6 Mexican-American Wines to Check Out from Sonoma and Napa

By Sarah Stierch
People toast with sparkling wine at Robledo Family Winery in Sonoma, California
Robledo Family Wines.

In Wine County, a growing number of Mexican-Americans are part of a new generation of winemakers and winery owners. Many are the children of migrant workers, or started as grape pickers and farmhands, rising through the ranks to become successful wine producers.

Cinco de Mayo (May 5) is an opportunity not only to commemorate Mexico’s triumph against the French at the Battle of Puebla in 1862, but also to celebrate the amazing contributions that Mexican-Americans have made in the local wine industry – but don’t let it be the only day to celebrate the fruit of their labor. Here are six Mexican-American produced wines to toast with on Cinco de Mayo and beyond.

Vineyard in Napa Valley owned by Frias Family Vineyard
Frias Family’s estate vineyard in the Spring Mountain District AVA of Napa Valley. (Photo courtesy of Frias Family Vineyard)

Robledo Family Winery 2010 Cuveé Brut ($45)
Founded in 2003, Robledo Family Winery was the first winery owned by a Mexican migrant worker. Today, they are one of the largest family-owned wine producers in the region – their wine has even been served at the White House! This award-winning sparkler is a blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. It’s dry and crisp, with delicate flavors of Granny Smith apple and Asian pear. Drink now!

Herencia Del Valle 2014 Chardonnay ($35)
Two long-time wine grape farming families, the Herrera’s and Renteria’s, came together to create Herencia Del Valle (herencia means heritage in Spanish). Their 2014 Chardonnay uses grapes from the Carneros AVA, on the edge of the San Pablo Bay. Fermented in 75% new oak, it’s deceptively balanced, with no overblown malolactic on the mouth. It’s a lively wine, with hints of brioche, peach and dried fruit.

Frias 2016 Rosé Napa Valley ($25)
One of the oldest Latino-owned and operated wineries in Napa Valley, Frias Family Vineyard makes highly sought after red wines, but they also make awesome rosé! A blend of estate grown grapes, which are primarily Cabernet Sauvignon, Frias’ rosé has a soft, yet fragrant nose of rose petals and a palate of melon and strawberry that is best served poolside.

The Valdez Family
Ulises Valdez went from a vineyard manager to a vineyard and winery owner. (Photo: Christopher Chung for the Press Democrat)

Valdez Family Winery 2013 Valdez Vineyards Pinot Noir ($45)
Ulises Valdez is one of the most recognized names in vineyard management – he started working in Sonoma County vineyards when he was 16. Today, he operates Valdez Family Winery, with a tasting room in downtown Healdsburg. This Pinot is made from grapes of three Valdez owned Sonoma Coast vineyards. It’s unfiltered and ripe with red fruit, great acid and age-worthy tannins. Fans of “fruit forward” Russian River Pinots will love this wine.

Ceja Vineyards 2012 Vino de Casa Red Blend ($30)
Founded in 1999 by first generation Mexican-American immigrants, Ceja Vineyards produces award-winning wines from Napa and Carneros. Their Vino de Casa is a Pinot Noir-based red blend that was created to be an everyday table wine. Medium-bodied with a nose of cherry and blackberry and a palate of tobacco and blueberry, this wine goes down easy.

Maldonado Vineyards 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley ($58)
Founded by Lupe Maldonado, former vineyard manager of Newton Vineyard for over 30 years, Maldonado Vineyards produces primarily Cabernet Sauvignon and red blends from their family owned vineyard in Napa Valley. This is a big, bold Cabernet chock full of black fruit like fig and plum. It’s great now, and will be even better in five more years. Pair with a steak dinner, followed by a nice cigar.

Want to Be a Successful Writer? Rise Early, Says Petaluma Author of Eight Books

By Gil Mansergh
Crissi Langwell, Petaluma author.
Crissi Langwell, Petaluma author.
Crissi Langwell, Petaluma author.

Having written eight books (with two more coming soon), Petaluma author Crissi Langwell lives what she labels “a hectic but rewarding life.” The hectic parts come from wearing “many hats.” She’s a wife and mother, has a full-time job in Santa Rosa, takes classes at Santa Rosa Junior College, volunteers for her church, and coordinates Sonoma County 4-H’s summer camp. The rewards come from fulfilling her dream of becoming an author, the perks of book-signings and meeting her fans, and writing a blog – not to mention being interviewed for the Argus Courier.

These successes are hard-earned.

Crissi’s coffee-maker starts brewing at 5:20 AM, and as soon as the hot caffeine is ready, she starts writing. An hour later, she earns “wife points” by taking her marketing manager husband Shawn a cup of coffee. Since the kids and dog will soon wake up, Crissi dons headphones to keep writing. By 7:30, it’s time to prepare for her job as the online content producer for the Santa Rosa Press Democrat. After work, she is either in class or doing homework — squeezing in more writing time when in the middle of a book project.

To cope with being overly busy, Crissi says she “thanks God for the crock pot.” Another trick in her arsenal is a color-coded calendar synched to the family’s iPhones. Even so, there was one year when “there was just too much,” so Crissi had to “drop things,” like some of her volunteer work. She still regrets not being able to spend more time with community groups like “the Fabulous Women of Petaluma, who add so much to our town.”

Always writing, Crissi put her tips for remaining creative while leading a busy life into a guide she calls “Reclaim Your Creative Soul.” Her novels cover a variety of subjects. “Loving the Wind” tells the story of Tiger Lily and Peter Pan, and her “Road to Hope” trilogy focuses on two women’s life-altering friendship.

Writing has a strong presence in the Langwell house. Drawing from his “hippie childhood,” fight with alcoholism, and 30-years of sobriety, Shawn published his memoir, “Beyond Recovery, a Journey of Grace, Love and Forgiveness” in November. Daughter Summer, a freshman studying creative writing at SSU, published her own first novel, “The Horror Stories of Los Posadas,” while a senior in high school.

Crissi already has a game plan for a more secure future, with writing as her career. This includes keeping her strong fan-base by creating sequels for her most popular books. Her present project is expanding her novel “The Road to Hope” into that aforementioned trilogy. In the first book, characters Jill Johnson and Maddie Russo may be from different generations, but they both have a profound sense of grief and loss. Fortunately, happenstance throws them together and they find the strength to change course.

Crissi invites people interested in discovering the secret of Jill and Maddie’s exciting first encounter to join her at 6 p.m., Tuesday, April 25th at Copperfield’s Montgomery Village bookstore, where she promises to read aloud the “happenstance incident” from “The Road to Hope.” Learn more about Crissi’s books here. 

Derby Day Sonoma-Style: Outfits and Items for Race Day

By Adrienne Shubin

Time to dust off your derby hat – Meals on Wheels Derby Day is a mere 2 weeks away! This annual charitable event, put on by the Council on Aging at Chateau St. Jean Winery in Kenwood, includes a viewing of the Kentucky Derby, live-streamed on a large screen, with all the authentic accompaniments: the mint juleps, the big hats, the sundresses, the seersucker suits, the sparkling jewelry – even the Southern spirit.

Attend the Meals on Wheels event to support a good cause, or throw your own backyard party – we’ve lined up four essential items for a decadent Derby Day in the gallery above.

Martha Stewart Headlines BottleRock Culinary Stage Lineup

By biteclub

Move over Tom Petty, you’re being upstaged by the diva of dinner parties and dank at next month’s BottleRock.

Today it was announced that BottleRock Napa Valley the wine, music, food and brew event now in its fifth year, will feature Martha Stewart as one of the headlining acts on its 2017 Williams Sonoma Culinary Stage Lineup. The three-year-old culinary stage pairs celebrity chefs with musicians for offbeat gastronomical performances and food demos. But mostly offbeat performances.

Also on this year’s chef lineup: Jose Andres, Masaharu Morimoto, Ayesha Curry, Top Chefs Michael and Bryan Voltaggio, Best New Chef Roy Choi, Food Network’s Duff Goldman, local Top Chef Chris Cosentino and many others. The three-day festival happens May 26-28 at the Napa Fairgrounds in downtown Napa.

“One of the things that separates BottleRock from most other festivals is the Williams Sonoma Culinary Stage,” stated Dave Graham, CEO of BottleRock Napa Valley and Latitude 38 Entertainment. “There have been so many great moments on this stage, including Iron Chef Morimoto teaching Snoop Dogg how to roll sushi, and Michael Voltaggio using liquid nitrogen for a modern take on waffles while Flavor Flav cooked his own top secret fried chicken recipe to the crowd’s delight. We expect many more ‘only at BottleRock’ memories from this 2017 lineup.”

Musicians performing on the culinary stage include Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Green Day’s Mike Dirnt & Tre Cool, Fitz & The Tantrums, Dirty Heads, Silversun Pickups, E40, Matt Sorum of Hollywood Vampires, Michael Franti, Everlast of House of Pain, along with appearances by Modern Family’s Jesse Tyler Ferguson, World Record Competitive Eating Champion Joey Chestnut, and Mythbusters Tory Belleci. KCBS “Foodie Chap” Liam Mayclem will emcee the stage.

No word on Snoop Dogg, a musician and celebrity who’s been a regular on the culinary stage, and a pal of Martha.

Food has always been a focus of BottleRock, owning much to Wine Country’s location as an epicenter for great dining. Through the event, culinary offerings include a who’s who of the Bay area dining scene, ranging from Humphry Slocombe ice cream and a parking lot of food trucks to Bouchon Bakery, Meadowood resort, Oenotri, Redd, Hurleys and many others. Top notch wineries and breweries are also represented with wine cabanas and beverage bars throughout the festival grounds.

Unfortunately, tickets are sold out for the event, but you can get more tantalizing details at bottlerocknapavalley.com.

8 Great Sonoma Restaurants for Craft Beer Lovers

By Jess Poshepny Vallery
Belly Left Coast Kitchen, Santa Rosa This Fourth Street Santa Rosa restaurant is run by rock star chef Gray Rollin, who previously prepared meals for musicians like Motley Crue, KISS, Black Eyed Peas, Sarah McLachlan, Katy Perry, Blink 182, Godsmack, and Tori Amos. Rollin now serves up West Coast sourced New American eats, wines and brews in “rustic-cool digs” which open to an outdoor patio. (Photo John Burgess)

Sonoma County is a haven for foodies and lovers of craft beer. It’s largest city, Santa Rosa, was recently named microbrew capital of the United States and, with the abundance of high quality, locally grown produce and the surge in local breweries, locals and visitors are spoiled for culinary choice. To meet the demands of discerning beer geeks, many Sonoma restaurants are now tailoring their drinks menus to include more local brews. Click through the gallery above for eight Sonoma spots that are worth a visit, both for the food and the craft beer. 

Russian River Brewing Company Breaks Ground for New Facility

By Jess Poshepny Vallery

After months of rigorous planning and preparations, Natalie and Vinnie Cilurzo, owners of Russian River Brewing Company (RRBC) in Santa Rosa, finally broke ground for their new Windsor facility on Friday, April 21 – using golden shovels. Click through the gallery above for photos from the ceremony. 

The Cilurzos are planning to construct a large production facility and brewery on the site, located just outside of the Windsor Town Green, some 7 miles north of the original RRBC brewpub in Santa Rosa. The new location will also feature a restaurant and taproom, and guests will be able to tour the property. The Cilurzos are hoping that the Windsor location will take some of the pressure off the downtown Santa Rosa brewpub, which receives more than 300,000 visitors every year, and reduce the lines that occur on weekends and during beer releases.

Natalie and Vinnie Cilurzo opened their Santa Rosa brewery in 2004, with the help of 30 investors. They were recently able to pay back the investment and the new Windsor venture is self funded.

“We’ve assembled our own dream team to assemble our dream brewery,” said Vinnie Cilurzo. Architecture firm Archilogix will serve as the project design lead, along with BKF Engineering, construction consultant Del Nordby, landscape firm Quadriga, and landscape architect Bill Mastick. The new brewery is slated to open in the fall of 2018. 

Stay tuned for more news on the RRBC Windsor facility. 

New Ultra-Premium Pinot Noir Experience Comes to Sonoma

By Sarah Stierch
Patio at Three Sticks Wines in Sonoma, California
(Photo courtesy of Three Sticks Wines)

Pinot-lovers are pouring into downtown Sonoma for a new tasting experience: Path to Pinot. 

Organized by five of Sonoma’s most recognized Pinot Noir producers, all with tasting rooms within four blocks from each other, Path to Pinot includes 2-for-1 tastings, tastes of rare library wines, and food pairings. Many of the participating wineries produce highly collectable, single designate vineyard wines and each winery offers a different tasting experience, allowing wine enthusiasts to explore the many personalities of Pinot based on the winemaker and the vineyard. Path to Pinot cards can be picked up at each of the participating wineries.

Click through the gallery above to learn more about the five participating wineries and their Pinots.

Tripping on Pot Brownies is So Over: ‘Cannabis Cuisine’ is the Next Big Thing

By biteclub
(Photo courtesy of The Puget Sound Business Journal, credit Karen Ducey)
(Photo courtesy of The Puget Sound Business Journal, credit Karen Ducey)

Though no restaurant chef will come right out and tell you, they’re probably thinking a lot about cannabis cuisine, and so is everyone else in the food business. There’s serious gold in eating green.

Marijuana-infused edibles are surging in popularity, accounting for more than half of sales at Colorado dispensaries, and possibly half of the estimated $500 billion industry, according to Bloomberg News.

Official statistics on edibles aren’t yet available for local markets, but anecdotally, dispensaries are visibly upping their game, ditching old school brownies and cookies for haute truffles, infused chocolates and snack mixes. Local bakers are, well, baking up pot pies, cookies, and peanut butter cups. Invite-only cannabis meals are also on the rise: This weekend, several chefs will be serving up a serious cannabis brunch and dinner in Santa Rosa charging $175-$195 per person (medical cards are required).

But anyone who’s tripped for six long hours after eating an over-dosed brownie can tell you edibles are a tricky product that can lead even experienced users down a very, very bad path—especially if producers don’t know what they’re doing.

“Not all medibles are created equal,” said Chef Jeremy Cooper, a key speaker at this week’s CannaCon in Santa Rosa. The Seattle-based entrepreneur has spent years studying molecular gastronomy and the science of cannabis, hoping to shed light on the future of edibles. A future that isn’t just about getting people stoned, but creating a pairing that complements rather than detracts from the eating experience.

“It’s the wild, wild West of cannabis when it comes to food. If any chef out there said, ‘I got this all under control’, they’re probably pulling your leg,” he said. “But it’s a pioneering time for us, and the rest of the world when it comes to cannabis cuisine.”

Cooper will present several topics over the three-day business-focused event (April 20-23), from the emerging market for canna-food to dosage scaling, flavoring, and non-psychoactive CBD-infused products. In addition, Cooper founded Bud & Breakfast, a weed-friendly bed and breakfast in Seattle, and is involved with “MagicalButter”, a contraption that infuses cannabis flowers into butter—something that can be very complicated for the uninitiated. Cooper also has a mobile cannabis museum he’ll be showcasing at the event.

Words like fractal distillation, decarboxylation, and linalool pepper his conversation so frequently that it comes as little surprise that he’s run a personal lab for several years, studying the complex chemical compounds found in marijuana.

“It all comes down to research,” he said. “You can directly affect the body, and chefs aren’t really thinking about that yet,” Cooper said. By experimenting with things like THC-A (Tetrahydrocannabinolic acid, a cannabinoid showing a lot of therapeutic promise), fat solubility or terpene profiles, Cooper looks for what he calls “the entourage effect”, or how all the chemicals in marijuana strains pair up with food compounds. 

“All of us are going to have to be sommeliers of science,” Cooper said.

Looking outside the cannabutter box, he sees things like an infused rum that could be sprayed on chicken for a light 10mg dose), or making creme brulee with cannabis blue cheese. He also advocates for using the whole plant.

“It’s all culinary, down to the central stock. You have a seed with a protein-rich husk, flash fried, and it’s a great protein-rich salad texture,” he said. The fan leaf can be made into stock, added to bread or press into smoothies.

“Cannabis is one of the ultimate ingredients in my cupboard,” Cooper said. “But (chefs) haven’t started treating cannabis like that. You wouldn’t take 2 tablespoons of salt and just pour it on mac and cheese. So, why would you do that with cannabis?” he asks.

The conversation continues, turning from horny goat weed mixed with cannabis being a potential Viagra to the history of cannabis as a popular medicine in the 19th century. For a full 45 minutes, Cooper riffs on cannabis like a tent-revival preacher, effusive in his passion, and eager to share what he’s learned.

“Look, it’s not for everybody, but right now our world needs cannabis, the earth needs cannabis,” he said. “If I can get people passionate about cannabis this way, then I get to tell them where it’s going, what the next step is, and it’s beyond anyone’s imagination.”

CannaCon Santa Rosa

(Photo courtesy of The Puget Sound Business Journal, credit Karen Ducey)