The Fresno State Winery will open its doors to the community from 5:30 to 8 p.m Thursday, Nov. 20, to celebrate Le Vin Nouveau, the release of its first wines of the 2008 vintage – two Nouveau-style wines and the Vin D’une Nuit.
The $15 admission will include samples of the three new wines, light hors d’oeuvres and a cooking demonstration by Fredrick Clabaugh, executive chef of the Tenaya Lodge at Yosemite.
Representatives from the Tenaya Lodge also will be available to give a sneak-peek at the eighth annual Fresno State Winemaster’s Weekend to be held March 6-8, 2009, at the lodge in Fish Camp.
Le Vin Nouveau attendees will have a chance to win a two-night package for two to attend the 2009 Winemaster’s Weekend, valued at over $650, and can purchase wines at special discounts.
A drawing will be held for a large-format etched bottled of the winery’s 10th anniversary Syrah. The commemorative wine is dedicated to Dr. Carlos Muller, professor emeritus of enology and viticulture, and will be released in December at a special event. Muller taught at Fresno State from 1978 to 2004.
Le Vin Nouveau is the Fresno State Winery’s annual tribute to the French tradition of making fruit-forward wine from that year’s grapes and releasing it to the public on the third Thursday in November. The wine is meant to be enjoyed soon after its release. The Fresno State Winery is one of only a handful of wineries outside France to produce Nouveau-style wines, said Kenneth Fugelsang, winemaster and professor of enology at Fresno State.
The event is hosted by Fresno State Winery employees, members of the Enology Society and faculty and staff from the Department of Viticulture and Enology. Individuals must be 21 or older to attend. A $5 discount will be available to Fresno State alumni, faculty, staff and students with valid ID.
The Fresno State Winery is the nation’s first bonded commercial winery to operate on a university campus. It has won more than 200 awards at prestigious commercial wine competitions. Wines are produced by enology students under the direction of Fugelsang and winemaker John Giannini.
For more information, call 559.278.6070
Related links: Viticulture and Enology at Fresno State, Fresno State Winery
