Concerts, Fundraisers, and Family Abound at Campos Family Vineyards
Wine and winery visits make us feel good, a chance to slow down and savor magic in a glass within steps of where the alchemy of terroir, fruit and climate takes place...
Campos Family Vineyards add good works to very good wine, a focus on giving back to the community from local non-profits to the greater community. Located in eastern Contra Costa county, Campos has become synonymous with charitable events, educational opportunities and unrestrained altruism while creating an dynamic tasting experience. An array of Campos wines also captured medals recently at the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, yet another reason to add regular Campos Family Vineyards visits to your wine country itinerary.
Michelle and Ric Campos created their winery to serve many roles reminiscent of a traditional old-world estate, a community destination and maker of excellent and attainable wines. In addition to vineyards planted with Cabernet Franc, Zinfandel, Barbera and other varietals, the estate features a baseball diamond where local little leaguers and adult kickballers play. Picnic tables are spread across the great lawn, and a bocce court and other amenities invite visitors to stay awhile before and after a tasting flight.
“We just knew it was important for our community to have a gathering place,” says Michelle, who with Ric purchased the property in 2016. “We really wanted to make this a family-friendly atmosphere so that families could come here, enjoy themselves, bring their children and have a really good, wholesome experience.”
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Community Events
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In addition to wine sales, Michelle and Ric schedule several conferences in a schedule packed with community events, fundraisers and wine club meetings. Teepa Snow, known for her paradigm-shifting perspective on dementia, keynoted a conference on the subject. The annual Autism Fundraiser, a country music concert featuring Good Time Charlie, is scheduled for April 23rd. September’s ALS Fundraiser will also feature a country concert.
In between these important fundraising nights, visitors can participate in the Mother’s Day Rosé 5K run (5/8), a Motown Live Concert (6/19), The Breakfast Club, an 80’s tribute band (7/17), Uptown Funk, a Bruno Mars tribute band (8/7), and Heart of Rock & Roll, a Huey Lewis tribute band (9/18). Wine Down Fridays feature live music every week from early June to late September.
With the winery’s 13,000-square-foot event center, picnic areas, baseball field, and outdoor kitchen, visitors are encouraged to schedule their own private events. Guests at corporate events, weddings, and other celebrations like birthdays and anniversaries enjoy access to the outdoor facilities in addition to the indoor space.
The family recently planted 1,500 olive trees from which they will create an olive oil label, with the proceeds going to their unique “Give Back” program. The Give Back Wine Series originated when Michelle, her daughter and Gigi, her granddaughter, went to see Dr. Temple Grandin, the prominent author speak about autism. After seeing Dr. Grandin, Gigi, who has Asperger’s, commented that “her brain thinks like my brain.”
Like many twice-exceptional children, Gigi then gushed forth with ideas, specifically about how to raise awareness about autism, including an invitation to Dr. Grandin to visit the winery and a new wine blend to raise money and awareness. Gigi declared she would design the label. The subsequent conference featuring Dr. Grandin at the Campos Winery sold out 500 tickets in 48 hours. To date, sales of Gigi’s Blend have raised $16 thousand for the Temple Grandin – Eustacia Cutler Autism Fund.
“After we released Gigi’s Blend and saw how popular it was,” Michelle says, “we realized there were other causes that we cared about where we could use wine to give something back.”
Campos Family Vineyards created an estate blend of Mourvedre, Barbera and Cabernet Franc to honor Sylvia, a friend’s mother, who was diagnosed with early onset dementia. A portion of proceeds from the wine, Forget Me Not, is donated to Dementia Support & Care Services. Quinny’s Blend adds estate Petite Syrah to Mourverde and Cab Franc to honor Pat Ornellas, aka Quinny, who succumbed to ALS after a life well lived. The ALS Foundation is a recipient of a percentage of the proceeds, resulting in $45 thousand to date. The Estate Rosé honors Tiffany, who was diagnosed at birth with cystic fibrosis, with proceeds going to the Children’s Organ Transplant Association.
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Business Hours:
Open for Purchases & Tastings
Friday, 1-5pm
Saturday, 12-5pm
Sunday, 1—5pm
3501 Byer Rd. Byron, CA
Located in rural Byron, the wine tasting experience at Campos Family Vineyards offers an excellent outing under the sun to taste a variety of hand-selected vintages. Available exclusively by reservation, the elevated wine tasting experience is accompanied by one-to-one conversations with members of the Campos winery family. Ric frequently appears with the estate’s open-air bubble bus to take guests on an intimate tour of the property in which he is known to discuss everything from terroir to the resident raptors.
“We’ve created an environment that is intimate, with enough room so as not to feel crowded,” Michelle says. “We love to introduce our wine, like our flagship Barbera varietal, a lighter, velvety grape favored in Italy. Our goal is always to make sociable wines that are well-priced for everyday enjoyment.”
The Campos Family Wine Club is perfect for the relaxed wine drinker. Members enjoy exclusive release parties, first selections of new releases and plenty of discounts on concerts and all wine purchases. Club members also enjoy complimentary tastings, a private picnic area and shaded pavilion overlooking the vineyard. Given last year’s exceptional harvest, 2021 wine club members will enjoy significant discounts on purchasing futures.
There are many family wineries in California, but few that place as much emphasis on family and the local community as Campos Family Vineyards. From the Give Back program and fundraising nights, to monthly concerts and Friday Wine Down, Michelle and Ric Campos remain dedicated to steward, as Ric says, the property for others to enjoy. Visit the Campos Family Vineyards website to book your reservation, attend a concert and “Give Back” to a cause that may be close to your heart. Enjoy the good vibes at Campos Family Vineyards.
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