Napa Valley Vintners Welcomes Top Trade and Media for Premiere Napa Valley Week

February 22 barrel tasting and futures auction caps a week of wine education, tasting events and camaraderie

2/12/2014 - St. Helena, CA—Hundreds of top wine trade and media from around the globe will gather and network in Napa Valley the week of February 17-23, 2014 for what many in the industry refer to as the best week of the year for wine professionals.

"Napa Valley will be firing on all cylinders," commented Linda Reiff, president and CEO of the Napa Valley Vintners (NVV), the nonprofit wine trade association that hosts Premiere Napa Valley. "It’s the best week to be here and we look forward to rolling out the red carpet for the many retailers, restaurateurs, wholesalers and wine media who will be joining us."

Culminating in the NVV's sold-out Premiere Napa Valley Barrel Tasting and Auction on Saturday, February 22, other signature programs and events taking place during the week include:

The Symposium for Professional Wine Writers
Celebrating its tenth anniversary, The Symposium for Professional Wine Writers at Meadowood Napa Valley has become the standard-bearer for the art and craft of wine writing. This year’s symposium speakers include some of today’s most renowned names in wine writing: Robert M. Parker Jr., Eric Asimov, Ray Isle, Jay McInerney, Sara Schneider, Jon Bonné and more. During the four-day conference, more than 70 faculty and attendees will dig deep into writing and build their knowledge through workshops, tastings and seminars.

Sommelier Napa Valley
New for 2014, this four-day NVV program will immerse a highly select group of 20 sommeliers from around the country in the wines, culture and history of Napa Valley. The curriculum includes educational workshops on soil and terroir, the science of taste, the fundamentals of the wine business and the sommelier craft.

Multi-Vintage Perspective & Retrospective Tasting
The tasting is Friday from 9:30 a.m. to noon at the RUDD Center at The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone and is open to qualified members of the wine trade and media giving them the chance to form their own perspective on the various vintages presented: 2009, 2010 and 2011 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon from a dozen producers presented side-by-side, and a library tasting of Cabernet Sauvignon and other Napa Valley varieties from the 1984, 1994 and 2004 vintages.

Premiere Napa Valley Preview Parties
More than 150 Napa Valley wineries will host tastings of current release wines, library selections and barrel samples from their Premiere Napa Valley lots during the week. Several of these Premiere Preview Parties are presented by groups of vintners with similar attributes, like sub-appellation organizations, small producers, family-owned brands, women winemakers and more.

Local Restaurant Wine Promotions
Because of its mid-winter timing, Premiere Napa Valley helps to build business during a traditionally slow time of year and more than a dozen of Napa Valley’s renowned restaurateurs are getting in on the action by featuring Napa Valley wines by the glass throughout the week. Some are even pouring Premiere Napa Valley wines, providing a unique opportunity for Napa Valley locals to join in the week’s excitement.

18th Annual Premiere Napa Valley Barrel Tasting and Live Auction
Saturday’s grand finale, which sold out again in record time, will showcase 225 lots of some of the rarest and highest quality wines produced in Napa Valley. Top winemakers create unique offerings made exclusively for this event in as few as 60 bottles and never more than 240. Each lot is sold to only one bidder and proceeds support the NVV’s mission to promote, protect and enhance the Napa Valley appellation, its wines, vintners and community.

For more information about the Premiere Napa Valley folio of wines and to experience the action as it unfolds, visit premierenapawines.com. To join in what promises to be dynamic social media conversations throughout the week, follow #PNV14, #WWS14 and #SommNapa.

About the Napa Valley Vintners
The Napa Valley Vintners nonprofit trade association has been cultivating excellence for 70 years by inspiring its 500 members to produce consistent quality wines, provide environmental leadership and care for the extraordinary place they call home. Learn more at napavintners.com.

Contact: Cate Conniff, Communications Manager 707.968.4229 cconniff@napavintners.com