Temecula Balloon and Wine Festival
June 6-8
Launch your summer wine tasting excursions with a weekend trip to Temecula for the annual Temecula Valley Balloon and Wine Festival, which takes place June 6 through 8 at Lake Skinner Recreation Area, on the outskirts of Temecula.

The Festival kicks off at 5 p.m. on Friday with wine tasting, live music, an arts and crafts fair, exhibits, an international food court and the perennial favorite Balloon Glow, an evening event in which balloon pilots synchronize the flames of their burners to the beat of popular tunes.

Saturday and Sunday mornings feature up to 50 hot-air balloons rising into the cool air just after sunrise (weather permitting). During the day, nearly two-dozen premium Temecula wineries offer samples of their award-winning varietals. The arts and crafts fair, exhibits and food court continue as well, and the Balloon Glow repeats Saturday night.

Music is a key component of the Balloon and Wine Festival. Among those scheduled to perform are Blake Shelton, John Waite and the ever-popular Kenny Loggins.

Sunday features a freestyle motocross show on the Main Stage. Aerobatic stunts are performed to live bands for two one-hour shows beginning at 1 p.m. The 1970s rock icon Ambrosia appears Sunday on the Main Stage.

The Wine Garden Stage features jazz, pop and world music throughout the weekend. Concerts are included with admission.

Hot-air balloon flight reservations are available. Call 800.965.2122 to book flights. For more festival information, visit tvbwf.com or call 951.676.6713.


Auction Napa Valley
June 5-8
If you’re in the market to taste and buy amazing wines, don’t miss Auction Napa Valley, the granddaddy of American charity wine auctions. The event kicks off with pre-auction festivities on Thursday evening, June 5, but the weekend events get all the attention.

On June 6, Taste Napa Valley features food and wine grand tastings, with 120 wineries pouring samples alongside 80 signature local restaurants and artisan food producers – all at the Trinchero Family Estates Main Street winery in St. Helena.

During Taste Napa Valley, the festivities commence with a barrel auction featuring case lots from more than 100 Napa Valley wineries. Decadent Friday night dinner parties are available with winemakers and celebrity chefs.

Saturday starts with a variety of private parties, followed at night by the centerpiece live auction, which includes a dinner and headline entertainment by “Tonight Show” host Jay Leno.

The weekend ends Sunday with a late-morning food, music and wine fest at Trinchero Winery.

A variety of ticket packages are available. For more information, visit napavintners.com/anv or call 707.963.3388.  


Sonoma Wine Country Weekend
Aug. 29-31
What’s better than one wine festival? Two festivals in one! That’s what you get with the debut of Sonoma Wine Country Weekend, a three-day extravaganza of food and wine held over Labor Day weekend.

This event, which combines the best of the Sonoma County Showcase of Wine & Food and the Sonoma Valley Harvest Wine Auction, serves as a reminder that Sonoma County is indeed a premier wine destination.

Highlights include the Taste of Sonoma County at MacMurray Ranch on Saturday, with more than 100 wineries and 60 chefs offering their creations for sampling. Also included are wine seminars, chef demonstrations, vineyard experiences and a top-chef competition.

The Sonoma Valley Harvest Wine Auction at Cline Cellars on Sunday features rare and notable wines. The event raises funds for local charities.

Always-popular winery lunches and dinners are planned throughout the weekend, as are other events at the numerous Sonoma wineries.

For more information about Sonoma Wine Country Weekend, visit sonomawinecountryweekend.com or call 800. 939.7666.