The annual Taste of Sonoma at MacMurray Ranch on Saturday, September 5, 2015. (JOHN BURGESS / The Press Democrat)
Taste of Sonoma has adapted its annual program of tastings and presentations by local chefs and vintners to an online format this year after the in-person event was canceled due to coronavirus restrictions.
The event, put on by Sonoma County Vintners, has planned a series of dates throughout September with at-home wine tastings, educational webinars, cooking classes and food pairings. Taste of Sonoma initially was scheduled for Sept. 5 at the Kendall-Jackson Wine Estate and Gardens in Santa Rosa.
Here’s a look at seven virtual dates for Taste of Sonoma. Register ahead of time at tasteofsonoma.com, where you can also find more information about the event.
Wednesday, Sept. 2: Kendall-Jackson, with Winemaster Randy Ullom and Executive Chef Justin Wrangler, will present a farm-to-table wine and cooking class on Zoom at 4 p.m. For participants wanting to follow along with the wine pairings, Kendall-Jackson is selling a pack of three wines for $105 at kj.com/wine/sonoma-county-tasting-pack.
Randy Ullom, winemaster at Kendall-Jackson, will help kick off the Taste of Sonoma event this year. (C. Higley)
Friday, Sept. 4: “Sparkling Sonoma,” on Zoom at 4 p.m., will explore how sparkling wine is made and which varieties are produced in Sonoma County. Speakers will include Jen Walsh of La Crema, Chris Christensen of Bodkin Wines, Kathleen Inman of Inman Family Wines and Nicole Hitchcock of J Vineyards & Winery.
Wednesday, Sept. 9: Francis Ford Coppola Winery will host a virtual cooking and wine pairing at 4 p.m. with Sonoma County chefs Tim Bodell from RUSTIC, Dustin Valette from Valette Healdsburg and Mark Stark from Bravas Bar de Tapas. Each chef will demonstrate one course for a progressive dinner.
Friday, Sept. 11: In the “New Gen, Old Wine” webinar at 4 p.m., speakers will talk about the families of the Sonoma County wine community that have been participating in the business for several generations. Panelists will be Alan Ramey of Ramey Cellars, Nicole Bacigalupi of Bacigalupi Vineyards, Cecilia Enriquez of Enriquez Estate and Alexia Pellegrini of Pellegrini-Olivet Lane.
Wednesday, Sept. 16: Bricoleur Vineyards will present “Quarantine Kitchen” at 5:30 p.m. Executive Chef Shane McAnelly will host the virtual cooking class and demonstrate summer dishes.
Friday, Sept. 18: “It’s a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhoods” at 4 p.m. is a virtual tour, presented by The Press Democrat, of Russian River Valley neighborhoods and a look at the role each location plays in the production of pinot noir.
Friday, Sept. 25: In “Harvest Beyond the Grape” at 4 p.m., winery representatives will talk about the importance of biodiversity in Sonoma County, plus what seasonal produce they are pairing with their wines now.
Outside of webinars, the Taste of Sonoma website has a number of wine pairings and recipes from local restaurants to make at home, from a summer peach gazpacho to pan-seared halibut.
“We are thrilled to curate these exclusive programs to continue to show the world how our wine community and our essential culinary partners are unique,” said Michael Haney, executive director of Sonoma County Vintners.
Santa Rosa hair stylist and make-up artist Vanessa Colombo runs her own business and has worked on a number of television shows and movies. (Christopher Chung / The Press Democrat)
Santa Rosa resident Vanessa Colombo is a mother, Tubbs fire survivor and a whizbang hair and makeup stylist.
To some of those in her inner circle, however, she’s known as “Hollywood Vanessa.”
This flashy nickname refers to Colombo’s career as a hair-and-makeup specialist for many of the hit movies and TV shows that have been filmed over the last few years in and around Sonoma County. Since 2017, she’s worked on “13 Reasons Why,” “Bumblebee,” “Wine Country” and “Venom 2,” to name a few. She’s styled hair and makeup for several commercials, as well.
When Colombo isn’t working with celebrities and actors, she runs her own business, hairdressing and doing makeup for women all over the Bay Area. The 39-year-old, who is Black, dresses all kinds of hair for all kinds of people, but specializes in styling members of the local Black community.
“I got into this business to make people feel good about themselves,” she said recently. “My main goal is that they feel comfortable and beautiful.”
Santa Rosa hairstylist Vanessa Colombo, right, has worked with Inde Navarette, who played a character named Estela de la Cruz in Season 4 of 13 Reasons Why. (Vanessa Colombo)
Humble beginnings
Colombo grew up in Petaluma, attended Casa Grande High School for one year before moving to Pennsylvania with her father, and returned to Sonoma County in 1999. After five years working sales in the home warranty business, she decided to go to beauty school at age 25.
She sharpened her craft at local salons including Joe Hamer Salon in Petaluma and Salon Luxe in Santa Rosa.
In 2015, she went out on her own.
One of her first solo clients in the Santa Rosa area was Letitia Hanke, CEO of ARS Roofing. Hanke asked Colombo to remove her relaxer, which essentially straightens curly hair, and cut her hair. For Black women, this is an incredibly personal request. Some refer to it as “the big chop.” Colombo was moved.
“Cutting a woman of color’s hair whose hair does not grow fast, especially if they’ve never worn their natural hair — it’s a really big deal,” Colombo said. “She cried. I cried. It was life changing.”
Colombo got connected with “13 Reasons Why” in 2017. She started as an intern in the hair department and joined the stagehand union, International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees Local 16, two weeks after that. Then she went full-time, cutting hair, styling actors, fixing hairdos before cameras started rolling, and loving every minute of it.
Still, it was hard work. Most days ran at least 12 hours, if not more. First calls usually were before 5 a.m.
She had been working on the show for a few weeks when she went back to her home in Coffey Park one breezy October evening. That night she, her husband, Brent, and her then-6-year-old son lost everything in the Tubbs fire.
What followed were days of sadness, anger and grief. Colombo’s coworkers set up a GoFundMe for her and reassured her that her job would be waiting for her when she was ready to go back to work.
“My love for ’13 Reasons’ came from that,” she said. “I don’t know what I’d have done without them.”
Breakout star
The next season — Season 3 — Colombo’s career with “13 Reasons” skyrocketed. Show producers introduced a new character named Annie, played by the British actor Grace Saif. The 25-year-old Saif is Black and wanted to work with a stylist whom she felt she could trust with her textured hair. Colombo happily accepted the assignment.
Over the course of the season, the women became friends. Every morning, as Colombo took down Saif’s hair and got her ready for the day on set, the two would talk about the importance of hair to Black girls.
“It was so important to her that the message she wanted to convey was that you don’t have to straighten your hair or wear a wig,” Colombo said. “You can be beautiful and wear your natural hair. You don’t have to conform to what people think is beautiful. I think we really accomplished that.”
Daniel Curet, a hairstylist who served as the department head on the show, agreed.
“It meant the world to me that (Colombo) was so versatile,” said Curet, who is based in Los Angeles and is now working to become a real estate agent.
Curet cited one look that Colombo did for Saif as “genius,” and said it stole a scene filmed at a prom.
“The two of them came up with this idea for (Saif) to wear a wig that was all braids down to the middle of her back,” he remembered. “It was incredible. A show-stopper for sure. For (Colombo), it was just another look. But I’ll never forget it.”
Colombo stayed with “13 Reasons” for the fourth and final season, then moved on to other projects. She worked on “Bumblebee,” the Transformers film, doing hair in 111-degree heat in the Marin Headlands. Next she traveled to Oakville to work on “Wine Country,” and laughed her way through styling a cast that included Amy Poehler, Maya Rudolph and Ana Gasteyer.
Most of the time Colombo would work on the actors’ actual hair. Sometimes she would style a wig that an actor or her stunt double would wear.
(In that scene at the end where all the women roll down a hill, their stunt doubles are wearing wigs.)
Her most recent gig was styling hair for the cast of “Venom 2,” which wrapped up in late February, just a few weeks before the coronavirus pandemic began. At last check that movie was scheduled to be released in June 2021.
What’s next
Work has been slow for Colombo in recent months, due to COVID-19. It’s not Colombo’s fault; the entertainment industry is almost entirely shut down. She filmed a commercial for Albertson’s earlier this year and has picked up other small jobs here and there. When major filming starts up again, undoubtedly Hollywood Vanessa will be back on set.
In the meantime, Colombo is focusing on her private clients, including taking on new clients. She most often makes house calls. Every time she dresses hair, she wears two face masks and puts on a face shield for extra protection.
She also spends about an hour sanitizing her equipment before and after each appointment.
One of her most recent gigs was styling Hanke for an appearance on “The Kelly Clarkson Show;” Hanke went on (via Zoom) to talk about her work with the LIME Foundation, which teaches vulnerable community members new skills to help them get jobs. Hanke said Colombo created the perfect look.
“(Clarkson) doesn’t wear any makeup anymore, so I didn’t want to be overdone,” Hanke said. “Vanessa did a great job of styling my hair and makeup in a way that looked natural and didn’t seem too much. I never have to give her much direction, she just knows how to come in and bring out the natural beauty in everyone.”
For Colombo, reviews like this mean everything — maybe even more than a credit at the end of a movie or show.
“Clients who have been with me from the beginning are more than clients; they’re like family,” she said. “In some cases, these are people who knew me since before I was pregnant with my son, knew me through the fire, and now know me afterward. Those kinds of connections are important in life.”
Sparkling wines at Gloria Ferrer Caves and Vineyards in Sonoma. (Courtesy of Gloria Ferrer Caves and Vineyards)
The skies are clogged with smoke from fires burning in Sonoma County, Napa Valley and throughout the state. Evacuations, warnings to evacuate and emergency alerts have us all on edge. Temperatures of 100 degrees and higher have eased for the moment but can return anytime, with almost a month left of official summer.
Sonoma wines are here to help: to quench the thirst during the remaining warm days before fall, for Labor Day (and COVID-19-safe) get-togethers and for celebrating small victories. In moderation, wine can bring people together, make food taste more delicious and give us some joy in difficult times.
But do check yourself. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, while drinking alcoholic beverages temporarily dampens the brain and body’s response to stress, feelings of stress and anxiety can return, and worsen, once the alcohol wears off.
The following Sonoma wines are a pleasure to drink, and buying them supports the grape growers, vineyard workers and wineries that produced them. These recommendations, good year-round, are also specific to this season of heat, smoke and uncertainty. They don’t have firm, drying tannins or heavy toast or smoky aromas and flavors (there are enough of those in the air). Instead, they have vibrant and flavorful fruit, succulence and crisp acidity. Cabernet sauvignon and merlot will have their starring moments in fall and winter.
Sparkling wines
They’re wonderful for celebrations of all kinds, from a negative COVID-19 test to the dog’s birthday to your first hair styling in months. Or enjoy them as simple, pure refreshment.
Breathless Wines NV Sonoma County Brut, in Santa Rosa, California, on Tuesday, August 4, 2020. (Alvin A.H. Jornada / The Press Democrat)
Start with the Breathless Wines NV Sonoma County Brut ($27), an energizing burst of red berry, citrus and tropical fruit overlaying classic brioche-like yeastiness. It’s available in many Sonoma markets and restaurants, at the Healdsburg tasting room and online.
Even racier is the Iron Horse Vineyards 2016 Ocean Reserve Green Valley of Russian River Valley Blanc de Blancs ($55), an all-chardonnay, complex stunner. Sebastopol’s Iron Horse produces a vast lineup of exquisite bubblies, ranging in style and price; Ocean Reserve is the one for right now. Select wine shops carry Iron Horse sparklers, but it’s best to visit the winery or buy online.
Great value can be found in Gloria Ferrer Caves & Vineyards’ mainline wines ($22), with the nonvintage blanc de noirs a personal favorite for its delicate pink color and crisp red-fruit and citrus personality. Gloria Ferrer has wide distribution of this wine and its companion Sonoma Cuvee in grocery stores, often at slightly discounted prices. Or taste first and purchase at the Sonoma Carneros winery.
This varietal is a love-hate for many, with some embracing the grape’s typical grapefruit, grassy and sometimes herbal character and others rejecting it for the same reasons. At a time when we all need to get along and support each other, a few sauvignon blancs allow détente between disagreeing factions.
Jesse Katz’s Aperture Cellars 2019 Sonoma County Sauvignon Blanc ($40) mirrors the Bordeaux blanc wines of France, which meld semillon with sauvignon blanc, fermented and/or aged in oak barrels. That formula rounds out the aggressive characteristics of sauvignon blanc and adds texture and mouthfeel to this Sonoma sauvignon blanc. It’s exotic and enticing, with tropical, peach and quince flavors; citrus appears in the snappy, grapefruit finish. Katz recently opened the Aperture hospitality center in southern Healdsburg. Check the website for visiting and purchasing options.
A more traditionally styled 2019 Dry Creek Valley sauvignon blanc from Dry Creek Vineyard is just as tasty, in a fresh-cut grass/English pea way with additional notes of nectarine, peach and red grapefruit. It’s an honest drink, with keen balance, and comes at an honest price ($20). It’s available in some local markets and at the winery.
Forget about the boring, lean, under-$20 supermarket pinot grigios from Italy and similarly priced pinot gris from Alsace, France and Oregon. Instead, invest the same amount of money in two local wines made from the pinot gris grape which deliver plenty of flavor and energy for summer, a salve for smoke-induced sore throats and also an excellent value.
The Ferrari-Carano Vineyards & Winery 2019 Russian River Valley County Pinot Grigio ($16) is, in a word, awesome. Winemaker Sara Quider oversees the making of this wine, with brisk, mouthwatering acidity keeping the luscious white peach, nectarine and green apple fruit focused and pure. A spice note adds complexity to this generous wine that is widely available at chain grocers and at the winery.
Balletto Vineyards winemaker Anthony Beckman’s 2019 Russian River Valley Pinot Gris ($20) is tighter and more minerally than the Ferrari-Carano version of the pinot gris grape. It’s a scintillating drink to beat the heat and accompany all sorts of shellfish and seafood. It’s citrusy and taut, with peach and Granny Smith apple accents. Some local markets carry this wine; you also can buy it from the winery.
The trend in Sonoma chardonnay is for less toasty oak and butter character and more fruit and refreshing acidity. And that suits the current drinking times. Richness is still very much alive, though it’s accompanied by refreshing acidity and oak that adds spicy accents and texture, without clobbering the fruit.
Look no further than Ramey Wine Cellars for balanced, finessed chardonnays for distressing times. David Ramey makes several chardonnays, from Sonoma appellational blends to vineyard-designates, and buyers can’t go wrong with any of his bottlings. From the 2017 Rochioli Vineyard Russian River Valley Chardonnay ($70) to the 2017 Russian River Valley Chardonnay ($42) blend, the wines are distinctive in character, yet uniformly mouth-filling and rewarding.
Kenwood’s Landmark Vineyards produced the 2017 Overlook Sonoma County Chardonnay ($27), a complete and balanced wine with subtle oak spice and lemon oil aromas. On the palate, it’s crisp and clean, with minerally acidity, white peach and tropical fruit flavors and a long, lemony finish. A sure crowd-pleaser.
By nature, Sonoma pinot noir has vibrant cherry/berry/plum fruit, medium body and moderate tannins, yet firm acid structure for refreshment.
The Flowers Vineyards & Winery 2018 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir ($55) fills the bill, with hints of forest floor, pomegranate and anise joining the luscious black cherry flavors. It has some local distribution, though your best bet for buying this wine is at the Healdsburg winery or online. At press time, the winery was still under evacuation order but not under imminent fire threat.
It will require an online purchase, but the Jacqueline Renee 2017 Bacigalupi Vineyard Russian River Valley Pinot Noir ($54) hit the spot this week, with juicy red cherry and red-plum flavors, crisp acidity and just 13.6% alcohol. It’s made by Jaclynn Van Sant, assistant winemaker at Comstock Vineyards in Dry Creek Valley, and is low in oak character and high in refreshment.
Value-seekers will appreciate the Ron Rubin 2017 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir ($25), which delivers juicy dark cherry and berry fruit, creamy vanillin oak and background notes of woodsy earth and forest floor. It’s both savory and fruity, a neat trick to pull off. Schedule a tasting appointment at this Sebastopol winery.
What would Labor Day be without zinfandel to sip with grilled burgers, sausages and ribs? The holiday might be muted somewhat by the smoke in the air and the pandemic restrictions of group gatherings, yet zinfandel rewards those who love bold, spicy, brambly fruit flavors, under any conditions.
Try the Beltane Ranch 2018 Estate Grown Zinfandel Heins Block Sonoma Valley ($46), a full-bodied wine boasting wild blackberry and blueberry fruit, Chinese five-spice, rounded tannins and a keen acid backbone. It’s a potent wine, at 15.7% alcohol, yet there’s no noticeable heat. Buy at the estate, which includes the winery and guest lodging.
A more moderate (in alcohol) zin than the Beltane Ranch, yet just as bold, the Ridge Vineyards 2018 Pagani Ranch Sonoma Valley Zinfandel ($40) is an old-time field blend of zinfandel, alicante bouschet and petite sirah. At 14.9% alcohol, it strikes a great balance of jammy red and blue fruit with shadings of white pepper and sage. Purchase online at ridgewine.com; at press time, the Ridge Lytton Springs winery in Healdsburg was closed because of its proximity to the Walbridge fire.
My family, as a whole, does not appreciate the subtleties of raw sea urchin, pea foam or anything that looks up at you from a dinner plate. As a food writer I do not understand this, but as a wife and mother I am frequently asked to provide daily sustenance for their hungry faces.
Therein lies the rub. As we all spend more time with our families at home, waiting for the latest wave of bad news and feeling unmotivated to make that sourdough bread that seemed so enthralling in March or even lift a finger to boil water, I figured it was time to discuss the takeout box in the room — what we’re all stress-eating right now.
My family probably looks a lot like your family. We order takeout pizza every Friday night (and sometimes, Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday). We order a ridiculous amount of Mexican food. We crave fat sub sandwiches and go nuts for volcano chicken with macaroni salad. On a good day, we gather around the TV with greasy paper plates, paper towels for napkins and fingers for utensils, with a communal bottle of ranch dressing. On a bad day, we pilfer whatever’s left over from each other’s fast food bags. These are strange days.
Why am I revealing this deep, dark secret? I feel like this isn’t a time for finger-wagging about what we eat or raving about perfectly plated dishes with edible flowers and raspberry coulis.
It’s a time to give in to calories-be-damned comfort cravings with the ones we love. It’s time to order out, hunker down and pray for daylight.
In fact, the recent stress of fires overlaying months of pandemic worry made crawling under the blankets with a giant bag of Lay’s sour cream and onion chips, a super burrito stuffed with French fries and a bag of frozen peanut butter cups seem like an utterly reasonable thing to do. I have no regrets.
Sure, we’ll all get back to organic tofu stir fries eventually, but for now, this is the absolutely transparent, mom-is-so-not-cooking, real-world truth about what my crew is craving, enjoying and gobbling up as we wait for life to return to some semblance of normality.
Note: Installing delivery apps on your phone makes life a lot easier, but I’m also including direct phone numbers or websites if you want to pick up.
Mary’s Pizza Shack: The new crispy chicken sandwich ($10.95) is as good as I’d dared to hope. A toasty brioche bun, not-too-thick fried chicken patty, chili mayo, Parmesan cheese and pickled onion with cabbage and arugula slaw pairs perfectly with my third glass of chardonnay. My go-to however, is the Chicken Parmigiana ($14.75) with tart tomato sauce, melted provolone and creamy fettuccine Alfredo. I eat it while hiding in the garage from my family. Various locations, maryspizzashack.com
Taqueria California: My kids discovered this spot on Doordash and we’ve never looked back. Crispy carnitas and al pastor tacos were still shockingly good even after they sweated it out in a delivery driver’s car. In fact, these are the tastiest carnitas I’ve had in a very, very long time. Leftovers were perfect while we watched the blood red sunset and chunks of ash fall from the sky. 750 Stony Point Road, Santa Rosa, 707-595-3363.
Smokin’ Bowls: Loaded Pizza Fries ($8.75) have teenage boy written all over them. So does the Rohnert Pork ($8.75), a temple of beef-tallow fried taters smothered with heart-stopping goodies like cheese sauce, pulled pork, bacon and gravy that keeps the kids stuffed all day. For me, they just make the sad go away for a little while, especially if eaten while watching “Hoarders.” At least my life isn’t that weird. 295 Southwest Blvd., Rohnert Park, 707-665-5265, smokinbowls.com
Ricky’s Eastbound: Former Bruno’s owners are doing takeout “Heat & Eat” family meals that make it look like you actually did something besides chug White Claw and cry all day. Our Father’s Day dinner (served in aluminum trays) was their braised short ribs with cheesy potatoes and chocolate chip cookies. I think there was a salad, but no one really cared about that. They now have cocktails to go with your dinner, making the whole socializing with your family thing a lot more fun. 5755 Mountain Hawk Drive, Santa Rosa, 707-843-5143, rickyseastbound.com
Zoftig Eatery: Is falafel a vegetable? I’ve decided it is. This breakfast/lunch spot near Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital is doing a brisk business satisfying stress-eating hospital workers and my family. You can go either way here, with a kinda-healthy falafel wrap (hummus, cucumber raita, pickled onions, veggie, tahini dressing, sparkles of hope) or the K-Town buttermilk-fried chicken sandwich with gochujang barbecue sauce, sesame aioli, jalapeño and lime. A perfect handheld lunch for those days when you’re walking in circles questioning reality. 57 Montgomery St., Santa Rosa, 707-521-9554, zoftigeatery.com
Haku Sushi: Wacky sushi rolls with names like Thunder Down Under, Funny Feeling Down There, 420 Happy Meal and Sex On Fire. Hours of parental giggling ensue as your teens roll their eyes in disgust after hearing your phone order. Win! 518 Seventh St., Santa Rosa, 707-549-6359. Their website isn’t very good, so use doordash.com for a current menu.
Castaneda’s: The family “Super Snack Pack” comes with six crispy tacos, four burrito halves, tater tot nachos and grilled shrimp ($40). Order one for them, then sneak another into your bedroom and lock the door, yelling, “No one home!” when anyone knocks. Also an ideal reward for crabby husbands who’ve been stuck “homeschooling” the children all day. 8465 Old Redwood Hwy., Windsor, 707-838-8820.
Roy’s Chicago Dogs owner Chris Caudill isn’t a guy who likes seeing his own mug on camera. But after finding his restaurant smoker mysteriously emptied of 70 pounds of brisket last Thursday morning, he spontaneously recorded a video that moved a community to respond.
“It’s kind of hard right now with the COVID thing and businesses being shut down basically, and then somebody comes in here and steals the brisket on a day that I’m having a big barbecue promotion,” he said in the video. “So, I’m putting this out there, and probably nothing’s gonna come of it. But if you heard anything … or if someone shows up with 70 pounds of brisket, gimme a call and let me know,” he said.
Quickly, people shared and reshared the impromptu video on social media and flooded Caudill with offers of support. Four new briskets showed up for his smoker. The community engulfed his small businesses with love, and orders — so much so that he got a little overwhelmed, though he said most customers understood.
“No one dinged us on Yelp,” he said.
Struggling after months of COVID-related downturns for his small cafe at the historic Petaluma stockyard, Caudill was blown away by the big response from the local food community.
“It makes me feel like it’s worth continuing to do this, because …you know, you bleed a bucket of blood for every dollar you make,” he said. “But this has given me faith in humanity. We have political differences and the world is in chaos, but it’s amazing that something this simple could unite a community. … That’s something we really need right now.”
Caudill said he’s more than financially made up for his brisket loss and feels a little guilty about all the attention, but he’s grateful for the outpouring of love.
So far, no one has found the brisket.
Roy’s Chicago Dogs at the Yard features barbecue Thursday through Saturday along with Chicago-style hot dogs, shakes, fries and more at 84 Corona Road in Petaluma. More details at facebook.com/royschicagodogs.
The Corner 103 tasting room in downtown Sonoma. (Corner 103)
A tasting room in downtown Sonoma has been named the best in the country. Corner 103 received the distinction earlier this week from 10Best, which is published by USA Today.
A panel of experts partnered with 10Best editors to pick the initial nominees, and the top 10 winners were determined by popular vote. Corner 103 was the only Sonoma Valley tasting room to be nominated — though the list comprised seven tasting rooms in the North Bay.
“Given the current environment with Covid-19 and the fires, it is great to have something so positive happen,” he said this week. “I have worked very hard to build Corner 103 and it is amazing to have my vision recognized as being the best in the [United States].”
Lloyd Davis, owner of Corner 103 in Sonoma. (Courtesy of Corner 103)
In their description of Corner 103, 10Best editors cited the tasting room’s approachability as its most appealing quality. Since Davis opened the tasting room in April 2015, he has strived to cultivate a down-to-earth atmosphere, creating an elegant setting that is not intimidating.
This vision has translated into seated tastings only, with five wines per person — now taking place at beautifully appointed tables on the sidewalk out front. Normally, the standard Corner 103 tastings take place inside and include food pairings with every wine. Due to Covid-19, however, the winery is currently offering more scaled-back options in the interest of public health.
“From the beginning, my vision has been to break down the walls of intimidation about wine and celebrating the finer things in life,” Davis said. “All of our tastings are seated and one-on-one to give my guests a more intimate experience.”
Davis, who left New York and moved to Sonoma in 2008, is no stranger to the wine business. Before he opened Corner 103, he owned and operated Viansa Winery, off Highway 121 in Sonoma. Prior to that, he was a partner at a New York hedge fund.
It was the experience at Viansa that sparked Davis’ passion for wine. When he took over Viansa Winery in 2008, pulling it out of bankruptcy, he fell in love with the business while trying to fix it. When he finally sold the winery in 2013, he was committed to staying in the wine industry. So he retired from his first career and launched a second one as vintner.
Today, winemaker Ron Goss produces Corner 103 wine using grapes from 12 different vineyards across the county. One of the winery’s most popular wines, the Corner Cuvee, comprises grapes from four different sites.
Back in the Sonoma Valley, Corner 103’s recent award certainly has turned some heads.
Tim Zahner, executive director of the Sonoma Valley Visitors Bureau, was ecstatic that a local tasting room had received national recognition.
“As the birthplace of California’s modern wine country, Sonoma Valley has no shortage of excellent tasting rooms and wineries,” Zahner wrote in a recent email. “Lloyd Davis and his team at Corner 103 should be rightly proud of being named the top tasting room in America.”
Other Bay Area wineries on the list included Castello di Amorosa in Calistoga (No. 2), Davis Family Vineyards in Healdsburg (No. 3), Louis M. Martini Winery in St. Helena (No. 5), Charles Krug Winery in St. Helena (No. 6), Gary Farrell Vineyards & Winery in Healdsburg (No. 8), and Smith Story Wine Cellars in Philo (No. 9). The thee remaining entries on the list were from Paso Robles; Walla Walla, Washington; and Dayton, Oregon.
Now that home has turned into an office and a schoolhouse for many, it might be time to get serious about fashioning a space that facilitates working together, all day long. We’ve put together a list of finds from Sonoma County stores to help corral work supplies and create zones for productivity. Click through the above gallery for details.
With wildfires burning throughout the North Bay, our nerves — already frayed by the pandemic, previous fires and a polarized political climate — are being further strained.
In trying times like these, when many of our regular ways of connecting socially and taking care of ourselves have become limited, it can be tempting “to shut one’s self off completely,” says Sonoma County marriage and family therapist Gayle Whitlock.
“What’s apparent right now is that people are feeling lonely. They want to connect but in a safe way. Our society has become so divisive,” says Whitlock, who co-facilitated a virtual healing circle for Black women just days after the recent fires broke out.
While the Sonoma County therapist serves clients of all races, her aim with the healing circle was to create a space in which Black women could connect with one another and “show up unapologetically Black” without being censored and without censoring themselves.
The lessons from this healing circle can be useful for anyone, says Whitlock. For example, one of the key coping tools she recommends during difficult times is “speaking your truth.”
But communicating freely and openly can be a challenge in a climate of clashing views. Whitlock suggests seeking out opportunities to share your thoughts and feelings with those who will listen and understand, while limiting exposure to “toxic” information and people, and making small changes that make a difference. Here are a few more recommendations.
Change what you can
Taking care of details you can control can help combat a sense of powerlessness. As an example, Whitlock recommends implementing fire safety plans like having a “go bag” packed or keeping the cat carrier by the door in the event of an evacuation. To endure power outages, she suggests having healthy shelf-stable food like fruit and nuts on hand to avoid waste. (Find more useful tips for coping with fire stress here).
Focus on the positive in the moment
Even as your heart goes out to those who face evacuation and great personal loss, it’s helpful to focus on what’s positive in your own experience. Appreciating that you are safe, in this very moment, can be a way to keep you from feeling overwhelmed and taking on the world’s burdens, says Whitlock.
Look for ways to move forward
Acknowledge that bad things happen and that they are going to happen. It’s important to allow yourself to be angry and to vent, but remaining in an exasperated state for too long can be harmful to you and those around you. Try to take a look at what’s going on inside: check in with yourself and ask yourself how you can have a positive impact on other people. If we know that the intention behind our actions is to “generate more peace than discord,” we can feel comfortable with what we do, says Whitlock.
Establish personal boundaries
If someone says or does something that is hurtful, you have a right to protect and stand up for yourself. Notice the “little internal nudge when someone is pushing on a boundary,” says Whitlock. While we won’t always agree with everyone, we can still maintain good and healthy relationships if they are built on mutual respect and communication.
Take a break from news and social media
“Do you need to be consuming all the viewpoints that are put out there on social media?,” asks Whitlock. In many ways, scrolling our social media feeds has become addictive. Whitlock recommends taking social media breaks and limiting your news intake. As for herself, she prefers “less hyperbolic sources with less viewpoints.”
Adjust your exercise
Exercise is an essential self-care tool. Under normal circumstances, Whitlock unwinds from a day of work by exercising at the gym. Now, she puts on her mask and takes a short walk if the smoke isn’t too bad. She’ll also stretch at home. (There are many ways you can adjust your exercise routine to both suit your needs and the conditions we find ourselves in. For example, you can find exercise and yoga videos online for all fitness levels, as well as stretching routines.)
Get creative about helping others
Volunteering is a great way to get out of your own mental rut, but social distance requirements have limited the opportunities to help others in person. But there are still ways to be of service: Check in with a religious community or organization that has volunteer opportunities, recommends Whitlock, “An older member may need a call.”
Or you could counsel a younger person on how to positively engage in the upcoming election. “Don’t be negative or judgmental or demeaning,” she warns, “but tell them, ‘I see how you can feel that way — you can be empowered and speak your truth.’”
Gayle Whitlock is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. New Leaf Counseling Services, 707-387-4146, newleafcounselingservices.org
So when are the locusts coming? That’s the question we’re all asking ourselves as the skies darken once again, ash falls like rain and thousands of our county neighbors are evacuated.
It’s hard to find a silver lining for restaurants (or anyone) right now, since the smoke-filled skies are effectively shutting down outdoor dining, the one thing that was lifting spirits and bottom lines at least a little.
Restaurants are once again pivoting (it’s really like a constant twirl at this point) to takeout, but some restaurants have reached their limit.
Late last week, Tisza Bistro in Windsor closed after a three-year stint. The run of the restaurant, which served incredible Eastern European-Californian cuisine, was bookended by disaster.
I remember writing about Chef Krisztian Karkus just days after the Tubbs fire tore through Santa Rosa. At the time, he was trying to feed evacuees panini sandwiches with a waffle iron he bought at Kohl’s. We were both a little shell-shocked, but his schnitzel with lingonberry jam, breathtaking roasted beet salad and lamb shoulder provided a little bit of comfort in the firestorm.
Wiener schnitzel at Tisza Bistro in Windsor. (Heather Irwin)Kale salad with pomegranate, Parmesan, wine-soaked currants and walnut vinaigrette at Tisza Bistro in Windsor. (Heather Irwin)
The restaurant closed as the newest wildfires, pandemic and ongoing struggles finally made it impossible to go on any longer.
“To say that things have been difficult over the last several months would be a severe understatement,” Karkus said in an email to patrons. “Due to these challenging times, we have made the very painful decision to close our doors permanently on August 15, 2020, and take some time to reflect on the last 3 years and perhaps reinvent ourselves down the road.”
Tisza’s last day was Aug. 15.
Many other restaurants are making a final effort, pleading with longtime customers. This week, K&L Bistro, an iconic Sebastopol cafe, told Facebook followers they were in danger of going under and were hoping for an uptick in take-out orders, as their patio has limited seating.
Downtown Santa Rosa’s Fourth Street, which was partially closed to traffic and turned into an open-air eatery earlier this summer, was nearly empty on Thursday as diners pulled out N-95 masks once again.
Will this finally be the death knell for some of our favorite local restaurants? That’s up to all of us. It’s more important than ever to support the hard-working chefs, staff, farmers and the long tail of other businesses that depend on us.
When they moved to Sonoma County from Oakland, Geneva Melby and partner Ryan Miller were excited to meet a number of winemakers from the natural wine community.
As chefs at Ramen Gaijin restaurant in Sebastopol, the two were inspired to create a space at the restaurant where they could highlight natural wines and pair them with their food. The result is the occasional pop-up market called The Redwood.
“We would never want to create something that didn’t have our food in it as well, but we really wanted to focus on the wine,” Melby said. She said she was inspired by the organic and thoughtful production of natural wines.
The Redwood sells to-go natural wine by the bottle with food pairings from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. every other Sunday. The next pop-up will be held on Aug. 30.
Staples of the pop-up include sourdough bread and Mediterranean dishes such as falafel, hummus, baba ganoush and muhammara. Melby said they plan to serve different types of pickles, hot sauces and homemade jams as well.
Melby and Miller will donate 20% of the wine sales to local organizations. Recent Redwood markets have benefited the Community Action Partnership of Sonoma County, Redwood Empire Food Bank and La Luz Center.
“The whole point of this is to be this community spot. We want to lift up these small winemakers that are in this community. We want to be friends with them,” Melby said.
For more information on upcoming pop-ups, visit The Redwood’s Instagram page (@theredwood.wine) or website (theredwoodwine.com). Ramen Gaijin is located at 6948 Sebastopol Ave. in Sebastopol.
