May is Bocce Month in Wine Country

This is an unofficial declaration that May is Bocce Month in Wine Country.
Why choose May as Bocce month? May is the ideal month to plan an outdoor activity in wine country like Bocce. The weather is at its best for a little physical activity. The rains are gone, the temperatures moderate, and the vines are looking delightful. What better way to spend a spring day than at a winery with your friends playing a round of Bocce? And why not have a month where we encourage folks to experience Bocce, a very social game that is easy to learn and takes only a few moments to acquire enough Bocce skills to have a very fun experience. Wineries with Bocce Courts: Please join us in declaring May “Bocce Month” in Wine Country.

We travel to the wine country often and very seldom do we see anyone using a winery’s Bocce court. I can only guess that people are not inclined to try Bocce if they have not played before. A game of Bocce is easy to play, so easy that it might be the only sport in the world where one can play while sipping a chilled glass of white wine. It is that easy! Once you play a game with your friends, you will be hooked. Next time you visit a winery with a Bocce court, ask if you use their Bocce set and play on their court. The rules are easy and can be found here at Basic Bocce Rules.

For us, May is the month we organize our WCG Bocce Tournament in wine country. This will be our 7th annual tournament and we will be playing on May 26. Sorry to say we won’t be playing our tournament in the Napa Valley. Our tournament that began in 2005 with three couples is now played by nine couples. We need a full day and four courts to conduct our tournament. The last two years we hosted our tournament in Hopland at the Brutacao Winery, where they have six professional Bocce courts. This year, we will try the brand new courts at the Francis Ford Coppola winery in Geyserville. We make a two-night trip out of this adventure. The day previous to the tournament we visit a winery and have lunch and maybe take a tour of the winery. That evening we have a group dinner at a restaurant and we begin the ritual of boasting of our Bocce prowess. The next evening after the tournament, we gather for appetizers, laughs, and of course the awarding of our prestigious perpetual trophy. If we’re lucky, Ray entertains us with his signature “Vanilla” joke.

Here is a list of wineries in the Napa Valley that have Bocce Courts.

• Ceja Vineyards – Carneros
• Chateau Monteleña – Calistoga
• Dutch Henry – Calistoga
• Ehlers Winery – Highway 29 – St. Helena
• Nichelini Winery – 2 Courts – Highway 128
• Piña Napa Valley – Rutherford
• Raymond Vineyards – St. Helena
• Summers Winery – Calistoga
• Tudal Family Winery – St. Helena

Here is a complete list of wineries in California with Bocce courts. Play hard, play fair!