CALIFORNIA'S SONOMA WINE COUNTRY

by Lee Foster

If there is one theme in which Sonoma County is pre-eminent, it is food, in all its aspects. Sonoma County ranks as one of the primary gourmet and culinary travel destinations in California. The completeness of a food encounter is what makes Sonoma special. An environmentalist and ex-vegetable gardener can see here organic gardening in mainstream competition with traditional farming. The oenophile can find more award-winning wineries to visit here than in Napa, though Napa is still The Wine Country because of its geographic unity. A babyboomer can pile the kids into the Volvo and tour the Farm Trails. The enjoyer of nature can catch the spring flowering of the Gravenstein apples. A political activist can observe here a working model of small-scale, producer-owned food-raising enterprises competing effectively. The gourmand who wants shitake mushrooms, the finest oysters, goat cheese, and every conceivable style of eggplant can find it here. Sonoma has the soils, microclimates, and proximity to appreciative Bay Area markets to make it a food capital. The area might be seen as the kitchen garden for San Francisco's celebrity chefs, though Sonoma has its own fine restaurants, such as, appropriately, Sonoma Harvest Grill (707/569-5525), in Santa Rosa. You can grow here almost everything, as the horticultural whiz, Luther Burbank, proved decades ago.

Both the Napa and the Sonoma valleys could be considered The Wine Country of California, but we'll reserve that title for the Napa writeup alone, partly because Sonoma has so much besides wine to offer the traveler. While traveling here, stop to taste at some of the many wineries, including such ventures as the Wetzel family's Alexander Valley Vineyards in the Alexander Valley. Some California wineries, especially in Napa, are under intense threat from the root louse, phylloxera, which requires that a new and resistant root stock be planted, a costly operation, taking the acreage out of production for several years. As much as 75 percent of the total acreage may need to be prematurely re-planted because of the louse. As a result, 1992 was the largest grape crush that these two premier valleys could yield in this decade. Moreover, consumers are drinking less wine, though better wine, than in the past. The constant threat to California's 800-plus wineries, aside from higher taxes on the product, is this changing pattern of alcoholic preference evident in the 50-or-more brew pubs (in almost every city now) and even the four sake makers (in Berkeley, Napa, Hollister, Folsom).

The village square in Sonoma is steeped in some of the most attractive historical traditions of California. Overseeing the ambiance is the figure of General Mariano Vallejo, the Spanish-Mexican lord of the area before the American period. Vallejo set a pattern of generous hospitality and openness to the foreigner that has been a mark of the California character. Vallejo himself was also astute enough to finesse his way through the political changes following the Gold Rush. Around the square in Sonoma be sure to visit the Spanish Mission, the Bear Flag rebellion statue (more on this later), and Vallejo's house.

Contemporary Sonoma County's diversity has much to offer the explorer. As mentioned, be sure to get a copy of the Sonoma Farm Trails map and spend a day driving through the back country, visiting the farmer-direct operations that will sell you everything from applejuice to olallieberries. And, in Santa Rosa, be sure to pause before the garden memorial to Luther Burbank, the gifted horticulturalist.

GETTING TO THE SONOMA REGION

Sonoma is an easy hour's drive from San Francisco north along Highway 101, east on Highway 37, and north on Highway 121. For exploring, you'll need a car.

HISTORY OF THE SONOMA REGION

Around the village square in Sonoma you can immerse yourself in this most northerly reach of Spanish influence in California.

The Sonoma Mission (707/938-1519) was founded in 1823 by impatient, ambitious Father Jose Altimira, but was doomed because of the impending collapse of the entire mission system a decade later. Today the mission is part of a state historic park, whose museum gathers many interesting artifacts from the early period.

On the square itself you'll see a heroic bronze statue to the Bear Flag patriots. The Bear Flaggers were a group of hotheads who expressed the uncertainty of the political twilight in the Mexican period. In 1846, a faction wanted California declared independent as the Bear Republic, and they hoisted the Bear Flag.

A mile or so from the Plaza is the home of General Mariano Vallejo. This Gothic-Revival New England-style house from the latter part of his life is an interesting museum (707/938-1519). Near the house there are tables for a picnic lunch.

Appreciators of California wine should also taste wine at the Buena Vista Winery (707/938-1266) on 18000 Old Winery Road near the square. This winery was the original domain of one Colonel Agoston Haraszthy. More than any other individual, Haraszthy pioneered bringing European grape cuttings to California. He founded the winery here in 1857. The European cuttings of noble vinifera species far surpassed the wines made from the so-called Mission grape, which may have satisfied sacramental purposes, but was of little interest to the secular drinker with purely gustatory intentions. The other major winery to visit in Sonoma is Sebastiani, on Fourth Street East. (One branch of the Sebastiani family, Sam and Vicki Sebastiani, now operate a complete food/wine sampling spot south of Sonoma, along the highway, called Viansa, a good one-stop immersion in the wine/food scene in the region. The rationale of Viansa is to see wine in the context of food and conviviality. Viansa is located on a hill overlooking the Sonoma marshlands. Call ahead to make sure they're open, 707/935-4700.)

For picnic fixings while exploring in the town of Sonoma, be sure to stop in at the Sonoma Cheese Factory, on the square, where you can watch jack cheese being made and stock up at what may be the most complete deli in the west.

MAIN ATTRACTIONS OF THE SONOMA REGION

Beyond the charming town of Sonoma, here are my favorite pleasures in the region.

The Sonoma Farm Trails map, available from any Chamber of Commerce in the region, offers you an intriguing route for a country trip. One good time to make this trip is early spring, in April, on the weekend coinciding with the Sebastopol Apple Blossom Festival and Parade. The apple trees at this time clothe the hillsides in a pale white aura. The festival itself includes a small-town parade, a large craft fair, and a chicken barbecue.

Jack London, the noted fiction writer, built his home, now an 800-acre state historic park, in the Valley of the Moon north of Sonoma. London's celebrated Wolf House, which sadly went up in flames after he built it, remains a ruin. Another house on the property, called the House of Happy Walls, now serves as a museum for London memorabilia, especially artifacts from his Alaska and South Seas adventures. You see editions of his works, mementos from his travels, some of the 600 rejection slips he got before he became famous, and a 1916 newsreel taken a few days before he died. London, who was famous for his urban novels, such as MARTIN EDEN, as well as his man-against-the-elements tales, such as CALL OF THE WILD, was a gifted and paradoxical man, an entrepreneur and a socialist. He died young, of kidney failure, at this property, fulfilling his wish that, "I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet." This bucolic shrine to the writer, in Glen Ellen, is officially known as the Jack London State Historic Park (707/938-5216). Call ahead to see if the gifted London impersonator, Mike Wilson, may be giving one of his Jack London shows during your visit. Down the road from the park is the extraordinary shop, The Jack London Bookstore, run by the late Russ Kingman. Kingman and his wife published an appreciative book, A PICTORAL LIFE OF JACK LONDON, and spent much time poring over original editions and generally keeping the flame burning for the fans of London, who arrive in droves. As you drive into the state park, you pass Glen Ellen Winery, makers of an affordable, yet delicious, Chardonnay.

In Santa Rosa the Luther Burbank gardens commemorate the gifted work of this horticulturalist, who symbolizes the skill with which California agriculturalists have developed fruit, nut, and flower varieties that will thrive here, producing fully a third of the nation's food. Anyone with a delight in growing things will enjoy the Luther Burbank Home and Gardens (707/524-5445).

As with the Napa Valley, Sonoma is a notable wine region. It galls the winemakers of Monterey or Santa Clara, for example, to have Napa and Sonoma referred to as The Wine Country. California wine is now so diverse and there are so many new producers, many making excellent wine, that a journalist could spend a lifetime following this one subject. As an example of one of the progressive wineries, consider Hank and Katie Wetzel's Alexander Valley Vineyards in Alexander Valley. Call ahead to be sure they are open for tasting and bottle sales (707/433-7209). They make an excellent Cabernet and Chardonnay. It is a sign of the maturity of California wine that the company concentrates on a few select grape varietals rather than a large spectrum of production.

Driving the Russian River Road from Highway 101 to the ocean, passing the many resorts of the region, is another favorite outing in the Sonoma Region. Lodging and dining in Guerneville puts you in the center of activities here. The Russian River is a favorite canoeing stream in the spring, with several commercial operators providing the boats and the shuttles. The drive is also particularly lovely in the spring, when yellow mustard balances the green of the new leaf. Wolfgang Gramatski runs a gourmet restaurant, River's End (707/865-2484), in Jenner, overlooking the mouth of the Russian River. Try his Tomato Basil Soup, Salmon in Filo Dough with crushed hazel nuts and spinach, salads of exotic greens he raises, and other such subtle culinary wizardry.

Another town worth exploring in the area is Healdsburg, notable for its appealing square and shops. The town square is a classic of earlier city architecture, where greenery and trees in the center created a public space for all. Around the square are boutique shops, such as Wildrose gifts, Spoke Folk Cyclery, and Impressions Gallery.

LODGING AND FOOD IN SONOMA

There are many attractive B&Bs and innovative restaurants to consider here, such as the following.

The Gaige House Inn is a contemporary antidote to those who have seen one too many stuffed bear or rubber ducky at other bed and breakfast establishments. Its light colors and sleek modern furniture gives it an open, airy feel that makes a pleasing minimalist statement. Owners Ken Burnet and Greg Nemrow take pride in the place, greeting callers inquiring about the inn, sharing insights into their favorite area restaurants and wineries, and even serving a hearty breakfast to guests who are seated at tables covered with linen and adorned with fresh cut flowers. Flower and herb gardens enhance the setting as well as the open deck that overlooks the backyard swimming pool. On Saturday evenings, a local wine expert hosts a private sampling for guests. Flashlights are thoughtfully provided for anyone who wishes to walk to one of the fine dining establishments located nearby in this small community. The Gaige House Inn is at 13540 Arnold Drive, Glen Ellen, CA 95442, 707/935-0237, 800/935-0237, http://www.gaige.com.

The Glen Ellen Inn is undergoing an expansion that will add a few tables, create a wine bar for waiting customers, enlarge the closet-sized kitchen area and making more room for cars in the back. One thing that does not need to change is its food. Every dish is a visual delight and every taste lingers long after the plate has been cleared away. Christian and Karen Bertrand are a charming young couple who have managed to make a special kind of magic that translates into such dishes as the Fire and Ice Salad, Lamb Ravioli with sweet, spicy mustard mint sauce and Prawn Croquettes in a light lemon herb sauce and topped with a spicy chipolte sauce. Anyone who enjoys a little zing in their meal will delight at the number of offerings flavored with wasabi or jalepeno peppers. And the dishes can be extra spicy if requested but don’t let even these favorite flavors overpower the delightful mix of ingredients that make the difference between a good dinner and a truly memorable meal. The Glen Ellen Inn Restaurant is at 13670 Arnold Drive, Glen Ellen, 707/996-6409.

NEARBY TRIPS IN THE SONOMA REGION

The adjacent excursions to consider are a tour of the Napa Wine Country, the Redwood Country, and Marin/North Coast. See the sections on these subjects.

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SONOMA: IF YOU GO

For the farm trails map and area information, write the Sonoma County Convention and Visitors Bureau, 5000 Roberts Lake Road, Suite A, Rohnert Park, CA 94928, 707/586-8100, http://www.visitsonoma.com.

The area around the historic town of Sonoma is represented by the Sonoma Valley Visitors Bureau, 453 First Street East, Sonoma, CA 95476, 707/996-1090, http://www.sonomavalley.com.

The wineries of Sonoma have joined together as Sonoma County Wineries Association, 5000 Roberts Lake Road, Rohnert Park, CA 94928, 707/586-3795, 800/326-7666, http://www.sonomawine.com.

This article was written by Lee Foster of Foster Travel Publishing. Contact him at his website www.fostertravel.com or via email at lee@fostertravel.com. Copyright Lee Foster.

Lee Foster's most recent travel guidebooks are Northern California History Weekends (Globe Pequot), which won a Lowell Thomas Award, and Adventure Guide to Northern California (Hunter Publishing).

Lee Foster's new literary book is Travels in an American Imagination: The Spiritual Geography of Our Time.

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