Large signs inside the various tasting tents for the primary appellations of this part of Wine Country, simply stated: "We are Sonoma County".
For the hundreds of wine and food lovers attending 2013 Taste of Sonoma (actually outside of Healdsburg in the Russian River area), this highlight afternoon event of the annual Sonoma Wine Country Weekend offered an extraordinary opportunity to discover a seemingly inexhaustible array of county-wide deliciousness.
Always a sell-out and I can see why. Taste of Sonoma's a super-exclusive Visa Signature event, featuring over 200 premium wineries, 60 or more chefs outdoing one another with farm-fresh bites and sizzling, hot-off-the-grill meats, blind tastings, wine talks, a marketplace, steel chef competition and best of all, a chance to escape from it all to a hidden gem of an historic Russian River ranch.
Guests park amongst the redwood trees in makeshift lots nearby, before being shuttled on site by luxury limos. Many more, visiting from around the country each year specifically for this classy weekend of wine, wisely leave the driving to the transport partners, taking safe and convenient shuttles from event accommodations in Santa Rosa.
Taste of Sonoma is a smorgasboard of yumminess. Ribs galore... lamb, too. Though not pictured, Pozzi Ranch grassfed, pasture raised lamb was the best.
Curried egg salad bites with cured salmon and chives - note to self - here's an easy and delicious appetizer for upcoming parties.
Hello Petaluma Gap cool climate wines! It's always such a pleasure to see the South County so well represented. Mark Pasternak of Devil's Gulch Ranch was on duty at the tasting table for the Gap when I stopped by.
Keller Estate - one of the South County's finest.
Farmer first, vintner second. Down to earth stewards of Sonoma wine country.
It is the late, Hollywood great, Fred MacMurray's circa 1850s farmhouse that captivates me most about this incredibly beautiful, wooded Russian River property, owned by Gallo since the early 2000s.
Despite the crowds for the annual Taste of Sonoma (the only day the Ranch is open to the public, other than for small, private wineclub member events) - it's easy to picture the actor/turned rancher seated on his shaded porch of a late summer's eve.
MacMurray purchased the ranch in 1941 and began raising cattle soon after. Grapes weren't planted on the property until the 1990s. Nowadays, some 450 acres of premium Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris vines thrive here where MacMurray's prize winning cattle once roamed.
The beauty of this particular wine country annual event is the range of shaded areas in which to sit and ponder the loveliness of it all.
Sonoma Wine Country Weekend is jointly produced by the Sonoma County Vintners and the Sonoma Valley Vintners & Growers Foundation, and proceeds benefit local charities. Beneficiaries for the events are local charities that benefit students, children, farm workers and people in need. In 2012, Sonoma Wine Country Weekend gave just under $500,000 to local charities and supported the local economy and regional marketing efforts with gross revenues of over $1.7 million.
Variations on soil through Sonoma County - as you can see, there's a wide range of terroir from craggy coast to verdant valley floor. Fruit sourced from vineyards in far-flung corners of the county differ dramatically.
Majestic old growth oaks and redwood trees make for a haven for wildlife on some sprawling 1,500 acres of the ranch land, in the middle reach of the Russian River Valley by Porter Creek (named after the property's original founders).
If you decide to treat yourself to one fabulous wine country event each year, then you'd not be disappointed with a day out at Taste of Sonoma, next August. Put it on your calendar to book early, as this event not surprisingly tends to become a tradition for many and tickets don't last long once released.
I figure, if each winery is pouring at least four vintages and chefs serve up a variety of foods, there has to be a thousand tastes to be had. Of course, most of us would never make it around such a feat of gastronomic extreme, but it sure is fun trying!
Comments