by Pat McGoff

The Kars for Kids event at Sky Tavern held on September 13^th was a non-BMW event that took me by surprise. There were all types of cars that showed up and entered the charity event and many clubs that competed for the $1000 prize for the most cars entered by a club. The top two clubs were the Mustang Club with 27 entrants and the BMW club with 30 cars participating…so we won! The rules didn’t specifically state it HAD to be a BMW.  We were also represented by a Mercedes, an Explorer, Mini and a Corvette which helped us out tremendously.

There were great raffle prizes given out every 15 minutes. De Sharp will look great in the pink Jaguar T Shirt he won. He gave away the Roller Kingdom tickets he won. It would have been nice to see him and Joyce at the rink. My wife would like to thank whoever left the Land Rover key chain on her windshield. Just what she always wanted (not). Last but not least the event ended with a live auction. I wonder how Jane Warner likes the ski lift chair that Jeff was high bidder on.  I heard it looks great in front of the picture window. As could be expected, there was a little sour grapes from the Mustang people. One lady passed the Huntoon’s and said one of our members brought eight cars. Not true but maybe next year!  Members did man their cell phones and got members to come who had no plans on attending the event. Lex Anastassatos was on Reserve duty for the weekend, and had brought his car the night before. We knew we needed more cars so he enlisted the help of his boss and brought his X5!  I drove Jim Goodfellow home so he could bring another car to the event. Russ Huntoon strode in on his BMW motorcycle while Cheri followed in her daughter’s BMW. Carmina stayed home and packed for their upcoming move but did let Ron Nicasio out so he could participate.

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by DeArmond Sharp

Early Saturday morning (7:20 a.m.), on September 19, 2015, BMWs with enthusiastic drivers and 15 restless passengers met to begin the Sierra Chapter Annual Eldorado/Amador Wine Tour.

The group departed on schedule at 8:15 a.m. and headed for its first stop three hours later at Cooper Vineyard, Plymouth, California.  The route took the drivers through Carson City, from there to Jacks Valley Road for a pleasant drive through the countryside on the west side of the Carson Valley, and from there on Route 88 over Carson Pass including spectacular views of Caples and Silver Lake in the Sierra Nevada mountains.

We arrived on schedule at Cooper Vineyard where we were privileged to taste nine of the wonderful wines that Cooper produces, including the Barbera for which its renowned in Amador County.  In addition to the wine, Cooper provided cheese and crackers to wet our appetites for lunch.

From Cooper Vineyard the group proceeded a short distance to Terra d‘Oro Montevina Winery for our lunch stop.  By prearrangement, the Amador Vintage Market had delivered box lunches for those who purchased box lunches others brought their own.  Villa d’Oro has a beautiful facility for picnicking which they graciously permitted us to use.  It is currently the site of the Barbera Festival which is held in Amador County in June of each year.

Following lunch we enjoyed tasting the Villa d’Oro/Montevina offerings before proceeding to our next stop at Vino Noceto.  We were treated to a tasting of the Vino Noceto signature Sangiovese (3 distinct styles) in their outside patio.  The weather was sunny and warm and a few participants gave up on wine tasting and checked in at the Shenandoah Inn for a dip in the pool.

After Vino Noceto we made a short drive to Terra Rouge and Easton Winery.  We were fortunate to be there on Terra Rouge’s Syrah festival weekend and were treated to a sampling of nine styles of Syrah made by the Terra Rouge Winemaker who is known as the “Rhône Ranger.”  Who knew there were that many styles of Syrah?

The final stop of the day was Dobra Zemlja’s beautiful grounds with an underground tasting room.  Dobra Zemlja is owned by a Croatian winemaker who specializes in big Amador reds, no light weights.  At the conclusion of the last wine tasting, we all checked in at the Shenandoah Inn for a short rest prior to the evening events at the Shenandoah Inn pool patio.  While checking in we encountered friends from the Reno Porsche Club who were also staying at the Shenandoah.

We all (except two couples who went to a concert at Helwig Winery) gathered at the pool side patio for heavy hors’ devours, pizza purchased by the Club and other appetizers.  Everyone brought a bottle of wine to share.  The balance of the evening was spent with good friends enjoying  the  favorite bottles of wine the Hors d’oeuvre platters that were delivered by the Amador Vintage Market and pizza from the Pokerville Market

As is traditional, the next morning the hearty wine tasters had the option of enjoying a robust breakfast at the Dead Fly Diner and then proceeding for additional tastings at other wineries , enjoying the Amador Flower Farm or returning home.

The tour was enjoyed by all and included four wineries that we had not previously visited.  We are all looking forward to the 2016 version of the tour.

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The Buttes Tour and Poker Run was held on August 8^th. Andy and Sharon sponsored the event again this year and did a super job! The weather was fine and the lunch at Longboards Bar & Grill located at Plumas Golf Course was fantastic. The winner of the Poker Run was James Russell.

The Potluck Dinner was at our house again this year on August 13^th. We had a total of 41 members show up for the event. Although this is supposed to be a meeting night, we spend more time talking, eating and drinking. Lots of fun and a break from meeting at the BMW Dealership.

My favorite event of the year was the Sierra Wine Tour on September 19^th and 20^th. We went to several new wineries this year, and had a box lunch at Terra d’Oro. They have a lovely covered patio which came in handy due to the high temperatures that day. We then visited Vino Noceto that was having a Sangiovese tasting. Then we went next door to Terra Rouge, who was having a Syrah tasting. Both had wonderful wines. The last winery we visited was Dobra Zemlja. If you want wine with high alcohol content, this is the place. The grounds were very stunning and the tasting room cave was a hit with the members. We decided to eat at the hotel this year. The Club bought pizza and plates of cheese, meats and vegetables. Of course, we had many wines to taste from the wineries we visited that day. Thanks again to De Sharp and Ron Rachow for all the work putting the tour together again this year.

The Kars for Kids event at Sky Tavern which was held on September 13^th was a shocker for the club. We never expected to win the $1000 award for the most cars but our members showed up with 30 cars to beat out the Mustang club by 3 cars. This was not our first attempt at winning this worthwhile event which supports the Kids Ski School at Sky Tavern ski area. We have tried to win for the last three years so I guess three is the charm. I am so thankful for the great support from our members. We did push the limit on phone calls at the last minute to get more cars to attend which did produce three more BMW’s. We have a great club and this is one the reasons I am so proud of this membership. We plan to do this again next year so what better way to support the Reno community that show up with your car and enjoy all the entertainment and camaraderie.

We now know that the 2016 Oktoberfest in Monterrey will be held from August 23^rd to the 28^th.  My sources at National are hoping to have the Oktoberfest website active sometime in January. If you are thinking of attending the 100th BMW Birthday Oktoberfest next year, you need to sign up the day the website comes out because the hotel rooms will sell out in a matter of a few days.

Happy motoring,
Pat McGoff

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President Pat McGoff, (775) 473-8549
Vice President Ron Nicasio, (775) 843-5904
Secretary James Russell, (801) 707-8639
Treasurer/Chief Legal Counsel DeArmond Sharp (775) 826-4357
Past President Art Ona, (775) 772-1328
Member-at-Large Mike Dietel, (775) 338-2183
Membership Sharon Goodrich, (775) 849-3420
Event Coordinators Russ & Cheri Huntoon, (775) 742-4111
Driving Events Jeff Warner, (775) 745-6962
Community Involvement Gilbert Dayao, (775) 720-7485 and John Strom, (775) 851-3000
Newsletter Carol Villar, (775) 525-0509, Pat McGoff, (775) 473-8549 and others (it takes a village)
WebMistress Carol Villar, (775) 525-0509

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