The Best of the 805 is taking place this weekend, October 24/25th, at the historic Camarillo Ranch House. It is a loaded weekend event kicking off with a Friday night wine dinner featuring some of the very best local chefs including John Paolone of Cafe Firenze, Tim Kilcoyne of Scratch, Anastashia Chavez from Barrel House 101, and Gabe Garcia of Tierra Sur. 

Saturday, October 25th, is the main event held from 1:00-5:00 PM. The event is loaded with live music, over 100 venders that include great wineries, breweries, and restaurants.

Celebrity Chef Fabio Vivani will also be signing his latest cookbook called Fabio's American Home Kitchen. VIP ticket holders will have the opportunity to enter an hour early at 12:00, and take part in a wine panel held at 11:00 AM, in the barn adjacent to the Camarillo Ranch House.

I am honored to have been asked to moderate and compose this panel of wine producers. As a regular on-air contributor (KVTA 1590), I frequently discuss the local wine regions which I often refer to as the "805 AVA." This panel will break down the 805 wine region from Ventura County to Paso Robles.

It is an honor to be joined by some of the best of the 805 producers including Tyler Thomas from Starlane Vineyards, Vidal Perez from J.Wilkes, Peter Work from Ampelos Cellars, Larry Schaffer from Tercero, and Brian Talley from Talley Vineyards. Each of these panelists will represent a wine region with a single wine. We will discuss their varietal, why it does so well in their region, and all while tasting a wine from their designated region. 

The wines will include: 

J. WIlkes Pinot Blanc from Santa Maria Valley

Talley Vineyards Chardonnay from Arroyo Grande 

Ampelos Cellars Pinot Noir from Sta Rita Hills

Tercero Syrah from Ballard Canyon

Four Brix Zinfandel from Paso Robles

Starlane Vineyards from Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara

At the conclusion of the panel discussion/tasting, VIP ticket holders will be allowed to enter the event early. VIP Tickets are available here for $125.00, and general admission without the panel session are available for $85.00.

Tom and Sandy often say. "Keep your money in the 805." This panel will show case some great wine options for the novice or the dedicated wino.