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WiNE CouNTRY NEWS | WiNE CouNTRY THiS WEEK28VINTNERS’ HOLIDAYSat The Ahwahnee inYosemite National ParkIt’s an intimate event with access to winemakers, their latestofferings and gourmet cuisine paired with session wines.Packages starting at $896 for two adults.Visit YosemitePark.com/Vintners or call 801.559.4859THANKS FoR giviNg uSviNTNERS’ HoLidAYSThanksgiving isn’t the only great holiday in November. For food and wine lovers,November means it’s time for a different fall festival that embodies America’s naturalbounty to an even greater extent. It’s called Vintners’ Holidays at Yosemite NationalPark.Celebrating 31 delicious years in 2012, Vintners’ Holidays brings authenticvintners – not sales reps – together with Yosemite’s guests, and the result is a topshelf festival of good times and great wines. What’s even more special about the eventis that all the action takes place inside the legendary Four Diamond Ahwahnee hotelin the heart of Yosemite Valley.The idea for Vintners’ Holidays was inspired by California’s plentiful vineyardsand the winemakers who tend to them with self-sacrificing devotion. Guests choosefrom eight sessions that run from November 4 to December 6 and are treated to anintimate welcome reception with the session’s vintners, a series of wine-tastingseminars and a divine five-course gala dinner. Executive Chef Percy Whatley and theAhwahnee Culinary Team design the custom gala menu to pair perfectly with thesessions’ featured wines. So, not only is the atmosphere stunning, but the flavors areequally world class.With Yosemite’s fall colors as a backdrop, each year this event attracts more than30 talented winemakers who are crafting some of California’s finest wines. You’ll findiconic labels such as Silver Oak and Rombauer sprinkled throughout the sessions.Another fine example, the first session of 2012 (November 4-6) features wines fromSimi Winery, who’ve been winemaking in Alexander Valley since 1876, and HalleckVineyards, who recently received a 100-point rating for their 2009 Estate GrownPinot.The second session (November 7-8) features the region’s female visionaries. Assuch, it’s appropriately titled the “Goddesses of the Grape.” Amelia Ceja from CejaLook for us on Facebook and become a Fan!