With sunny skies on the forecast, it’s finally starting to feel like summer will make an appearance in Sonoma County. Temperatures are expected to climb into the 80s this weekend. Click through the gallery to discover how to spend your days off, enjoying new wine country events that pair food, wine and fun with doing good.
Academy Award winner Leonardo DiCaprio produced and narrated the upcoming documentary “Ice on Fire,” which highlights a local environmental organization, among other climate change practitioners, that is working to reverse climate change and its damaging effects.
The documentary, which debuted at the Cannes Film Festival on Wednesday, May 22, and will premiere on HBO June 11, touches on the impending devastations climate change will invoke and focuses on what people are doing to stop it. Some of those people include members of the Mendocino-based organization the Redwood Forest Foundation, Inc., according to the non-profit’s press release.
In addition to featuring scientists, innovators, farmers and others from around the globe, the film visits RFFI’s 50,000-acre Usal Redwood Forest and interviews the chief forester, Linwood Gill, who highlights the foundation’s carbon-storage project and reforestation practices. The manager of RFFI’s North Coast Biochar operation, Raymond Baltar, is also featured in the film to discuss removing excess brush to prevent forest fires and convert the eco-waste into carbon-rich biochar soil.
Lin Morgan Barrett, RFFI community development director, said she’s hoping the film will inspire others to take action in reversing the effects of climate change.
“We’re thrilled with the opportunity to be able to get the word out about our projects – reforestation, forest management, basically sustainable forest practices,” she said.
Barret noted that the documentary highlights the frightening effects of climate change and problems at the North Pole, but it also emphasizes those who are helping to curb and reverse the effects through numerous, innovative techniques.
“It’s actually quite technical,” she said of the film, noting the scientific aspects along with the beautiful scenery. “It does urge people to take action.”
“Ice on Fire” is directed by acclaimed director Leila Conners, who has worked on a number of other environmentally-focused documentaries and shorts, such as “The 11th Hour,” which also stars DiCaprio.
“My partners and I made ‘Ice on Fire’ to give a voice to the scientists and researchers who work tirelessly every day on the front lines of climate change,” DiCaprio said in a statement for Warner Media. “We wanted to make a film that depicts the beauty of our planet while highlighting much-needed solutions across renewable energy and carbon sequestration. This film does more than show what is at stake if we continue on a course of inaction and complacency – it shows how, with the help of dedicated scientists, we can all fight back. I hope audiences will be inspired to take action to protect our beautiful planet.”
Considering the ever-growing popularity of the food truck, it’s no surprise that some wineries are now taking the tasting room on the road. This weekend, Malene Wines of San Luis Obispo is bringing SoCal rosé to Napa Valley via a vintage airstream trailer, aptly named Mini-Malene.
The chic mobile tasting room will be pouring pink wine at the CIA at Copia—next to the Oxbow Public Market—for three consecutive weekends, starting Saturday, May 25, and Sunday, May 26, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Parked just a few blocks from the BottleRock grounds, the Mini-Malene is sure to become a hotspot this festival weekend.
Since its founding in 2016, Malene Wines has garnered attention for their Provence-style rosé made from Central Coast fruit, served at the winery’s ’69 Airstream—a full-size version of the Mini-Malene, which is parked next to Chamisal Vineyards in the Edna Valley. In addition to their flagship rosé, Malene Wines also produces a rosé of mourvedre and an old vine rosé of grenache, made from 44-year old vines.
The Napa sojourn marks the beginning of a series of pop-up events for Malene Wines and their Mini-Malene. At Copia, they will take advantage of the expansive gardens—complete with a new alfresco lounge, The Grove, serving up other alcoholic beverages, pizza and barbecue. Rosé by the glass will cost between $10 and $14, a flight is priced at $12, and patrons can also purchase a bottle ($22-35) to take home or enjoy in the gardens for an extra corkage fee.
Following BottleRock weekend, Mini-Malene will return to the CIA at Copia June 1-2 and then June 8-9, celebrating National Rosé Day on Saturday, June 8.
Sonoma Magazine has received three coveted magazine awards in the 34th Annual National City and Regional Magazine Awards competition, including General Excellence – the top national award for city and regional magazines. The awards were announced Monday at the City and Regional Magazine Associations’s (CRMA) annual conference in Minneapolis.
This is the second time Sonoma Magazine has been awarded “General Excellence” in its circulation category. This year, the CRMA judges highlighted the magazine’s coverage of the October 2017 wildfires:
“Wrapped in a package that is stunning and beautiful, Sonoma [magazine] is a top-notch regional magazine that exudes local know-how. Visual features sit comfortably alongside reader service stories, and these attributes came together in extraordinary fashion in a special issue about the area’s wildfires.”
Sonoma Magazine also won the Feature Story category for Julie Johnson’s evocative retelling of the 2017 wildfires, “October Inferno,” published in the Jan/Feb 2018 “Fire Issue.” The judges commended Johnson’s “great reporting” and “clear, clean style,” and called the piece “a harmonious amalgamation of writing and reporting.”
(Sonoma Magazine was awarded best Feature Story in 2016 for “Up Against the Wall,” Phil Barber’s gripping account of Kevin Jorgeson’s and Tommy Caldwell’s historic Dawn Wall climb.)
The magazine’s July/Aug 2018 photo essay “River of Dreams,” which featured Russian River images by Windsor-based photographer Ron Koeberer, won the top award in the Photography category. “These images possess a dream-like energy, allowing the reader to float from one page into the next,” said the judges, “Ron Koeberer builds thoughtful tension between the still and active moments to maintain the same vantage point throughout the feature.”
Commenting on winning three awards in this year’s CRMA competition, Sonoma Magazine publisher Michael Zivyak said: “With three wins out of only 35 categories in competition, Sonoma Magazine remains the Jack Russell terrier of the magazine world – the small magazine that acts like a big one.”
Other winners of the general excellence awards for their category of circulation were D Magazine (Dallas) and Washingtonian.
Subscribe to Sonoma Magazine here.
Want to find food trucks in Sonoma County? Your best bet may just be at one of the many taprooms opening up from Petaluma to Windsor. Rather than opening their own kitchens, they’re inviting a new fleet of mobile food purveyors to pull up and feed their hungry crowds while they swizzle some of the region’s best beers. It’s a win-win for everyone, and spots like Cooperage Brewing, Hen House, Barrel Brothers, Moonlight Brewing Company and Shady Oak Barrel House have regular truck nights weekly. The Block in Petaluma also has trucks pulling up several days each week, along with the usual stops at farm markets and summer events. Click through the gallery for some of our favorites (and check their websites or Facebook page for hours and locations, as these vary).
Honorable mentions
Frequently paired up with food trucks, these guys are fully mobile, but usually set up tents instead of working out of trucks. So, you know…we had to include them.
Camacho’s Southern Style BBQ: Seriously spectacular bbq. facebook.com/CamachosSouthernStyleBBQ
Chaco’s Catering: Tacos to paella, American to Thai. Classically trained chef Sergio Valencia Trejo brings his passion for cooking to locations throughout the county. chachoscateringnco.com.
Hopwurst: Craft beer and artisan sausage company based out of Marin.
As a Napa local, I’ve been attending the BottleRock music festival since its inception in 2013, which featured The Black Keys, Kings of Leon, and the Zac Brown Band as headliners. I’ve only missed one year—in 2017, I was on my honeymoon—and have mastered how to make the most of the festival weekend even as BottleRock continues to grow in popularity and size.
From where you can find free nearby parking to why you should always pack extra toilet paper, here are some of my top tips and tricks for BottleRocking like a local.
It’s important to note that BottleRock has a new bag policy this year, which bans backpacks. As for what you should put in your bag: a hat and sunscreen (lotion, not spray; aerosol cans are banned) will keep you protected from the sun—there is very limited shade in General Admission—and a jacket will keep you warm at night. I can’t stress this enough: the temperature will drop significantly when the sun goes down.
Toilet paper and hand sanitizer always come in handy when the porta potties inevitably run out of TP and soap. I also like to bring a portable charger to power up my phone, which always ends up dying before the headlining act from all of the photos and videos I take.
An empty stainless steel water bottle is an absolute must. It’s good for the environment and your wallet, for BottleRock has free refilling stations throughout the festival so you can keep hydrated. But the water bottle can have a dual purpose. My trick: I purchase two alcohol beverages at once, drink one, and pour the other in my water bottle to keep it cold. This saves you from having to weave through thick crowds and wait in line every time you’re ready for a drink. For this, I recommend a bottle that keeps beverages cold.
There are many transportation options available for getting to and from the festival. BottleRock is selling tickets to chartered buses going to and from San Francisco, Sacramento, Oakland, San Jose, Fairfield, Sonoma, Mill Valley, Palo Alto, and Santa Rosa. Uber and Lyft are always great options, especially if you’ll be drinking, but expect them to have surging prices due to high volume, which also means you could end up waiting a while to get one.
If you’re staying in or near Napa and are close enough to bike, there is free bicycle parking (don’t forget a lock), but Napa Valley’s local Vine bus is one of the most underrated ways to get to the festival. It’s extremely clean, efficient, and most importantly, free, plus they have extended the hours on their routes for concert goers.
Driving should be a last-resort option, but if you do take your own vehicle, don’t worry about shelling out the big bucks for a parking pass. It’s totally possible to find non-metered street parking on the outskirts of downtown Napa, especially earlier in the day. I like to search in the area around the St. John the Baptist Church on Caymus St. From there, it’s roughly a 15-minute walk to the gates.
At last year’s festival, it took me at least 30-45 minutes each day to get through the gates. The earlier you arrive, the shorter the lines will be, but unless you snagged a VIP or Platinum wristband, I suggest arriving an hour ahead of showtime for the first artist you want to see to ensure you don’t miss them.
There are two entrances. The main one is a bit of a free-for-all, but the side entrance on Brunel St. tends to be quicker, more civilized, and less claustrophobic (it’s a single file line, whereas everyone really just clumps together at the front entrance).
I’m hopeful that the BottleRock team has found a way to speed up the entrance process this year, but at the very least, they are offering a fast track option for anyone enrolled in TSA Pre ✓® . Find the TSA Pre ✓® RV parked on the corner of Bailey and 3rd, show your known traveler number, and they’ll give you a Fast Pass wristband to use at the main gate. You can also sign up for TSA Pre ✓® there; just bring your passport or proof of U.S. Citizenship and $85.
There are tens of thousands of people at BottleRock, so it’s very easy to lose track of your friends as you separate to use the restroom, find food and drink, etc. When you return to the stage to find them, it can be nearly impossible as the crowds fill in. Moreover, cell phone service can be quite finicky.
Creating a totem is a great tool for keeping your group together. This consists simply of a stick and something your friends can identify tied to the top, perhaps a stuffed teddy bear or a cowboy boot. Bonus points if it lights up at night. Take turns holding the totem up throughout the festival and your friends will have a much easier time reuniting with you.
The number one thing that separates BottleRock from every other music festival is its world-class wine and food offerings. It’s a great opportunity to experience some of the top wineries and restaurants in Napa Valley—at a fraction of the price of a full meal or bottle—so I recommend keeping it hyper-local.
As someone who visits these wineries and restaurants regularly, I’m providing my top BottleRock food and drink picks: for wine, get your bubbly from Schramsberg, rosé from Blackbird Vineyards, and sauvignon blanc from St. Supery. Personally, I don’t think red wine pairs great with warm festival days.
The Citrus Mistress from Hop Valley, an Oregon brewery, is my favorite festival refresher (find it at the Beer Bend), but if you want to keep it local, try the Hatchet from Trade Brewing, which has a taproom just a few blocks from BottleRock. As for cocktails, the Sun God from Hendrick’s Gin (with Lillet Blanc, fresh cucumber, lemon, and soda) is the definition of a porch pounder.
This year I will be going straight for a bucket of fried chicken from Thomas Keller’s Ad Hoc (if you haven’t had his fried chicken before, you haven’t lived). As an alternative option, the fried chicken sliders from Brix are a longtime BottleRock favorite. The Menchi Katsu Burger from Morimoto has become a BottleRock standby, but the wait in line is worth it. Like Ad Hoc, Boon Fly is also new to the roster this year and they’re bringing their famous donuts, a perfect treat if you want something sweet. For a snack that’s both light and refreshing, head to FARM for a cup of spicy watermelon.
You come to BottleRock for the music—this year’s festival features headlining acts Imagine Dragons, Neil Young, and Mumford & Sons—but there’s so much more to see and do over the course of three days than “just” rock out. From pre-festival parties to dancing in a porta potty—yes, you read that right—here are six things you can’t miss at BottleRock this year.
The tasting room is dead. Long live the tasting room. These wineries are exploring new ways to attract customers, moving beyond the traditional tasting room setting to create dynamic and compelling experiences that draw visitors not just for their wines, but for the story behind them, too. Click through the gallery for details.
For nearly six weeks, the staff of Sonoma’s new Layla restaurant at MacArthur Place were trained in the town’s community center. The longtime hotel and spa were undergoing a massive renovation, and the dining room wasn’t quite ready. So, the staff practiced service where they could, over and over. The time was well spent.
From being flagged at the gate for free valet parking to magical cocktails, polished servers, brilliant food and a cheerily modern interior, the experience is as polished as a new penny.
Ready for a new act, Sonoma’s MacArthur Place has become almost unrecognizable after an overhaul by Arizona-based real estate investment company IMH Financial Corp. The new anchor restaurant, Layla, is perhaps the most impressive of all the changes.
Gone is the cowboy-themed steakhouse, Saddles, now replaced by three upgraded dining options: The Porch (a sort of grab-and-go cafe); a spacious lounge called The Bar at MacArthur Place; and Layla, serving an upscale Mediterranean and New American menu. The property also has a new reception area and updated rooms.
Beyond just a physical transformation, they’ve brought in some serious culinary star power with Executive Chef Cole Dickinson, who has cooked at Acacia House in Napa, Dry Creek Kitchen in Healdsburg and Hemisphere at the Greenbrier and The Bazaar by Jose Andres in Beverly Hills.
It’s best to take in the whole thing slowly, so make the first stop at the Bar at MacArthur Place. It’s a clubby lounge as comfortable with scotch on the rocks as trendy herb-infused cocktails. If you’re of the latter persuasion (or even if you’re not), start with the blandly named Forager ($14). It’s anything but, with a tableside pour of butterfly pea flower tea into a glass filled with Griffo gin, Italicus Rosolio aperitif, cucumber, basil, lime and fresh herbs. Then prepare to be amazed.
Soaked in water, dried pea flower has an uncanny ability to turn liquid a deep indigo blue — but that’s just the first act. A bit of alchemy involving acid in the citrus creates a bewitching blue-purple-magenta-pink ombre effect that’s like catching a glimpse of a unicorn. There are also you-won’t-miss-what’s-missing spirit-free cocktails and impressive wines by the glass, beer and cider. If you’re a spirit connoisseur, they’ve got an extensive list to choose from.
The adjoining Layla restaurant stands in bright contrast, with windows and skylights filtering onto white and gray wicker furniture.
The new menu is surprisingly short but intensely focused. Shared plates are each more impressive than the last, nothing carelessly tossed on the plate or thoughtlessly delivered to the table. Sometimes a tremendous experience like Layla reminds you how stunningly average it is for restaurants to be stunningly average.
Parker House Rolls aren’t just yeasty little pillows of bread at Layla, but arrive shimmering with coarse salt and a petite bowl of chicken drippin’ and sherry vinegar ($7). It’s a nod to every cook who stuffs a piece of bread into the roasting pan to soak up the lush schmaltz when no one is looking.
A trio of mezze includes baba ganoush made with zucchini instead of eggplant, giving it a sweeter, less bitter flavor, topped with pickled white raisins, dots of black garlic paste and walnuts ($9). Hummus is made with sweet English peas, again, switching up the flavor profile while keeping true to the intent ($9). Served with warm za’atar spiced pita, the tzatziki is fairly straightforward, a creamy-tart ode to dill, cucumber and yogurt. ($9).
Patatas Bravas ($13) are one of the kitchen’s best dishes. Shredded potatoes are cooked, cubed and refried, making them perfectly crisp on every available surface. A hefty blob of whipped garlic aioli — the real stuff, not mayonnaise — jiggles on top, while smoky tomato jam offers a sweet foundation.
Octopus is so often a disappointment, but this version gets it right. Tentacles are first cooked sous vide, then crisped giving them a tender interior and toothsome (but not rubbery) outside. They actually taste like the sea, not a rubber band covered in sauce. Served with a lemon-parsley vinaigrette and potato confit ($21).
Avert your urge to sigh and bypass the beet salad. Inspired by the Turkish dish “pancar salatsi,” beets are diced with whipped creme fraiche and mint, served with thinly sliced cross-sections of fried potatoes ($14).
Nodding to the former steakhouse, a 14-oz New York strip ($56) served rare with port au jus, is grilled over an open flame, giving it a lightly charred exterior and jeweled pink interior. It’s an impressive chunk of meat, but the most amazing act of the dinner menu is the Israeli Couscous ($33).
Served in a modest yellow bowl, it’s almost disappointing how small the portion is. One bite, however, and the universe reveals itself in a flood of melted butter, creamy Maine lobster, shellfish jus, tender couscous and a hint of lemon. Angels descend. Mikes drop. Curtain closes.
Layla at MacArthur Place: Open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. 29 E. MacArthur St., Sonoma, 800-722-1866, macarthurplace.com.
The quality of a deli is a sort of math equation: The number of construction trucks in the parking divided by the number of minutes it takes to get your sandwich multiplied by the sum of the number of flavors of potato chips. Extra points for homemade cookies at the counter, more than an inch of meat or a solid Reuben.
Sonoma Sourdough Sandwiches on State Farm Drive in Rohnert Park ranks a solid 15 on the deli scale, and that’s before even weighing in the fact that their sandwiches come on a hearty, toasted sourdough sub roll. They have a solid Reuben, natch, along with more than a dozen sandwiches on the menu ranging from a meaty combination of cold cuts to spicy chicken or vegetarian.
Special orders gladly accepted. Service is coldly efficient but makes for a lightning fast in and out. The digs are minimal, but most folks order to go. It’s hidden away in an industrial area so you won’t get many slowpokes holding up the line with annoying questions about gluten-free bread or vegan mayo. In, out, eat.
5440 State Farm Drive, Rohnert Park. Locations also at 7285 Snyder Lane, Rohnert Park and 1320 Industrial Ave., Petaluma.
