tasting rooms across the county, and a spring visit puts you in the valleys as new growth appears in the vineyards.