Sonoma - California's wine country

Sonoma Country is conveniently located less than 30 miles north of San Francisco. Boasting over 250 of the world's most award-winning wineries, together with attractions including 76 miles of scenic coastline, pristine beaches, the mystical Russian River, majestic redwoods and 21 challenging golf courses to name but a few, Sonoma Country is your perfect getaway, anytime of the year.

The bounty of all Sonoma County harvests awaits its visitors. Here’s a look at what’s new for fall 2007:

WINE

Forchini Vineyards & Winery released three new wines to celebrate their new solar electric installation to generate power for the winery, office and vineyard pumps. The wines include a 2005 Russian River Estate Pinot Noir, a 2005 Papa Nonno European style Tuscan Red and a 2005 BeauSierra, Bordeaux Red. The photo electric solar panels will reduce green house gas emissions to the atmospheres by 180 tons of CO2 over 25 years or the equivalent of 585,853 miles not driven.

Forchini invites customers who think green to visit their tasting room and watch the electric meter run backwards. For more information visit Forchini.com.

Explore a long-time Sonoma County winery at Healdsburg’s Gallo Family Vineyards. The tasting room has recently gone through a major makeover to reflect the vintner’s new approach to the family-named wines, along with a more casual approach to downtown hospitality.

The personal tours of Gallo’s nearby Barrelli Creek Vineyard will still be offered by appointment. Visit the Gallo Family Tasting Room at 320 Center Street in Healdsburg. For more information visit Ejgallo.com.

Renowned restaurant the girl & the fig released their first-ever wine in celebration of their 10th Anniversary. Proprietor Sondra Bernstein partnered with award-winning vintner Jeff Cohen from JC Cellars to create Trés Bonnes Annèes, a 2005 California Syrah. The release will only be available at the girl & the fig restaurant, the fig café and the fig pantry.

Quivira Vineyards & Winery invites guests to “Pick Your Own Pumpkin” this fall from their organic gardens. Quivira Vineyards & Winery will release Zinfandel, Rhone varietals and a Sauvignon Blanc this fall with grapes from their Organic and Biodynamic vineyards. Visit for private tasting or personalized tours of the Estate Vineyards and Winery.

Sbragia Family Vineyards opened their winery at the old Lake Sonoma Winery in the Dry Creek Valley. Sbragia Family Vineyards grew from a dream of legendary Beringer Winemaker Ed Sbragia of a small, family-owned winery, making limited, individual lots of wine.

To create a more family focused mission, Sbragia Family Vineyards created a wineclub called Friends of the Family. The Sbragia family invite you to visit them, enjoy a picnic on their terrace and taste fruits of their labor. For more information visit Sbragia.com.

Peterson Winery opened a new tasting room. The tasting room will be a simple, rustic area in which to sample Winemaker Jamie Peterson’s handiwork while enjoying expansive views of the Dry Creek Valley. Peterson Winery will be open for wine tasting and sales daily from 11am-4:30pm at Timber Crest Farms, 4791 Dry Creek Road, Bldg No.7, Healdsburg, CA 95448. For more information, visit Petersonwinery.com.

AIRLINES

Horizon Air will begin offering daily direct service to Sonoma County from Portland and a third nonstop flight from Los Angeles beginning October 28th. The only direct flights to Wine Country are to Sonoma County Airport. Horizon Air offers once-daily service to Sonoma County from Seattle, and flights from Los Angeles twice daily Sunday through Friday and once on Saturday.

The additional flight from Los Angeles and the new flight from Portland will operate daily and, like Horizon Air’s current flights will be operated with fuel-efficient, 76-seat Q400 turboprop aircraft. With its near jet-like speed, the Q400 will take one hour and 50 minutes to travel between Portland and Sonoma County.

Horizon Air serves wines and microbrews at no extra charge as part of its regular in-flight service to passengers 21 years or older on all of its flights to Sonoma County. In addition to the usual two pieces of baggage that can be checked at no charge, Horizon will accept a box of up to 12 bottles of wine per passenger at no extra charge from customers on flights departing Sonoma County. The wine must be packaged to courier standards for shipment. For more information, visit Horizonair.com.

CULINARY

Taste your way through Glen Ellen at the Jack London Village. Begin delighting your taste buds at Figone’s Olive Oil Company, Sonoma Valley’s first Italian olive oil company. Frank Figone’s olive orchard contains over 4,000 trees and boasts 7 different Tuscan varietals. The productions press and tasting room are open 7 days a week from 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

The sweet aroma of Wine Country Chocolates draws you along to your next stop. Watch as they create custom-made wine truffles and other elegant chocolates. Enjoy ganache and chocolate samplings 7 days a week from 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Experience a cheese shop you only thought existed in Europe at Raymond & Company Cheesemongers. John Raymond will take you through a tour of cow, goat and sheep milk cheese from all over the world, open Thurs-Sun 11:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.

At North Bay Made, just about everything is available to taste and with a large selection of regionally made gourmet products including mustards, oils, vinegars, tapenades, honeys, jams and marinades you won’t leave without a new favorite. Discover why regionally produced food is better Thurs-Sun 11:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. Visit Northbaymade.com for more information.

The California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF) and USDA have designated Patty James Cooking School and Nutrition Center as the first certified organic cooking school in the U.S. Patty James is passionate about the art and science of cooking and natural health. She teaches about nutrition in plain language and inspires students through her dynamic style. To find out more, log on to Pattyjames.com.

In celebration of their 80th Anniversary, the Santa Rosa Symphony launched a Restaurant Discount Card with a variety of offers including two-for-the-price-of-one entrée to free dessert. The program begins in September. A detailed list of participating restaurants can be found on the Symphony’s website Santarosasymphony.com.

A new green restaurant/ bar & grill will open within the beautiful surrounds of the Bennett Valley Golf Course. The new 10,000 sq. ft. facility will also house a 20-300-person event center perfect for tournaments, business meetings or weddings. Sheri Barrows, a food & beverage field veteran will oversee the new center.

The new owners of Kenwood Inn & Spa have engaged Renzo Veronese as chef of the Inn’s restaurant. Reserved for inn guests only, the restaurant offers an á la carte dinner menu: la vera cucina, classic Italian dishes. Open to the outdoor central courtyard during the spring, summer and fall, the restaurant currently serves dinner on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights only.

Celebrate harvest with a series of Estate Lunches on the garden patio of Alexander Valley Vineyards. The afternoon begins in the tasting room with samplings of current releases, then a tour through proprietor Maggie Wetzel’s vegetable and flower gardens followed by a bountiful lunch prepared with estate and local produce by winery chef Jeff Young. Find out more at Avvwine.com.

A new way to find Chef Dino’s sausages and salumi has arrived. Rustic Italian masters Doug Swett & Dino Bugica from Santi Taverna, have acquired the “Geyserville Smokehouse”. The building will be transformed into a traditional pizzeria and rotisseria featuring pastas, roasted chicken and classic Italian style pizzas made right in front of you in wood burning ovens.

After developing tempting treats for mail order catalogues like Williams-Sonoma and Dean & DeLuca the sister team at Patisserie Angelica have launched LetThemMailCake.com. Dedicated to exceptional natural ingredients and use of Sonoma County products, their desserts generally ship out the day after ordering via UPS Next Day Air. To satisfy your sweet tooth visit LetThemMailCake.com for your decadent dessert fix.

The 35th annual Farm Trails Map & Guide features colorful easy to use maps, descriptions and contact information for more than 200 small farms to businesses that are open to the public. The 2007 map & guide will show you the way to unusual produce like chestnuts, Asian pears and Crane melons and animals ranging from camels, ostriches and buffalo. To receive a free 2007 Farm Trails Map & Guide email farmtrails@farmtrails.com.

Bluewater Bistro in Bodega Bay now offers monthly winemaker dinners. An exciting five-course dinner is appropriately matched with a different local winery each month. The Bluewater Bistro features only the freshest local ingredients possible. For a detailed menu or to reserve your spot visit Thelinksatbodegaharbour.com.

Executive Chef Wayne Van Akin of Tolay (located in the Sheraton-Petaluma) introduced an exciting new Summer/Fall menu full of local flavor. The menu features everything from Seafood Cioppino featuring Tomales Mussels to a California Cobb salad all served with a view of the Petaluma Marina.

LODGING

Live like a wine baron on your own Sonoma Wine Estate. BeautifulPlaces offers a wide variety of wine country villa and estate rentals. Private homes are ideal accommodations for families, friends, corporate retreats or those wanting the ultimate in privacy and security. New homes include Sullivan-Birney Ranch, Stonetree, Warm Springs House and Barstola.

Visit Beautiful-places.com for complete villa and estate options.

Rohnert Park is now home to a new Hampton Inn & Suites at 6248 Redwood Drive. The hotel features 102 state-of- the-art rooms and suites with complimentary wireless internet and the Hampton Hot Breakfast. All stays are eligible for Hilton Honors points.

The Hilton Family Campground in Forestville added new cottages and day use area. Come and meet “Adam” the new manager and say for the week-end. Visit Hiltonparkcampground.com for more information.

Wine Country RV Park, Sonoma Grove in Rohnert Park modified half of the park to serve modern recreational vehicles and travel trailers. Daily, weekly, and monthly rates are new being offered, along with “full hook-up” sites including cable television and free WI-FI high speed internet.

ECO-ADVENTURES

To highlight ecologically friendly and informative adventures throughout the area, the Sonoma County Redevelopment funded efforts to create Eco Ring, a non profit organization aimed at igniting eco tourism in the lower Russian river area.

To learn more about Eco Ring Adventures visit Stewardsofthecoastandredwoods.org and click on the EcoRiver Adventures link.

Michel-Schlumberger now offers a green tour and hillside tasting. The eco-friendly Estate tour teaches about the organic garden, abundant wildlife, Wine Creek restoration, sustainable winegrowing and more. Stroll to the top of Benchland Vineyards and take in the breathtaking vista of Dry Creek Valley.

The tour ends at a hillside table, with a panoramic view, where guests will enjoy a guided tasting of our award winning Estate wines including our Deux Terres Cabernet. While you're sipping this reserve wine you can behold the very block of the vineyard that produced the grapes for this extraordinary blend. Tours are offered Thursday, Saturday and Sunday at 10:30 a.m. for $25 per person.

Find out more at Michelschlumberger.com.

In an effort to show case the West Sonoma County towns of Freestone, Occidental and Monte Rio, the Bohemian Connection, along the historic Bohemian Highway, created a new visitors website, BohemianConnection.com. The new site highlights the West County as a unique place to visit and play.

SHOPPING

Petaluma Village Premium Outlets announces numerous store openings including Banana Republic Factory Store, Nike Factory Store, Tommy Hilfiger, Converse (August), Time Factory Watch Outlet and Gold Toe (July). Spend your days shopping at our friendly outdoor center. Visit Premiumoutlets.com/petaluma for more information.

ART & CULTURE

Twelve of Sonoma County’s premier arts organizations collaborate in an unprecedented county-wide festival exploring the rich tapestry of human experience through unique and captivating performances. Performance Sonoma, an eight week-long performing arts celebration sponsored by the Arts Council of Sonoma County in conjunction with Community Foundation Sonoma County, will take place this fall at a variety of venues from Petaluma to Healdsburg, Sonoma to Monte Rio. For more information please visit Performancesonoma.com.

Latin Waves, a festival of rhythm, melody and dance will be conducted by the Santa Rosa Symphony. The Symphony players join with dancers, vocalists and the finest Latin musicians for a musical tour of Argentina, Brazil, Spain and Mexico. Concert series runs during the 2007-2008 80th Anniversary Season. Concert details can be found at Santarosasymphony.com.

Railroad & Courthouse Square businesses in downtown Santa Rosa will feature First Friday ArtWalk on the first Friday of each month from 5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. Participants stroll from shop to shop meeting artists and enjoying light refreshments with live music on the corner of 4th & Wilson. Complimentary carriage rides in Railroad Square leave from the Depot parking lot and take visitors for a nostalgic ride down 4th street.

The Sebastopol Gallery at 150 North Main Street in Sebastopol is now open. Featuring fine arts & crafts by community artists, the gallery is open daily from 11:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. For featured artist information visit Sebastopol-gallery.com,

FESTIVALS & CONCERTS

Rodney Strong Vineyards launches their 17th Annual Summer Concert Series. Performers include Chris Isaak, Dave Koz and Madeleine Peyroux. Concertgoers are encouraged to bring a picnic meal to enjoy with friends on The Green or may purchase an assortment of prepared foods onsite. For ticketing information and a detailed list of performers, visit Rodneystrong.com.

Ravenswood Winery, in Sonoma, opens their doors on Sunday September 16th from noon – 4:00 p.m. for the Ravenswood Marketplace. Over 30 local Artisans will be showcasing and selling their wares from paintings to fused glass, chocolates to lavender and so much more.

MEETING SERVICES

Pineapple Planet creates unique hospitality suites, trade show lounges, weddings and themed events with custom props, décor, signage and furniture rental. Their team of designers, builders and event producers work to make truly memorable events. Visit Pineappleplanet.com for more information.

A unique new event space is now open in Sebastopol. Sova Gardens is a charming venue offering generous, multi-purpose settings perfect for all your special event needs. They are located at 5186 South Gravenstein Highway. For more information visit Sovagardens.com.

For a free visitors guide or information on hotels, wineries, events, spas, attractions, and dining in Sonoma County, visit Sonomacounty.com.