Uncorked and Sierra Brewfest

Interested in sampling local wines or tasting a selection of craft beers?  Saturday, August 25th, Nevada City hosts Uncorked (1-4pm) and the Nevada County Fairgrounds welcomes the Sierra Brewfest (3-6:30pm).

Uncorked, Saturday, August 25th 1-4pm, downtown Nevada City

Wine tasting, food sampling and more!  The event is put on by the Nevada City Chamber of Commerce and brings together 16 different wineries and breweries.  In addition to wine tastings, you can sample bites from local restaurants including: tri tip with chimichurri sauce, Lefty’s Grill pizza, chocolate truffles, gourmet cheese from Wheyward Girl Creamery and more.  Check-in at the Nevada City Vets Hall starts at 12:30 and the event goes from 1-4 throughout downtown Nevada City, you can buy tickets online or at the door.  If you’ve never been check out the photos from the previous years here and here.

Below is a list of all the wine tasting options:

Avanguardia Wines, Bangor Ranch Winery, Chacewater Winery,  Clavey Vineyards, Fawnridge Winery, Sierra Starr Vineyards, Szabo Vineyards, Nevada City Winery, Hickman Family Winery, Renaissance Vineyard & Winery, New Clairvaux Vineyard, Lone Buffalo Winery, Montoliva Vineyard and Winery, Double Oak Vineyards & Winery, Spencer-Shirey Wines and Gray Pine Winery.

This year there are two special events on Friday, August 24th, “Conversations with a Winemaker” in the Nevada City Winery Barrel Room (4pm) and a reception afterwards (5-7pm).  There’s no additional charge to attend these events, but you will need to get a ticket when you purchase your Uncorked ticket.  Winemakers Mark Henry from Montoliva, Jack Starr from Sierra Starr and Mark Foster from Nevada City Winery, will sit on the panel that will be moderated by Rod Byers to discuss the future of winemaking in our region and the need, or not, for a flagship varietal.  “It’s going to be a really fun exchange of ideas and information.  We will hopefully get into the nuts and bolts of wine production in Nevada County,” said Jack Starr.

Sierra Brewfest, Saturday, August 25th, 3-6:30pm, Nevada County Fairgrounds

Sample over 100 hand crafted beers at the benefit for Music in the Mountains under the trees at the Nevada County Fairgrounds.  In addition to the tastings there were food trucks, friendly rounds of cornhole and music by The Cash Prophets.  The Sierra BrewFest is best known for bringing together beer enthusiasts from across the region to sample the top microbreweries in Northern California, meet the brew masters, and celebrate under the towering pines of the Fairgrounds.

This year’s roster features: Grass Valley Brewing Company, Three Forks Bakery & Brewery, Auburn Alehouse, Revision Brewing Company, FiftyFifty Brewing, Nash’s Brewing Co., Strad Meadery, Crispin Cider, Ol’ Republic Brewery, Belching Beaver, Lagunitas Brewing Company, River City Brewing, Steigl, Shipyard Brewing, Three Mile Brewing, Crooked Lane Brewing, Kona Brewing, Anderson Valley Brewing, Moksa Brewing, 1849 Brewing, Sierra Nevada Brewery, Stone Brewing, Boochcraft, Feather Falls Brewery, and many more.

New this year is a no-host wine bar for those who prefer wine instead of beer and there’s always the designated driver ticket option, for those who wants to bring along a friend who’s not drinking, tickets available online.

Now who’s thirsty?  The Outside Inn’s blog has 2 tickets to Uncorked and Sierra Brewfest to giveaway, post your comment on which event you’re interested in (or both) and I’ll draw the winner on Monday, August 20th.  *Edited to say the winner for Uncorked is Denise Bryant and the winner for Sierra Brewfest is Judith Cowles, congrats.

© 2018 InnSide Nevada City, photos by Erin Thiem