SAN FRANCISCO, May 23, 2012 – With 265 days of clear skies, there really isn’t a bad time of year to head to Lake County, a beautiful, little known area known for its wineries, Clear Lake, Mt. Konocti and only it is only about a two-hour drive from San Francisco.

Lake County offers sanctity from the more hectic pace of the Bay Area, and relief from the hustle and bustle of some of the larger wine regions.  It possesses great natural beauty in its parks, mountains and lakes, friendliness in its down-to-earth residents, relaxation in the hot springs and spas, and high quality in their inns, restaurants and wines.

With summer nearly upon us, here are a few activities and festivities to lure you to Lake County from now until October.

JUNE

6/16 Cattails and Tules 2^nd Annual Wine & Food Pairing Festival: Showcasing local restaurants competing for awards.  Proceeds benefit Anderson Marsh & Konocti Regional Trails. $40 per person.

6/23 Lake County Home Winemakers’ Festival: annual festival for tasting the wines of more than 40 Northern California home winemakers, as well as wines from commercial Lake County wineries.  Live music, tasty local food, art, auction, raffles and more. Proceeds benefit the Lake County Symphony and music programs.

JULY

7/7 Ceago Vinegarden Lavender Festival: Every year the fragrant lavender fields bloom at Jim Fetzer’s organic and biodynamic Ceago Vinegarden.  This event is full of food, fun, live music, wine and lavender! 1-5pm $50 per person.

7/28-29 Lake County Wine Adventure: This 8^th annual festival is a wonderful introduction to the world of Lake County wines.  It features 25 different wineries serving light food pairings, music, art and more. Tickets start at $35 per person. 

AUGUST

8/3-5 Blue Wing Blues Festival: 6^th annual outdoor, 3-day festival celebrating the blues and great BBQ.  Two bands perform each night, using the veranda of the hotel as a stage. Price of admission includes a gourmet BBQ dinner.  Tickets start at $50.

8/17 Taste of Lakeport: 16^th annual festival, featuring 20 wineries and 20 restaurants, all ready to bring you their best stuff.  One ticket gets you unlimited everything: music, tasting and the famous street dance.

SEPTEMBER

9/15 Lake County Wine Auction: 13^th annual gala benefit for the arts, health & community of Lake County. $150 per person, black tie.

OCTOBER

10/13-14 Steele Wines Harvest Festival: annual festival famous for its grape-stomping competition, vineyard run for literacy, music, some of the best BBQ you’ve ever had, and yes, the wine too! 10am-5pm both days.  The race is held on Sunday.

ONGOING IN THE SUMMER/FALL

Moore Family Vineyard: Concert in the vineyard series on select Saturdays in the summer months.  They also offer “Movies Under the Stars” on select dates, June through August.

Kelseyville Certified Farmers Market: local farmers offer their freshest, most flavorful produce, eggs, baked goods and cheese, accompanied by live music and wine. 8:30am – noon on Saturdays, May through October. Held at Steele Wines.

First Friday Fling: first Friday of each month features local artists currently showing in the Main Street Gallery in Lakeport. Wine, hors d’oeuvres and music accompaniment.

Art & Wine Reception: first full Friday and Saturday of the month, Lake County Wine Studio highlights a local winery, paired with local artists, $10 per person.

2012 Lake County winery listings and tasting room map.

WINE TOURS

• Tallman Hotel Wine Tour package

• Gregory Graham Winery vineyard tour

• Vines, Mines and Wines at Six Sigma Ranch

• Langtry Estate and Vineyard Tephra Ridge tour

When you are finished wine tasting, or just taking a break, grab your hiking shoes, kayak, bikes, fishing poles or any other outdoor adventure gear.  Check the Lake County Tourism website for detailed information about wine and all the outdoor activity options.

OTHER ACTIVITIES

• Clear Lake water tours with Indian Beach Resort

• Wildflower tours of native flowers in the Cache Creek area from the Bureau of Land Management

• Eyes of the Wild customized boat tours to get a close up view of Clear Lake’s scenery and wildlife

• Geyser tours in Middletown

• Mt. Konocti hiking

• Clear Lake water trails via kayak

• Guided bird and nature walks by both Clear Lake State Park and the Lake County Land Trust

Lake County Tourism website

 

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