Taking it outside

Matthew "Molotov" Bouvier performs in front of a crowd in the new mini-amphitheater during the Beer Circus at Lagunitas Brewing Company in Petaluma. (BETH SCHLANKER/ The Press Democrat)

When summertime comes to wine country, life moves outdoors, and that includes live entertainment.

In good weather, all the world’s a stage and naturally, a lot of the stages around here are at wineries. From the natural amphitheaters at Gundlach Bundschu Winery in Sonoma and the B.R. Cohn Winery in Glen Ellen to the portable patio stage at Santa Rosa’s D’Argenzio Winery, the bands will be playing.

And this year, there’s even a brewery getting in on the act. A 325-seat amphitheater installed last fall at Lagunitas Brewing Company in Petaluma will host live music most Mondays and Tuesdays, including a special July 3 appearance by Emmylou Harris.

The Lagunitas staff was moving its bottling line to a different building, which required some excavation. As the dirt piled up, brewery founder and owner Tony Magee was inspired to rent a backhoe and create an amphitheater.

“We dug down a little bit to put in the stage, and piled up the dirt into a hill that’s kind of like a mini-Shoreline Amphitheatre,” said Ron Lindenbusch, head of marketing. “We call it the ‘Lagu-mini Amphitheater-ette.’”

Among wineries, Robert Mondavi Winery in Oakville and Rodney Strong Vineyards in Healdsburg both have a long history of presenting national acts at their summer concert series.

But one of the longest histories can be found at Gundlach Bundschu Winery in Sonoma.

The Gundlach Bundschu outdoor amphitheater in Sonoma

“Our amphitheater has been used by the Bundschu family for live performances since the winery was founded in 1858,” said Susan Suerio, marketing director at Gundlach Bundschu Winery. “The very first Vintage Festival was held on that site in 1897.”

The winery presents live music and shows films at its natural hillside amphitheater on Arrowhead Mountain.

“People love the environment. It’s just naturally beautiful,” Sueiro said. “To be able to spread a blanket and lie on the hill, and watch a performance under the stars, is really something magical. There’s something quite stirring about being able to hear the music under a big sky, surrounded by trees.”

On the other hand, Raymond D’Argenzio started presenting live shows at his Santa Rosa winery relatively recently, and he hadn’t really planned on it.

“It started off as a fluke about two years ago. We wanted to do something on a weekday, to invite tourists to come visit in the middle of the week,” D’Argenzio said.

D’Argenzio books local bands performing a wide variety of musical styles. The shows are free, food trucks come in to sell snacks and wine costs $5 a glass.

“It’s a good chance for someone who may be a little intimidated by Sonoma County wines to try something different without being shocked by the price,” he said.

All in all, it’s a hard combination to top — fresh air, sunshine, live music, good wines and pretty scenery.

“You can see mountains in the distance,” said Suerio of Gundlach Bundschu, “and vineyards below.”

You can reach Staff Writer Dan Taylor at 521-5243 or dan.taylor@pressdemocrat.com. See his ARTS blog at http://arts.blogs.pressdemocrat.com.

OUTDOOR EVENTS

BR Cohn Winery, 15000 Sonoma Highway 12, Glen Ellen. Tickets go on sale Friday June 1 for the winery’s Fall Music Festival, scheduled for Oct. 5-8.  (800) 330-4064, brcohn.com

D’Argenzio Winery, 1301 Cleveland Ave., Suite A, Santa Rosa. The Wine Down Eat Up Thursday series continues 5-9 p.m. next Thursday June 7, with live music, wine and food. 546-2466, dargenziowine.com

Dutton-Goldfield Winery, 3100 Gravenstein Highway N., Sebastopol. The Soundcheck Sundays series continues with Hawaiian-style entertainment by Da Puna Bruddahs, 1-4 p.m. Sunday, June 3. Free. 829-6766, duttongoldfield.com

Huichica Festival

Gundlach Bundschu Winery, 2000 Denmark St., Sonoma. The third annual Huichica Festival opens with a three-course dinner and concert 6-10 Friday, June 1 and continues noon-10 p.m. Saturday, June 2 with 11 bands on three stages. $75-$240. The winery also will host Midsummer Mozart Festival performances on July 21 and 28. 938-5277, gunbun.com

Lagunitas Brewery, 1280 N. McDowell Blvd., Petaluma. Outdoor concerts Mondays and Tuesdays during the summer, most of them free. Nicki Bluhm and the Gramblers play Monday.  769-4495, lagunitas.com.

Medlock Ames Winery, 13414 Chalk Hill Road, Healdsburg. The Alexander Valley Bar Summer Concert Series continues 5:30-8:30 p.m. Sunday June 3, with music by Steve Pile and by food Fork Catering. 431-8845, medlockames.com

Paradise Ridge Winery, 4545 Thomas Lake Harris Drive, Santa Rosa. The “Wines & Sunsets” series continues every Wednesday through Oct. 17. Bring a picnic and sip wines starting at 6 p.m., and then wait and watch the sunset, every Wednesday through mid-October. $5. Most evenings include music, and food by local vendors. 528-9463, prwinery.com

Parducci Wine Cellars, 501 Parducci Road, Ukiah. The first Parducci’s Acoustic Cafe Concert series opens 6-10 p.m. June 16 with the Pulsators, and continues weekly through September. 463-5357, parducci.com

Robert Mondavi Winery, 7801 St. Helena Highway, Oakville. A local favorite for more than four decades Mondavi’s Summer Festival Concert Series opens June 30 with the O.A.R. (Of a Revolution) quintet. (888) 769-5299, robertmondavi.com

Rodney Strong Vineyards, 11455 Old Redwood Highway, just south of Healdsburg. Another perennial standout, this year’s Summer Concert Series opens June 16 with Tower of Power and Craig Chaquico. 869-1595, rodneystrong.com