"Like human beings, a wine’s taste is going to depend a great deal on its origins and its upbringing"
Linda Johnson-Bell
Thousands of happy human beings were intent on getting to know the origins and upbringing of world class wines from Sonoma County's 16 Appellations (divided into distinctive regional tents) during the 9th Annual Sonoma Wine Weekend festivities and tastings at MacMurray Ranch in the heart of the Russian River.
I really can't think of a more stunning place to be for a tasting of this scale and magnitude. Even with the crowds, this beautiful heritage estate never fails to charm and evoke a sense of an afternoon's escape from the rest of the world.
South-County-based (air conditioned) Pure Luxury Transportation shuttle wine and food lovers around the county in style. Driving deep into the redwoods with thousands of other event-goers would be a logistical nightmare without these swish shuttle buses traversing makeshift parking lots tucked in amongst groves of giant trees.
Though I do love to people watch and fashion spot at Taste of Sonoma, the scene is increasingly more wine country casual each year. As many attendees are return fans, those in the know are not to be found stumbling around this rustic setting in heels and haute couture. Foodie-slogan t-shirts are popular, hats, too.
You might be tempted to try to taste everything coming your way, but take it from me, it's a lot more enjoyable if you pick and choose from hundreds of pours and bite-size food samples from the county's long established and emerging winemakers and chefs. If you love Pinot Noir, narrow your range and compare. Chardonnay float your boat? Stick with one or two favorite varietals and hydrate with plenty of chilled water available in abundance throughout.
The Paella Guy from Castaneda's Marketplace drew long lines for return tastes of this crowd pleaser.
Sonoma Stars on Stage — Chef Mark Stark of Stark Reality Restaurants (Willi's Wine Bar, Monti's, Willi's Seafood and Raw Bar, Starks Steak and Seafood, Bravas and coming soon — Bird & The Bottle) was last SoCo superstar chef of the day to take the stage, demonstrating how to whip up a batch of Pickled Fresh Gulf Prawns with Kimchee 1000 Island & Buttered Saltines. Pourers paired MacMurray Estate Vineyards Chardonnay with those of us lucky enough to have grabbed a pew for this one.
James Beard Outstanding Restaurateur semi-finalists Mark and his wife and business partner Terri Stark were Honorary Culinary Chairs for Taste of Sonoma 2105. Mark's a blast on stage and its no surprise that his restaurants are so fantastic. Passionate, fun and super down to earth, he and Terri's partnership's enjoying unmatched success on the Sonoma County food scene. From opening their first venture, Willi’s Wine Bar in 2002, to their most recent, Bravas in 2012, this dynamic duo's restaurants consistently earn top accolades and praise including San Francisco Chronicle Top 100 Bay Area Restaurant status (Willi’s Wine Bar and Bravas), Michelin Bib Gourmand (Monti’s, Willi’s Wine Bar) and Travel + Leisure Top 20 US Tapas Restaurants (Bravas).
"Aim high and fall far rather than ever being mediocre when it comes to cooking," Mark told a captivated crowd. About to train 36 new cooks, his method, he shared, is: "to make sure every part of the food prep and cooking process is sexy. Good cooking doesn't have to be hard, it needs to be right".
Top tip from Mark, when poaching shrimp or other seafood, "It comes from salt water, so put it back in salt water where it will feel at home". All the seasoning needed in a pot of boiling water is a pinch of Old Bay, a Baltimore-made classic. "If you're cooking with really good ingredients, you don't need too many flavorings or sauces," he said. "Sauces were developed to cover bad meat". Shock the seafood to keep color and texture, cooking "to the point" and no more.
Francisco Chronicle restaurant critic Michael Bauer says, “What sets Mark and Terri Stark apart from many restaurateurs who have multiple locations is that each location is different. If their names weren't written on the menu, in fact, you probably wouldn't know it was one of their properties" Willi's is one of the lauded critic's favorite casual stops in Sonoma County.
Mark is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY. He honed his professional cooking skills in Washington, DC and Seattle. Terri majored in hospitality at the University of Oregon and had a successful catering and restaurant management career in the Bay Area. Mark and Terri met while working for the California Café Restaurant Group in Palo Alto: he as a regional chef and she as manager of the catering department. They married in 1999, heading for Sonoma County, where Terri has four generations of family.
Chefs Serve, the winemakers Pour and the proceeds matter! Sonoma Wine Country Weekend, presented by Visa Signature®, is Sonoma County’s leading fundraising event, and host to one of the nation’s top three charitable wine auctions, as named by Wine Spectator magazine. 2015 marks the 9th annual Sonoma Wine Country Weekend and includes three flagship events: Sonoma Starlight — poolside at the iconic Francis Ford Coppola Winery, an opening evening of world-class wines, delicious cuisine, live music, and dancing, Taste of Sonoma at MacMurray Ranch and last, certainly not least, The 2015 Sonoma Harvest Wine Auction at Chateau St. Jean, which raised a new record of $4.5 million for local students, children, farm workers and people in need. Intimate winery lunches, winemaker dinners and barbecues were also on the Labor Day Weekend agenda for wine lovers who travel into Sonoma County from around the world for this special annual event.
Fund the Future, one of the most important auction lots, supporting children’s literacy, raised over $1.9 million this year. The leadership and work of Honorary Co-Chairs Joe Anderson and Mary Dewane of Benovia Winery, and Jean-Charles-Boisset of Buena Vista Winery/DeLoach Vineyards, inspired the community and the crowd under the tent to contribute generously to this vital initiative.
For a more detailed peek into this most popular of annual tasting events in Sonoma County, click here.
Take my advice and make a note to self for 2016's 10th Anniversary event. Show that you're a Sonoma County resident for limited local tickets.
Lots of familiar faces and this one, my friend Dave of Sonoma Brinery, was still smiling after being on his feet in the Alexander Valley tent for eight hours! Dave and crew's thousands of little sandwiches with fresh, handmade pickles and sauerkraut were snapped up by appreciative attendees.
Great to see fellow Southern SoCo pal, Sommelier to the Stars, Christopher Sawyer (left) — about to conduct a class on pairing wine varietals with the right Stolzle wine glass.
Tom Kavanaugh (below left) and (Petaluman) Tyler Young (below right) of The Idea Cooperative make the branding of this great big event look so good!
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