Before he landed a part-time job in UC Davis’s viticulture lab, Manveer Sandhu was a pre-med student focusing on neurobiology. “I just needed some extra money and thought the lab would let me use my scientific brain,” says Sandhu, the executive director of winemaking at Healdsburg’s Rack & Riddle.
But after a few months of working in the vineyard and expanding his knowledge in the lab, Sandhu was hooked on the science of wine. He began taking classes in enology and studied under Dr. David Smart, a renowned UC Davis viticulturist. But when he decided to change his major to enology and viticulture, his parents had other ideas. “Coming from a traditional Indian household, I had a difficult time explaining the decision to my parents,” says Sandhu. “They couldn’t understand why I wasn’t pursuing a career in medicine.” After graduation, Sandhu jumped into the industry with a lab position at Delicato Family Wines, followed by a job at E. & J. Gallo.
Today, at Rack & Riddle, Sandhu manages a team of six winemakers creating sparkling wines for clients of all sizes, from small, family-owned brands all the way up to major players like Trader Joe’s. The mass retailer’s Brut Reserve North Coast sparkling wine is produced at Rack & Riddle’s facility.
Each summer, harvest arrives early for those on the sparkling wine scene, explains Sandhu. “We really want to capture the acidity, bright fruit, and freshness of the grapes without the weight of ripeness,” he says. “After working with growers for over a decade, I finally know what I’m looking for in the vineyard.”
This year, with early budbreak and bloom and a massive September heat spike, harvest for sparkling wine grapes was over in a flash. “It was the shortest harvest I’ve ever seen,” Sandhu says. “It happened so fast we didn’t even have a chance to catch our breath. Harvest began August 8th and it was over by September 9th.”
By mid-November, Rack & Riddle will have finished harvest for its custom crush clients. Some of the juice will be going through malolactic fermentation or into barrel. Then, Sandhu and his team can enjoy the holiday season.
Three to try
Sparkling wine expert Manveer Sandhu of Healdsburg’s Rack & Riddle loves these Sonoma sparklers for the holidays.
Portalupi 2021 Arrossire Di Barbera Pauli Ranch, Mendocino County $45. “I love working with untraditional sparkling wine varieties, and this sparkling Barbera is great.” 707-395-0960, portalupiwine.com
Balletto 2016 Sparkling Brut Rosé Russian River Valley $42. “This is such a nice sparkling. Balletto really puts the essence of the Russian River into this wine.” 707-568-2455, ballettovineyards.com
Amista NV Sparkling Blanc De Blanc Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County $48. “Amista is also doing great things with different sparkling varieties, like Grenache, Syrah, and Mataró.” 707-431-9200, amistavineyards.com
Local jam, honey, cheeses, olive oil, chocolates, and more bring brightness and cheer to holiday tables. This season, spread goodwill—to a neighbor or friend, a teacher or colleague—as you support our region’s artisan food businesses.
Jacqui Jorgeson has always walked an unconventional path: Journalist, hula-hoop instructor, filmmaker.
When the Syrian refugee crisis broke out in 2016, she became the associate director of the Schoolbox Project, which provides mobile, ad hoc schools for displaced children.
In 2019, as the Kincade Fire erupted, Jorgeson was home in Santa Rosa with her husband, local climbing legend Kevin Jorgeson. She quickly redirected her attention toward a concern she had first explored during the Tubbs Fire: what could she do to help the firefighters risking their lives to save others?
Within months, she had formed the Volunteer Fire Foundation (volunteerfire.org), which today provides financial, wellness, and mental-health support for the hundreds of volunteer firefighters in Sonoma and neighboring counties. It is the only nonprofit of its kind in the nation.
Finding her way
I was raised to really follow my heart and do the work that I was passionate about. I remember getting career counseling in college because I had no idea what I wanted to do. The counselor put me through all these tests and questionnaires, and finally he threw up his hands and said, “Advocacy.” I was like, yep, that makes sense.
Jacqui Jorgeson is the founder of Volunteer Fire Foundation. (Laura Schneider)
A lifeline for volunteers
During the Tubbs Fire I called a family friend who’s a Cal Fire engineer, and I asked what the firefighters needed. He gave me the stock reply that they had trained for this and were fine. But then he added, “Hey, Jacqui, if you’re serious about helping firefighters, when the smoke clears after this thing is out, remember the volunteers, because all they have is a pancake breakfast a year to live on.”
Why they do it
They live in service. It’s what fills them up. It’s why they do all that they do for free, with no safety net if they fall. It’s why they wake up in the middle of the night or leave their kid’s championship softball game or their anniversary dinner to respond to calls. That’s what I hear again and again in conversations all over the county and beyond. But that being said, it’s as hard as you would imagine for them to carry on their work.
Paying it forward
The volunteer fire service is an absolutely critical feeder system into the paid fire service. And they carry the ethos of the volunteer firefighter with them, of neighbors helping neighbors, no matter how high up they go. Whether they’re just starting out at a local agency or they are now a battalion chief for Cal Fire, they never forget where they come from.
Lamb roasted over a live fire with shiso, nori, and housemade ssamjang at chef Joshua Smookler’s Animo. (Kim Caroll/for Sonoma Magazine)
Fledgling Sonoma restaurant Animo has been named one of the best new restaurants in America by Esquire magazine. Owned by husband-and-wife team Josh Smookler and Heidy He, the eatery combines Basque, Korean and Jewish cuisine with serious live-fire cooking in an intimate, come-as-you-are space formerly occupied by a taqueria.
“You’re here for the turbot, which Smookler imports from Spain and dry-ages before gently grilling over burning almond wood, just like at Elkano in Spain (if you know you know),” said Omar Mamoon in Esquire’s Winter 2022 issue. The list of best restaurants represents “what it means to dine well in the U.S. right now.”
Smookler’s boquerones toasts, a must-try dish. (Kim Carroll/for Sonoma Magazine)
At Animo restaurant in Sonoma. (Kim Caroll/for Sonoma Magazine)
Animo opened in Feb. 2022 and, despite the tony vibe, the new restaurant was a moonshot for Smookler and He, who moved their family from New York to California, sold everything (including He’s engagement ring) and put their futures on the line for a 26-seat restaurant that defies precise definition.
Other restaurants noted by Esquire include Haitian eatery Kann in Portland, Oregon; Caribbean-inspired Canje in Austin; Korean-American San Ho Won in San Francisco; buzzy Mother Wolf in Los Angeles and the hi-lo scrapple and fried bologna sandwich menu of Cafe Mutton in Hudson, New York.
Unless it’s raining, the expansive terrace is the place to be at Martinelli Winery & Vineyards in Windsor. (Martinelli Winery & Vineyards)
Zinfandel is often thought of as the quintessential American grape. But, like other grape varieties, it was brought to the United States from Europe.
Determining the exact origin of a grape variety and how and when it journeyed across the Atlantic to the United States can be difficult. The origin of zinfandel remained a mystery for decades until the early 2000s when researchers managed to trace its roots to Croatia’s Dalmatia region.
Research at that time also found that the first zinfandel vine was imported to the United States in the late 1820s by a Long Island, N.Y., nursery owner. The vine cuttings may have come from the Imperial Collection of Plant Species in Vienna, which, in the late 18th century, included vines from every part of the Austro-Hungarian empire, including Croatia.
Zinfandel then made its way west just after the Gold Rush and California’s statehood. (Some accounts claim that Agoston Haraszthy, the pioneer winemaker and founder of Sonoma’s Buena Vista Winery, brought the grape to California.) The European grape variety thrived in California’s Mediterranean climate and soon became one of the state’s most widely planted varieties.
While zinfandel is now made all over the Golden State, it is most closely associated with Sonoma County. Here, warm days and cool nights allow winemakers to produce some of the best zinfandels in the world. The region’s varied terrain, terroir and climate also allow for a variety of expressions of the grape; from light, refreshing rosés to bold, jammy reds.
Click through the above gallery for 15 wineries that offer a great introduction to Sonoma County’s zins. (Remember to call ahead to make reservations as these wineries are popular with visitors.)
Ready or not, the holidays are coming! Sonoma County has always had its own style when it comes to celebrating the most wonderful time of the year. As we count down to Christmas 2022, a spirited new place to sip on a drink can be added to the list of holiday activities.
The Lazeaway Club at Santa Rosa’s Flamingo Resort is putting on its holiday best this year as it transforms into Sippin’ Santa. Similar to the popular Miracle holiday cocktail pop-up at Brewsters Beer Garden in Petaluma, the spinoff combines Christmas and tiki (think Santa on a surfboard). Festivities kick off Nov. 25 at the poolside eatery and run through December.
“I want people who live here to come and enjoy this and not just think of the Flamingo as a summertime hangout,” says Apirada Nititham, Beverage Manager at Flamingo Resort. “We want it to be a destination. We want it to be a tradition.”
The festive Sippin’ Santa (aged demerara rum, amaro, lemon, orange, and gingerbread mix) is one of nine cocktails on the holiday pop-up menu at the Lazeaway Club. (Courtesy Sippin’ Santa)
Nine tropical cocktails, served in kitschy, holiday-themed glasses and vessels, are on the menu. Guests can toast the season with drinks like the Kris Kringle Colada (dark Jamaican rum, Amara, allspice liqueur, lime, pineapple, cream of coconut), Yule Tide (tequila, Applejack, lime, maple-cranberry syrup) and Top Shelf Elf (house-spiced rum, falernum, cinnamon).
Just a month after revamping the Cal-Pacific eatery’s main menu, Chef Chris Ricketts has created a selection of bites to pair with the Sippin’ Santa tropical cocktails. Christmas Ham, a slow-cooked char siu pork belly with grilled pineapple, cherry and clove; Oh Christmas Tree, a pine seasoned fried chicken made with rosemary buttermilk; and Mele Kalikimaka, a Hawaiian sweet stuffing croquette, are a few of the dishes making their holiday debut.
A flurry of decorations are going up in the Santa Rosa restaurant and bar. Along with surfing Santas, ceramic coconuts and festive pink flamingos, poolside snow is on the forecast, thanks to a strategically placed snow machine.
The Sippin’ Santa cocktail menu is first-come, first-served at Lazeaway Club. Dinner reservations can be made online via OpenTable.
The Lazeaway Club is the only Sippin’ Santa location in Sonoma County. The tiki-themed drinks will not be available at neighboring Vintage Space, but the bar and music lounge is planning its own lineup of holiday events, including Christmas Spectacular, Brunch, in Drag on Sunday, Dec. 4.
Lazeaway Club at Flamingo Resort, 2777 Fourth St., Santa Rosa, 707-545-8530, flamingoresort.com
The Scion House patio at Robert Young Estate Winery in Alexander Valley. (Courtesy of Robert Young Estate Winery)
A Modern Mercantile, vintage candlesticks and sterling silver serveware look perfectly at ease alongside modern linens, hand-thrown ceramic pitchers, Zimbabwean gourd baskets, and Smithey cast-iron skillets. It’s this inspired and effortless mixing of styles–old and new, ornate and rustic—that creates Forager’s oh-so-Sonoma design vibe.
The shop is the work of Karen Reul and Elizabeth Pinkham, a creative team who met while working in the tech industry in San Francisco. The business partners have a daily text thread to exchange ideas and inspiration, and all of the finds, including vintage one-offs, are handpicked by the two. For the holidays this year, Reul says they’ll be “leaning into the coziness,” with New Zealand mohair blankets and custom whiskey glasses from a local glassblower.
Steak can be divisive—either you’re team red meat or you’re not. But if you’re going to sink your teeth into a perfectly marbled steak or a long-braised brisket this winter, do it with intention and gusto. Click through the above gallery for some top beef picks in Sonoma County.
Editor’s note: A Napa Valley cabernet sauvignon tops Wine Spectator’s Top 100 Wines of 2022. Here are seven Sonoma County wineries to visit for more excellent cabs.
Cab is king in Alexander Valley. The area encompasses 32,500 acres, 14,500 of them in grapevines, and boasts more than 40 wineries. Here are seven tasting rooms pouring excellent cabernet sauvignons and blends, all of them a 10-mile drive (or less) from downtown Healdsburg. They’re clustered close enough together that it’s possible to visit several in one day. Just make sure there is a designated driver.
Click through the above gallery for a peek at each winery.
Alexander Valley Vineyards
Harry and Maggie Wetzel purchased the historic Cyrus Alexander homestead in 1963, planted grapevines and raised their children there. Three generations of Wetzels now farm the vines, with the young fourth generation in the wings.
Their first cabernet sauvignon was bottled in 1968. Visiting here is a throwback to a time when tasting rooms were small and intimate. No fees are charged for the standard Estate Tasting for groups of six or less. Cave tours and barrel tastings are offered, too (call ahead). Reserved seated tastings, vineyard tours and wine and cheese pairings are reasonably priced.
A wide range of wines are produced here, yet when it comes to cabernet sauvignon, the ones to try are the Organically Grown Estate ($34, a price that can’t be beat for such high quality) and the “regular” Alexander Valley bottling ($27). Cyrus ($75), a blend of cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, merlot, malbec and petit verdot, is the flagship wine, in its 22d vintage.
Considering the long history of grape growing and winemaking in Alexander Valley, Hawkes is relatively new to the tasting room game. Stephen Hawkes began growing cabernet sauvignon in Alexander Valley in 1972, selling the fruit to Sebastiani Vineyards, Silver Oak Cellars and Verité. He and his son, Jake, began making their own wines in 2002 from the family’s three vineyards.
The best place to taste and acquire them is at the Alexander Valley tasting room in Jimtown (there is also a tasting site in Sonoma, 383 First St. West, 707-938-7620). This is a winery with a sense of humor; elegant, unobtrusively oaked cabernet sauvignons ($70-$95) and a laid-back vibe that connects with visitors. Try the seated tasting with seasonal bites, or upgrade to a vineyard tour.
High-end experiences have long been the signature of this Healdsburg winery, established by Tom Jordan in 1976. Jordan produces just two wines — chardonnay from Russian River Valley ($40) and cabernet sauvignon from Alexander Valley ($60, an excellent deal for such an elegant, ageworthy wine).
The wines and the multifaceted estate are shown off in myriad ways to visitors (by appointment only). They include estate tours with views, culinary gardens, olive trees, bee hives and farm animals; wine and food pairings from estate chef Todd Knoll; vineyard hikes and ever-changing events timed to the season.
1474 Alexander Valley Road, Healdsburg, 707-431-5250, jordanwinery.com.
Robert Young Estate Winery
In 1935, Robert Young — at 16 — inherited his family’s ranch upon the death of his father, Silas, and eventually began replacing prune-plum trees with wine grapes. In 1963, Robert cultivated cabernet sauvignon and followed that with chardonnay a few years later. Robert Young’s son, Fred, and his siblings founded Robert Young Estate Winery in 1997.
Although the vast majority of the family’s grapes are sold, the prime fruit is used in the family’s wines. The chardonnays have a great track record for aging nicely, though the cabernet sauvignons are the heart and soul of the winery. The Estate Cab ($62) is sleek in its supple tannins, yet nicely structured. Bob’s Burn Pile Estate Cabernet Sauvignon ($100), from a location on the vineyard where Robert Young once burned vineyard debris, and the flagship Scion Cabernet Sauvignon ($72) are beautifully balanced as well. Multiple tasting experiences are offered, indoors and on the patio, with charcuterie and cheese. The Scion House visitor center offers 360-degree views of Alexander Valley.
5102 Red Winery Road, Geyserville, 707-431-4811, ryew.com.
Silver Oak Alexander Valley
Many know Silver Oak Cellars for its Napa Valley cabernet sauvignon, often a high ranker on lists of most popular wines ordered in restaurants. Usually playing second fiddle was Silver Oak’s Alexander Valley cab sauv, even though the brand’s first bottling was a cabernet from Alexander Valley, released in 1977. Both versions are aged in American oak barrels rather than French cooperage to give the wines lush, soft texture and a hint of vanillin sweetness. Fans are legion (detractors, too).
The Alexander Valley and Napa Valley cabs are available for tasting — try them side by side — and a library wine is also offered. Walk-ins are welcome; reservations are required for private tastings, pairings and tours.
Ken and Diane Wilson’s winery made international news when it was destroyed in the 2019 Kincade fire. Images of the devastation went viral, with only local artist Brian Tedrick’s giant metal sculpture of a boar named Lord Snort and an original stone wall dating to 1869 unscathed. Within three days of the reopening of Highway 128 south of Jimtown, Soda Rock reopened for tastings, in a tin-roofed special-events barn adjacent to the destroyed structures.
Soda Rock continues to hold tastings in the special-events barn and pours several wines; there are plenty of boldly flavored cabernet sauvignons and other Bordeaux-style reds on the menu. They include The Five-Star General ($58), Twisted Rail ($52) and Spur Hill ($45) Alexander Valley cabernet sauvignons. Private tastings and wine and cheese pairings are available.
Jackson Family Wines’s 5,500-acre Alexander Mountain Estate, which hovers over the tasting room from the north, is planted to Bordeaux red varieties and chardonnay. Old-timers know the estate as the Gauer Ranch, which Jess Stonestreet Jackson purchased in 1995. The wines from the rugged mountain blocks are firmly structured, with a hint of rocky minerality, known to age beautifully for a decade or more.
Several experiences are available, among them seated tastings of single-vineyard wines, library-wine explorations, picnics on the patio and, weather permitting, the Stonestreet Mountain Excursion, a tour of the vineyards with tasting and lunch.
The views are dramatic, as are the cabernet sauvignons; the Cougar Ridge ($75) and Bear Point ($100) bottlings are standouts, and the Estate Cabernet Sauvignon ($100) is outstanding.
Nothing tugs at a Swede’s gastronomic heart strings like glögg at a winter gathering. Just the thought of this Nordic version of mulled wine — scents of cinnamon, cardamom and cloves wafting through the house — can bring a tear to an expatriate’s eye. Next to the joys of a midsummer celebration, the winter glögg party may very well be one of the most nostalgia-inducing of Swedish traditions.
In Sweden, glögg parties kick off the holiday season in workplaces and homes. Abroad, the craving for glögg is the cause of IKEA pilgrimages. For Swedes, Christmastime hasn’t quite arrived until you’ve become suitably tipsy on mulled wine, paired with “lussebullar” (saffron buns) and “pepparkakor” (ginger cookies).
Now, Wine Country Swedes — immigrants like myself and those 25,128 Sonoma County residents claiming Scandinavian ancestry — can find their favorite warm winter drink at home instead of heading to the yellow and blue big box store in Emeryville or Palo Alto.
But you don’t have to be Swedish to enjoy a glass of glögg! Here are three local places that serve glögg paired with Swedish food and sweet treats this winter.
God jul (happy holidays) and skål (cheers)!
Pair glögg with Swedish food at Stockhome, Petaluma
The only Swedish restaurant in Wine Country will do its patriotic duty by putting on a traditional “julbord” — a family-friendly meal featuring holiday specialties — three consecutive Sundays in December (Dec. 4, 11 and 18, with seatings available at noon and 5 p.m. To-go julbord available Dec. 23. Tickets available online).
Swedish chef and restaurant owner Roberth Sundell will serve house-made glögg with candied almonds and raisins, a variety of pickled herring (mustard, grandma’s classic, saffron and leek), dill-cured salmon (“gravlax”), hot mustard-baked Christmas ham (“julskinka”), ginger-glazed spareribs, Swedish meatballs and more. For dessert, guests will enjoy Santa’s rice pudding and homemade treats. All menu items are made from scratch by chef Sundell, including a pig’s head terrine (“sylta”) and pâté of elk (lantpâté).
Sundell’s glögg — made from a recipe he’s been perfecting for nearly 20 years — will also be served at Stockhome throughout December.
“The secret to making good glögg is to keep tasting and adjusting the ingredients to make sure it’s not too sweet, but sweet enough to taste all the spices,” advises Sundell.
The Swedish chef likes to add vodka, cognac or brandy to his glögg for “an extra kick.” He includes plenty of cardamom, ginger, star anise, allspice and orange peel “to bring out the flavor,” and adds dried fruit (plums, apricots, raisins, dried apples) for sweetness. He emphasizes the importance of heating the glögg slowly and making sure it never boils, as this causes the alcohol to evaporate.
Chef and owner Roberth Sundell at Stockhome restaurant in Petaluma. (Beth Schlanker/The Press Democrat)Mustard-baked Christmas ham (julskinka), Swedish meatballs, sausages, ginger-glazed spare ribs at Stockhome’s annual julbord in Petaluma. (Heather Irwin/Sonoma Magazine)
During the holiday season, Sundell has particularly fond memories of working at restaurants in Sweden, where glögg would be served to guests outside as they waited in the cold winter night before going inside to the warmth of the julbord.
The Swedish chef, like many of his countrymen, takes pride in keeping up culinary traditions. While he likes to incorporate foreign and modern influences into his cooking, his Stockhome julbord is a classic holiday meal, the kind you would find in a Swedish home on Christmas Eve (Swedes celebrate Christmas on Dec. 24).
Stockhome’s julbord ($90 per person; $50 for kids 5-12, free for kids 4 and under) has two seating times available — noon and 5 p.m. — on Sunday Dec. 4, 11 and 18. Reservations need to be made in advance by purchasing tickets online at stockhomerestaurant.com. Julbord is also available to-go on Dec. 23. 220 Western Ave., Petaluma, 707-981-8511.
West Wines in Healdsburg hosts an annual glögg party on the first weekend after Thanksgiving. (Courtesy of West Wines)
Sample glögg at West Wines, Healdsburg
Katarina Bonde and Bengt Åkerlind moved from Sweden to Seattle in 1992 and then made their way south to Healdsburg, where they started making wine. Their French-style wines can be found in the U.S. as well as in restaurants in their native country; their 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve was served at the 2010 Nobel Prize banquet in Stockholm.
Unable to buy glögg in the United States, Bonde has been making her own since the early ’90s. After opening the West Wines tasting room in 2011, she has been serving the drink to guests during an annual glögg party that takes place on the first weekend following Thanksgiving (this year, Nov. 25-27).
Bonde makes her glögg a couple of weeks before the party so that the flavors can blend together. In addition to the traditional ingredients — wine, brandy or cognac, cinnamon sticks, cloves and cardamom — she uses dried orange rinds and brown sugar, instead of the refined white version, as this lends extra flavor. She always saves a couple of bottles for the following year — according to Bonde, the year-old concoction tastes better than any other glögg.
“It’s my reserve,” Bonde laughs. But it’s clear that, like all Swedes, she takes glögg-making and drinking seriously. “Do not let your glögg boil,” she warns repeatedly when recounting her glögg recipe. (By now you have come to understand that boiling glögg is a Swedish cardinal sin.)
The annual glögg gathering at West Wines is one of the winery’s most popular events. Quarter Swedes, eighth Swedes; anyone who can claim even the tiniest bit of Swedish ancestry seems to show up for the party, says Bonde. And each year, there are increasing numbers of non-Nordic glögg converts. As is the Swedish custom, Bonde’s glögg is served with raisins and blanched almonds and is paired with ginger cookies, cardamom rusks (similar to biscotti) and other Swedish sweet treats.
Katarina Bonde brings Swedish holiday decorations to her Healdsburg tasting room, including “tomtenissar” (gnomes).
The Healdsburg tasting room is decked with handmade ornaments, which Bonde buys in Sweden. Each year, she brings a suitcase filled with straw yule goats, advent star lights and “tomtenissar” (gnomes) on a flight from Stockholm to San Francisco.
The Swedish gnome decorations are sold to guests throughout the holiday season, in addition to being on display in the tasting room. A word of advice, though: Treat your tomtenissar (gnomes) well. According to Swedish folklore, they act as guardians of the home. If treated well, they will protect your family from evil and misfortune. But the gnomes can also be short-tempered and mischievous. They are known to play tricks — even steal — if mistreated or offended.
The West Wines annual glögg party is Nov. 25-27 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Reservations are recommended with walk-ins based on availability (last seating is at 4 p.m). $30 tasting fee includes glögg and cookies. West Wines, 1000 Dry Creek Road, Healdsburg, 707-433-2066, westwines.com.
Order glögg from Sjoeblom Winery, Napa
Swedish native, winemaker and “glögg master” Mike Sjöblom makes his own version of the mulled winter drink using vintage syrah wine and spices imported from Sweden. In contrast to most Swedes, who tend to use less expensive red wine for their glögg, Sjöblom stresses the advantage of being a little bit more discerning.
“To make good quality glögg, it is imperative to start with a good quality wine,” says Sjöblom, who is one of only a handful of winemakers who use their own wine to make glögg.
The Napa vintner prefers to work with natural flavors: Full-flavored wine (“to bring forward the fruit”) and organic ingredients (“to create the characteristic glögg flavor”) are carefully blended. The use of this process eliminates the need for too much sugar, according to Sjöblom.
In Sweden, there are non-alcoholic versions of glögg. While Sjöblom is “not opposed” to these alternatives, bundling them together with traditional glögg is simply “going too far” in his opinion. Like Roberth Sundell of Stockhome and Katarina Bonde of West Wines, he likes to remind aspiring glögg makers to heat their drink carefully: “Remember, alcohol starts to evaporate at 78 degrees celsius (172 F).”
Those interested in sampling Sjöblom’s glögg every year can sign up to become member of his winery’s glögg club. Club members receive a 20% discount and are guaranteed a shipment of glögg. Non-club members can buy Sjöblom’s glögg for $25 a bottle on the winery’s website.
Purchase Sjöblom glögg at gloggclub.com. 707-363-6035.
Throw your own glögg party
The following recipe is from Katarina Bonde of West Wines, who recommends using a drinkable but affordable red wine. Pair your glögg with Swedish saffron buns and ginger cookies.
West Wines Glögg
Makes 20-25 servings
2 bottles of full-bodied red wine (for example, a fairly fruity zinfandel or syrah)
1-2 cups of brandy or cognac
½ teaspoon cardamom seeds
5 cinnamon sticks (soak the cinnamon sticks in water beforehand to release the flavor)
20 cloves
2 strips of dried orange rind
1 knob fresh ginger
½ cup raisins
1 cup of sugar (brown sugar works best)
For garnish:
1 package regular raisins
1 package blanched, slivered almonds
Mix all ingredients and let simmer in a pot. Do not let it boil since the alcohol will evaporate and alcohol enhances the flavors from the spices. Let wine and spices cool off and pour into empty bottles or some other vessel that you can close. Let rest overnight and reheat when you want to use it (remember not to boil it). The glögg can be saved and used throughout the holiday season.
Serve in small cups and garnish with some raisins and almond slivers per cup. Make sure you also have teaspoons so the guests can get the soaked raisins out when they have finished the cup. They are great!
