Wine Tips: March Wine Events

Spring may not have sprung entirely just yet, but the season for wine festivals is already in full bloom.

We may be biased, but the real don't-miss event below is Around the World in 80 Sips™ D.C., the big tasting at which anyone, from either side of the aisle, is welcome to come try wines from some of the world's best regions and producers. About 600 people sipped with us in San Francisco just a couple weeks ago, so get a taste of what they experienced and join us just a stone's throw from the Hill.

If you're not in the Nation's Capitol, not to worry: There are plenty of other wine events worth visiting throughout March. Some of the best ones appear below.

10th Annual Fresno State Winemaster's Weekend, March 4-6
With tastings and seminars, not to mention the presence of awesome California winemakers Bruno D'Alfonso and Kris Curran, this promises to be an incredible weekend. The setting, Tenaya Lodge in Yosemite, isn't so shabby either. Proceeds benefit the enology program at Fresno State. Help school a kid in wine. Click here for more information.

World of Pinot Noir, March 4-6
If you love the heartbreak grape, this is a series of seminars and tastings that's not to be skipped. It's as good an excuse as any to head to the Cliffs Resort in Shell Beach, California. Click here for tickets and information.

16th Annual Educational Taste of Excellence: Wine tasting, March 5
Finally, something to do in Vegas other than stand at a slot machine sipping free, lukewarm beer, or hunting for another buffet. This tasting benefits the Cultural Diversity Foundation of Nevada. Click here for tickets and information.

Pacific Coast Wine Festival, March 5
This one's a little glitzier than your usual festival, but the wine selection promises to be superb and the proceeds benefit the Pacific Symphony Music and Educations Programs. If you're on the left coast, head over to Newport Beach and taste some of the world's top wines while supporting a good cause. Click here for more information.

Red, White & Snow, March 10-12
If you're not ready to give up on ski season, be sure to check out this series of wine tastings, dinners and other gatherings in Park City, Utah. This is also the main means of support for the National Ability Center, which supports the disabled. Click here for more information.

Savor Cannon Beach Wine & Culinary Festival, March 10-13
A wide range of restaurants and art galleries take part in this three-day festival on the coast of Oregon. The big tasting of the weekend helps support the Cannon Beach Children's Center. If you live in the Pacific Northwest, don't skip this one. Click here for more information.

New Jersey Wine & Food Festival, March 11-13
The Dirty Jerz finally gets an awesome wine event — in a stunning location, no less. The Crystal Springs resort is in perhaps the most scenic section of New Jersey, never mind that the wine cellar at this resort is otherworldly. You might even meet a recent Top Chef contest. Oh, and stay for a round of golf, too. Click here for tickets and information.

Around the World in 80 Sips Washington, D.C., March 18
Join us for our first official visit to the nation's capital! Our first two events of the year, in Miami and San Francisco, brought out hundreds of people to taste some of the world's best wines. Take a break from politics and reach for some Pinot...and a few dozen other types of wine. Click here for tickets and information.

Paso Robles Zin Festival, March 18-20
We'd go to this festival solely to meet Zin Man, the wine world's answer to Dos Equis' Most Interesting Man in the World. In all seriousness, though, this is set to be one heck of a wine weekend. If you can escape up (or down) the coast, definitely check out this festival featuring some powerhouse reds. Click here for tickets and information.

22nd Annual Abilities Wine Tasting & Silent Auction, March 19
This year promises to be yet another good one for the Tampa Bay Rays, but this is a great excuse to head to the stadium well ahead of Opening Day. Taste some seriously good wines from California and the rest of the world while supporting disabled veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Click here for more infomration.

14th Annual Rhône Rangers San Francisco, March 27
Get a taste of what Rhône varieties can deliver outside their ancestral home. Dozens of wines will be poured in several different sessions throughout this event in San Francisco. Go ahead, take a break from that same ol' Napa Cab and try something like a Cinsault...or a Syrah...or maybe a blend of the two. Click here for tickets and information.

Know of another great wine event in March? Share it with us below.