Ravenswood Winery: Get A Tattoo, Get Free Wine For Life

Ravenswood Winery

Posing Naked Among The Wine Barrels Is Not Required

Getting a tattoo may not make you a chef, but get the right tattoo, and you can get free wine. For life. There is a catch or two, of course. The ink must be permanent and your body art must be the Ravenswood Winery logo. Plus, you have to be physically present in the Sonoma tasting room to get the tasting-only freebies, so it would help to live oh, a few hundred miles closer.

The good news: You get to decide where to place that ominous circle of ravens, the size of the tattoo is up to you (nor must you include the giant flames added to the tattoo above), and there are plenty of wines to choose from every time you're in town for that freebie -- though it does help to be a fruit-forward Zinfandel fan, as the bargain Vintner's Blend end of the Ravenswood lineup is more what one might politely call big, jammy in-your-face wines. Oh, and you also get to be the star of the tattoo party at the winery. Get the details after the jump.

Ravenswood Winery

Next month, the winery is hosting it's second annual "tattoo coming out" party. A winery spokesperson said only three guests last year sported the requisite tattoo, but that she has seen as many as two dozen make appearances in the tasting room on various occasions. Those cyclical ravens, by the way, were designed by Berkeley artist David Goines, who also designed those great Chez Panisse wine labels in the 1980s.

The party promises prizes for the best tattoo of the day (ya think a design involving beer will win?), on-site air brushing for the needle-phobic, and of course, plenty of wine for the tasting. "Mingling and comparing of tattoos" is also noted as an activity, so we suggest you think twice about where you do put those ravens. That is, should you be inclined to commit to one winery for life.

2nd Annual Tattoo "Coming Out" Party, Saturday, July 17th, Ravenswood, 18701 Gehricke Rd, Sonoma, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., $15 (tasting fee waived for those with ravens tattoo). For more information, call (707) 933-2336.