Holidays in Sonoma – Beer

January 7, 2015 by 9 Comments

Just because you are in Sonoma doesn’t mean you only have the choice of wine. One of the things F and I always do is we always look for local breweries to visit. Our visit to Sonoma was no exception – we visited 3 places offering beer in Sonoma during our Thanksgiving stay.

The first time we visited was Russian River Brewing, but when we saw the line wrapping down the block around 6 PM (which we realize was still within happy hour time, which may have been part of the reason), and the fact it was raining and we didn’t want to stand in the rain in line, we instead headed towards Lagunitas Brewing Company, located in Petaluma.

There are a few things you should know to figure out where visiting Lagunitas is for you. First, you have to know that the biggest area is outside. Most of it is covered, and there are a few heat lamps but you should be dressed for the fact you might be outside.

You should also expect that it might be packed – and it is all seat yourself. Kids and dogs are allowed, so make sure you look down as you are hunting for an open seat! Yes the big tables and benches are communal. There was live music for a while playing, and as soon as we found an open countertop a waiter was there to take our order. Don’t be overwhelmed, although that will be your natural feeling when you first enter.

You can make your beer flight, which is how we saw our very first beer flight that had a bottle as one of the tastes. It was too dark to take photos of the food, but besides the usual beer food I did notice they had some bbq options.
Lagunitas Brewing Company, a beer flight where you can choose yourself may end up with a bottle instead of a little sampler ha ha

So the next day (Saturday), we headed to Santa Rosa for Russian River Brewing again, this time at lunchtime. This made our wait in line much shorter to get carded and then to the hostess stand to then be called when a table was ready.
Visiting Russian River Brewing Company in Santa Rosa, CA Visiting Russian River Brewing Company in Santa Rosa, CA

Once we were carded, we were at least free to go to the bar and get a beer. They had a separate line for those who were just coming to buy cases of Pliny the Elder and not stay. Despite the people at the bar, the bartender was so attentive and noticed we were new and got our beer orders even before some of my party had a chance to digest the menu (and look up beers they had already had and rankings on Untappd) and know what they want!

Overall I found all the staff very friendly and aware and very efficient. Be careful of the beer you order – some of the ABVs are up there, and especially if you were wine tasting during the day! So stay hydrated with water!
Pliny the Elder in cases at the back room (staff took photo for us) at Russian River Brewing Company in Santa Rosa, CA Visiting Russian River Brewing Company in Santa Rosa, CA Visiting Russian River Brewing Company in Santa Rosa, CA Sanctification beer at Russian River Brewing Company Supplication by Russian River Brewing a sour aged in Pinot barrel Make sure you stay hydrated with water while tasting beers at Russian River Brewing Company in Santa Rosa, CA

They have sampler trays as well- there are multiple options, including an option that has everything from both boards (the left board are a variety of styles, while the right board are all Belgian Style and aged beers usually with a “tion” at the end of their name). The one with ALL the beers is pretty impressive looking with bottle caps identifying each beer. This tray should definitely be shared.
Visiting Russian River Brewing Company in Santa Rosa, CA Visiting Russian River Brewing Company and trying a sampler tray of ALL the beers

The third and final brewery we had time for was Bear Republic Brewing located in Healdsburg. I thought it was funny how as we were going to each of these three breweries, we were being upgraded in the surrounding atmosphere from what seemed like an industrial park to then a city like Santa Rosa which had a medium sized city feel to now the charming but also trendy and bustling wine town of Healdsburg.
Visiting Bear Republic Brewing in Healdsburg Visiting Bear Republic Brewing in Healdsburg Visiting Bear Republic Brewing in Healdsburg

We had a beer flight here as well. Fair warning – it really smells garlicky in here because they serve baskets of their Sonoma County Harvest Fair award winning Garlic Fries.
Visiting Bear Republic Brewing in Healdsburg Visiting Bear Republic Brewing in Healdsburg and trying a beer flight

If you are in the Sonoma area and need a beer break, you might consider any of the three above as an option. By Sonoma Plaza (also located in Sebastopol and Novato) we also wanted to try Hopmonk Tavern, but unfortunately didn’t make it- just one more option in case that is located more conveniently to you in Sonoma. It’s not a brewery, but they have a good and large variety in terms of beer selection.

Have you been to any of those breweries I mentioned in this post, or had any beers from any of these three breweries before?

This post is part of my series on my trip to Sonoma where I list various recommendations.

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Holidays in Sonoma – Iron Horse Vineyards

January 2, 2015 by 2 Comments

I’ve been a fan of Iron Horse Vineyards since I discovered them back in 2009 – I selected their Wedding Cuvee for my wedding. And, they were the winery I was most excited about visiting when we came to Sonoma. They are very small in size, but have a great big heart.

To visit Iron Horse, you need to make an appointment, which you can do online if you’d like – they want to manage the number of tasters to make sure you have a good experience and are not lost in a crowd. When you arrive, be prepared to drive up a slender one way dirt road (which was muddy for us!) until you see a little roundabout and clustering of wooden barns. The road is a little longer than you might expect. I sort of liked that feeling of confusion and whether we were lost as it is probably reminiscent of the founders, who when they discovered this property also thought they were lost until they came up the knoll to the view of the hills you are about to see. The parking area is on the dirt and gravel on the right side, where you get your first view of the rolling hills of vines.

View of rollings hills of vines at Iron Horse Vineyards View of rollings hills of vines at Iron Horse Vineyards View of rollings hills of vines at Iron Horse Vineyards View of rollings hills of vines at Iron Horse Vineyards

Later the sun came up, yielding the pictures up there that don’t include me – that first one was taken when we first arrived and it was still misty at 11 AM, much like the foggy day the founders came upon this property and bought it 2 weeks later, feeling like these grounds were like Camelot! That is only part of the reason for the horse on their bottles: a horse that looks like that was also found on a weathervane they uncovered as they were breaking ground. It really seems like fate no?

When you walk up to the tasting room, you discover it is just a simple outdoor wooden bar that you stand at. They have heaters if the weather gets chilly, and there are some benches you can sit at a bit back from the tasting bar overlooking the vineyards but otherwise no standing. There are no dogs allowed on the property.

You can choose from a sparkling flight. Or they also offer pinot noir and chardonnay. Of everything I tasted, I liked it all. And we tried to be thorough…
The delicious wines of Iron Horse Vineyards The delicious wines of Iron Horse Vineyards 2012 Iron Horse Vineyards Estate Chardonnay 2010 Iron Horse Vineyards Native Yeast Chardonnay 2010 Iron Horse Vineyards Ocean Reserve Blanc de Blancs. Iron Horse gives $4 a bottle to National Geographic's Ocean Initiative, establishing marine protected areas and supporting sustainable fishing practices around the globe. Iron Horse 2010 Wedding Cuvee 2011 Fairytale Celebration Cuvee Iron Horse 2010 Classic Vintage Brut 2010 Iron Horse Russian Cuvee Iron Horse 2010 Winters Cuvee "2007

It was so good that my friend and I joined the wine club. Just as I have wonderful memories tied to the Wedding Cuvee, it turns out she has the same story with their Fairytale Celebration Cuvee. That’s the kind of wines they have – ones that are perfect for every and any special occasion and whose flavor is so distinctive versus most sparklings that are poured that you end up etching a strong happy memory with their unique flavors.

I love how their wine club is so flexible that you can specify whether you want all whites, all reds, all sparklings, all stills, all sparkling + red, or all sparkling + white. Every wine is a vintage wine that is aged at least 3 years, if not more. And really, there are never too many bubbles in one’s life. Eac one really has its own character – and sometimes its own story.

The Russian Cuvee was made for the historic Reagan-Gorbachev summit meetings which ended the Cold War.. Iron Horse Vineyards sparkling is still now has been served in the White House to presidents and their guests since 1985.

Meanwhile for the limited edition Ocean Reserve (which has citrusy lime tones), Iron Horse gives $4 a bottle to National Geographic’s Ocean Initiative, establishing marine protected areas and supporting sustainable fishing practices around the globe. They have a Rainbow Cuvee in support of marriage equality as well.

The Winter’s Cuvee has a touch of estate made pinot noir brandy. The Classic Brut has a bit of tartness to it reminiscent of apples, while the Brut X has a great dryness that makes it so sharp and crisp.

I guess I’ll have to stop gushing about Iron Horse now and just highly recommend that you visit them when you visit Sonoma. It is definitely a casual rustic feel, which is such testament to the down to earth winery that creates the classy sparklings good enough for the Pope and heads of state and maybe, you too will like them?

If you haven’t guessed, this was my favorite winery I visited during my Sonoma trip! And, I totally had an Iron Horse sparkling to celebrate New Year’s 2015 too.

Have you been to Iron Horse, or had Iron Horse sparklings before? Or do you have a certain specific memory tie to a certain producer of sparkling wines?

This post is the fifth in my series about visiting Sonoma.

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Holidays in Sonoma – The Girl and The Fig Thanksgiving

December 29, 2014 by 4 Comments

As soon as we picked Sonoma as a destination, one of the first things I had on my must do list was a meal at The Girl and The Fig. This classic restaurant of Sonoma has been around for 17 years – originally in Glen Ellyn but now located in Sonoma Plaza. It’s goal is the same though- celebrating Sonoma seasonal bounty with French countryside preparations. Because of that, the menu changes every week – as does the pairing wine flight they always offer. They were open on Thanksgiving so we decided to make this venerable restaurant our special destination for our holiday meal.

It was a little weird to not be cooking this year, but it freed us to have a very laid back Thanksgiving day that included time for getting a takeout breakfast, watching the Thanksgiving parade, a hike, reading, watching a little Netflix, and even wine tasting at two wineries that were open! And, this was a meal that stuffed me just as much in celebrating American bounty while also spending quality time with people I care about.

For Thanksgiving, each of us was given a complimentary amuse bouche, a choice of starter, entree, and dessert if we wanted to dine from their special Thanksgiving menu (which we all chose to do). I took a bite of the bread as I was enjoying a cocktail called Fig ‘n Awesome with a local fig infused spirit, sweet vermouth, chinato and orange peel. It was a serious sipper with nice layers of flavor. As for the bread, I guess I’m a bit spoiled because I prefer my bread to be soft, and these were a bit hard for me.

Bread service at Girl and the Fig the girl and the fig I started with cocktail called Fig 'n Awesome with a local fig infused spirit, sweet vermouth, chinato and orange peel the girl and the fig I started with cocktail called Fig 'n Awesome with a local fig infused spirit, sweet vermouth, chinato and orange peel

Another interesting cocktail they had which I almost got was the She’s Complicated that includes gin, St Germain elderflower liqueur, melon, cucumber, basil and lemon, as well as a “fig fashioned” and “fig kiss”, so you may want to consider perusing the cocktail list carefully and not just the wine list. They do have a bar and lounge area in the front area (the restaurant is also located as part of the Sonoma Hotel), and as a plus you can also see the cheese and charcuterie plates being made at a station right there! Watching him put it together convinced me that I had to have some at dinner.

The amuse bouche for the girl and the fig Thanksgiving 2014 menu was a cute little country biscuit with house cured ham and mustard aioli (the fourth one, the vegetarian one is on a separate plate without ham).
Amuse at our Thanksgiving Dinner at the girl & the fig of country biscuit with house cured ham and mustard aioli

Not part of the Thanksgiving dinner menu, we ordered separately a cheese and charcuterie selection that also included spiced nuts, olives, fig cake and compote. We asked for meat to be on a separate plate from the cheese for our vegetarian.
Cheese plate at our Thanksgiving Dinner at the girl & the fig that also included spiced nuts, olives, fig cake and compote Charcuterie at our Thanksgiving Dinner at the girl & the fig

Next, for our starters our group ordered the famous Fig and Arugula Salad with toasted pecans, pancetta, Laura Chenel Chevre and a Fig and port vinaigrette, Butternut Squash Soup with Pt Reyes blue cheese croutons, and the incredibly beautiful Roasted Beet Salad with mache, chevre crema, grated horseradish, and tarragon vinaigrette
the girl and the fig and starter of a Fig and Arugula Salad with toasted pecans, pancetta, Laura Chenel Chevre and a Fig and port vinaigrette Starter at our Thanksgiving Dinner at the girl & the fig of Butternut Squash Soup with Pt Reyes blue cheese croutons Starter at our Thanksgiving Dinner at the girl & the fig of Roasted Beet Salad with mache, chevre crema, grated horseradish, and tarragon vinaigrette

It was a really tough choice for our entree. You had the choice of traditional Thanksgiving with a Roasted Turkey Roulade with cornbread stuffing, delicata squash, spiced cranberry sauce and pan gravy…
Entree at our Thanksgiving Dinner at the girl & the fig of Roasted Turkey Roulade with cornbread stuffing, delicata squash, spiced cranberry sauce and pan gravy Entree at our Thanksgiving Dinner at the girl & the fig of Roasted Turkey Roulade with cornbread stuffing, delicata squash, spiced cranberry sauce and pan gravy

Or go with the always holiday or special event classic of the Slow Roasted Prime Rib with caramelized brussels sprouts, potato gratin and natural jus. Man, this was monstrous!
Entree at our Thanksgiving Dinner at the girl & the fig of Slow Roasted Prime Rib with caramelized brussels sprouts, potato gratin and natural jus Entree at our Thanksgiving Dinner at the girl & the fig of Slow Roasted Prime Rib with caramelized brussels sprouts, potato gratin and natural jus

Even the vegetarian had a choice, with the Wild Mushroom Ravioli with housemade ricotta, sweet onion puree, and watercress and black truffle
Entree at our Thanksgiving Dinner at the girl & the fig of Wild Mushroom Ravioli with housemade ricotta, sweet onion puree, and watercress and black truffle Entree at our Thanksgiving Dinner at the girl & the fig of Wild Mushroom Ravioli with housemade ricotta, sweet onion puree, and watercress and black truffle

And then desserts! Pumpkin Cheesecake with chocolate graham cracker crust, creme fraiche, and pumpkin seed brittle, Pecan Tart with brown sugar crema, and Apple Tarte Tatin with buttermilk ice cream and salted peanuts.
Dessert at our Thanksgiving Dinner at the girl & the fig of Pumpkin Cheesecake with chocolate graham cracker crust, creme fraiche, and pumpkin seed brittle Dessert at our Thanksgiving Dinner at the girl & the fig of Pecan Tart with brown sugar crema Dessert at our Thanksgiving Dinner at the girl & the fig of Apple Tarte Tatin with buttermilk ice cream and salted peanuts

Cheers, Happy Holidays – Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, New Year’s, all of them!
Cheers! Another year with Et Fille wine at our Thanksgiving Dinner at the girl & the fig

Do you cook or dine out for Thanksgiving – and which did you like better and why? What about Christmas?

This post is fourth as part of my series on visiting Sonoma, previous subjects include

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Holidays in Sonoma – Highway 12 Wineries

December 26, 2014 by 7 Comments

So in a previous post I highlighted Ledson Winery, famous for their beautiful Castle tasting room. Ledson is more on the north end of Highway 12, so now let’s continue to proceed south visiting Highway 12 Wineries shall we? Highway 12 is a winding road that many wineries are on, so you could easily spend a whole day just visiting wineries just on this one road. Overall, from Ledson to our last stop listed in this post, it covers only 10 miles and with wineries the whole way. You can pack a picnic to go with you on your day trip, though some wineries also have a little market to get some picnic supplies.

Literally right down the street from Ledson, just a mile down, is St. Francis Winery & Vineyards. They have a wine tasting room which has a back patio with incredible views that showcase the wineries and mountains. The other highlight with St Francis is that they offer Culinary Wine Adventures. By that, I mean wine and food tasting experiences which you can enjoy to understand how to pair their wine with food. The experiences vary from cheese and charcuterie to a 5 course food pairing to a private estate 9 course dinner that kicks off with a wine reception.

On the day I visited, wine country was lucky enough to be getting some much needed rain, so the mountain views included lots of misty clouds as the rain was beginning to roll in.
St. Francis Winery & Vineyards St. Francis Winery & Vineyards

A little less then 2 miles south as we continue on Highway 12 is Chateau St Jean. The grounds even now that it was winter was full of color from the vines and from lots of beautiful pots of dwarf Satsuma Mandarin Orange trees brimming with the fruit. The Chateau architecture takes is cue from an Italian villa style. You should also note that they have 2 tasting room areas- the Main Tasting room and also if you are interested in their reserve and more limited edition wines and willing to pay more for the upscale tasting, another tasting room with separate tasting fee in the Vineyard Room.
Chateau St Jean in Sonoma Chateau St Jean in Sonoma Chateau St Jean in Sonoma Chateau St Jean in Sonoma Chateau St Jean in Sonoma

Another mile and a half down the road is an opportunity to visit a wine cave on a tour for free on the Kunde Family Estate.  When they open the doors to the wine cave (it is also a nicely informative tour) looking into the cave, it looks like such an endless hallway of barrels which is quite an effect. They are one of the oldest family owned wineries in Sonoma, having been founded in 1904 and is now in its fifth generation. You can if you’d like do a mountaintop tasting which they offer from 11:30-2:30 PM. If you’re looking for a little exercise and have 4 hours to use, you can also choose to to inquire about reserving a spot on their Hiking tour – and they have a version that is a Dog Hike. If you do bring your dog here, the dog must remain leashed – though your furry friend can go on the cave tour with us as long as he’s quiet and well behaved.

If you love wines with volcanic soil, you will also like the wines at Kunde – my favorite personally was the Kunde 1904 Dessert Cuvee. Also if you stop, look out for the hedge dressed up as a wine bottle!

The beautiful views of Kunde Family Estate with their wine cave and mountain top The beautiful views of Kunde Family Estate with their wine cave and mountain top The The beautiful views of Kunde Family Estate with their wine cave and mountain top The beautiful views of Kunde Family Estate with their wine cave and mountain top The beautiful views of Kunde Family Estate with their wine cave and mountain top Wine tasting caves at Kunde Family Estate Wine tasting caves at Kunde Family Estate Wine tasting caves at Kunde Family Estate Wine tasting caves at Kunde Family Estate Tasting the Kunde 1904 Dessert Cuvee with a chocolate The beautiful views of Kunde Family Estate with their wine cave and mountain top Visiting the wine caves and tasting wines at Kunde Famnily Estate  Cute shrubbery dressed up as a Kunde Family Estate wine bottle

If you are looking for some out of this world cabernet sauvignon, you might also consider checking out Arrowood Vineyards and Winery, 5 miles south on Highway 12 from Kunde. We have now transitioned from Kenwood to Glen Ellyn.

Of the list of wineries I’ve shared, this is a more smaller, intimate tasting room though the prices were also significantly higher. Really great Cabernet though!
Visiting Arrowood Winery, which offers outstanding Cabernet Sauvignons Visiting Arrowood Winery Visiting Arrowood Winery which offers outstanding Cabernet Sauvignons Visiting Arrowood Winery which offers outstanding Cabernet Sauvignons Visiting Arrowood Winery which offers outstanding Cabernet Sauvignons Visiting Arrowood Winery which offers outstanding Cabernet Sauvignons Visiting Arrowood Winery which offers outstanding Cabernet Sauvignons

Clearly, I’m also smitten with visiting vineyards in the winter for the lovely colors of the leaves!

The last winery I am going to highlight is Imagery Estate Winery and Art Gallery, which is at the same initial driveway as Arrowood off Highway 12 – you just have to turn left at the fork instead of right.

While most winery stops were 30 minutes to an hour, we spent our longest winery stop here and the other couple we were traveling with signed up to be wine club members (and I admit I also bought several wines to take home).

They have a huge variety of different varietals to try. They create original art for their bottles, some of the art which is displayed in a little gallery in the back, and F and I spent time looking through their prints and magnets of that art as well. Sadly I was so busy drinking I didn’t get many photos except for these.

Imagery wines are only sold here, so this would be your only chance to get them. Each artwork for each bottle must include the Parthenon in done way which makes it a bit of a hunt to find it on some, or interesting to see how it got incorporated in others. And there’s hundreds of these labels to peruse. They also have a little garden on their property which helps supply local restaurant The Girl and The Fig!

Visiting Imagery Estate Winery Visiting Imagery Estate Winery Visiting Imagery Estate Winery Visiting Imagery Estate Winery Visiting Imagery Estate Winery

What is your favorite time of year to visit vineyards- spring, summer, or fall/winter?

This post is the third in my series about visiting Sonoma. For 2014 I have one more Sonoma post where I will recap the holiday (Thanksgiving) meal at The Girl and The Fig, and after the New Year, the series will continue with more wineries, and also looking at beer by visiting breweries in the area.

 

 

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Holidays in Sonoma – Ledson Winery

December 24, 2014 by 6 Comments

Today, I wanted to share the beautiful grounds of Ledson Winery & Vineyards.”The Castle” as it is also known is an impressive looking building that is a massive tasting room. I unfortunately was a little wined out on tastings by the time we got this far up on the road, and it was also pretty crowded as this same weekend of my visit was also the Heart of Sonoma Valley Open House event. I only took photos on the outside, where it was quieter than the bustle inside the tasting rooms. The next time I’m in Sonoma, I definitely will need to plan better – and if you go to Sonoma, you should definitely plan to stop by at least for a look see like I ended up doing.

Ledson also has a small deli and marketplace so if you haven’t already packed your picnic, you can purchase food here to picnic on the grounds (no outside food allowed). They have quite a variety of wines that I saw – more than a dozen varietals and a good mix of white and red wines.

As you can see, they had their seasonal soldiers guarding their massive front doors with a gorgeous view of some of their vines, and a foyer totally decked out for the holidays.

Ledson Winery & Vineyards Ledson Winery & Vineyards Ledson Winery & Vineyards Ledson Winery & Vineyards Ledson Winery & Vineyards Ledson Winery & Vineyards Ledson Winery & Vineyards Ledson Winery & Vineyards Ledson Winery & Vineyards The seasonal soldiers guarding the front doors to the tasting room of Ledson  The cheerful foyer decked out for the holidays at Ledson Tasting Room in Kenwood The cheerful foyer decked out for the holidays at Ledson Tasting Room in Kenwood The cheerful foyer decked out for the holidays at Ledson Tasting Room in Kenwood The cheerful foyer decked out for the holidays at Ledson Tasting Room in Kenwood

Whether you celebrate Christmas or not, I hope you are having a holiday month that is full of cheer and good memories and delicious food. Happy holidays to you!

This post is the second in my series about visiting Sonoma

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