Spend Some Time in Dry Creek Valley

A few nights ago, I went out for After Hours at the Ravenous Restaurant here in Healdsburg. That is, I went just to hang out and get a bit of conversation and meet some interesting people before I turned in myself. Ravenous is a local restaurant in an old house on Center Street. The entire backyard is the backyard patio and bar. It’s a pretty cool atmosphere. I like showing up later–you meet more locals (everybody who’s getting off of their shifts from somewhere else).

I ended up talking to two out-of-town gentlemen who’d met one another at law school in London, England. One was living in Hong Kong now, the other–still in London. They were both here on holiday getting a bit of the California sun.

You couldn’t ask for a better outdoor evening than that night. It was warm enough to sit outside in sleeveless tops. (And I know you’re thinking: “Well it is California after all!”), but we often get fog here late at night, and it cools everything off and adds some humidity to the air–so bare arms are often chilly late at night. But, that night was a perfectly warm summer evening.

I said hello to KC Mosso, the bartender, and talked to him about sending me the listings for his events he books over there. And once I’m seated at the bar, I turned around and started talking to these two gentlemen.

They’d made it to Healdsburg after a few days in San Francisco. They were a bit tired, but they did ask where I could recommend they should go visit the next day. I asked KC for a piece of paper and a pen. He handed me an extra menu from behind the bar and took a pen from his pocket. Thanks KC!

They were only planning half a day or so in the area before they headed over to Carneros. I gave them a full day itinerary–just in case. There really is a lot to see here and it’s better to enjoy an entire day than just rush in and out. Anyway, I thought I would write up the route I gave them and post it here. It’s pretty useful information if you don’t really have much time to spend in the area and it’s got a bit of variety.

BREAKFAST and MORNING

Start early. It’s important to have breakfast. There’s a number of places you can have breakfast in town, it all depends on what you’d like to eat. If you’re on a time line, like these guys were, you probably want to grab a breakfast sandwich (or something). I know that the Costeaux Bakery Cafe and the Palette-Art Cafe both offer breakfast sandwiches. You can usually just ask for a recommendation at the counter. The servers really do know best.

Take your breakfast to go and head on up to Lake Sonoma. Lake Sonoma’s about 20 minutes from the town of Healdsburg (at the top end of Dry Creek Road) and you don’t want your breakfast to get cold.

Find the lookout and enjoy your breakfast in the fresh air. Depending on how much time you have, you can hike around up there or just take goofy pictures of you and your friends.

BY THIS TIME, IT MIGHT BE 11AM OR SO

On the way back down, you can visit any winery that’s open along the way. Here’s a link to an interactive map. But, there are a few I like to note from my own preference and experiences. My friend Shana Ray, who helped promote the Day-in-the-Life event last month and also contributes articles to this magazine works at Kokomo on Fridays. You could always stop in and say hello to her. If you twitter, let her know you are coming: @ShaRayRay.

One day this winter, I had the fortune to try Papapietro Perry’s 2005 Pinot Noir and it made and impression on me. I don’t know much about wine, but I do know what I like. And I liked their 2005 Pinot enough for me to recommend trying their other tastings.

There are a few other wineries clustered in and about Kokomo and Papapietro Perry: Amphora, Collier Falls, Forth, and Peterson. I’ve never tried any of these wines (but I’m sure I will–eventually). You could always try them and comment below. That would be great.

A bit further south and across the road from this cluster is a vineyard and tasting room called UNTI. They weren’t even on my radar until one day I started talking to Mick Unti himself (at an After Hours at the Ravenous). He was full of opinions about life, the universe, and everything. And it’s just refreshing to meet somebody local who has a few interesting things to say.

Also, I like the back label on the 2006 UNTI rose. It’s not listed on their website, so I guess you can’t get it anymore, but it was a story–about rose. I like stories. I like to connect with people over stories. That’s just the way I am. Actually, I like the rose too. So there. I guess I tried the 2007 though. It’s refreshing on a hot summer afternoon. Mick is going to admonish me for publishing all this, if he ever finds out. But–whatever, what he doesn’t know won’t hurt him. You can just go in and try the wines yourself and see if you like them. That’s the best way.

BY THIS TIME, IT MIGHT BE 1:30 or 2:00PM

You’ll probably be hungry so stop for lunch out at the Dry Creek General Store (at the turn off for Lambert Bridge Road). Since Dry Creek Road and the Skaggs Springs Road are two of the most popular roads in the county for motorcycling, you’ll often see a gaggle of bikers stopped there too. Or–a gaggle of cyclists. And–most probably, a gaggle of other wine tasters. Stop and compare notes. It’s all about you experience. After lunch you can head across Lambert Bridge Road to West Dry Creek.

It’s probably best if you go on up to the north end of the road. You can wind your way back through any of the wineries. Everybody has an experience. Everybody has an opinion. You decide which ones you like.

Although, if you are out in Dry Creek, and it is a Friday afternoon, stop by Michel Schlumberger Winery or or Wilson Winery. They have a series of live music on Fridays. On Sunday afternoons, C. Donatiello Winery has music too. It’s nice just to hang out in the gardens and enjoy the afternoon. (Check the What’s Happening Healdsburg calendar for more details).

When you finally make your way back into Healdsburg and ask a local where they’d recommend you for dinner. AND don’t forget to ask what they like on the menu. There is a reason we live here. And we know what we like. And we’re definitely full of opinions!

Stark Wine at Divine Affair — Saturday, 25 Oct 2008

[Submitted by Jennifer Stark of Stark Wine]

Stark Wine is the kind of thing that can happen when two artists follow a shared dream of creating, bringing people together and building something larger than themselves.

In 2003, we made one small lot of Dry Creek Valley Syrah. Since then, Stark Wine has grown to reflect our passion for family, community, art and sustainability.

We produce and sell ultra-premium wine made with grapes grown by reputable farmers with proven track records for growing exceptional quality fruit. The wines are handcrafted with tremendous care using traditional methods and modern equipment. They are full-bodied, elegant wines created to be enjoyed with food and friends.

This Saturday, October 25th at 6:30 pm we will share the table with friends and family for a delicious meal created by our friends at A Divine Affair in downtown Healdsburg.

Here is the menu - we hope you will join us…

Passed appetizers
2007 Stark Viognier, Damiano Vineyard
Seared scallop, white corn griddle cake with carrot & cardamom
Spiced roasted baby beets with persimmon carpaccio & greens

2005 Stark Syrah, Teldeschi & Unti Vineyards, Dry Creek Valley
Chestnut soup with duck prosciutto

2005 Stark Syrah, Sonoma County
Braised beef cheeks with baby turnips, creamy polenta & Dry Vella jack

2004 Stark Syrah, Teldeschi & Unti Vineyards, Dry Creek Valley
Gorgonzola Dulce cheesecake with black mission figs & Syrah

Please reserve your place at the table by calling (707) 433-1035 by Friday, October 24th.

Falcons Patrol Sonoma County Vineyard

[Submitted by Camille over at Huntington Wine Cellars]

Clouds of starlings undulating low across the Sonoma County wine country landscape are a common sight during harvest time of year. Next time you see one, think of William Shakespeare and Huntington Wine Cellars located here in Healdsburg.

Shakespeare’s single reference to starlings in Henry IV inspired Eugene Schiffelin to import some 60 of the European birds to New York’s Central Park in 1890. It seems Eugene held the haplessly romantic view that all birds mentioned in Shakespeare’s works should be represented in the New World.

Over a century and 200 million avian offspring later, the European starling has become a virulent threat to the United States wine industry. Thousands strong, a flock of starlings (known as a ―murmuration) can alight upon a vineyard and decimate it in minutes as the hungry birds tear apart ripening grapes to extract the seeds inside.

Many vineyards deploy plastic netting and other more invasive measures to protect their grapes. Huntington Wine Cellars is at the forefront in managing the threat posed by starlings in an environmentally sensitive way. In a twist on the ages-old sport of falconry, Huntington uses falcons to scare off—not kill—the starlings before they can inflict damage on the vineyard.

As harvest approaches, Huntington contractor Jim Tigan who owns Tactical Avian Predators launches daily falcon patrols to guard vineyards at most risk to starling damage. Native and non-native bird species can cause costly crop losses and have a detrimental effect on grape quality. The mere presence of the falcons in the vineyard is very effective in abating the problem in a humane manner.

Once harvest is finished, the falcons will be rewarded with time off before returning to their other jobs of airport, golf course and municipal water supply protection.

Located in Healdsburg, California, Huntington Wine Cellars crafts award winning premium wines that showcase their vineyard terroir and individual varietal characteristics. For more information, visit www.huntingtonwine.com or contact by phone at 707.433-5215.

Rent a Scooter and Putter at a Different Pace

One day I was working on this website and as I previewed an article, a Google advertisement popped up: Wine Country Motosports. And I wondered who they were because I am planning to write a short article on  motorcycling out along Skaggs Springs Road at the top of Dry Creek Valley. I wasn’t aware of any places who rented motorcycles–but I thought it would be good to know–when I did write that article.

I clicked on the ad–and arrived at Wine Country Motosports. AND I SAW that they rented electric motor scooters! How fun! I phoned them immediately. I wanted to rent one and scoot on out to explore further afield–for a laugh.

I arranged to rent a scooter that Sunday.

Sunday morning, I got up — I had my regular Sunday morning breakfast (Turkish coffee over a scoop of vanilla ice cream) and probably some toast and eggs with grilled tomatoes. I got dressed and drove up to their warehouse on North Grove Street in Healdsburg.

Ann was there to meet me. I told her I’d never driven a scooter before, but I felt it was something I could handle. She assured me it would be fine. She let me try two or three different ones before I decided which one I felt the most comfortable on. We sorted out the logistics: waviers, helmets, rental agreement, payments ($39 for half a day, $70 for a full day).

I putter out of their parking lot. Five minutes later, I was puttering up Dry Creek Road just going at a slower pace and enjoying the views. I puttered out Lynton Springs Road because I wanted to check out Ridge Vineyards along the way.

There, when I went into taste, I found Rob behind the tasting bar. I’d met Rob and his friend one night at the Ravenous After Hours and we ended up talking about living in Healdsburg and what it takes to be here and why we live here in the first place. Rob is a former investment banker from Chicago. He came out here to live his dream of wine. I stay a while and taste the wines and learn a few things about labels, wine clubs, and the winery itself (which I think I’ll save for another article).

I finished at Ridge Vineyards and continue to putter. I puttered along to Highway 101 and turned right to head out to JimTown General Store for lunch. When I arrive, Kevin (the sous-chef) comes out and says hello. I’d met Kevin and his fiancee Carrie on on the patio at Divine Affair the evening before my multi-media event. He comes out and I ask what he recommends: “Grill cheese sandwich and the beans. Oh…and a side of fruit salad.”

I order–apparently way too much because the cashier raised his eyebrow. And I explained that it was for two people. Stephen was going to meet me to take some pictures of the scooter for the magazine.

We eat. Stephen makes me pose for a few shots outside of the store–ugh. Not my favorite activity. This is one photo I liked though…an action shot with a wall of flowers in the background.

Then we head on up the 128 to Stryker Sonoma. I’d been visiting a few weeks before and I remember liking their Chardonnay and I wanted Stephen to try it.

That was it. I spent about a half of a day puttering around Dry Creek Valley and the Alexander Valley on an electric scooter. A different pace for sure. A different speed of fun.

Quick Links:

Wine Country Motosports
Ridge Vineyards, Lytton Springs
JimTown Store
Stryker Sonoma

Bridge and Moon — San Francisco, California

[Submitted from Stephen Boyle -- Stephen Boyle Photography]

I took this photograph on the night of a full moon in February 2006.

I started the evening up on the Marin headlands with a group of fellow photographers. Afterwards, we headed into The City, and later parted ways. After
midnight, as I was driving north over the Golden Gate bridge,heading back to Sonoma county,
I decided to go back up onto the headlands by myself. That’s when I took this photograph of
the bridge, city, and full moon.

As it turns out, I was not the only photographer taking pictures
well after midnight. If you look closely at the ridge to the left of the bridge, you’ll see another
photographer with his camera and tripod aimed towards the city.

This photograph was taken as 2 separate exposures. The exposure of the moon required a
shutter speed of 1/125th of a second. The exposure of the bridge required a shutter speed
of almost 3 minutes.

Francis Ford Coppola Interns and Fois Gras

My friend Mitch wrote me last year and told me he and an his familial entourage are taking a tour of Napa Valley. He forwarded me their itinerary and asked if I knew anything about the wineries on the list:

• Domaine Carneros
• Tour of Napa, boutique wineries
• Rubicon Estate
• Clos Pegase

So, even though I know nothing about these wineries nor the wines, I wrote him a long and convoluted email back.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hhmmm….

Carneros is an appellation that is known for their Chardonays and Pinots. I’m guessing they capitalize on the hot days and cool breezes…but I don’t know if they get the cool breezes from the Bay or from the Petaluma Gap.

…quick google search says from San Pablo Bay.

I know about the Carneros Inn because the lady at PlumpJack Cafe wanted me to send Bush-Field Pinot there. …now a google search indicates that the Carneros Inn is part of the PlumpJack family and probably resides in the Carneros appellation…and has nothing what-so-ever to do with Domaine Carneros except the proximity. So–you’re going to have to let me know what you think. Judging by their website, you’ll be suitably impressed.

Rubicon…that’s the sister winery (or parent winery?) to Rosso & Bianco Winery. Rubicon is the original FFC (Francis Ford Coppola). Cindy (my housemate for a few months last year) was the winery intern at Rosso & Bianco for the harvest season 2007. She toured Rubicon in late August for a day. She says it’s much nicer than Rosso & Bianco .. except Rosso & Bianco is pretty damn nice (see: An Afternoon at Rosso & Bianco Winery).

Oh. Side note—Francis Ford Coppola apparently started a community concert band in St. Helena. He plays the tuba.

Other than that…I know nothing about their wine. I do know, however, that I don’t like the new Rosso & Bianco label….it doesn’t pop. The label is red and sits on a red bottle. It disappears on the shelf.

Here is a picture of the winemakers from Rosso & Bianco Winery in my back yard. We had them over for dinner! One night last summer, Cindy made an evening of French cuisine local to her region in France. She invited her colleagues. That was a funny story.

She’d brought over some homemade preserves. Her family are farmers–so everything is grown and preserved right there on the farm. One thing she’d brought over was her Mum’s foie gras.

Everybody was tasting a bit of this and a bit of that and somebody asked her how she made the foie gras. (Keep in mind, that when she arrived, she spoke in broken English–she now speaks in less broken English–but she has greatly improved).

She said:

“At my parents, we have ducks.”
“In the spring, we start to feed them a lot of mais…What is mais?”
“Corn,” we piped up.
“Ok. So. We feed them corn. A LOT of corn. Maybe three of those bowls a day.” She pointed to a dish on the table.
“Ok,” We said. “So you feed them a lot of corn.”
“Yes,” She continued: “They eat a lot of corn for two or three months then…bup!” She motioned with her hands like she was cutting off their heads. “Bup! We harvest them.”
“What?” We exclaimed. “That’s it? You harvest them?”
“Yes.” She nodded her head. “We harvest them. We kill them and take their liver…and…Voila! Foie gras.”
“Don’t you do something to their livers? You know, before we eat it?” We asked.
“No.” She shook her head. “Harvest the liver. Put it in the jar. Cover it with oil and Voila! Foie Gras.”

Nobody ate the rest of the foie gras. We just let it sit on the table while we ate the gratin and salads and prunes—even though they were harvested in much the same fashion.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So. That’s it. That’s the story about how I know nothing about Domaine Carneros and Rubicon Wineries. But, I do know a little bit more about Foie Gras.

Zack Gemmell Photographs Pedro Rusk at the Wine Shop

I met Zack Gemmell in the Wine Shop last Saturday. He was preparing to take a few pictures of local Pedro Rusk, manager of and buyer for the Wine Shop in Healdsburg.

Zack is a student photographer from Brooks Institute of Photography. He was here in Healdsburg last weekend because his good friend Ron Montbleau was renting a house on West Dry Creek Road and had invited Zack to stay.

“I had an assignment to do over the weekend so I walked down the street and the first place I came to was Pedro’s “The Wine Shop” and he was completely open to the idea of me shooting some portraits of him.”

Zack submitted two photos of Pedro to the Day in the Life event:

Pedro Rusk poses for a portrait The Wine Shop in Healdsburg, California on July 19, 2008.
Pedro is a wine connoisseur and knows many local growers.
(Photograph by Zack Gemmell/Brooks Institute of Photography)

Pedro Rusk serves a glass of wine in The Wine Shop in Healdsburg, California on July 19, 2008. Many of his friends come to visit him throughout the day.
(Photograph by Zack Gemmell/Brooks Institute of Photography)

You can view more of Zack’s photographs at www.zackgemmell.com.

Feet at Window — Provence, France

[Submitted from Stephen Boyle -- Stephen Boyle Photography]

In the summer of 2000, I spent some time in Provence, France. One of the towns that I visited was Arles - I wanted to see the cafe depicted in Van Goch’s famous painting “Cafe La Nuit”.

The atmosphere in Arles, as in most of the towns is that area, was perfect for relaxing. There are so many wonderful outdoor spaces between all the narrow streets and alleyways. I spent most of my morning wandering from one sidewalk cafe to the next, reading, sipping coffee, and people-watching. Just relaxing in general.

I finally decided that it was time to pick up my camera and go in search of some inspiring images. As I headed down a long narrow street, I looked to the very end of the street, and two stories up I saw this open window. The only things I could see in the window were two feet and what looked like a newspaper. I thought, “Ah. Another person relaxing in Provence”. I took this picture, returned to the cafe that I’d just left, and went back about my business of reading, sipping coffee, and people-watching.

Dan the Tomato Man: Soda Rock Farm

After I interviewed Mateo Granados last June, I always stop by his tamale stand at the Farmer’s Market to say hello. He’s always happy and chatty and talking to someone or another. One day, I was just hanging out and Dan Magnuson of Soda Rock Farm comes over to drop off a few boxes of his tomatoes. Mateo immediately says to me: “Here’s one guy you have to talk to. His tomatoes, mmmmuah… ” He kisses his fingers and releases them into the air, in a typical chef-sort-of-way. And he introduces us.

I talk to Dan a bit, and talk to him a few times before we actually make a time to meet. But we meet one morning at the Costeaux Bakery Cafe. He sits down and says: “So. What do you want to talk about?”

I’m prepared: “Tomatoes”, I say.

He smiles: “Well. That’s a pretty big subject.”

I narrow it down: “Your tomatoes? Tell me about your tomatoes.”

That doesn’t do much good. I guess it’s just too big of topic. I ask him some more rhetorical questions.

“When did you start growing tomaotes?” and “Why tomaotes?”

He says he started growing tomatoes about 10 years ago out on his property in Alexander Valley. He’d taken a class at the Santa Rosa Junior college in agriculture. He just liked tomatoes. And I also find out he’s a tennis pro. During the winter months, he teaches tennis athletes at the Charlie Schultz indoor tennis courts.

Tennis and tomatoes. That’s our man. He’s an expert at both.

He started out with an acre out on Alexander Valley and about 3000 plants. He now farms both his property and four to five acres in Dry Creek Valley. Today’s stats are approximately 20,000 tomato plants, 15,000 basil plants, and 1000 lemon cucumber plants.

I ask him how many tomatoes does 20,000 tomato plants produce (I was looking for tonnage or something–I don’t know how you measure tomatoes). He blinked and looked back at me: “A lot.”

He grows between 35 and 40 different varietals, but his mainstay is red beefsteak.

“Do you have any secrets to growing tomatoes.? His eyes are smiling as he tells me — “Trial and error.” He’s been doing it for 10 years, he just figured out what worked and what didn’t. He knows that’s not what I asked and follows up by saying: “Would you give your secrets away?” But he does explain a bit further.

“I grow in Dry Creek Valley. What’s good for the grapes is good for my tomatoes.” Which turns out to be sandy loam soil and sunlight. He also tells me it’s important to plant at the right time, and pick at the right time (which I guess isn’t really anything new.) He plants in April and May (depending on the weather) and the harvest is ready by mid-July through October.

He tells me about staking the plants so they grow up-not out. He tells me about watering them until they’re ripe, then stopping the water before the skins split. He tells me about figuring out how to do things right and making those things repeatable year after year.

He also says that he only grows the tomato varietals he likes. He tried others once, but the fruit could tell he didn’t really like that variety. His customers could tell he didn’t really like that variety–so he just decided he’d never do that again.

I ask him if there is such a thing as a tomato competition. He laughs and said certainly. One year he won awards in five categories from the Kendall Jackson Tomato Festival: aroma, all other colors, orange & yellow, red, and cherry.

He started by selling his tomatoes to high-end restaurants. Bistro Ralph here in Healdsburg was his first. Over the years, Underwood Bar and Bistro and Willow Wood Market Cafe in Gratton sell his tomaotes, Syrah and Willi’s Wine Bar in Santa Rosa. His latest account is Cyrus Restaurant here in Healdsburg. He also does most Farmer’s Markets in the area. I’ll have to check specifically. His tomatoes are also in some produce markets. I noticed them in Big John’s the other day and out at the JimTown Store. And, he tells me later–the Pacific Market in Santa Rosa.

If you’d like to try his tomatoes in more of a social setting, Bovolo Restaurant featuring his tomatoes in one of their BIG NIGHT dinners on Sunday, 14 September 2008. Here’s the menu:

hand thrown MARGHERITA PIZZAS
black pig bacon BLT PANZANELLA
rosemary rubbed PRIME RIB / tomatoes / white corn / fingerling potatoes / salsa verde,
TOMATO + WATERMELON SORBETTO / candied mint + basil / cornmeal shortbread

Let me know if you go. And let me know what you think about it. Minimally, let Dan know what you think of his tomatoes–leave a comment.

Advertise on the Healdsburg Map

Purpose of the Healdsburg Map: To get people out and about strolling and walking around Healdsburg. To find and tell interesting stories about people, places, and things on the map.

Size of Map: 15 inches x 15 inches
Size of Advertisements: 2 inches x 2 inches
Number available on the physical map: 60
Cost: $150
Initial Print Run: 10,000
Target Publishing Date: October 2008
Distribution: HealdsburgMagazine.com, Hotel Healdsburg, and all other advertisers. HealdsburgMap.com as I develop the site.

Price includes:
2-inch by 2-inch advertisement on the Healdsburg Map which requires:

• 1 picture or graphic of advertiser’s choice. It has to be an active picture. One that draws my viewer into the action (of your business as well as connotes what you do. For example, Topel Winery just signed up to be on my map. I went into their new tasting room to discuss the photography requirements. As soon as I started talking about what type of picture I required, they knew exactly what they were going to do. They are going to take a picture of their tasting room wall onto which the sun is shadowing the logo from their front window. Doesn’t that make an exciting-engaging picture?
• Up to 30 words description. Active verbs. Engaging text. Pay attention to your keyword phrases–how you want to be found on the internet). For example here is the 30-word description for 14feet.:

14feet. Off the plaza on Center Street. Mix of mid-century modern and industrial-era home furnishings. Our vintage collection includes pottery, lighting, textiles, found objects, and unusual art.

• Visual reference on the actual physical map.
• Directory listing on the map.
• Directory listing on my website.

As soon as I start getting the content for the actual map, I’ll be posting them on the website as examples. MEANING….I NEED THE WORDS AND PICTURES IMMEDIATELY. TODAY. IF NOT SOONER. SVP.

Send me an email (jen [at] HealdsburgMagazine.com .

PS: If you need a photographer, I know a photographer (Stephen Boyle Photography). Photography services will be an extra charge, but I can organize the businesses who want him to take the compelling pictures and work efficiently.

Next Page »