Larson Family Winery celebrates 40 years
Becky and Tom Larson and their extended family, including the Millericks, celebrate 40 years of making wine and sharing lots of Sonoma Valley’s Schellville and Wingo history with the world. Everyone is invited to celebrate the Larsons’ 40 years of harvests, midday on Sunday, September 20.
Once the home of rodeos and hunting, fire changed everything on March 3, 2022 when the old barn-cum-tasting room burned with loads of historic photos and memorabilia.
Being the Larsons, they turned it all to a positive, built a new barn and more recreational features, making it even friendlier to kids and dogs, meaning their three resident Labrador Retrievers and visiting canines. And there are now many new games, and animals to pet for the kids, including cornhole and a grape stomp. The Larsons are among the most generous members of our community, planting vineyards at schools and at the Valley of the Moon Children’s Center, and bringing their three labs and crew to schools to teach seasonal vineyard management.
It’s always fun at Larson Family Winery, this time with nibbles, wine and the Tri-Tip Trolley there for substantial food, with music by Lindsay Gang. Tickets are $45/adults (includes two glasses of wine) and $20/kids ages 3 to 20; wine club members are $4 less. 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. 23355 Millerick Rd., Sonoma. Reservations at (707) 938-3031, ext. 20 or exploretock.com.larsonfamilywinery/event/620277/harvestparty-2026.
Sonoma Flood Relief Charity Dinner for Nepal
A community groundswell seems to be growing to help Sonoma’s Himalaya Sherpa Club raise funds to help the devastated thousands of victims following the recent floods in Nepal.
Sonoma is now home to a large, vibrant, dedicated, hard-working, and deeply loved Sherpa community. Many members of this community are directly impacted by the devastating flash floods in Nepal, with loved ones facing unimaginable loss and hardship.
Our Sherpa community is hosting a special fundraising dinner on Tuesday, Sept. 22, at the Vets Building, to support those affected in the Rusawa and Nuwakot Region of Nepal. The evening will include delicious local Nepali chefs’ cuisine, wines donated from Sonoma and Napa Valley, and cheeses generously donated by Gary Edwards.
Local Sherpa restaurant owners have food coming from all of their restaurants, and others, from Napa, Petaluma, and Vallejo. Local restaurants donating food include La Casa, Sonoma Grille, The Red Grape, Burgers & Vine, Taste of Himalayas, Farmhouse Sonoma and The Mill at Glen Ellen. Wineries giving wine include La Prenda, Kunde, Honig, Capo Isetta, Las Madres, Gloria Ferrer, Aum/Hoffman, Benziger, Imagery, Meadowcroft, Silver Oak, Hanzell, Cline and St. Francis.
Admission is free and attendees are encouraged to make a contribution to the disaster relief efforts in support of our local Sherpa brothers and sisters, as they do everything they can to bring aid and assistance to those who have lost so much. Please bring whatever cash you can spare or a check. Checks should be made out to California Sherpa Association, with “flood relief” on the memo line.
All donations will go through the California Sherpa Association, a certified 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. The entire amount collected will be consolidated and sent directly to the Government of Nepal Prime Minister’s Disaster Relief Fund, according to Nima Sherpa of Sonoma Grille and Pemba Salaka Sherpa of La Casa. From 4:30 to 8 p.m. at the Sonoma Veterans Building. Reserve your space at www.eventbrite.com/e/sonoma-for-nepal-a-flood-relief-charity-dinner-tickets
Vintage Festival food and wine coming
To celebrate 200 years of winemaking in Sonoma, the Sonoma Valley Vintners & Growers Alliance will stage a fabulous, huge Harvest Dinner with a table that stretches from Napa Street all around the horseshoe in front of City Hall on Friday, Sept. 25.
The Vintners & Growers will have the girl & the fig cater this exciting and historic dinner as they did their own 20th anniversary of the restaurant. This time guests will indulge in a Fall chicory salad with Gravenstein apples, dried cherries and pumpkin seeds, plated mesquite-smoked short ribs, fingerling potatoes, and local Romano beans, or fresh corn polenta with mushrooms and ricotta salata. Desserts served “family style” include pate de fruit, chocolate chunk cookies, almond meringue cookies, chocolate pot de crème, and white chocolate mousse. Both vegetarian and gluten-free options will be available.
And of course at least 30 Sonoma Valley vintners will provide the wine to celebrate the harvest, according to Katie Holden of the SVVGA.
Dueling pianos will accompany dinner and hopefully we will be able to hear them.
Ticket options: Single ticket: $250, no reserved or group seating. Table for 6: $1,500, reserved table with group name on it. Table for 8: $2,000, reserved table with group name on it. Table for 10: $3,000 in front of City Hall, name on signage and website, vintner host and bottle of bubbles. 5:30 p.m. Tickets are available until Sept. 18 at https://valleyofthemoonvintagefestival.org/buy-tickets-2/
The other Festival-pecific food and wine events include a Lunch for 12 at Three Sticks Adobe on Spain Street on Friday Sept, 25 (already sold out). Then there is the Sonoma Valley Grand Tasting Saturday, Sept. 26, behind the Barracks at 6 p.m. VIP $225 gets in at 5:30, General Admission $175, SVVGA members $150 at 6:30.
And, of course, there’s the free Grape Stomp in the Grinstead Amphitheatre on Saturday, Sept. 26, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and the Wine Garden in the Plaza from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Additional events include an actual harvest experience at Sangiacomo Vineyards on Friday, and Brunch, Bites & Bubbles at Bloom Carneros on Sunday.
Plus, loads of food, wine, and games around Sonoma Plaza and some fun runs. All tickets are available at svvgf.ejoinme.org/Myevents/valleyofthemoonvintagefestivalweekend2026
Special Bordeaux tasting at Mayo in Glen Ellen
Jeffrey Mayo will open his finest Bordeaux varietals to go with his famous smoked brisket, baked beans, and coleslaw on Sunday, Sept. 27.
Attendees will get to taste their Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot from Pickberry Vineyard, Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Meritage, and prized Petit Verdot, plus Chardonnay and Zinfandel, of course. 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. $45 general, or $20 to $25 club members. 13101 Arnold. Dr., Glen Ellen (just off Hwy. 12). (707) 938-9401 or [email protected].
More Mystery Meat from mystery countries
Speculation continues about where Donald Trump’s 600 million pounds of “cheaper” imported “beef” actually comes from? Brazil or Argentina, or one of the 16 countries allowed to export unlabeled beef to the United States? How many sources of this beef have bribed their local officials to ignore infections in sourced animals? How do we know what animals are actually killed for this meat? What connections do the beef sources have to this White House?
As Eric Slosser points out in the New York Times (Sept. 9), “If you buy a T-shirt at the Gap, it will have a label that tells you where it was made. That’s federal law.” But labeling is no longer required on foods imported from other countries.
Wouldn’t you like to know where your food comes from if it is not local? Rep. Mike Thompson recently advocated new legislation requiring labeling of food by country of origin. Bring that back, please.
Allegedly, the beef/meat import deal occurred a day or so after a Brazilian friend of Melania Trump donated substantially to a Trump PAC, according to several news sources.
Restaurants adjusting
With tourism down for a variety of international and public-habits reasons, our Sonoma restaurants are getting super creative in finding ways to attract customers especially if they are located farther away from Sonoma Plaza. And we benefit by being local.
Some dining spots are adding or subtracting dishes, trying new cooking methods, changing prices up or down, and maybe ingredients, or improving Happy Hours. Here are some examples.
Poppy Glen Ellen
Sondra Bernstein and John Toulze’s Poppy in Glen Ellen are always creative, from her poppy artwork on the walls to his menu ideas. In the past few months, they have featured “family style” three-course dinners ($65 per person) on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, with wine included. “Family style” in this case subtly implies that everyone should order the same special.
New: Now they feature “Pick Two Tuesdays,” where guests can order an “entrée,” meaning appetizer, and one plat (main course) for $45 per person, with additional $25 for “select bottles” of red, rosé, or white wine. No dessert or wine included this way. $45 plus $25 = $70.
The Mill at Glen Ellen
Sanjeev Kumar and Dana Jaffe now offer a three-course prix fixe dinner on Monday nights, and it seems to attract lots of fans. I wish they would do this every night.
First course choices include cup of clam chowder or daily soup, and green or Caesar salad. Entrée selections are chicken breast with grilled corn and port cream, Ora King salmon, tri-tip steak with caramelized onion, or pumpkin squash ravioli with braised greens and Butternut squash. All entrées come with garlic mashed potatoes and house veggies except the ravioli.
Desserts include Dana’s warm coconut rice pudding, burnt Basque cheesecake, or chocolate and raspberry mousse. $55. Mondays 5 to last seating at 8 p.m. Closed Tuesdays. Lunch Friday through Sunday. 14301 Arnold Dr., Glen Ellen. (707) 721-1818.
Songbird, and Jack London Lodge Saloon, both serve fried chicken dinners on Sunday evenings. Songbird $34 and $25 at Jack London Saloon.
Stella
The Stella team has added an “Early Supper” available Monday through Thursday but only from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. You choose one item from each menu section, such as first courses that range from Caesar salad to two mortadella meatballs, and half orders of various Mozzarella combos. Among second courses select from among three pasta dishes, a Duroc pork chop or wood-grilled Petaluma chicken, followed by one scoop of their famous housemade gelato or sorbet. $55.
Stella has also started Sunday Suppers, another three-course dinner that reads deliciously well for sure. $49 per person. 4:30 p.m. 9049 Hwy. 12, Kenwood. (707) 801-8043.
Smash
Also in the Weiswasser-Benziger family, along with Glen Ellen Star, is their new Smash across First Street West from Sonoma Plaza at West Napa St. Ari Weiswasser adds fun new sandwiches on weekends to try them out.
Valley Swim Club
The Swim Club (no pool) now can add Jimmy Nardello peppers to their meaty smash burger as well as a new “Get Happy” Happy Hour, Thursday through Saturday from 3 to 5 p.m., featuring $10 spritzes, $10 glasses of wine, $6 hot dogs, $20 smash burger (includes fries or salad) and 50 percent off bottles of sparkling wine.18709 Arnold Dr., Sonoma. (707) 243-3032.
Dead Letter
Sondra Bernstein, John Toulze and executive chef Jeremy Zimmerman constantly improve their Dead Letter menu and more and more people are loving it. Some guests come for the art and love I,t and others come for the food and love it. Be sure to get on their email list so you learn of Bernstein’s and artist friends’ talks about their digital creations ever changing on the walls. Rumor is that they might open daily. Now open 5 to 9 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday.101 East Napa St., Sonoma. (707) 933-3665.
Nibs and Sips
Jayme Powers’ Sigh bubbles tasting room just celebrated her/their 14th anniversary on Sept. 2. Huge congrats to Jayme. 120 West Napa Street, Sonoma.
Gary Saperstein announced his retirement as development director for Face to Face Sonoma County, a great organization that supports people with HIV/AIDS. But Gary proudly stays on with his Out in the Vineyard organization that he created to welcome the LGBTQ+ world community to all Sonoma has to offer.
Jean-Charles Boisset, owner of Buena Vista Winery, brought combat sports weekend, called “Napa Knockout,” with a square fight ring at his Raymond Winery in Rutherford, and raised about $500,000 for retired fighters. Apparently Boisset “loves kick boxing” at home.
Signorello Estate filed for bankruptcy, apparently owing $37 million with its largest creditor G3 Enterprises (Gallo), followed by the Liquor Control Board of Ontario, Canada. The Napa Valley land and buildings will be auctioned off Sept. 25. All of this sadly follows nine years after the winery was burned by wildfire and its rebuild and reopening two years ago.
Robert Mondavi Winery, now owned by Constellation Brands, has reopened after three years of renovation that seemed perplexing to passersby. Constellation also bought Robert Mondavi’s 50 percent of the original Opus One winery. Mondavi co-started the exclusive enterprise with Baron Philippe de Rothschild of Bordeaux.
Mourad Lahlou of San Francisco has closed his Moro at Napa’s Oxbow Public Market. He also moved his kitchen out of former longtime Sonoma resident Elaine Bell’s building in Napa. Camille Jeanty has taken over that kitchen for her expanding private cheffing and catering business. And yes, she is the daughter of Philippe Jeanty of Bistro Jeanty in Yountville.
Note:
Questions to any of you hoping to get your $5,000 Trump check if the Republicans retain control of the House and Senate: Did you get your $5,000 DOGE dividend check? Did you get your $2,000 stimulus check from Trump’s “tariff dividend?” Did you get a $1,000 savings from ACA subsidies? Or did you get your $5,000 for having a baby also promised by Donald Trump?
Interviewed Sunday, Sept. 13 in Ireland, Trump said, “I always keep my pledges.” Think about it.
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