I’m a huge fan of Iron Horse’s Earth Day events. Joy Sterling is committed to the environment in ways that inspire me.
While I build a collage of the trash I’ve been collecting from the neighboring school children (left in our front yard over the past year) in order to create my annual “art” gift for them (with another “Wall-E” video as a bonus), Joy’s thinking about what world leader she’ll be bringing to her winery to discuss global issues.
I was at her winery a few days ago to introduce to her new neighbor Ron Rubin, the relatively new owner of River Road Family Vineyards and Winery. Both wineries are are off Ross Station Road, and both people are exceptional human beings. I felt it was important for them to get to know each other, as the Green Valley of Russian River Valley in Sonoma County and its Gold Ridge soil are the passions of both people. Joy began to speak about her upcoming event and her guest speaker for this year. Two years ago, she brought in Ted Turner, and I was there for that special occasion.
Now, she has Jared Diamond, a Pulitzer Prize winner and best selling author, who will be coming into Russian River Valley by way of Paupau, New Guinea. Jared Diamond’s latest book is “epoch-changing work,” according to Michael Shermer, author of The Believing Brain and Why Darwin Matters. According to Joy, what Jared offers is “sweeping, brilliant descriptions of how geography and environment shape the destiny of nations. He explores what we can learn from traditional societies.”
The day will feature a festival style, walk around food and wine tasting, showcasing the delicious Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs of Green Valley, local community chefs and artisanal producers, live music, and a 3D printer demonstration, courtesy of Make Magazine.
A quick glimpse into Jared’s wine world:
“The greatest wine in the world, in my opinion, is a German white called Scharzhofberger. It’s very light and acidic, only about eight percent alcohol, and it has what’s called an earthy taste. It’s also bubbly, like a miniature champagne.” — as written in Men’s Journal
From Joy Sterling about the event:
We’re planning a big, festival style, walk around food and wine tasting showcasing the spring releases from DeLoach, Dutton Goldfield, Freeman, Hartford, Iron Horse, Marimar Estate, and Sequanna.
Ari Rosen from SCOPA and Campo Fina in Healdsburg is preparing a whole roasted pig, There will be a kimchi station, a noodle bar, something with sweet potatoes as a nod to Dr. Diamond’s work in New Guinea, big seasonal salads, an amazing selection of local cheeses and desserts from Patisserie Angelica in Sebastopol, plus live West African music and a demonstration of 3-D printers courtesy of Make magazine spewing out all kinds of things for guests to take home.
Ticket are now on sale on the Iron Horse Website.
Their growing list of sponsors include The Charmer Sunbelt Group, Glazer’s Family of Wines, The Turner Foundation, Riedel Crystal, and the California Caviar Company. Proceeds go to National Geographic, celebrating its 125th anniversary.
What better way to celebrate Earth Day than with wine … and where better than Green Valley?
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