The sparkling wine at the gala event on Sat. May 28th, 2011 is generously provided by Ramazzotti Wines from Geyserville, CA.

The Old World is artfully conjoined with the New at Ramazzotti Wines in Geyserville, California. After years of building a personal fan club serving their legendary homemade wines to family and friends, Joe and Norma Ramazzotti catapulted a 50-year saga into high gear, opening their own winery in 2002. The proprietors are Joe & Norma Ramazzotti.

It is a true life and wine partnership. Joe manages the big picture; the vineyards, when to pick, coordinates the crew and crush. Norma is the glue behind the scenes. She keeps the books and handles the orders, and at harvest you would find her in charge of quality control of the fruit; she carefully examines the MOG (Material Other than Grapes), picking leaves and bugs out, and leaving only perfect clusters and berries to be crushed to make their extraordinary wines.

At the Bodega Bay Film Festival, they will be pouring the 2009 Frizzante, Blanc de Blanc Brut Sparkling Wine, their very popular,  mouth-watering Chardonnay from the Mariani Vineyard in the Dry Creek Valley.

TASTING NOTES: The nose of this wine has a fresh yeastiness, crisp and clean. The transition from its sharper front palate to a surprisingly smooth and satisfying backside is very enjoyable. Tiny soft bubbles swirl around a light nutty flavor. It is this wine’s low acidity that makes it soft on the back palate, so our Frizzante goes down easy and smooth. Try it with cheese, grapes or for a special treat, a calamari appetizer. Age up to 10 years.