Solano Cellars
3 classes
Wednesdays (May 13th, May 27th & June 10th)
530-730pm
$150 for all 3 classes ($120 Early Bird pricing until May 10th)
$60 for individual classes
*Each class includes 8+ wines and a traditional regional dish
**Our friend Brian Stapleton will lead each class, focusing on specific subregions, their unique history, and the winemakers working within them to preserve their traditions while keeping an eye fixed firmly on the future.
Our 2026 class calendar continues! After exploring Piedmont with Oliver McCrum, we're ready to travel to the Balkans with our friend Brian Stapleton of Danch & Granger to discover the best that Croatia, Serbia, Slovenia, Bosnia, and Romania have to offer. It's a region full of character, steeped in history, and somehow, entirely underrated as one of the world's great wine-producing areas. Each class will cover how wine, cuisine history, and culture are inextricably linked across the Balkans, with a flight of 8+ wines served alongside a traditional dish or two.
Class #1 will take us on a deep dive into Croatia, exploring the vast, varied terroir stretching from the sun-soaked coast to the rolling hills near Zagreb.
Class #1 will take us on a deep dive into Croatia, exploring the vast, varied terroir stretching from the sun-soaked coast to the rolling hills near Zagreb.
Class # 2 - Our Balkans class continues with some of the most arresting, curious, and downright delicious wines from anywhere: Serbia and Bosnia. Where Bosnia has maintained a quiet, uninterrupted tradtion, Serbian winemakers are experimenting loudly and boldly, completely free of any restraints from local governing bodies. Both countries work with old vines and indigenous varieties, making wines that are both comfortingly familiar and entirely singular.
Class # 3 - Our final class in our Balkans series with Danch & Granger focuses on the peripheral countries in the region -- Slovenia and Romania. They each have rich winemaking history, and their respective cultures draw broadly from their neighbors. While only a small slice of Slovenia touches the Balkan peninsula, Balkan culture is widely felt (though often overshadowed by a more palpable Austrian influence). Likewise, Romania is a transitional country, but while only part of it lies within the Balkan region, it's culturally, historically, and linguistically widely considered part of the Balkans.
As always, local dishes will be provided with your tasting!
As always, local dishes will be provided with your tasting!