Friday evening’s festival kickoff is the lively Taste of Pigs & Pinot where guests sample 60 highly-acclaimed Pinot Noir wines competing in the Pinot Cup competition, both from Sonoma County and around the world. Two Rosé wines will be offered in addition to the lineup of 60 Pinot Noirs treating guests to a “white wine” twist on Pinot Noir. Tastings are served alongside a variety of pork dishes, including homemade sausages, charcuterie, grilled pork, patés and other special creations from Chef Palmer and Dry Creek Kitchen Chef de Cuisine Dustin Valette, guest celebrity chefs, and local Healdsburg restaurants. The winner and runner-up of the much anticipated Pinot Cup will be revealed at the end of the night.

The Pinot Cup is our annual wine competition where 60 handpicked Pinot Noirs compete in a blind-tasting competition in hopes to be named “the best of the best” by a renowned judging panel.