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Features

New downtown tasting salon is quite a trip

Remember the dot-com crash of 2000? For all its horrors, the bust provided at least one happy ending. Combined with a chance encounter on the tennis courts at Maxwell Farms Regional Park, it set the stage for a connection between two men who discovered common... Continue

Obama to follow Lincoln inaugural tradition

Abraham Lincoln’s first inauguration in 1861 attracted 20,000 attendees, straining the ability of the capital to house the visitors, compared to the anticipated two million witnesses who will jam Washington, D.C. when President-elect Barack Obama takes the oath of office with his hand on the... Continue

Breaking wine into chards

Letter from London I am nervous about my 7-year-old son, very afraid that he may grow up to be a marketing guy. Here’s why this horrid thought has embedded itself in my brain: He’ll eat almost anything with chocolate on it – whole-wheat bread (he... Continue

Environmental Film Festival returns to Sonoma

An impressive roster of films, panel discussions and a special live performance is lined up for the four-day, second annual Sonoma Environmental Film Festival, which comes to town Jan. 22 through 25. The films tackle topics such as climate change, green building and sustainable cultures.... Continue

Creative blends, value brands spur growth of Adler Fels Winery

[gallery=30] Photos by Ryan Lely While others around them are feeling the pinch, Adler Fels Winery just finished its biggest year ever. With low overhead, the talents of a third-generation Sonoma winemaker and four whimsical product lines priced between $7.99 and $14.99 a bottle, the... Continue

Humans: 2, crustaceans: 0

California’s annual crab season started less than two months ago, and doesn’t end until June 15, but already some fishermen are hauling in empty nets and putting them away until next year. What is going on? Apparently the often-robust Dungeness crab harvest is a cyclical... Continue

Political Partying

[gallery=29] Photos by Ryan Lely The tickets are sold, the hotels booked, and if you find parking, it’s prob-ably in Virginia. The inauguration of President Obama is the event of year, and you have absolutely no hope of attend-ing, so let’s not even pretend. (And... Continue

Sonoma Scene: Martini Madness

[gallery=28] Photos by Ryan Lely They say that both love and war can induce madness. The Sonoma Valley Olive Festival endeavored to add martinis to this mix last Friday with its eighth annual “Martini Madness,” hosted by MacArthur Inn and Spa. The inn’s renovated barn... Continue

Sonoma Valley Chorale looks to add new members

The Sonoma Valley Chorale is recruiting new members for its May 30 and 31 concerts, “Reel Music,” which will feature choral music from movies such as “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,” “Les Miserables” or “The Lord of the Rings.” Tenors, basses and baritones are... Continue