Sonoma County - California Wine Country Blog

Annual Cotati Accordion Festival

Another favorite event of mine is this weekend. The Cotati Accordion Festival, celebrating it's 18th year, starts this Saturday at 9:30 am at La Plaza Park. For years I would joke with my friends about the Cotati Accordion Festival; about how lame it must be, and who in their right mind would want to listen to accordion music all day long? Well....I guess I am a convert! This is a signature Sonoma County event, you're not going to find anything like this anywhere else, truly. And like the Russian River Beer Revial & BBQ Cookoff (see post below), it's the people that make this event so special. Many old timers refer to the "accordion spirit;" it's sort of this happy-go-lucky, irreverent type of attitude and it sets the tone for the whole festival. In all sincerity, it's a special kind of feeling that this festival puts out: It's joyous, fun and, most of all pure. When I went, it made me feel good to be alive. The "good vibes" are simply contagious. So if you have been on the fence about going to this festival; I highly recommend you go. It's a mixture of "old school" accordion players along with the more slick and sometimes crazy "new breed" of accordion bands and players. Also of note, if you have kids, this is a super kid-friendly event. The whole park is contained with fences for the event, and there is a nice little playground area off to the right of the main stage. So it is feasible to sit and watch music while simultaneously watching you kids.

The Cotati Accordion Festival - Use an accordion, go to jail!

Check out videos and pictures of the Cotati Accordion Festival.

Another great gathering this weekend is the Bodega Seafood Art & Wine Festival. They have a great line up of music this year. Saturday features Tommy Castro, Stompy Jones and Poor Mans Whiskey. On Sunday it's the Zydeco Flames, Joe Craven (both days) and Mitch Woods. There are many activities going on at once and the festival is very much kid friendly.

Russian River Beer Revival & Cookoff - Delivers Again

Well, I went down to Guerneville on Saturday, to the Russian River Beer Revival & BBQ Cookoff. I went with a buddy of mine; not to cover it for the site, but to actually go out and enjoy myself. No video camera, "maybe I'll just bring my camera for stills", I thought. On the drive over, I found myself sort of making excuses about the event to my friend, questioning my own enthusiasm for it in the past. Maybe my judgment was off that day? Maybe I had a few too many beers and convinced myself it was better than it actually was? I mean it's just a bunch of people barbecuing and pouring beer, right? How exciting can that be? I didn't want to let my friend down, so I played it off as no big deal.

We arrived a little early and were allowed entrance before the official opening. We kind of mulled around, checking out the scene and people putting on the finishing touches to their offerings. There was anticipation in the air, but it was understated, very subtle. The gates opened, people started flooding in, the band began to play and within minutes the vibe completely transformed from subtle anticipation to full blown banter and laughter. It was like someone had turned on the "good times" switch. Then it came back to me...the reason why I like this festival so much... it's the people. The vibe is so friendly, strangers stopping strangers, just to shake their hand. Seriously, I don't think there is a more friendly place on earth. Chit chat and conversation comes as easy as just simply saying "hello" to the person standing next to you. It's like the people that come to the the Russian River Beer Revival have this unspoken rule to just be friendly and to be yourself. Truely remarkable.

Needless to say, I shot a little video with my picture camera. The quality is a little cheesy, but I think it captures the feel a little, but in no way does the event justice. The event was taken to an even higher level this year, more beer vendors, more people barbecuing, 3 bands and the overall layout was improved. Two big thumbs up from my buddy and me. Sometimes high watermarks from the past are actually bested when you revisit them!

New pictures are incomplete, but can be found here. Russian River Beer Revival & BBQ Cookoff

Big Sonoma Weekend

This weekend is packed with festivals! The Russian River Grape to Glass Weekend kicks off the festivities on Friday with the Winery Poker Run starting at 11 am, wine tasting and a movie at 5:30 at the incredible MacMurray Ranch. Details of all the events for Grape to Glass are here. On Saturday it's the Healdsburg Annual Street Dance on the square, music starts at 7 pm. Wings Over Wine Country is on Saturday and Sunday, click on the link and check out the video. Then up North in Hopland is SolFest, a wonderful kid friendly event. My two picks for the weekend take place on Saturday and, if you're the adventurous type, you can hit both fairly easily. Starting at noon is the Russian River Beer Revival & BBQ Cookoff in Guerneville. I really like this event, very laid back, perfect to go with a bunch of close friends. Then right down the street is a 20 piece swing band at the Old Grove Festival in Armstrong Woods. Armstrong Woods is a treat in itself, but to be able to hang out and enjoy some good food and music is a special treat. The Beer and BBQ festival does not allow children, however the Old Grove Festival is a very family friendly event, bring a picnic and flashlights.

So there you go, lots of stuff to do. Summer is winding down, it's not endless, go out and have some fun!

Gravenstein Apple Fair in Sebastopol

The Gravenstein Apple Fair starts this Saturday at 10am. Apple sauce eating contest is at high noon and the apple pie eating contest is at 12:30 on both Saturday and Sunday. Yeehaw! ; ) I love this festival. It reminds me of simpler times, when things weren't so hectic. The Gravenstein Apple Fair is put on by Farm Trails an agricultural organization. So of course the focus is on the Gravenstein apple, however there are many layers to this event beyond the noble Gravenstein. Great music all day long on two stages, the highlight being Saturday at 3pm when Peter Rowan plays. Local chefs put on culinary demonstrations and there is an abundance of things for kids to do too. I think it's fair to say the the Gravenstein Apple Fair really pulls off an event that is fun for everyone, from 3 year olds to 80 year olds, no kidding. So whether you are from out of town or a local who has never been; I'd highly recommend you go. The feeling you get at the Gravenstein Apple Fair is special, we should cherish it.

Video of past Gravenstein Apple Fairs.

As mentioned in the previous blog post, Alice waters, foodie icon, was in Sebastopol last weekend to kick off Gravenstein Month. It turns out that our little, local apple was awarded the recognition it deserves and was placed in the Slow Food Ark of Good Taste--a collection of outstanding traditional foods that are in danger of disappearing.

Video of Michele Anna Jordan interviewing Alice Waters in Sebastopol here.

Alice Waters - Slow Food Nation

This past Sunday, writer Michele Anna Jordon interviewed foodie icon Alice Waters of Chez Panisse during the celebration of the Gravenstien Apple at the Sebastopol Farmers Market. Jordan and Waters talked about the Slow Food Nation event coming up and also about the "Victory Garden" in downtown San Francisco. Check out a video of the Alice Waters interview here. On the same page you can read about Michele Anna Jordan's latest discovery.

Sonoma County Fair Summer Fun

I caught the end of the opening day of the Sonoma County Fair. I went with my son (10) and my daughter (3). Since my son had already been to the fair earlier in the day, I just wanted to breeze in really quickly and take a few pictures and video for you. After parking ($5 to $8), tickets to get in ($2 for the kids, $7 for me), a ride on the ferris wheel ($5 each, ouch!) and some cotton candy, I was almost wiped out of the $40 I had on me. Oh well, good thing they have ATM machines on site.

Even though the Sonoma County Fair is a little pricey, it's totally worth it because it delivers on so many levels. Quite simply, there is so much to do, you would be hard pressed to see everything there in one day. The livestock and agricultural exhibits always give the event an old-fashioned, homey feel. The Hall of Flowers was exceptional this year, complete with a large waterfall and even larger lighthouse.

But the big surprise of the day was the puppet show of Thumbelina. It's not that I'm some sort of marionette aficionado. But, I go to festivals and events just about every weekend to cover them for this website. And I'm not getting jaded, but...I am very grateful when I discover something new and wonderful. And the puppet show was fantastic. Laurie Branham and Gil Olin traveled from Mission Viejo with their Marrionette Theatre On Wheels. And they are putting on performances at the fair 3 times a day. I would imagine this sort of thing is becoming a lost art, at least at this high level. I found myself being sucked into the story line and having an appreciation for the artistry involved. Oh, I forgot, my kids loved it too.

Also of note was a band called Blue Moon. Check out the video above. It's got a little sampling of everything I have mentioned here.

So there you go! Pictures of the Hall of Flowers and yes, the puppet show can be found here - Sonoma County Fair 2008

Restaurant Eloise - What an Entrance!

This Friday the wait is finally over! After a lot of hard work and sweat equity, chefs Eric Korsh and Ginevra Iverson, a husband and wife team, open the much anticipated Restaurant Eloise. And what an entrance...

Both are alums of the famed Prune restaurant in NYC. Sunday night Ginevra appeared on national TV as a sous chef for the team of celebrity chef Gabrielle Hamilton, owner of Prune. They took on the heavily favored Bobby Flay on the Food Network's Iron Chef America. The secret ingredient of the show? Zucchini! Ginevra meticulously worked on a traditional dish called Zucchini Tian which consists of zucchini, onion, potato, tomato and bread crumbs and was served in a cast iron dish. The judges simply loved it, and culinary author Michael Rohlman went on to call it "a perfect dish." Celebrity chef Gabrielle Hamilton and team Prune overtook Iron Chef Bobby Flay and his team with a surprise winning score of 53 to 49.

You can make reservations online for Restaurant Eloise at Opentable.com, and soon at thier website or you can also simply call them at (707) 823-6300.

New Sonoma Videos

Just wanted to give you a quick update on the Old Grove Festival which I went to on Saturday night. As expected, it was a laid back event that delivered memorable moments. Many folks packed picnics and enjoyed an evening of beautiful music played by La Catrina Quartet. Some folks relaxed at the back of the theater, laid down on the benches and gazed up at the towering redwoods while the music played. Here's the video of La Catrina Quartet at the Old Grove Festival, shot last night. The next show in Armstrong Wood's Forest Theater is Saturday August 16th which brings Junius Cortney Big Band with Denis Perrier - 14 piece Swing Band with Female Vocalist. I would suggest making a date of it.

Also wanted to let you know of a few other new videos of Sonoma Wineries that I recently put up. Wine industry veteran and Sonoma County native Rick Raffaini does interviews with some folks in Alexander Valley. Rick shoots the breeze with Bill Meyers of White Oak Vineyards and Winery, Jeff Noel of Robert Young Estate Winery and superstar winemaker Miro Tcholakov of Trentadue Winery.

Of course we can't forget that the Sonoma County Fair kicks of this week on Tuesday the 23rd.

Old Grove Festival in Armstrong Woods

This Saturday you have an opportunity to do something really special. The Old Grove Festival takes place in Armstrong Woods in Guerneville at 5pm. The amazing and awe inspiring "Forest Theater" is an acoustic space that rarely has music performances. This is an unique opportunity to help out the Stewards of the Redwoods AND experience music in a very special environment. Headlining the performance on Saturday is the La Catrina Quartet from Mexico who was met with a great enthusiasm and cheers recently in Concord and according to their site yo yo ma has even endorsed them. Even though these are world touring performers, it's a very casual affair. It's ok to pack a picnic, just take out what you take in, children are welcome too. It is after all a community concert. Don't forget sweaters and a flashlight! $25 General Admission $40 Reserved. Gates open at 5:00 pm, Opening Act at 5:45pm, Main Act at 7:00pm. Remember, it's for a good cause and it will be an experience you will never forget!

Also don't forget about Civil War Days in Duncans Mills on both Saturday and Sunday. Check out the Civil War Days Video.

Quartet San Francisco at Sonoma State

As I mentioned in my last post, the amazing Quartet San Francisco plays at 4pm this coming Sunday at Green Music Festival at Sonoma State. Quartet San Francisco was nominated for a Grammy for best classical crossover album in 2007 & 2008. I was fortunate enough to shoot this video the night before they took off to LA for the ceremonies in 2007. QSF really mixes it up and is definitely not your father's chamber music quartet! Instead of chamber music standards like the Beethoven String Quartets, QSF's repertoire consists of highly innovative originals and works from Dave Bruebeck and Duke Ellington to David Grisman and Average White Band; quite diverse one might say.

Here's a little clip from when Quartet San Francisco was in Windsor at Our Lady of Guadalupe for the Russian River Chamber Music series. Here they play Astor Piazzolla's "Libertango".

Teriyaki and Free Music

The Green Music Festival kicks off this Friday at SSU with the Orient Express Gypsy Band. The Jackie Ryan Trio performs on Saturday.The Green Music Festival runs from Friday the 11th to Sunday the 20th. I would highly recommend seeing Quartet San Francisco on the 20th. Get your tickets now because it is likely to sell out (more on QSF next week). Saturday is also the Graton Ridge Cellars' First Birthday Party at their tasting room in Sebastopol. Barrel tastings, wine related prizes and more are offered from this new winery in the Russian River appellation.

Sunday is the big day, the Enmanji Temple Teriyaki BBQ and Bazaar in Sebastopol would be a good choice. There are bonsai tree and flower arrangement demonstrations, good food, all sorts of games to play, discussions on Buddhism and more. The highlight is the taiko drummers as seen here on this video clip. The big drums are intense and the dance like movements of the drummers make the experience unique. Parking is easy and it's free to get in. The atmosphere is festive but yet gentle, in a Japanese Buddhist sort of way.

Wilson Winery in Healdsburg is putting on a fund raiser for the "Children of the Vineyard Workers Scholarship Fund". $25 admission includes food, wine, live music and wine glass (details). Also in Healdsburg is C. Donateillo Winery's "Live from Middle Reach" Sunday music series. Fred Odell plays a free concert at 1pm, only 150 people are allowed in at this intimate venue. Getting there early is a good idea. Then in Santa Rosa there are 2 free music events. The BBC a Beatles tribute band is playing at Live at Juilliard! in Juilliard Park right on Santa Rosa Ave. Juililard is a great venue to see music, totally family friendly, bring a picnic and enjoy the day. The Montgomery Village Jazz & Wine Series kicks off with female vocalist Debbie Voltura performing with house band Michael Brandenburg and friends. Wine is sold by the glass and Monti's Rotisserie & Bar is right next door if your hungry. Lots to do this weekend, have fun!

Sonoma 4th of July Fireworks

Happy 4th of July! Got back from the Sonoma 4th of July Fireworks a few hours ago and decided to put up the video of it because I enjoyed it so much. Unfortunately I did not make it to the parade in the morning or to the festivities on the Sonoma Plaza. However we dropped right into a parking spot on the west side of the field in back of the The General's Daughter restaurant with ease. The fireworks display was old school and great! A nice long show with a great finale.

Saw the Santa Rosa Fireworks display aka Red, White & Boom on Friday and it was excellent this year. The grand finale was exceptional. For those of you that couldn't make it to see fireworks yet, there is still hope. The Monte Rio Parade of Lights and July 4th Fireworks is a one of a kind event, which takes place today, Saturday. On Sunday, yes Sunday, at dusk Guerneville fireworks over main street. There's still time for a great time this July 4th weekend.

Sonoma County 4th of July

I just wanted to put this video up now to show you a few of the 4th of July celebrations happening here in Sonoma County. I'll add to this blog post later in the week to tell you about some of these events. In the mean time check out the events sections.

UPDATE

Ok, here we go:

Thursday July 3rd

Red, White & Boom in Santa Rosa is free this year. the catch is that it is $10 for parking, free parking will be a trick in itself. Bring Blankets or lawn chairs, there will be some food vending, but as far as I know, there is no music this year.

Fireworks in Sebastopol is always good fun. I usually sit out in front of the high school for free and meet up with friends. $7 for adults and $3 for kids (6-11) will get you in the Analy high football field where there is music, games, food and other activities. It's a good show and getting in and out of town is easy. Very laid back.

Windsor Independence Day would be my choice. It's free too, and takes place at Kaiser Park. You can see the fireworks from the wonderful Windsor Green and sort of avoid the crowd. There are great little shops around the green, you can bring a picnic and relax. Last year the fireworks display was quite good.

Friday July 4th

Fourth of July on the Plaza in Sonoma starts off Saturday with a parade and there is all sorts of activities going on in the Plaza up until the fireworks goes off at the field in front of General's Vallejo's home. Never been, I'll probably go to it this year.

Now on the other side of the county is the Cloverdale 4th of July Fireworks.

Moving South is the Old Fashion 4th of July Fireworks Display Healdsburg. I am told it goes on for a full 45 minutes. Not too shabby.

I think the pick of this bunch would be Petaluma 4th of July Fireworks, it's their 150 year anniversary, $2 to get in. The Pulsators play at the Sonoma-Marin Farigrounds starting at 3:30. This should be a great event and I bet the fireworks will be especially good, just a hunch.

Saturday July 5th

In Bodega Bay it's the Fireworks Over the Bay celebration. I wouldn't drive out just for this. But if you are in town it's nice to sit in the bay and watch the show. Last year was very cold, so bring warm clothes.

And here's my pick for the weekend Monte Rio Fireworks Over the River it doesn't get much better than this! But don't get me wrong, it's not a flashy high brow affair. It's very homey and pure, that's the attraction for me. The fireworks are good, especially from the bridge. But it's the Water Carnival on the river that makes this particularly unique. Click the link above and check out the video.

Sunday July 6th

Yup, fireworks Sunday night in downtown Guerneville. Independence Day Celebration Guerneville starts at 2pm and has BBQ, beer and a wine bar. Fireworks over Main Street in the evening.

So that's it. Have a happy and safe 4th of July Sonoma County!

I Don't Know What to Say

I got to say it: If you can, postpone your trip to come up this weekend. Come up July 4th weekend or the weekend after instead. Right now, the smoke from the Napa and Lake County fires have made the sky very gray and the air quality is not good either. See here. NASA pics here. Even though I'd like to see you, now is not a good time. But if you insist, or if you're already here, let's make the best of it...

I called the Santa Rosa Airport and was told the folks from the Sonoma County Hot Air Balloon Classic festival and the people at the airport were having a meeting. As it turns out, The Sonoma County Hot Air Balloon Classic in Windsor is on. And if there is 3 miles of visibility, the balloons will go up as scheduled on Saturday and Sunday. Visibility has been more than 3 miles in the last few days, so everything should be fine. And even if the balloons don't fly and are tethered to the ground, it's still a spectacular site to see all those hot air balloons in one place.

Armstrong Woods State Park would probably be a good bet this weekend. It's close to the coast and all the redwoods always have a great feel to them. Plus, all those trees must be filtering out the air. Also, the Sonoma Coast will have a nice off shore breeze. But, regardless of all that, I'd still suggest you hold off visiting here until after Tuesday, at which time the skies are expected to clear up.

Worlds Ugliest Dog Contest - Sonoma Marin Fair

Elwood and owner Karen Quigley, from Seweel, New Jersey will be defending Elwoods World's Ugliest Dog Crown this Friday 6:30 at the Sonoma-Marin Fair in Petaluma. Elwood's ugly bros are hot on his heels. But don't feel too bad for these unnatracive mutts. They get plenty of attention. In fact, one of the event's previous winners landed a gig as the cover photo for a Bob Weir/Ratdog album cover.

The Sonoma-Marin Fair has some great music acts performing on two stages, livestock on display and extras like a smash up derby and Luche Libre Wrestling...now were talking! Check out the schedule of events here.

Also don't forget on Sunday 1:00 pm will be the FREE concert at C. Donatiello Winery. Brother Cat will be playing their grooves in the beautiful music space that Chris Donatiello has created.

Peggy Sue's All American Cruise Video and Pictures

Went to the Peggy Sue's All American Cruise classic car and 50's event this Saturday. Worked late and got a little video and picture gallery going. Here's video and a picture gallery of Peggy Sue's All American Cruise from yesterday (Saturday). You can stil make Sundays event at a Place to Play in Santa Rosa. $6 for a adults, children 12 and under are free and as far as I could tell it's a dog friendly event. The food was a little pricey, but the event was a lot of fun and much bigger than I anticipated. Plenty of easy access - free parking with a short walk to the venue. Well worth checking out especially if dad is into cars.

Sonoma County Father's Day Weekend

Had some great adventures last weekend. Ran into Eric Korsh and his wife Ginevra Iverson, two seasoned chefs from the NYC restaurant scene. They are opening a new restaurant in the old Bistro V location in Sebastopol named Restaurant Eloise. Porterhouse steaks, Maine lobster, local partridge and rabbit are just some of the goodies in store for us, can't wait! Target opening date is July 15th. I’ll keep you posted. I also went down to Bodega Bay hoping to see the new owners of the Terrapin Creek Cafe on Sunday. They took over the much loved Seaweed Cafe. No luck. Only got some pictures of the new sign.

Another big weekend of festivals!

The Russian River Blues Festival kicks off on Saturday. Tickets are still available. This unique festival is located on the banks of the Russian River on Johnson's Beach and has the music stage right next to the river too. People wade in the river as the bands play, stunning panoramic views of the redwood trees makes it that much more special . There's no doubt the performers get inspired by the awesome surroundings. Just go to the annual events section and see the panoramic banner of the Russian River Blues Festival to get an idea of the place. The festival headliners are the incredible trio from West Texas Los Lonely Boys. They play Sunday at 4:30.

Peggy Sue's All American Cruise kicks off with classic cars lining up to show starting at 7:30 am at A Place to Play Park, 2375 W. 3rd St., Santa Rosa, CA. on Saturday morning and will continue on Sunday with music and other festivities. One of the highlights of festival is the "Parade of Cars" which will run from 'B' Street down 4th Street to Hope St and returning back down to 'B' Street by the way of 5th Street. 6 – 9 pm Saturday night.

On Saturday it's the Cotati Jazz Festival, which is free and takes place in La Plaza Park. This year's theme is swing and free dance lessons are offered. Festivities in the park go from noon till 9pm and then continue on till midnight in various clubs in town.

For those of us who enjoy a more intimate, laid back atmosphere, the picturesque C. Donatiello Winery in Healdsburg is the right ticket. The new winery is offering free music 3-4 Sundays out of the month and one Sunday out of the month they have a featured artist like Booker T on July 27th! It's a very intimate venue to see music, totally worth going. This Sunday at 1pm kicks off the music series at C. Donatiello Winery with Nate Lopez Blues featuring Honey Grace. Have a great Father's Day Weekend!

Festival Season in Full Swing

Summer Festivals are in full swing here in Sonoma County! This weekend we have 3 big ones:

The Harmony Festival : This 3-day event is a hippie, new-age, green, sexy, musical, artsy extravaganza and, by far, the “hippest” festival in Sonoma County.

Beerfest : A mostly young and fun crowd tastes beer from over 40 breweries and noshes on tidbits from local restaurants while dancing to live music.

North County Wine Tasting : If you’ve been wanting to explore the northern wine regions of Sonoma County, this is your weekend. Both the Russian River Valley and the Alexander Valley are holding passport style tastings in which you pay one fee and can then drive to any winery you’re interested in and enjoy their wine, great food and entertainment. Keep in mind, for the Russian River Passport Tasting, you must buy tickets online (and not at the first winery you visit, which is typical).

Windsor Farmers Market Summer Nights on the Green opens today with Pride and Joy taking stage. Lots of stuff to enjoy! Go out and have some fun!

Healdsburg Jazz Festival

The Healdsburg Jazz Festival celebrates its 10th anniversary and kicks off today with the Fred Hirsh Trio and special guest Kurt Elling.

Saturday, heavyweight Charles Lloyd plays with his Quartet and Trio. Drummer virtuoso Eric Harland plays in both groups with Lloyd. This is world class jazz, completely worth checking out. Both Friday's and Saturday's shows are at the Jackson Theater on the Sonoma County Day School campus in Santa Rosa. Tickets for many shows still available. Above is a little video of the Charles Lloyd Quartet at Lugano Estival Jazz in Switzerland.

On Sunday it's Latin Jazz on the Green with the Eddie Palmieri Latin Jazz Sextet and Pete Esovedo Ensemble with guest John Santos. General admission tickets are $25 and includes salsa lessons at noon. Bring a picnic and a lawn chair.

Many more great shows are scheduled throughout the 10-day event.

Hats off to Jessica Felix, the artistic director of the Healdsburg Jazz Festival, for bringing Sonoma County this prestigious event; real jazz at it's best! For complete information go here.

Old World Sonoma County

Just went on a little "3 hour tour" up to Cellar No. 8 at Asti Winery in Cloverdale to take some pictures for you. I went up Sunday, it was a nice day overall but a little cloudy. So I'm driving up 101 looking for the Asti exit sign and low and behold I whiz by this worn out, weathered building that faintly reads "Pastori Winery retail sales" and beautiful Alexander Valley vineyards behind it. The place looks like it might have closed many years ago or maybe not? Hmmm.

So I continue on to Cellar No. 8 at Asti Winery which is definitely an old place, founded 1881 as the Italian Swiss Colony. When I arrive, the sun starts peaking out from the clouds, a good omen. I start from the entrance and work my way into the grounds. The first thing that struck me is how quiet the area is. I am standing in the middle of the road and there are no cars around, at all! Bottom line, it's a remote area and that's what makes it all the better. I go back into my car, drive up the long driveway and get out of my car. I step out, the first thing I notice is some train cars out in the vineyards...Check out the picture gallery of Cellar No. 8 at Asti Winery.

After taking a few pics I decide to go...and really wish I had stopped by the Jimtown Store before I came up. Then I could take advantage of the serene picnic area at Asti. So I jump back on the 101 heading South and...what's that?...there's a white pick up truck at the old Pastori Winery. I gotta find out what the deal is. Well, what do you know, I meet Frank Pastori, 87 years young, his father founded the winery in 1914. Frank is a charming, earnest, country gentlemen. He and families like his are the foundation and roots of Sonoma County. He primarily grows grapes but also makes 5000 cases of his own wine a year; his hours are "Whenever I'm here." I love that. Always new adventures await you here. Here's an unfinished picture gallery of Pastori Winery.

Sonoma Jazz + Memorial Day Weekend

Yes! Summer is finally here! It's Sonoma County Memorial Day Weekend and what better way to kick off the summer than the Sonoma Jazz + Festival! The Town of Sonoma is buzzing with visitors for the big event which pairs some of the world's best jazz musicians with some of our world-famous wines and chefs. On Saturday and Sunday, the Sonoma Plaza is host to small music ensembles, playing around the plaza at various venues. The event, which is part of the Sonoma Jazz + Festival is called "Wine & Song Around the Plaza," tickets are $60. Or just hang out around the plaza and have a picnic and people watch. Starting tonight (Thursday) Kool and the Gang kick off the Jazz + Festival. Doors open at 6:00. Tickets are still available and you might be able to get them at the door. On Friday, it's the the reverend Al Green opening up for Herbie Hancock. Saturday, limited seats are available for Taylor Eigsti Quartet with Sonoma County's own Julian Lage. Lage is an awe inspiring jazz guitarist. Lage and TEQ open up for the wine-loving Diana Krall. It turns out Ms. Krall is a fan of great wines. And as the website Smoking Gun reports, fine wine is included on her list of requirements when she performs. (Click link, scroll down page). Of course many Sonoma wines made the list, Siduri Wines, Gary Farrell, Paul Hobbs Winery, Chalk Hill Winery, Ravenswood Winery and Matanzas Creek Winery. Sorry, I digress... Sunday it's a sold out show (try Craigslist) of Al Jarreau opening for Bonnie Raitt with special guest Roy Rogers. Check out the video of Sonoma Jazz + Festival and watch Diana Krall sing about how she loves wine. Now we know she means it. ; )

Santa Rosa Farmers Market

Santa Rosa Farmers Market, Santa Rosa Downtown Market, Santa Rosa Wednesday Night Market; no matter what you call it theres no denying that the Santa Rosa Farmers Market is the best street faire North of the Golden Gate Bridge. And it happens every Wednesdays from May through the end of August! Whether your a local or a visitor, this is the place to be in Sonoma County on Wednesday starting at 5pm. Food vending, arts and crafts, clowns, jumpies, street musicians and of course fresh produce are the main attractions. Today kicks off with Pride & Joy, a band that does great covers of Motown hits is playing on the main stage in courthouse square. Check out several videos of it here : Santa Rosa Downtown Market Check out the Women Can Drum video, it's one of my favorites.

Sonoma Valley Passport - Tribal Fest

Passport to Sonoma Valley is this weekend. If you did not buy advanced tickets, fear not. You can go to any of the "start locations" and pick up your tickets. $55 for a day $60 for the full weekend. Start locations are at Viansa, The Lodge at Sonoma, Valley of the Moon Winery and St Francis Winery. Also keep in mind there are lots of small wineries usually not open to the public that give tastings during Passport in Sonoma Valley. So it's a great opportunity to taste some wines that are more difficult to obtain.

The Tribal Fest. in Sebastopol is in full swing, Morris Street was lined up with cars today.Tribal Fest. is a counter culture event and is sort of a Burning Man meets belly dancing type affair. I look at it as a warm up for the huge circus like atmosphere at The Harmony Festival at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds coming up June 6th, 7th & 8th. Here is a little video I found on youtube from the Tribal Fest. It features belly dancer Rachael Brice and definitely gives you the vibe of the Tribal Fest in Sebastopol. Passport in Sonoma Valley to Tribal Fest. in Sebastopol, there is no doubt we have a little something for everyone in Sonoma County.

New Sonoma County Openings

It was an eventful weekend in Sonoma County, lots going on in West County. We met with Mark Malicki the passionate, driven chef/owner of Saint Rose Restaurant in Sebastopol which just opened last week. Check out the picture gallery here. Then we went down the road to the much anticipated, newly opened Freestone Vineyards; a Sonoma Coast winery that specializes in Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. West County has seen a lot of openings in the last few weeks. One of the biggest is Hopmonk Tavern, a wonderful place to just sit down, relax and enjoy good beer, good food and good music. It's worth the drive out to Sebastopol.

Later in the day we trekked over to C. Donatiello a new winery in the Russian River appellation in Healdsburg.. On hand was the easy going, affable owner Chris Donatiello, who was kind enough to give us a tour. The new C. Donatiello Winery has been completely remodeled and is nothing short of spectacular, definitely worth a visit. See pictures of this beautiful winery here.

Passport and Castles

You can tell that Sonoma County is gearing up for the summer by the amount of festivals and big events taking place this weekend.

In her wine blog, Michelle lets you in on why she thinks Passport to Dry Creek Valley, which takes place this Saturday and Sunday, is the best California Wine Country event of the year. (And, she also tells you why you can't go.)

Or, if you're more in the mood for some family-friendly festivals, there's the the Sebastopol Apple Blossom Festival, the Petaluma Butter and Eggs Days Parade, the Great Petaluma Chili Cookoff and Castles and Kites - Doran Regional Park. (For a list of more April Events in Sonoma County go here.)

It's a tough choice of where to go. But, the weather forecast says it will be in the high 70s at the beach this weekend, and I hear the ocean calling. Check out this video of the Castles and Kites Celebration and you'll see what I mean.

And if the beach and wine aren't enough to get you gearing up for a Sonoma County summer, then there's another surefire way to get into the spirit...strawberries!

Grand Opening of Hopmonk Tavern, April in Carneros and Sonoma Jazz +

Sonoma County's favorite band the Pulsators christen Hopmonk Tavern for it's Grand Opening in Sebastopol Friday night. In addition to serving it's own brew, Hopmonk also serves up beer from Scotland, England, Belgium as well a nice assortment of California microbreweries. Check out a video of the Pulsators at the Windsor Summer Nights here.

In the Town of Sonoma it's the April in Carneros Festival. Just show up to any of the participating Sonoma wineries, pay your fee and off you go on to your adventure; food and wine pairings, barrel, reserve and new release tastings await you. Meet winemakers and owners of wineries and vineyards, April in Carneros is a great way to visit small boutique wineries that are not typically open to the public.

We just got in a great video from the people at the Sonoma Jazz + Festival which is just around the corner on Memorial Day Weekend. Check out the video, this years line up and more info Sonoma Jazz + Festival here.

New food blog and wine blog postings are up.

It's a great weekend coming up. Hope to see you out there.

New Discoveries in Sonoma County - Wine Country

Something old, something new - Food writer Tom Samarati uncovers an old school Sonoma County butcher, Bud's Custom Meats and has an ephipany! As it turns out, Bud's is a "Meaty Paradise" serving up cuts of prime, organic pasture fed beef, ground buffalo, ostrich steaks, elk steaks and more. But that's not the end of the story. Get the meat from Tom here.............sorry.

In the something new department - Wine writer Michelle Baker introduces us to some of the new tasting rooms that are popping up around Sonoma County. Kokomo Wines, Family Wineries and Paradise Ridge Winery have expanded to having 2 wine tasting locations in Sonoma County. Get all the details here in Michelle's blog.

New Wineries in Sonoma County

I just read Michelle Baker’s wine blog about the musical chairs going on with Sonoma County wineries. There are quite a few changes taking place--C. Donatiello Winery is coming, River Bend Ranch is not, Westside Winery is—and I’m still trying to get all the facts straight in my head. But, the one thing I do remember perfectly from her blog post is that the former Belvedere Winery’s Sonoma County Chardonnay is being sold at Trader Joe’s for the fire sale price of $4.99. That’s about a third of its usual price.