Amador County – In early May, Dick Cooper of Cooper Vineyards sought a permit for a Barbera Festival in the Shenandoah Valley. On Thursday, promoters said festival tickets are now sold out.

Organizers said: “If you haven’t purchased tickets for the first-ever Barbera Festival, scheduled for June 11 in Plymouth, you’ll have to wait until 2012 to taste from the 80-plus participating wineries as the event is completely sold out.”

Brian Miller, organizer of the Barbera Festival, said: “We anticipated selling about 1,200 tickets our first year, but ended up selling out yesterday at 1,500 tickets. It’s a testament to wine lovers’ interest in the barbera varietal. We appreciate the continued support from those that are eager to be there, but we must adhere to our attendee limit.”

Miller said it is intended to be an annual event with net proceeds benefiting the Amador Community Foundation. The festival will be held on the west side of Shenandoah School Road, about a mile south of the intersection of Shenandoah Road.

According to Miller, there are no tickets available online or at the door. He recommended people become Facebook fans and submit their email address at the event website to receive alerts about the 2012 event and take advantage of early bird ticket discounts.

Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.