Tag Archives: winecountry

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Don’t Let it Rain on Your Wedding – Planning Ahead is Simple

by careysweetless than an hour in Weddings.0 Comments

It’s the reality of any extra-special day – the weather can take an unexpected turn. Think about “Forces of Nature,” the movie that ends with Ben Affleck’s hurricane-fraught wedding. Sonoma County, even with its temperate Mediterranean climate, isn’t immune to finicky Mother Nature. At the same time, the landscapes in this magical county of ocean front, forested, vineyard carpeted and {…}

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Food Purveyor and Beer Brewer Join Barlow

by careysweet1 week ago in Dining.0 Comments

Bring it on at The Barlow, with even more tenants signing up and construction finally underway on the downtown Sebastopol culinary center. Just joined are Terra Sonoma, and Barley and Hops/8-Bit Brewing Company, the latest in a growing number of food and drink businesses flocking to the 220,000-square-foot culinary and art center in the former Barlow Apple Factory at Sebastopol {…}

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Wing Your Way to Sonoma Wine Country

by tina2 weeks ago in Insiders Guide.2 Comments

The next time you wing your way to Sonoma Wine Country, fly direct and you can bring a case of wine home with you for free. Wine Flights, a joint program of Alaska Airlines and Sonoma County Tourism Bureau, offers travelers an opportunity to visit Sonoma County’s famed wine country with airfare, lodging, and wine specials. Fly directly into Santa {…}

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Jack London Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon

by jamesknight3 weeks ago in Wine of the Week.0 Comments

The Jack London Vineyard is a beautiful property perched on the foot of Sonoma Mountain. It’s easy to imagine the author surveying the rolling green waves of grapevines as he wrote the following salute in 1913, as reproduced on the back label of Jack London Vineyard wines: “I ride over my beautiful ranch. Between my legs is a beautiful horse. {…}

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Stonestreet Cabernet Offers a Taste of Place

by jamesknight4 weeks ago in Tasting Rooms.0 Comments

The Alexander Valley is known for Cabernet Sauvignon, and justly so. The grapes ripen easily here, among the hottest of Sonoma County appellations, and the vines sink their roots into ancient gravel beds deposited by the Russian River as it indecisively meandered across the valley throughout the eons. But it’s the mountains that loom above the valley that have lured {…}

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Explore West Sonoma County and Taste Route 116

by careysweet1 month ago in Tasting Rooms.0 Comments

Join Taste Route 116 for New Wine Tasting Events in West County So the holiday season is barely over, and it’s already time to start thinking about the next celebration. That would be Valentine’s Day, which this year falls on a Tuesday. The happy holiday often involves wine, but leave it to the creative group of Sebastopol wineries to figure out {…}

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Kenwood Inn Chef Says ‘See Ya’ to Gordon Ramsey, Hello to Sonoma

by careysweet1 month ago in Dining.0 Comments

There’s London. There’s New York. Then, there’s Sonoma, and when the choice came to down to it for a chef used to working in the world’s best Michelin Star restaurants, the decision was easy. Sonoma rules. That’s why Chef Steven Snook has just taken over the kitchen at Kenwood Inn & Spa, direct from six years of sweating in the {…}

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Ring in the New Year with Sparkling Korbel Champagne

by jamesknight1 month ago in Wine of the Week.0 Comments

Many times I’ve been an advocate for the go-for-broke approach to New Year’s Eve festivities, but after the holiday shopping has been done, many of us find ourselves, well, broke. Fortunately, few people sweat the bubbly, as long as it goes “pop,” and a cheap bottle grabbed on the way to the party usually does the trick. But is there {…}

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Hark! Sonoma County’s Crab Season Opens

by careysweet1 month ago in Dining.0 Comments

The Season Begins with Fresh Crabs Crawling Your Way We wait for it all year long, and finally, it’s here – the highly anticipated Dungeness crab season has arrived. These large, hard-shell crabs are a true Northern California specialty, renowned for their sweet flavor and pink, flaky meat, and are considered a delicacy among all seafood connoisseurs. Crab is a {…}

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Sonoma County bubblies sparkle for holidays

by careysweet1 month ago in Insiders Guide.2 Comments

Bring on Beautiful Bubblies for the Holiday Season Cheers. Salut. Skál. Whether your language is English, Spanish or Icelandic, the holidays are when everyone brings forth their best spirits in wholesome toasts to friends, family, health and, hopefully for 2012, wealth. And what goes best with a toast? Sparkling wine, indeed. So put some extra sparkle in your holidays with {…}