Valley home winemakers to celebrate their art

The Valley of the Moon Dilettante Enological Society (VOMDES) will be holding its annual Home Winemakers Celebration on Oct. 11 at the Swiss Hotel. Proceeds go to Sonoma Valley High School Boosters Club. Photo by Jack Bertram.

The Valley of the Moon Dilettante Enological Society (VOMDES) will be holding its annual Home Winemakers Celebration on Oct. 11 at the Swiss Hotel. The event, which benefits the Sonoma Valley High School Boosters Club, is promoting the art of home winemaking, an art whose sophistication has grown considerably in recent years.
“Home winemaking is generally thought of as putting some Concord grapes in a bucket and making a wine that only a mother could love,” said Chris Kukshtel, vice president of VOMDES. “But home winemakers today are utilizing commercial process and products, and are taking a greater interest in the chemistry and agricultural aspects of winemaking.”
This year’s celebration will feature tastings of award-winning wines from over 30 VOMDES artisan winemakers. They will be pouring their own wines while discussing the passions and processes behind their home winemaking hobbies. Appetizers will also be served throughout the event.
In addition, the celebration will include a blind wine-tasting contest called “Get Bottle Shocked,” where VOMDES cabernet sauvignons and zinfandels will compete against a selection of Napa Valley’s 90-point-rated premium wines.
Contestants will attempt to correctly guess which wine is a home winemaker’s wine and which is a commercially produced Napa Valley wine. Winners will receive a gift basket with bottles of both wines, so they can host their own blind tasting at home if they wish.
A silent auction will also be held, featuring VOMDES and locally produced commercial wines, as well as a three-night stay in Tahoe and a round of golf in Sonoma Valley among other items. Last year VOMDES raised over $18,000 for the High School art and sports programs.
VOMDES members endeavor to stay current with the latest wine industry developments while focusing on building awareness that anyone with a passion for wine can become a home winemaker. If you’re already a local home winemaker and would like to pour your wine at this event or inquire about membership, please contact VOMDES at [email protected] or call 707.939.1313.
The 2008, third annual VOMDES Home Winemakers Celebration takes place on Oct. 11 from 3-6 p.m. on the back patio of the Swiss Hotel Restaurant in Sonoma (18 W. Spain St., on the Sonoma Plaza). Tickets are $35 per person. You may purchase advance tickets online at www.vomdes.org or at Readers Books, 130 E. Napa St., Sonoma.