In Healdsburg, the TOWN dinner series has built a reputation for turning wine dinners into full experiences, and its latest gathering leaned into that playful spirit. Sonoma Magazine reports that the series hosted its inaugural Blind Bottle Bash at Flambeaux Wine, complete with a Star Wars theme and a friendly blind tasting competition.
TOWN, short for Traveling Off-Season For Wine Night, is co-founded by Arthur Murray, co-owner of Flambeaux Wine, and Alexander Harris, who goes by A3l3xzand3r and co-owns The Harris Gallery Art and Wine Collection. Their goal with the Bash was to strengthen relationships among small, family-owned wineries in Sonoma County, in a setting that felt relaxed rather than transactional.
On Dec. 4, wax-sealed invitations were hand-delivered to nearly 30 wineries and sommeliers. No tickets were sold and the public was not invited. Inside, the vibe was theatrical. A life-size animated Darth Vader, a Stormtrooper, and Chewbacca greeted guests, and sommeliers dressed in Jedi robes led the blind tasting.
Each of 20 wineries brought a red and a white of any vintage or varietal for the competition. Sommeliers included Ryan Knowles and Adrienne Harkey, Jon Macklem, Jared Hooper, James Spain, Laurel Livezey, Shelley Lindgren, and media personality Ziggy Eschliman, among others. Producers and winery teams described the evening as a rare chance to talk shop and connect outside the pressures of harvest and hospitality.
By the end of the night, Thomas George Estates won top honors in both red and white categories. Gros Ventre Cellars placed second for white after a tiebreaker, A. Rafanelli took second for red, and Papapietro Perry earned third in both. Along with the bragging rights came a pair of lightsabers to be returned next year when Thomas George defends its titles.