The couple enjoy a sunny day at their Beauty Ranch, a portion of which became the state park.

Mysteries of Jack London

The allure of Jack London lies not only with his rakish persona and literary accomplishments, but also the mysteries he left behind.

Book cover for "Bright Dead Things." (Photo courtesy of Ada Limón)

Award Winning Poet Shares Sonoma Childhood Story

Ada Limón, who grew up in Sonoma and Glen Ellen, uses poetry to tell her life story, impressions, emotions and creative thoughts. Her fourth book of poems, “Bright Dead Things” (Milkweed Editions, $16), made her a finalist for the prestigious 2015 National Book Award. And while she lost to fellow Californian Robin Coste Lewis in […]
Headstones uncovered over time by volunteers await determination of their proper place at the Santa Rosa Rural Cemetery. (Photo by John Beck)

Piecing Together the History of Santa Rosa Rural Cemetery

A few hours past dawn in the Santa Rosa Rural Cemetery, John Dennison stood beneath a cluster of oak trees with the rest of the Tombstone Trio — fellow retirees Scott Minnis and Henry Katz — as they surveyed the site of their latest graveyard excavation. “You can hardly describe what it feels like when […]
...even your snack food is paired with wine.

You Know You’re From Healdsburg When…

  …even your snack food is paired with wine. See this and  22 other things that ring true for Healdsburg residents in our gallery. See the original post on the Press Democrat website.
A scene from "American Graffiti." (Photo courtesy Everett Collection)

Big Directors Who Filmed in Small Sonoma Towns

Wine Country’s quaint hamlets and seaside towns have attracted Hollywood hot shots including Alfred Hitchcock, George Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola.  Visitors to Sonoma might think they’ve seen it all before, and they probably have: in films featuring its quaint towns, dramatic coastline, ancient redwood stands, rolling hills and valleys. Hitchcock, Lucas and Coppola were […]

Top 100 Wines: Meet & Greet Martha McClellan

Open for a little more than a year, Hamel Family Wines is one of Sonoma’s most stylish — and ambitious — wineries. Evidence of that ambition? Owners George and Pam Hamel brought in Martha McClellan, one of Napa Valley’s most accomplished winemakers, to work with their winemaker son, John B. Hamel II, and their estate-grown […]

Top 100 Wines: Joe Benziger

Cinsault , Lagrein, Mourvedre, Tannat, Teroldego … not your everyday grape varieties in Sonoma, but they’re a big part of Joe Benziger’s life. As winemaker at Imagery Estate Winery, Benziger never met a wine grape he didn’t like. Sure, he produces more recognizable wines, too, such as Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, […]