The first week of may is National Herb Week. Yes, there is such a thing! In 1991, the International Herb Association established “National Herb Week” to be celebrated every year during the week leading to and culminating with Mother’s Day. Listed in Chase’s, the registry of national events, the purpose of National Herb Week is to develop and coordinate national attention on herbs, herb businesses, and the IHA.

So, how do you classify an herb? An herb is a plant that is valued for qualities such as medicinal properties, flavor, scent, or the like. Herbs have a variety of uses including culinary, medicinal, or in some cases even spiritual usage. We are interested this week in how the herb is used in Wine. Herbs can be used in wine to enhance the flavors and the scents. Being attuned to the flavors and the scents of certain herbs will also help you in developing a better palate for wine tasting.

C. Donatiello Winery is a certified organic estate which lies in the heart of the Russian River Valley on Westside Road, considered by many to be the “Gold Coast” of the Russian River Valley. The winery estate includes an expansive Aroma Garden that is home to a variety of plants including Asian Pear, Arctic Rose Nectarines, Bing Cherries, Ornamental Plums, Pineapple Sage, Lemon Verbena and a wide variety of roses. And, C. Donatiello Winery uses all of these herbs to lift the scent and the flavor of their Chardonay and Pinot Noir.

Some examples of the wine that C. Donatiello Winery produces with the use of the herbs from their aroma garden include their 2008 Floodgate Block 15 Pinot, which features essences of rose petal and earthy forest floor, with reserved flavors of cherry and wet stone finding a perfect, subtle balance in a velvety, full mouth feel. The 2008 Maddie’s Chardonnay is rich and opulent in the mouth, featuring flavors of pear, lemon curd and baking spices with lemon aromas that culminate in a nicely-focused finish. Their 2007 Orsi Chardonnay mingles caramel-candied apple, key lime, and grapefruit to elicit a full mouth feel that leads effortlessly into a lingering finish. An exquisite aroma of nutmeg and pannetone are balanced by more citrusy notes of toasted pineapple lemon and green apple. And the 2006 Russian River Pinot Noir features notes of spicy black pepper, dried cranberries, mocha, and cherry, it comes on strong and finishes clean.

This week visit C. Donatiello Winery’s sensory aroma garden in celebration of National Herb Week. You can enjoy a glass of wine and stroll through the serene Aroma Garden, while becoming more in touch with the various scents that can be found in the subtleties of the wine. The floral, herb, and fruit scents that fill the garden mirror the tastes that can be found in the winery’s Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Hosted complimentary guided tours of the garden will be held throughout the day on Saturday, May 8. Entertainment on Saturday will include live music from 1-4 p.m and the cost is free.

For more information about this event, please visit the C. Donatiello Winery online at www.cdonatiello.com, Facebook, or on Twitter or call 707.431.4442 or toll-free at 800.433.8296. All the wines mentioned in this article can be found online at www.cdonatiello.com for purchase.