Wine-and-song festivals at California and Washington wineries

If wine and song are two of your favorite indulgences, now's the time to plan a summer outing that combines them. This year, five Western wineries in California and Washington-will host music festivals featuring nationally renowned performers and ranging in style from Mozart to Motown.

Wine country vistas provide exquisite backdrops. At Robert Mondavi, for instance, a Spanish-style building frames a grassy courtyard that stretches out to the Napa Valley's vine-covered hills. Beyond the grapes are the Mayacamas Mountains, shadowed and imposing in the purplish light of early evening. At a performance there last summer, we watched as a hawk glided by a half-moon and clouds like snowy peaks, the music providing a sound track for its flight.

Tickets to Wente Brothers' concerts are already being sold. Paul Masson Summer Series tickets will be available starting April 23; last year, 50 percent of them were sold the day they went on sale. Tickets for other festivals should be bought early next month.

CALIFORNIA

Buena Vista Winery Midsummer Mozart Festival 18000 Winery Road, Sonoma. At 6 P.M. on three Sundays in July and August; dates to be announced.

The well-known Midsummer Mozart Festival Orchestra, with George Cleve conducting, makes its 10th annual appearance at the winery this year.

Performances are in the Fountain Courtyard. Weather is usually warm; dress is casual. Bring a picnic, or buy gourmet supplies at the winery to go with complimentary wine served before the concert.

Tickets go on sale May 1. For orchestra seats ($17.50) or table seating with shade umbrellas ($24), call (800) 338-9463 in California, 445-7922 elsewhere.

Paul Masson Summer Series, 14831 Pierce Road, Saratoga. At various times Thursdays through Sundays, June I through September 24. Masson's "Mountain Winery"' perched above the Santa Clara Valley, is the setting for 115 concerts this year. Musicians represent a wide range of styles: jazz, classical, pop, rock, and folk among them. This year's program includes Ella Fitzgerald, violinist Pinchas Zukerman, and Joan Baez.

The winery looks a little like Disneyland, with its asphalt paths and copious signs, but sound quality in the intimate stage area is ideal. The audience sits in chairs, with shade umbrellas provided during the day. Evenings can be cool.

Food is served on the patio, which has an excellent view of the valley. Concert listeners are not allowed to bring their own food onto the winery grounds. A buffet supper of barbecued meats, steamed mussels, red snapper, fruit, cheeses, and breads is available for $15. Complimentary wine or champagne is served at intermission.

Ticket sales begin April 23. Call BASS for tickets (all general admission; prices vary by artist) or (408) 741-5181 for tickets and to reserve suppers.

Robert Mondavi Summer Festival 7801 St. Helena Highway, Oakville. At 7 P.M. Saturdays, July 1 through 29. At this winery, you can see top-rung jazz and pop artists, such as Dizzy Gillespie, Pat Metheny, and Lou Rawls. This year's festival lineup will be announced by May 1.

Concerts at Mondavi are perfect for picnicking. Seating is on the grass; bring a blanket or low beach chairs. At one performance, picnics ranged from huge submarine sandwiches to cracked crab to deli salads; one meal graced a lamplit, tablecloth-covered cooler. Bring your own picnic, or arrange to have one prepared for you there. Complimentary wine and cheese are served at intermission.

The weather in Napa on summer evenings is often warm and breezy, but bring a sweater just in case.

Performers play against the beige winery building; multicolored lighting adds drama. Those who sit farthest from the stage will find the sound less exciting and may be bothered by echoes.

Tickets go on sale May 1. Call (707) 9639617, ext. 384, for tickets ($20 to $35) and to reserve picnic dinners ($12 to $15).

Wente Brothers Concerts in the Vineyard, 5050 Arroyo Road, Livermore. At 8 PM. certain Fridays and Saturdays, July 7 through September 15. This year's season opens with pop country singer Crystal Gayle and includes jazz and folk artists. Wente's stucco buildings with terra cotta tile roofs are surrounded by cypress and palm trees, grass, colorful flowers-a relief from the dryness of the Livermore Valley's "tostada" brown hills. The evening weather is warm, with cool breezes. Listeners sit in chairs or lounge on their own blankets on the lawn. Lawn chairs and picnics are not allowed.

Prime concert seating will be reserved for diners at a 6 PM. buffet, featuring barbecued meats, red snapper, and steamed mussels, Both champagne and wine will be for sale.

Tickets went on sale March 16. Call (415) 443-1500 for general admission tickets ($19 to $25, depending on artist; $40 to $50 with buffet).

WASHINGTON

Chateau Ste. Michelle Summer Concert Series, One Stimson Lane, Woodinville. Concerts-including Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Michael Tomlinson, Ray Charles, Bluegrass First Class, and Emmy Lou Harris take place at various times on July 4 and various Fridays and Saturdays, June 23 through August 25.