Sonoma County - A Sumptuous Wine and Dine Experience
By Valinda Almeida
Known world-wide for its award-winning wineries, northern California's
Sonoma County abounds with the natural beauty of lush valleys, rolling
hills, old-growth redwoods, the relaxing Lake Sonoma, the winding Russian
River and the powerful Pacific Ocean. With moderate temperatures and an
absence of rain from April to November, this is the perfect spot for outdoor
sports. Biking, hiking, canoeing, kayaking, horseback riding and hot-air
ballooning are all popular activities. Like many visitors, we combined bike
riding and wine tasting.
We spent most of our time in the beautiful town of Healdsburg, on the
Russian River Wine Road in the heart of Sonoma County wine country. A few
of the wonderful wineries we visited include Lancaster Estate Vineyards,
Field Stone Winery & Vineyard, Seghesio Family Vineyards (started in 1895)
and Passalacqua Winery. In nearby Windsor we also toured the Martinelli
Vineyards & Orchards, where five generations of the family have worked
together since 1896 producing apples and wine in Sonoma County.
A quirky place to visit for wine, food, antiques and unusual gifts is the
colorful landmark Jimtown Store on State Highway 128 in Healdsburg. It is
owned by charismatic Carrie Brown, a former artist and cookbook author
("The Jimtown Store Cookbook") who makes fig and olive spreads and
produces a line of Jimtown wines that she sells in the whimsical store.
Dining in Sonoma County
Food and wine are intricately linked in Sonoma County. Two exquisite dining
pleasures are the Syrah and Zin Restaurants. At Syrah (205 Fifth St., Santa
Rosa), we started with a tantalizing fromage-a-trois of local cheeses: Point
Reyes Original Blue, Red Hawk and Carmody. For the main course we
selected grilled American Kobe bavette steak with potato and cardoon gratin,
warm spinach salad, Point Reyes blue cheese and syrah reduction sauce.
Throughout the meal we enjoyed a selection of delightful syrahs.
At Zin Restaurant (344 Center St., Healdsburg) we began with fennel-grilled
shrimp and ended with grilled hangar steak with wild mushroom chile relleno
and rancho beans. During the meal we sipped several delicious
zinfandels.
Other notable dining establishments are Applewood Inn & Restaurant in
Guerneville and Costeaux French Bakery & Cafe in downtown Healdsburg,
which whips up luscious breakfasts and sandwiches and serves great wines.
Sonoma County Accommodations
Sonoma County has numerous lodging options. A favorite is the historic
Honor Mansion, a 4-Diamond luxury inn located in the heart of northern
California's wine country, off Highway 101 North. Named one of the nation's
top 10 inns, this Victorian estate consists of a main house with five guest
rooms and a squire's cottage, as well as seven "suites" that are private
small houses. We were fortunate to be given the Garden Suite, a romantic
retreat with three secluded porches, two doors that locked on either end of
the house and a gate that locked by the spa tub. All suites have fireplaces,
TV/VCRs, CD players with CDs, outdoor garden spa tubs, wet bars, and
private decks and patios.
Innkeepers Cathi and Steve Fowler lovingly restored the main mansion, built
in 1883 in Italianate Victorian style. They also added the splendid
stand-alone suites scattered across the large property, which adjoins a
vineyard. Every early evening the Fowlers host a wine and appetizer hour
featuring local vintages paired with scrumptious hors d'oeuvres. But
breakfast is what brings many guests back again and again. To tide us over
before the actual three-course breakfast in the mansion, each morning we
received a basket on our porch filled with fresh juice, home-made biscotti
and a thermos of coffee or hot water for tea.
One morning we delighted in Earl Grey tea, pineapple/coconut scones,
port-marinated grapefruit sections and peaches and cream French toast with
raspberries. "The grapefruit comes from our own tree, as do many of the
fruits we serve," remarked Steve Fowler, who served us each morning. This
dish consisted of succulent peaches stuffed inside toasted croissants with
powdered sugar on top, coated with ice cream swirled with raspberry sauce.
We were ready to conquer Sonoma County after that taste bud awakening.
Other lodging choices include Santa Rosa's Vintners Inn and Holiday Inn
Express Hotel & Suites in Sebastopol. The European-style 44-room Vintners
Inn is a 4-Diamond hotel amidst a 90-acre vineyard with spa and sundeck.
The 82-room Holiday Inn, at the gateway to the Russian River Valley
wineries, has an outdoor pool and spa, in-room refrigerator and coffeemaker.
Getting to Sonoma
Sonoma County is north of San Francisco. US Airways and Continental
Airlines are two major carriers that fly into the San Francisco International
Airport.
For more information:
Contact Sonoma County at 800-576-6662 or www.sonomacounty.com.
Contact Honor Mansion at 800-554-4667 or www.honormansion.com. Room
rates range from $180 to $525 per night. The address is 14891 Grove Street,
Healdsburg, CA.
By Valinda Almeida
Known world-wide for its award-winning wineries, northern California's
Sonoma County abounds with the natural beauty of lush valleys, rolling
hills, old-growth redwoods, the relaxing Lake Sonoma, the winding Russian
River and the powerful Pacific Ocean. With moderate temperatures and an
absence of rain from April to November, this is the perfect spot for outdoor
sports. Biking, hiking, canoeing, kayaking, horseback riding and hot-air
ballooning are all popular activities. Like many visitors, we combined bike
riding and wine tasting.
We spent most of our time in the beautiful town of Healdsburg, on the
Russian River Wine Road in the heart of Sonoma County wine country. A few
of the wonderful wineries we visited include Lancaster Estate Vineyards,
Field Stone Winery & Vineyard, Seghesio Family Vineyards (started in 1895)
and Passalacqua Winery. In nearby Windsor we also toured the Martinelli
Vineyards & Orchards, where five generations of the family have worked
together since 1896 producing apples and wine in Sonoma County.
A quirky place to visit for wine, food, antiques and unusual gifts is the
colorful landmark Jimtown Store on State Highway 128 in Healdsburg. It is
owned by charismatic Carrie Brown, a former artist and cookbook author
("The Jimtown Store Cookbook") who makes fig and olive spreads and
produces a line of Jimtown wines that she sells in the whimsical store.
Dining in Sonoma County
Food and wine are intricately linked in Sonoma County. Two exquisite dining
pleasures are the Syrah and Zin Restaurants. At Syrah (205 Fifth St., Santa
Rosa), we started with a tantalizing fromage-a-trois of local cheeses: Point
Reyes Original Blue, Red Hawk and Carmody. For the main course we
selected grilled American Kobe bavette steak with potato and cardoon gratin,
warm spinach salad, Point Reyes blue cheese and syrah reduction sauce.
Throughout the meal we enjoyed a selection of delightful syrahs.
At Zin Restaurant (344 Center St., Healdsburg) we began with fennel-grilled
shrimp and ended with grilled hangar steak with wild mushroom chile relleno
and rancho beans. During the meal we sipped several delicious
zinfandels.
Other notable dining establishments are Applewood Inn & Restaurant in
Guerneville and Costeaux French Bakery & Cafe in downtown Healdsburg,
which whips up luscious breakfasts and sandwiches and serves great wines.
Sonoma County Accommodations
Sonoma County has numerous lodging options. A favorite is the historic
Honor Mansion, a 4-Diamond luxury inn located in the heart of northern
California's wine country, off Highway 101 North. Named one of the nation's
top 10 inns, this Victorian estate consists of a main house with five guest
rooms and a squire's cottage, as well as seven "suites" that are private
small houses. We were fortunate to be given the Garden Suite, a romantic
retreat with three secluded porches, two doors that locked on either end of
the house and a gate that locked by the spa tub. All suites have fireplaces,
TV/VCRs, CD players with CDs, outdoor garden spa tubs, wet bars, and
private decks and patios.
Innkeepers Cathi and Steve Fowler lovingly restored the main mansion, built
in 1883 in Italianate Victorian style. They also added the splendid
stand-alone suites scattered across the large property, which adjoins a
vineyard. Every early evening the Fowlers host a wine and appetizer hour
featuring local vintages paired with scrumptious hors d'oeuvres. But
breakfast is what brings many guests back again and again. To tide us over
before the actual three-course breakfast in the mansion, each morning we
received a basket on our porch filled with fresh juice, home-made biscotti
and a thermos of coffee or hot water for tea.
One morning we delighted in Earl Grey tea, pineapple/coconut scones,
port-marinated grapefruit sections and peaches and cream French toast with
raspberries. "The grapefruit comes from our own tree, as do many of the
fruits we serve," remarked Steve Fowler, who served us each morning. This
dish consisted of succulent peaches stuffed inside toasted croissants with
powdered sugar on top, coated with ice cream swirled with raspberry sauce.
We were ready to conquer Sonoma County after that taste bud awakening.
Other lodging choices include Santa Rosa's Vintners Inn and Holiday Inn
Express Hotel & Suites in Sebastopol. The European-style 44-room Vintners
Inn is a 4-Diamond hotel amidst a 90-acre vineyard with spa and sundeck.
The 82-room Holiday Inn, at the gateway to the Russian River Valley
wineries, has an outdoor pool and spa, in-room refrigerator and coffeemaker.
Getting to Sonoma
Sonoma County is north of San Francisco. US Airways and Continental
Airlines are two major carriers that fly into the San Francisco International
Airport.
For more information:
Contact Sonoma County at 800-576-6662 or www.sonomacounty.com.
Contact Honor Mansion at 800-554-4667 or www.honormansion.com. Room
rates range from $180 to $525 per night. The address is 14891 Grove Street,
Healdsburg, CA.
FAMILY TRAVEL FUN.COM
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