Southern Sonoma Country Life

Round Up Your Girlfriends for Thursday Ladies' Nights at Petaluma's Vine and Barrel

Ditch the fella and the car in favor of a regular Thursday night out with the girls this summer.

Hike or bike down to purveyor Jason Jenkin's relocated Southern SoCo wine store and  bar at 113 Petaluma Boulevard North where Ladies' Night is the latest in a line-up of happening vino events.

Recent homework on the wine bar scene here at the wide open gateway to wine country proved a local rumor true that its largely the girls who get into the good stuff over a laughs and weeknight conversation out on the town with pals.

And with $2 off every glass of wine, Vine and Barrel Ladies' Night budget-conscious customers are invited to try a selection of five wines on the wine list priced after this special discount at just $3 per glass. Well, that won't break the bank!

"Sip a lovely Willamette Valley Pinot Noir for just $7 per glass!," says Jenkins. "Hearty Zinfandels, Deep and heavy Cabs, spicy Spanish Riojas, Chiantis, beautiful French Sauvignon Blancs, 93 pt. Wine Spectator Rated Syrah from Paso, fresh and crisp Pinot Grigio - 16 wines by the glass and they are all quite good."

With draft beers at $5 per pint, just $3 on ladies night, non-wine drinkers are welcome to pull up a stool. 

"I will start by staying open until 9pm and if we are busy I will begin holding later hours," says Jason, who, though I am sure is perfectly able to hold court with a wine bar full of women customers, wouldn't turn away the guys on Thursday's Ladies' Nights. 

Next up on the big events at Vine and Barrel is The Great White Wines of the World
afternoon extravaganza, slated for Saturday July 17th, 2010.

Expect a spread of enticing tapas and snacks to pair with an extensive array of white and sparkling wines.

"Joining us will be the amazing Premier Cru from Champagne, Mansard pouring their highly-sought after Champagne – 1st class and nothing less!! Further, Mcnab, Stormhook, Novacento Sparkling, Hawley Viognier and Sauvignon Blanc, The incredibly food-driven, Keller Estates Chardonnay and Pinot Gris from our own, Petaluma, infamous Spann Viognier and Betsy’s Blend Semillion/Chard, Inka Sauvignon Blanc, Leveroni Sauvignon Blanc, Tolosa Chardonnay, Preston Organic Sauvignon Blanc, Nelson Family Vineyards Rose and Pinot Grigio, plus a very special guest From Greece pouring three amazing white food-driven wines with a Muscat dessert wine and two unique, dry varietals that I found to be outstanding," says Jenkins. (Take a breath, Jason!)

Laird Family Vineyards (Paul Hobbs) will be pouring Pinot Grigio and a highly rated Chardonnay. More?  Rusack Sauvignon Blanc, Carmenet Chardonnay, Congress Springs Viognier ...... $30. 3pm, sharp! Call 1 707 765 1112 to reserve.

If white wines are not your thing, put a note on the calendar to check out Vine and Barrel's super popular 4th Annual Petaluma Great Pinot Noir Tasting - August 21st, 2010, 3pm. $30. RSVP as above.

Big Wins in Marin County Fair Wine Awards

Hot news from the homestead winemaking hq here on Rivetti Mountain is that the Italian Husband's '08 Que Syra Syrah scored him a consecutive third year First Place rosette in the coveted Marin County Fair non-commercial winemaking awards.

Perusing the newly announced winners' placement list it appears that politics and wine making rub shoulders down in neighboring Marin. For State Assembly Member for the district, Jared Huffman had an entry in the same Class 5 category as our Que Syra, his vintage placing as a third.

The Marin County Fair's Amateur Winemaking Competition is open to amateur winemakers who produce wines without the assistance of a commercial winemaking facility. This contest employs a 'dutch' system for judging wines (wines submitted into the contest are NOT judged against other entries).

West Petaluma's Bob Peak (Partner in Santa Rosa's The Beverage People & fellow Petaluma Gap Wine Growers Alliance member) scooped a Best in Class for his Pinot Noir. Congrats Bob, Timo and Assemblyman Huffman!

Trying New Treats at Ninety-Two - One Old Farm Girl Gets a Pedicure

No, the photo above is not of the brave old broad who sat in the chair next to mine at Lily Nails in downtown Petaluma late Monday afternoon. Though remarkably preserved, I thought she might take slight umbrage at me whipping out my camera for a quick shot of her knobbly toes as they were painted bright red with a white daisy detail!

For this was her first ever pedicure, as she proudly proclaimed. Having grown up a farm girl in the Mid-West and transplanted here in Petaluma by family members following the demise of her ninety-something-year-old husband, the soon-to-be-92-year old and mother of four daughters (no doubt in their late 60's and 70's themselves) claimed she'd never had time for such blatant pampering in the past.

Not sure whether to accept the invitation for a floral decoration to top her ruby toes, she gamely went along with whatever was on offer after a nod from her companion on this novel 90 degree day-out!

Don't think the nail technicians understood her entertaining stories of how she'd helped her dear, long-departed Daddy haul hay on his 77 acre farm, but it made my day to see a person with such history put aside her stubborn ways and throw a little caution to the wind.

"I cut and styled her hair last week," said her companion. "Quite what we will think of for next week, I'm not too sure."

Moral of the story? Never say never. Depression-era farm girl to spa Princess. And why not? She most certainly earned it!

Dump Outdated Electronics at Free E-Waste Green Spot Drop Off and Send $$s to Schools

Finally made the mission across town to be rid of a boxful of old monitors and an antiquated television set after weeks of procrastination in the e-waste arena.

To show how hassle-free this was, I took a few snapshots at my drop-off destination point at North Bay Self Storage's convenient FREE E-Waste Green Drop Off point in East Petaluma down by the DMV.

Open for biz Monday through Saturday 9 am to 5.30 pm and Sundays 11 am to 3 pm there's truly no excuse not to take advantage of this terrific opportunity to dump outdated electrical equipment from your home and office and boost the coffers of city-wide school programs with a no-cost-to-you green rebate to Petaluma Educational Foundation. 

Buying your student a new computer for college, this summer? Round up the old desktop and drop off at 720 Southpoint Boulevard, Petaluma, CA 94954. North Bay Self Storage owners Chris and Sara Caddill run a tight ship with a large containment within the spotless storage facility area dedicated to E-Waste drop-offs.

Be prepared to haul in and unload your own e-waste and ask in the office for a cart if necessary. Otherwise, request office staff to open the gate and dive on in to drop-off your old tvs, phones, cameras, vidoes, defunct digital equipment.  

Be sure to name PEF as your referral so that rebates will return to the city's 36 schools via PEF program funding. 

For more info call North Bay Self Storage at 707 766 9900 or email nbss@sbcglobal.net.

Bottling the '08 and a Bashing in the World Cup

Yesterday's bottling escapades involved additional (young) manpower muscle of recruited Rivetti boys up for the weekend's winemaking shenanigans from Carmel Valley.

The '08 Que Syra harvest is all now officially out of the barrel and into the bottle. It's a messy, macho affair - enough to make the one woman of the house of Italian testosterone be tempted to lose her cool.

And if the bottling fiesta wasn't enough - this morning's early morning awakening by trumpet call to a house full of England soccer enthusiasts maintained the manic pace of the past few days.

Too bad that the third of this household's team favorites bit the dust in South Africa - not least due to an outrageous call by the FIFA powers to disallow an obvious goal. England team went the way of the USA's prior day's plight, posing a question of who to root for as the tournament heats up to its finale.

Vodka Nocino Under a Full Moon

Seventy percent alcohol, 140% proof, a little goes a long way when it comes to a tipple of traditional Italian Nocino (Walnut Liqueur)!

Best made under the full moon of San Giovanni (June 24), Nocino is the nifty waste-not-want-not Italian solution to utilizing a backyard walnut tree - though just before the nuts fully ripen.

An intriguing invitation came in the e-mail a couple weeks back for a first (hopefully) annual Nocino party here in Petaluma, CA. "Bring Jar(s), equivalent amount of vodka, a Julia Child dish to share and a sense of humor!" said the jaunty note.

"No Julia, no entry." Now that was the line that separated the serious foodies from friends who have issues with spatulas, butter and a phobia for anything involving the ardent Ms. Child's labor of love.

The night before the big walnut bash it appeared that an Arctic front had fallen prey on Petaluma, blanketing the valley with a thick, coastal layer of misty, cold fog.

"Bring a coat," instructed our optimistic hostess with a fire pit for back up, a truckload of mason jars, outdoor big screen and black and white movies.   

The show went on and dreary late-June weather subsided into a remarkably still, reasonably warm(ish) Sonoma County summer's night, made all the more manageable with crackling logs on a perky, square, portable fire pit and a taste-test or two of last year's trial nocino sampler. 

Arriving late from a prior commitment, I'd missed the initial magnificent line up of pot-luck Julia dishes, but plentiful platters offered up an incredible array of stuffed mushrooms, Bouillabasse, Crepes with gruyere, mushrooms and Buerre sauce, oysters and French cheeses, not to mention the most outrageous chocolate mousse and my impossibly dense interpretation of Child's decadent Queen of Sheba Chocolate Cake.

Wine flowed as fully-feasted nocino makers settled under the sprawling, freshly picked walnut tree for talk of summer camping trips, even more inventive cook-offs -trading tales of cultural journeys to this particular spot on this particular evening.

Hats off to the hostess whose birthday it is in a few days. With two little kids to juggle on an extended solo-stint at parenting (Coast Guard induced) she is without a shadow of doubt, the most outstanding bon-vivant in a bountiful region of competitive home (and pro) cooks. If Julia Child were alive and kicking and had happened upon this little moon-lit party in a backyard in Petaluma, she would have whooped with the sheer pleasure of it all. 

Fancy your hand at a batch of backyard Nocino? Here's a recipe for what you'll need to do:

Gather:

• 1 1/2 liters of vodka
• 30 shelled nuts (greenish - not quite ripe)
•  3 cups of fine sugar
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 10 cloves
• l pint water
• The rind of a Meyer lemon, cut into strips
• Mason Jar(s)

Quarter the nuts with a heavy-bladed knife. Chop on a non-absorbent surface. Athough walnut juice is colorless when it first comes from of the nut, exposure to air creates a stubborn dark brown walnut stain (wearing plastic gloves is a good idea). Place nuts with remaining ingredients in a jar, cover tightly and position in a warm, dark place for 40 days, shaking every two or three days.

Once the nuts have fully steeped take a taste of your nocino. If it's way too strong for your taste dilute with spring water. Line a funnel with filter paper and strain the nocino into bottles. Cork and age it for six months or more in a cool dark place.

Mel's Nocino recipe is her own private treasure and I've not attempted to replicate it too closely here. Check out her blog A Mouse in the Pantry for at some point when she has finished clearing up her backyard (toddler on hip), I am sure she'll post on the grand Nocino night herself!

A Chicken Called Wanda - Ag Fair Favorites from Hometown America

"Sonoma Marin Fair 2010 Show"

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Meet the Merchants Series - Family Tree Pottery

Learn to throw on the potter's wheel in sunny West Petaluma, this summer! Look what I whizzed past on a post two-mile run around the track at Petaluma High this morning:

One of Petaluma's hidden gems, tucked away in a side street at the back of Western Avenue opposite the Elim Church parking lot on Stanley Street - A quite literally Open Studio for you and I to try our hand at a spot of clay therapy!

I loved the concept of throwing open the vintage garage door and sharing of a potter's wealth to the wandering world! 

Join Potter, Joan Lindt at her studio to learn the basics of wheel thrown pottery with access to the likes of a slab roller and extruder (?!) to enhance your most fabulous creations.

Four week sessions are best - flexible once a week for two hours a session costs $125 for a month long package, and twice a week for two hours a session costs $225 for a month long package. Cost of clay, glazing and firing is included in this price.

For more info email Lindt. Students and their families are welcome to participate in Family Tree Pottery's annual pit firing celebration at Dillon Beach at the end of summer!

Oh, and about that two mile run. Having pledged to keep my 11-year-old son company as he conditions himself between sporting seasons this summer, my return to the track marks a five year hiatus from anything remotely related to running. Huffing and puffing my way around eight endless loops, I looked a bit beet-red by the end of my two mile stint, but am slowly keeping pace with the boy!

Channel Surfing - Double Dose of World Cup Soccer & a Hollywood Ending

Most excellent for U.S. TV ratings of the FIFA World Cup was this morning's Hollywood last minute ending to the USA's 1/0 game against Algeria.

Talk about the American Dream. Despite all odds and global teasing, the USA soccer squad won its group and are through to the second round!

Number 10, striker Landon Donovan was undoubtedly the hero of the day for the Americans providing a shocking 11th hour goal to sweep his team onwards and upwards.

Good thing England had already won 1/o against Slovenia, as the channel surfing was reaching fever pitch here in this British/American/Italian World Cup Crazed household! 

There's nothing quite like being awakened on a warm summer's morning here in wine country at the crack of dawn to the English National Anthem blasting out of the big screen. But I have to say, the US team's turning its fate on a dime in stoppage time was the highlight of this morning's international footie action.

Sonoma County's Vineyard Vacation Rental Cottages Face Potential Ban

Fancy a weekend in a cozy vintage Northern California wine country cottage nestled amongst the dense vines of a rural vineyard? Think again, for this quintessential Sonoma County sortee might well be a thing of the past if the powers-that-be in zoning decide to axe such romantic notions of rustic mini-break bounty.

For word is out amongst economically hard-pressed grape growers in the county that Sonoma County's Permit and Resource Management Department might have taken a notion to ban vacation cottage rentals on Land Intensive Agricultural (LIA) and Land Extensive Agricultural (LEA) zoned parcels - the vast majority of which are regional vineyards.

Sonoma County Winegrape Commission and the County's Tourism Board share concern for the many enterprising grape growers who have come to rely upon the extra income of small, vacation properties.

"We know that some grape growers depend upon renting a cottage on their land to keep afloat and these rentals seldom pose any problem to neighbors, so we are opposing the elimination of these rentals," says Green Certified Russian River Getaway's owner and Sonoma County Tourism Board member Camille LeGrand.

Mark Matson, owner of Birdsong Properties in Healdsburg has been designated as point person for vineyard vacation property owners, groups and organizations who have an interest in opposing the Permit and Resource Management Department's potential move.

As recession times continue to wreak havoc with wine sales, vineyard owners are becoming increasingly creative in diversifying their business models to attract visitors and maintain profitability. The welcoming nature of Sonoma County is enriched by authentic, one-of-a-kind hospitality. Like the simple B&B in much of Europe, a bed for the night on a privately owned property offers a pleasant repose for the traveler and a few extra pennies for the host.

Frequent reports of wild, unregulated, wine country vacation home issues aside, what is the problem with a small, carefully monitored rental cottage in an otherwise isolated spot?