Get Your Belly full of Pork Bellies at 31st Annual Taste of Sonoma/Wine Country Weekend Sept. 3-5

All ways lead to wine and food during Taste of Sonoma.

At last year’s Taste of Sonoma, my “most creative dish” prize went to A la Heart Catering of Santa Rosa, for their Shanghai duck sushi. It was a salty-sweet, chewy-soft bliss of a bird cooked in light and dark soy with brown sugar, star anise, ginger and scallions. The chefs married the meat with cranberries, cashews and cranberry-orange juice reduction, then tucked it into little rice rolls wrapped in nori.

The year before, I was smitten by chef Janine Falvo’s PBLT. The Carneros Bistro chef put together an exciting (and ok, weird) root beer braised pork belly with Oak Hill Farms tomatoes and brown butter hollandaise aioli on brioche.

It just goes to show that you never know what to expect when Wine Country Weekend rolls around, anchored by the Saturday food and wine showcase that is Taste of Sonoma. This year, the event runs Sept. 3-5.

One thing is certain, however. If you haven’t already gotten your tickets, you’d better act fast. This is one of the largest festivals of the year, with folks literally flying in from around the world to get in on the action.

Picnic tables under the old oak trees provide a great space to relax & enjoy the day.

The event kicks off on Sept. 3, with elaborate winemaker lunches at venues throughout the county. Just one example: Check out the circa-1880 Annadel Estate Winery in a meal of rustic Northern Italian fare paired with the inaugural vintages of the 2007 Estate Field Blend and the 2009 Sonoma Valley Rosé. It’s all served within the winery’s ancient stone walls under heritage oak trees, with local torch singer Sheila Whitney serenading, and ladies going home with a bouquet of heirloom roses grown on the Estate’s flower farm.

That evening, there are dinners, hosted by more winemakers at spectacular locations like Silver Oak Cellars, for a meal prepared by celebrity chef Douglas Keane of Cyrus. That meal is sold out, but several excellent suppers remain at other wineries.

In 2009, a record crowd of 2,500 guests converged on the sprawling grassy meadows at Healdsburg’s MacMurray Ranch for Taste of Sonoma. The draw? The marathon gala features tastings, demonstrations, tours and seminars showcasing more than 200 artisan wineries, growers, chefs and food purveyors. From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sept. 4, it’s a non-stop feast, brought to delicious life by more than 60 chefs and paired with the best from more than 150 wineries pouring a deep, fruity ocean of fine Sonoma wines.

Sommelier Christopher Sawyer says "cheers!"

From down-home Jimtown Store, to uptown Estate; from comfy-cozy Bruno’s on Fourth, to the haute Hana Japanese Restaurant; from high energy Jackson’s Bar & Oven, to laid-back Santi Restaurant. All the longtime favorites will be there, plus you’ll get a chance to look at some newer Sonoma places, like Jack & Tony’s Restaurant & Whiskey Bar and The Epicurean Connection.

Just don’t expect light nibbles. Last year, Bruno’s sent out a nearly meal-size plate of hoisin ribs, coleslaw and four-cheese macaroni studded with ham. Most other restaurants were right in there with the generous portions, too, and you can go back for seconds or thirds (I always end up camped at Hana’s booth, devouring sushi like a dolphin). It’s not uncommon to see guests lolled in happy comas under shade trees on the lawn.

In between eating, you can wander among wine seminars, cooking demonstrations and vineyard tours. New this year is increased AVA focus, with AVA-specific food and wine pairing in each of the four AVA tents as well as AVA-specific seminars in the White Barn. There’s also a new sustainable foods showcase, showing how delicious it can be to eat earth-friendly.

The General Admission ticket of $150 per person is a good deal. Think about five hours of eating great food and drinking fine wine. But even

The tents of Taste of Sonoma at MacMurray Ranch.

better is the Grand Reserve ticket are $195 per person, for special behind-the-scenes tours and tastings, like Club Reserve, where you can hob-nob with Sonoma County winery owners and winemakers. They will personally pour and discuss their limited production, reserve and award-winning wines from large format bottles paired with food by The Farmhouse Inn.

Things wrap up with another party of all parties: on Sunday Sept. 5, it’s the beach and surfing themed Sonoma Valley Harvest Wine Auction at Cline Cellars. The $500 ticket price gives you a hint of the opulence to be had, including, as the event website notes, “renowned chefs preparing a multi-course meal that makes ‘eating it’ a totally awesome thing, dude.”

One thing to keep in mind about Taste: with 2,500 people trying to cram their cars into the vineyards that serve as parking lots, it can get pretty crazy on the road. A better option is to reserve shuttle service, new this year and available around Santa Rosa and Sonoma from Pure Luxury Transportation.

For just $15 or $20 per person round-trip, you’ll avoid parking delays, enjoy front-gate delivery to the Taste event, and you won’t need to worry about finding a designated driver.

Details: sonomawinecountryweekend.com. For shuttle reservations, contact SWCWshuttle@pureluxury.com.