Gay Wine Weekend seeking volunteers

[caption id="attachment_50927" align="alignnone" width="420"] Volunteers needed for the 2015 Gay Wine Weekend! (Out in the Vineyard)[/caption] Sonoma Valley's annual Gay Wine Weekend is seeking volunteers for a weekend of wine-themed events and activities. The weekend draws thousands of LGBTQ folks and allies from around the country to... Continue

Big Wine fails to dry farm during California’s drought

This article is a guest column by Shepherd Bliss California Governor Jerry Brown spent this year’s Earth Day at the elite Iron Horse Winery in the Sebastopol countryside. It was a great photo opportunity and promotion for the winery. Iron Horse is known for donations to... Continue

Making tea out of Sonoma wine skins

[caption id="attachment_50485" align="aligncenter" width="420"] Republic of Tea's "Sonoma Teas" (Republic of Tea)[/caption] Novato based tea company, The Republic of Tea, has launched a new collection of iced and mulled teas made with wine skins from Sonoma County grapes. The tea, which is being made in... Continue

Crash course: Sonoma Food & Wine Tour

Renee ReBell founded the Sonoma Food & Wine Tour last year to celebrate the cuisine, wine and history of Sonoma. The first of tour of its kind in town, ReBell guides participants on a 3-hour walking tour of the Square, with visits to restaurants, tasting rooms and food purveyors.... Continue

Sonoma tree fight; SDC politics; Bruce Cohn on the radio and more

Regarding the issue of cutting down oak trees on Broadway, irony is in full bloom. At the April 21 meeting at which the council postponed the fate of the oaks pending an actual plan and budget, the panel, as a separate agenda item, formally recognized... Continue

The easiest, cheapest way to improve wine

If you are like so many wine lovers who open a bottle of red wine minutes before serving it to yourself or your guests, you’re missing out on at least 80 percent of what that wine has to offer. Wine, and especially red wine, needs... Continue

Going clonal at Envolve Winery

[caption id="attachment_50125" align="alignnone" width="420"] Release the clones! The Pinot Clonal Experience at Envolve Winery (Sarah Stierch, CC BY 4.0)[/caption] When I heard that Envolve Winery was launching a limited run Pinot Noir clonal tasting at their downtown Sonoma tasting room, I had to attend. I... Continue

Mike Benziger named Green Personality of the Year

Mike Benziger has been named 2015 Green Personality of the Year by Drinks Business, the leading spirits, beer and wine magazine in the United Kingdom. The magazine's Green Awards celebrate the work that industry leaders (both individuals and businesses) are doing to promote and incorporate sustainable... Continue

Zina Lounge launches at Ledson Hotel

[caption id="attachment_49819" align="aligncenter" width="420"] Wine and food pairings are now being offered at the Zina Lounge at the Ledson Hotel (Cheri Lucas, CC BY SA 2.0)[/caption] The Ledson Hotel's Centre du Vin closed suddenly in January and we watched the French bistro-style restaurant undergo renovations (and the... Continue

April in Carneros & Tomatomania at CornerStone [Photo essay]

This past weekend, two events took place in Sonoma Valley: April in Carneros, the annual wine and food event that celebrates the Los Carneros AVA region of Sonoma and Napa, and Tomatomania, world's largest heirloom tomato sale. Both events coincided at CornerStone, the mixed use... Continue