This past weekend we participated in the 2009 Spring Rutherford Passport Weekend. For those of you who are not familiar with Rutherford Passport, it is a bi-annual event celebrating the wineries of Rutherford, put on by a group called the Rutherford Appellation Wineries www.rutherford-appellation-wineries.com. The purpose of this group, the consumer arm of the Rutherford Dust Society, is to educate consumers on this historic appellation and the wineries found here.

The event is scheduled each year for the first weekend in May and the first weekend in December (the first event took place in December of 2007). For being a relatively new event, it has become a popular destination for wine club members and wine fans from across the country (as far away as Florida). Some of these people have been back more than once! For this event, the 2-Day Passport was $65.00 (with a Sunday Only option at $50) and more than 200 people bought their ticket online prior to the event. Proceeds from ticket sales are donated to a local charity.

The May event had 14 participating wineries, including including some that are normally appointment only, along with 3 small wineries that don't have their own tasting rooms (and whose wine you may not have had a chance to taste otherwise). For the Passport Weekend, each participating winery features special wines and gourmet food, and most offer some type of purchase discount or special offer.

If you have not had a chance to attend a Passport Weekend, you should put it on your calendar. The December event is scheduled for December 5th and 6th, 2009 and will feature barrel tastings and sales of wine futures. Don't miss out.