Toast to Sonoma Wine Country Weekend

• Don’t walk around a vineyard with soup in your purse.

• Basil and lavender make extraordinary gelato.

• If Francis Ford Coppola invites you to visit his private resorts in Italy and Belize, it may be an offer you can’t refuse.

These are just a few things discovered at Wine Country Weekend, the three-day extravaganza of all things edible and drinkable that took over Sonoma Sept. 3-5.

In its 31st year, the culinary festival outdid itself as destination for pleasure seekers, all the while raising significant funds for Sonoma County Vintners’ and Sonoma Valley Vintners and Growers’ choice charities. And non-stop, a terrific time was had by all.

Chef Estes at La Follette

Soup’s On: The folks at La Follette Wines are hospitable. At Friday night’s winemaker dinner, hosted in a delightful barn and garden setting in a Santa Rosa Willowside neighborhood vineyard, a few guests arrived after the hors d’oeuvres reception, and just as the property tour was beginning. We plucked up glasses of wine, but before we had made more than a few steps into the rows of grapes, a Follette staffer caught us, offering tiny cups of Zazu host chef Duskie Estes’ corn soup that had been served to more timely party-goers.

We sipped – chilled Manchester Ridge Chardonnay from one hand, savory-sweet hot broth from the other – as Greg La Follette described his grape cultivation process, the particular stresses of this year’s weather, and the unique clay, loamy soils of this growing site.

As more Follette staffers followed with continuous pours of wine, I balanced my and my guests’ near-empty cups in my purse, where they spilled, and of course, proved that there weren’t as near-empty as I’d thought.

Which led to lesson two – when soup is this delicious, it can, in a pinch, be savored very nicely from the pocket lining of a purse.

Estes, fresh from the announcement that she is competing on season two of the Food Network’s Next Top Chef, sent out a feast of cauliflower sformato, goose leg confit Shepherd’s pie, and Liberty Duck.

Did you know, by the way, that La Follette plays a remarkable bagpipe?

Chefs at Sonoma Wine Country Weekend

Basil and Lavender Gelato: The crowds were out in full at the 31st Annual Taste of Sonoma, which took over MacMurray Ranch on Saturday. Yet thanks to shuttle service provided again this year from Pure Luxury Transportation, getting to the front gate was a breeze, even as a sold-out capacity of 2,500 guests converged to sample food and drink from more than 200 wineries and chefs.

“This is just another day in Sonoma,” quipped Carneros Bistro sommelier Christopher Sawyer, as he led a group past the steel drum band at the entranceway, along booths serving grilled-to-order meats and fresh-blended Hello Cello raspberry-limoncello lemonade, then into a virtual city of tents packed with chef cook stations and tables brimming with thousands of wine bottles.

In a nice new touch this year, each of the four appellation tents partnered select chefs and vintners, to show how wine and food can best be paired. For K&L Bistro of Sebastopol, that meant a steamed dough bun stuffed with a slab of pork belly and drizzled in hoisin sauce, enjoyed alongside Mueller Winery’s Russian River Valley Zinfandel.

At The Sonoma Steel Chef Competition, with chefs warring recipes in multiple rounds of mystery ingredient cook-offs, Janine Falvo of Sonoma’s Carneros Bistro and Jack Mitchell of Jack & Tony’s in Santa Rosa tied for first place in a highly challenging all-vegetarian basket of beets, potatoes and rutabagas supplemented with local eggs.

After nearly five hours of eating and drinking, the most exquisite finishing touch came in small scoops of beautiful basil and lavender infused gelato, served by some unlikely chefs – the good people of Standards of Excellence Appliances in Rohnert Park.

Mermaid on parade

Francis Ford Coppola Presents: The theme of Endless Sonoma, the 18th Annual Sonoma Valley Harvest Wine Auction, was beach. So guests arrived decked in surfer shorts, brilliantly colored sundresses, and in one case, a glittering green mermaid outfit complete with shell bustier.

Yet even as the luncheon stretched over a decadent eight courses and nearly six hours, most of the excitement focused on the auction lots.

For the Coppola coup, that meant a package including a 5-day, 4-night stay with spa services at a villa in Southern Italy, plus a 5-day, 4-night stay with spa services at Turtle Inn resort of Belize. Extra goodies included 3-Liter bottles of Francis Ford Coppola Director’s Cut and Archimedes signed by winemaker Corey Beck, a two-year membership to the FFCW wine club, a private tour, tasting and lunch for eight at FFCW’s winery in Alexander Valley, dinner for eight at Café Zoetrope in San Francisco, and a full library of Francis Ford Coppola films on dVd.

Salute to the chefs of the Auction

As guests waddled from the luncheon tent – bellies full, winning-bid wallets quite a bit lighter – the party continued on. Pisco sours were poured, cigars were smoked, chocolates, cheeses and confections were consumed.

Just another day in Sonoma, indeed.

The saying should be changed to, “Like an adult with a good paying job and a bonus to spend in a toy store.” This better reflects the joy of encountering a place where you find plenty of something you are quite fond of without worrying about inflicting serious damage to your wallet.

I’m a big fan of any event that makes me feel like an adult with a good paying job and a bonus to spend at a toy store (okay, maybe that is a bit wordy). That is why I will be attending Sonoma Valley Crush Weekend presented by Heart of Sonoma Valley Winery Association. Your $45 Weekend Tasting Pass allows you to choose from special wine tastings and activities at 16 wineries on September 18 & 19, 2010. Visit the new Audelssa Estate Winery tasting room, stop by the Biodynamic/organic/sustainably farmed Benziger Family Winery, enjoy a tasting in Deerfield Ranch Winery’s wine cave, meet the winemaker at Enkidu Wines, sample fruit before it becomes wine at Eric Ross Winery, take in the art and wine at Imagery Estate Winery, taste barrel samples at Kaz Vineyard & Winery, and be treated to a special private reserve tasting at Kenwood Vineyards.

Landmark Winery Entrance

You’ll also celebrate Kunde Family Estate’s 105th harvest, listen to live music while tasting wine and snacking on Chicago Hot Dog creations at Landmark Vineyards, indulge in advance tastings of new releases from Loxton Cellars, purchase delicious wines at a great discount at Mayo Family Winery, meet the winemakers in a fun and intimate setting at Muscardini Cellars & Ty Caton Vineyards, have a bite of Pinot Pie at Paradise Ridge Winery’s Kenwood tasting room, learn about the Old World Style of winemaking at VJB Vineyard & Cellars, and taste sold out in-high-demand library wines at Wellington Vineyards.

A Vineyard in the Beautiful Heart of Sonoma Valley

These are the choices included for just the weekend pass! There are more special events offered from September 15 to 19 that can be reserved separately at each winery. These special, harvest events include gourmet meals with winemakers, a horse-drawn wagon ride through the vineyards, hands-on tours to experience the winemaking process, and more. Click here for details.

This weekend should definitely be enjoyed in the safe and experienced hands of a Pure Luxury chauffeur. We make it easy to reserve your private transportation – you can call or email us, or chat with a Reservations Agent online. It’s time to have fun in the heart of beautiful Sonoma Valley!

The Bay area is awash in tomato festivals, with numerous heirloom harvest celebrations taking place across the North Bay in September.

It's time for tomato festivals

Crazy weather, yes? It’s been the coldest summer on record since 1975, and tomatoes simply didn’t get the heat they needed to ripen.

But better late than never. Here’s the delicious line-up to feed your fruit fantasies. Note: tickets are pre-sale and by reservation only, so plan and purchase ahead.

2nd Annual Tomatoville Celebration, Sept. 10 through 12 at Bardessono in Yountville. The weekend, co-hosted by Napa’s Hill Family Estate, includes a five-course winemaker dinner on Friday, a Build Your Own BLT & Tomato Tasting on Saturday, and a Bloody Mary Brunch on Sunday.

Build your own BLT at Bardessono

Front-and-center will be 30 varieties of heirloom tomatoes for the BLT stations stocked with artisan bacon, burrata, fresh-baked breads, garden basil and boutique sea salts. Last year, “builders” blew out the stops, fashioning creations ranging from elegant nibbles to Dagwood-style monsters.

For the brunch, Bardessono chef Sean O’Toole will serve a seasonally inspired farmers’ market menu highlighted by a trio of spicy Bloody Mary recipes made with Bardessono garden-grown tomatoes.

Tasting tomatoes at KJ

Kendall-Jackson Heirloom Tomato Festival, Sept. 11 at the Kendall-Jackson Wine Center in Santa Rosa. This is the granddaddy of North Bay festivals, showcasing more than 175 varieties from KJ’s own gardens, in a rainbow of colors and exotic names like Blue Fruit, Peace Vine, Ding Wall Scotty and Pink Ping Pong.

Guests can spend the entire day eating lavish tomato-centric tastes from 50 top chefs, such as last year’s offerings of almond-tomato macaroons; tomato cupcakes topped with miniature whole gold tomatoes; roast Thai tomato soup with Dungeness crab jus and spicy tomato salsa; and John Ash & Co.’s showstopper of cherry tomato and basil upside down cake slathered with Kendall Farms crème fraiche infused with preserved lemon and sprinkled in vanilla salt.

Attack of the Killer Tomatoes, Sept. 14-20 at Carneros Bistro & Wine Bar in Sonoma. Dinner and a movie, and how. The weeklong series of dinners puts chef Janine Falvo to the test as she crafts dishes featuring the 25 tomato varieties grown in the organic garden next to the dining room. That means dishes like a PBLT sandwich of pork belly, lettuce and tomato on a brioche bun; pineapple-tomato poached halibut with grits, Yellow Taxi tomato hollandaise and lobster mushrooms; and sweet tomatoes with lemon basil ice cream.

chef Jamie Lauren wins tomato recipe tasteoff at KJ

Sommelier Christopher Sawyer will offer a tomato themed wine list (no, not wine made from tomatoes, but wines that complement tomatoes), while the bar will be pouring tomato-basil martinis and the “Best Bloody Mary Ever” based on homemade celery bitters and offered with you-mix-ins of curry spices, celery salt and paprika.

As fitting, the cult-classic “Attack of the Killer Tomatoes” film will be projected continuously throughout the week in the dining room and in the bar.

Tomato Dinners, Sept. 15-18 at Oliveto, Oakland. For the past 25 years, these dinners have been held at the end of August, but after a drawn-out cold, wet spring, the meals were moved back a month.

Chef Paul Canales will highlight tomatoes from Riverdog, Dirty Girl, Catalan, Terra Firma, Full Belly, Lucero, Animalitos, Brookside, Kendall Jackson, Comanche Creek, and Hungry Hollow farms. The wide ranging menu will offer dishes like Watson Farm lamb loin salad with green tomatoes and grappa; crudo of salted Atlantic cod and local albacore with Black Cherry tomatoes, Lipstick pimentos, and almonds; veal tripe braised in tomatoes with Italian butter beans; and green tomato and Gravenstein apple pie with honeyed Crescenza cheese ice cream.

Bardessono, 6526 Yount Street, Yountville. 707-204-6030. bardessono.com.

Carneros Bistro and Wine Bar, 1325 Broadway (in the Lodge at Sonoma), Sonoma. 707-931-2042. thelodgeatsonoma.com.

Kendall-Jackson Wine Center, 5007 Fulton Road, Santa Rosa. 800-769-3649. kj.com.

Oliveto, 5655 College Avenue, Oakland. 510-547-5356. oliveto.com.

Tip: Tooling around to all the tomato events can get tiring (and there’s all that delicious wine to drink, too). Leave the driving to Pure Luxury, and make it a true harvest celebration!

The Entrance to Cellars of Sonoma

Cellars of Sonoma is also a great way to add something special to a Friday night. Visit a nearby restaurant before or after stopping by to taste some of the best Sonoma County wines while listening to live music by John Pita and Adam.

John Pita and Adam at Cellars of Sonoma

The music played by John Pita and Adam is not the kind of music that blends into the background. Pita skillfully plays the acoustic guitar while his husky, rich, soulful vocals fill the air at times gently coaxing and at others wholeheartedly demanding your attention. You can expect to experience the best of wine and live music at Cellars of Sonoma.

Plan to visit Cellars of Sonoma as part of a wine tour of Sonoma County or as a special addition to a Friday night out. Whatever you need, contact Pure Luxury and your private chauffeur will drive you safely as you celebrate Sonoma County.

Wine, wine and more wine

From down-home Hopmonk Tavern, to uptown Cyrus Restaurant. From funky legendary Joseph Swan, to high-end classic Jordan. With more than 150 wineries pouring thousands of wines, and over 60 local chefs whipping up divine pairings, you never know who you might see under the culinary tents on the sprawling grassy meadows at Healdsburg’s MacMurray Ranch for this year’s Taste of Sonoma.

But one thing is certain: the marathon food-and-drink festival being held Sept. 4 will surprise even the most jaded taste buds. Just consider one highly memorable dish from two years ago. Chef Janine Falvo of Carneros Bistro in Sonoma created a bizarre but insanely good BLT, crafted from root beer braised pork belly with Oak Hill Farms tomatoes and brown butter hollandaise aioli.

Last year, the standout may have been A la Heart Catering of Santa Rosa’s Shanghai duck sushi. The chefs cooked the bird in light and dark soy with brown sugar, star anise, ginger and scallions, then married the meat with cranberries, cashews and cranberry-orange juice reduction all tucked into little rice rolls wrapped in nori.

All signs point to fun for Wine Country Weekend

As a centerpiece of the Sonoma Wine Country Weekend, the 31st annual Taste of Sonoma is billed as Sonoma’s largest wine and food event. From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., the marathon gala features tastings, demonstrations, tours and seminars showcasing hundreds of artisan wineries, growers, chefs and food purveyors.

New this year is increased AVA focus throughout the soiree, with AVA-specific food and wine pairing in each of the four AVA tents as well as AVA-specific seminars in the White Barn. There’s also a new sustainable foods showcase, showing how delicious it can be to eat earth-friendly.

You’ll want to snap up tickets soon. Last year, a record crowd of 2,500 guests converged, starting their edible tour at the Bubble Lounge, a sparkling wine bar set up right inside the gates, courtesy of Gloria Ferrer. Fair warning: Traffic was insane, clogging the roads and spilling out past acres of parking amid the vineyards (though once inside the gated grounds, the well-heeled crowd behaved very well, with little jostling).

Do plan to show up with an empty belly – you won’t get tiny toothpick tastings, but full-size hors d’oeuvres, and winery staff doesn’t stint on the splashes.

It ends up being an enormous amount of great food and wine for a good price — five hours of eating – at a General Admission ticket of $150 per person.

Grand Reserve tickets are $195 per person, for special behind-the-scenes tours and tastings, like Club Reserve: an exclusive opportunity to hob-nob with Sonoma County’s most acclaimed winery owners and winemakers, who will personally pour and discuss their limited production, reserve and award-winning wines from large format bottles paired with food by The Farmhouse Inn.

The 2009 auction had a Roman theme

While Taste attracts the most bodies, it’s hardly the only thing to celebrate through the Sonoma Wine Country Weekend. The three-day series of events includes the rollicking, beach themed Sonoma Valley Harvest Wine Auction at Cline Cellars on Sunday, and the Winemaker Lunch and Dinner Series at venues throughout the county starting Friday.

About that traffic – it’s no joke that it can be crazy crowded, and Sonoma roads are notoriously narrow and winding (not a good combination with sleepy souls who have spent all day eating and drinking). Shuttle service is highly recommended, with safe and convenient round trip transportation around Santa Rosa and Sonoma provided by Pure Luxury Transportation.

For just $15 or $20 per person round-trip, you’ll avoid parking delays, enjoy front-gate delivery to the Taste event, and won’t need to worry about finding a designated driver.

These are vinetyards, not parking lots, so leave the cars at home

For all the other Wine County Weekend activities, you can charter a Pure Luxury Town Car or a limo, or make it a group party with a small luxury bus.

For details and to reserve seating, contact SWCWshuttle@pureluxury.com.

Details: sonomawinecountryweekend.com.