Treasure Island Wine Fest to showcase Lodi wines

Lodi wines are invading Treasure Island during San Francisco's Fleet Week, and the event's organizers and participants are buzzing with excitement.

"We want to showcase the hidden treasure of Lodi wines," said Suzanne Ledbetter, assistant manager of marketing and media relations for the Treasure Island Wine Fest.

The event will feature more than 45 local wineries and dozens of varietals in a scenic setting off the Bay Bridge. It is the first time for the event and organizers hope to make it an annual occasion.

Since it is Fleet Week, the Blue Angels demonstration team will be performing from 3 to 4 p.m. during the tasting. There will also be an air show from 12:30 to 3 p.m. Organizers of the Treasure Island Wine Fest said they feel the aerial show will provide a complimenting environment for their event.

The event runs from 1 to 5 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 11. Guests are free to taste and roam at their leisure, but a wine seminar has been set up to expand their knowledge about Lodi wines and the region itself.

One seminar, titled "The Perfect Pair," is a tasting of Lodi wines complimented with cheese samples from Fiscalini, a dairy farm in Modesto.

There will also be a seminar about Lodi Rules, the third-party certification program of Lodi wines that focuses on sustainability and improved farming techniques.

Tickets can be purchased in advance for $55 each. They will be on sale at the door for $65. Tickets for designated drivers are $25, and parking is free. Organizers are planning on a crowd of between 1,500 and 2,000.

Besides spreading awareness about Lodi's status as an up-and-coming player in the world of wine, the event also focuses on sustainability. Not only will the Lodi Rules seminar inform about sustainable farming techniques, but organizers have taken care to leave as small a carbon footprint as possible.

Much of the marketing has been done on social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter, and there will be no plastic water bottles provided at the event. Instead, there will be jugs of ice water from which guests can fill their wine glasses.

Other green marketing techniques include using pins, coasters and postcards with information about the event. The success of the official Web site for the event is helping organizers as well.

"There have been more than 14,000 hits on our Web site," Ledbetter said. "It helps keep costs down."

Despite a limited budget of a few thousand dollars, Ledbetter said she is pleased with the feedback from the Bay Area community. Ledbetter said there are teams of four or five volunteers who go to towns throughout the Bay Area and distribute coasters, posters and tote bags with the event's logo and information on them.

"It's been great exposure," she said. "As soon as they found out we had more than 70 wineries here (in Lodi), they were hooked."

Even though the event is taking place on a weekend during the middle of harvest, winegrowers aren't anticipating any problems picking their crops.

"Since the majority of wineries don't receive on Sunday, there shouldn't be a problem," said Joe Valente, vineyard manager for Kautz farms in Lodi.

Valente said picking would most likely resume Sunday evening on most farms in order for deliveries to be ready by Monday morning.

Contact reporter Jordan Guinn at jordang@lodinews.com.

Treasure Island Wine Fest at a glance

Treasure Island Wine Fest is licensed to Lodi. Napa, Sonoma or any other appellation could host a tasting on Treasure Island, but it couldn't be called Treasure Island Wine Fest.
Date: Sunday, Oct. 11.
Time: 1 to 5 p.m.
Cost: $55 in advance, $65 at the door, $25 for designated drivers.
For more information visit www.tiwinefest.com, become a fan on Facebook or follow it on Twitter.

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