A few of my friends in Marin and Sonoma County have sizable yards with actual acreage. Rather than just let their dogs run free to compost the land, they’ve chosen another way to enjoy their spacious property… planting wine grapes. Some do it for fun. Some do it for profit. All do it so they…
Several years ago I made my first visit to Sonoma County Wine Country. It was autumn, and it was beautiful. The crowds were gone, the leaves were turning and the temperatures were just right. This year, Wine Country Inns of Sonoma County have put together Experience the Harvest Adventures including fall menus, special winery tours,…
If you’re in Sonoma County and want a great deli with award-winning sourdough bread, tasty gourmet sandwiches, delicious salads, freshly made chocolates, fresh cheeses, irresistible desserts, and other café cuisine, stroll a few blocks from the town plaza and check out Cousteaux French Bakery. Everything we sampled at this open air cafe a few weeks…
Last Sunday, my wife, daughter and I took a mini-vacation. Driving just 45 minutes north from our home in Marin County to Sonoma County, we strolled around the Healdsburg Plaza. Similar to Sonoma’s Plaza, I found this town more upscale, quaint and chic. In fact, Healdsburg, about to celebrate its 150th anniversary, s now a…
Have you heard? It’s the 28th Annual Sonoma County Showcase Weekend of Wine and Food, at the peak of its summer splendor. • Enjoy Saturday and Sunday at TASTE of Sonoma County with over 100 wineries and 60 chefs at the historic MacMurray Ranch in the beautiful Russian River Valley, hosted by the Gallo Family….
If you’ve visited the Napa/Sonoma wine country lately, you’ve probably noticed that most of the wineries are now charging (sometimes hefty) tasting fees to try their wines, often standing elbow to elbow with a bus load of tourists, all jockeying for position. In scenic Healdsburg, the Mayo Family Winery has opened a second Sonoma County…
Some waiters hover. You know the type. They stand a few feet away and repeatedly ask, “Is everything OK?” But at The Plaza Bistro, an eatery in a historic building on the Square in downtown Sonoma, the charming Italian Maitre ‘d and his waiters don’t need to hover. They just provide the perfect blend of…
While they don’t literally send barrels of wine down the Russian River to the Pacific wine fleet, they do produce a lot of wine these days in northwest Sonoma County. The Russian River Wine Road is a collective of wineries and lodgings that aim to draw more people out to see the great wine and…
Osmosis is perhaps the only sustainably managed green spa and Japanese Enzyme Bath Spa in America. It’s one of my favorite escapes and is less than an hour’s drive north of San Francisco in Sonoma County, near the Pacific Coast. Here’s a special offer to beat the pre-holiday rush: From now through December 14th, they’re…
I’m blessed to live about 20 minutes from Viansa Winery in heralded Sonoma county. Located amid rolling hills reminiscent of Tuscany, this winery touts a huge Italian Marketplace that celebrates the marriage of fine wine and gourmet food. One of my favorites here is the Dark Chocolate Dolcetti, a rich chocolate syrup blended with Cabernet…
The award-winning Benzinger Family Winery of the renowned Wine Cave (shown here) for private dinners with carefully paired foods just forked over $100,000 US for its winning bid for just three bottles of Sangiacomo Vineyards wine. The latter has been a member of Sonoma Valley’s wine-growing community for 75 years, while the former are relative…
In a few weeks, we’ll all be treated to the best of two worlds: chocolate and wine. Wine Country Chocolates & Truffles will be located in the Jack London Village Shopping Center in the town of Glen Ellen, surrounded by literally hundreds of local Sonoma County wineries. At its chocolate tasting bar, visitors can “enjoy…