Rock the Rails With New Napa Valley Wine Train Experience

By Sarah Stierch

Hop on the train for food, wine, cocktails and live music – The Napa Valley Wine Train launches a new music festival. 

The first of its kind in the Bay Area, the Wine Train’s Rock the Rails music series will transport attendees on historic, renovated 1915 Pullman railcars from the downtown Napa depot to one of three inaugural Rock the Rails concerts, hosted at local wineries.

During their train ride, concert attendees will enjoy a wine tasting, a gourmet meal, and a full bar serving up seasonal and classic cocktails. Upon arrival at the winery, attendees will enjoy a concert, with VIP seating, along with more food and wine available for purchase.

This year’s inaugural Rock the Rails lineup includes swing music revival band Big Bad Voodoo Daddy at V. Sattui Winery (August 24), acclaimed musician and former Prince collaborator Sheila E. at Grgich Hills Estate (September 21), and David Pack’s Legends Live Tour, which features ex-members of Ambrosia, Kansas, the Romantics and singer Gary Wright, at Charles Krug Winery (October 5).

Tickets start at $179 with proceeds benefiting the Rail Arts District (RAD), the first arts district in Napa. winetrain.com

4 Spots for Berry Picking in Sonoma

By Carey Sweet
Farm fresh strawberries from Sonoma County. (Chris Hardy/Sonoma Magazine)

Ruby-red strawberry juice drips down your chin, and your hands are sticky and stained purple with blackberries. It’s the joy of summer, when fresh fruit not only flourishes, but can be savored right from the garden at roadside stands, or from “pick-your-own” farms. Click through the gallery for four spots where you can pluck the pretties in Sonoma County.

Kokopelli Farm
This organic farm is delighting in the largest crop of boysenberries ever in its 24 years in business. Call for a U-pick appointment after 7 a.m., seven days a week. After mid-July, dig into blackberries, too. 1543 Cunningham Road, Sebastopol, 707-829-8185

Gabriel Farm
Blackberries and raspberries abound. U-pick is reserved for farm “members” (simply buy three gallons of delicious juice for $36, and you’re in for a family membership of four). Or, shop at the farm store, open weekends or by appointment August through October. 3175 Sullivan Road, Sebastopol, 707-829-0617, gabrielfarm.com

Shanti Permaculture Farm
Go for the by-appointment U-pick gooseberries and strawberries on this 6.5-acre farm, stay for the one-bedroom vacation cottage or cozy yurt (stays include complimentary fruit, veggies and eggs). 16715 Coleman Valley Road, Occidental, 707-874-2001, shantioccidental.com

Farmer Lao’s Strawberry Stand
Easier than U-pick, but just as fresh: Lao Saetern’s wood shack brims with baskets of super-sweet, glistening, gorgeous strawberries he personally farms. Expect long lines and, sometimes, rationing of the precious nibbles to one basket per person. Highway 12 just west of Duer Road, Sebastopol.

Rescued Farm Animals Find New Home in West Santa Rosa

By John Beck

On this farm, the top goat is called The Mayor. There’s “an old man in a pig’s body” named Sheldon, who can be a little grouchy. And with nine roosters, the chickens have a clearly delineated pecking order.

So goes daily life in Goatlandia, the thriving 2-acre animal sanctuary nestled between wineries in west Santa Rosa.

“The animals in many ways are just like people,” says founder Deborah Blum.

If the IFC show “Portlandia” parodies the Northwestern city “where young people go to retire,” Goatlandia is where rescued goats, pigs and chickens go to live out their new lease on life.

A former corporate jet pilot and current co-owner of hip San Francisco restaurants Beretta, Lolinda, Delarosa and Starbelly, Blum fled hectic San Francisco for the country life of Sonoma County in 2011, settling on Olivet Road, next door to Harvest Moon Winery.

But that was just the start of her rebirth. After watching a Facebook video about the dark side of the meat industry, the lifelong meat eater decided to go vegan — a surprise turn for the co-owner of an Argentinian steakhouse.

After starting her new farm with a few chickens and other livestock, Blum began rescuing animals from friends who ran nearby dairies and farms. Mia, the matriarch of the goat herd, was the first survivor to settle down on the ranch in 2012. Once word got out, random rescue calls started coming in. A San Jose owner of four swine sisters had planned to raise them for slaughter. But after he made the mistake of naming them (Gigi, Dippy, Portia and Brianna), he couldn’t go through with it and called Blum. Someone else called to see if Blum wanted to save Max, a blind lamb, before he was going to be put down.

Goatlandia is now an official nonprofit sanctuary and at full capacity with 16 goats, five pigs, 29 chickens and a pair of dogs. Ever since a class of Marin high school students built a play structure for the animals, she’s been inspired to do more outreach with schoolchildren and volunteers.

“Kids are compassionate by nature,” she says. “Working with animals is really a great form of therapy, for them and for me.”

5 Smart and Chic Work Accessories

By Karen Kizer

Summer vacation, whether it involved weeks of far-off travel or a few days away to attend the family reunion BBQ, is a necessary respite from everyday school or work life. With late summer’s return to “reality” often comes a sense of a renewal and fresh perspective. Mark this doubling down of purpose with some of these fun finds to enhance your work and life management – Click through the slideshow above for details.

 

Personalize Your Home With Decorative Signs from Sonoma

By Karen Kizer

Signs of all kinds are a great decorative tool to add personality, inspiration or humor to a space. After carefully choosing your home’s fabrics and furniture, pick out the right sign to cap off the style or even contrast it. Check out these finds in Sonoma County stores – click through the gallery above for all the details. 

Young Entrepreneur Brings Boho-Chic to Cotati

By Eloísa Ruano González

Sneaking into her mother’s closet, Mercedes Hernandez couldn’t resist trying on her blue satin jacket. Though the fourth-grader was far too small for it, she loved wearing it to school anyway.

Her passion for fashion had emerged.

A little over a decade later, that love has flourished into her own business, Bow N Arrow. Hernandez, who did modeling as a child and worked in retail while in high school, opened her bohemian-style clothing store last summer in downtown Cotati.

Today, the shop is a lively spot, frequented by students on the hunt for trendy but affordable fashion.

“It’s crazy, especially when I hear people talk about the store,” says Hernandez, now 22. “I didn’t picture myself being able to do this. I thought it was so unrealistic because of my age.”

Unlike generations before her, who started in retail shops and later opened a website, Hernandez first launched the business online when she was just 19. She was waitressing at the time at a burger joint in Santa Rosa, saving her tips in hopes of one day opening a brick-and-mortar store.

Sales online were booming. Hernandez, who received a business entrepreneur certificate from Santa Rosa Junior College, spent most of her spare time filling orders and stocking up on inventory. But she wanted to interact face-to-face with customers.

She now has plenty of opportunity to do so. Although she has three employees, customers usually can find her at the register or arranging the clothes and decor around the store.

“She’s very disciplined. She has the drive,” says Marcos Suarez, business diversity program manager for the Sonoma County Economic Development Board.

Suarez, a former president of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, helped connect Hernandez with various resources, including a micro loan lender, Working Solutions, after she approached him early last year.

Hernandez says she hopes to inspire other young women to pursue their dreams. She’s spoken to high-school entrepreneur students and served as a mentor at her alma mater, Windsor High School.

Her message to the students is simple: “You’re not too young to accomplish what you set your mind to do.”

What to Drink Now: Grenache Blanc from Sonoma

By Sarah Stierch

For me, summertime wine should be refreshing, easy to drink, and just a little funky – meaning something that stands out beyond the standard sauvignon blanc or rosé all day. 

Lately, my go-to wines have been fresh, acid-centric vinos that taste great on their own or make for a perfect pairing with snackable cheese and summer salads. So what am I drinking these days? My current obsession is grenache blanc, the white light-skinned sister of grenache. And trust me, it will be yours, too.

Grenache blanc is originally from northern Spain. It traveled across the border to France to become a Rhône varietal. It’s commonly used as a blending grape in the famous Châteauneuf-du-Pape and other red and white wines.

Eventually, it made its way to California where, in the 1990s, Paso Robles Rhône-producing icons Tablas Creek began growing grenache blanc, paving the way for other producers.

Today, it’s grown throughout California, including in Sonoma County. Despite being a hearty grape that thrives in Sonoma County’s diverse soil and regions, it’s still a ‘rare grape’ compared to other white wine varietals. It’s still used in blends, but is gaining popularity as a single varietal wine.

Grenache blanc is a fun and funky wine, often with a vibrant nose full of what can range from green notes (i.e. kefir lime, green apple) to  the kind of floral citrus notes that one might find in a viognier (i.e. honeysuckle, lemon flower). Let’s put it this way: the nose of grenache blanc will knock your socks off.

Taste wise it is often rich, sometimes viscous, making it a nice, lighter alternative for chardonnay fans. It has a moderate, nice acid and tastes mineraly and a bit spicy, sometimes with hints of cinnamon, nutmeg, again with the green apple. Yum.

Passaggio Wines is one of few Sonoma County wineries to produce a single varietal grenache blanc. This year marks the winery’s first grenache blanc vintage, which uses grapes from Matthes Vineyards, a small Rhône-focused vineyard just outside of downtown Sonoma.

“I wanted a local single vineyard varietal that went well in my portfolio,” shares Passaggio Wines winemaker and owner, Cynthia Cosco, “something unusual.” Cosco acknowledges the special nature of grenache blanc and appreciates how food friendly and distinct it is. It pairs well with briney, salty cheese like feta and halloumi, tomato or citrus salads, pork chops with apples, and spice-rubbed grilled chicken.

Lloyd Davis, owner of Corner 103 winery in Sonoma, decided to offer a grenache blanc to customers to complement his grenache, both new releases this year that he’s offered first to his wine club members. “Our club members want more diversity in their wines,” he shares, “they’re moving beyond commonplace sauvignon blancs and chardonnay, and grenache blanc provides the perfect alternative to their craving.”

So what grenache blanc should you be sipping on this summer? Here are my picks for the best wines to grab for your cooler.

Passaggio Wines 2016 Grenache Blanc ($33)
One of Sonoma County’s finest white wine producers, Passaggio Wines has taken grapes from nearby Matthes Vineyard to create a grenache blanc-based field blend with a hint (25%) of marsanne, which helps to boost the orange flower and green apple flavors of grenache blanc. Keeping with winemaker Cynthia Cosco’s style, it’s got great acidity and accessibility with its screw cap opener.

Corner 103 2016 Grenache Blanc ($30)
The most vibrant nose of all grenache blancs I tasted, Corner 103’s vino uses grapes from Alexander Valley. Its nose is lush like a viognier, full of tart grapefruit, kefir lime, gardenia, and honeysuckle. Partially unfiltered, the wine has a hazy shade. This technique helps bring out the spiced flavors of the grape, including dill, cloves and cinnamon. Only 89 cases were made of this wine and, according to the winery, only 30 are left.

Matthes Vineyards 2015 Grenache Blanc Rhône Blend ($42)
A field blend, Matthes’ estate wine comprises 68% grenache blanc and 32% marsanne. Another quality representative of grenache blanc, its nose hints at clementine, anise and green apple. Eleven months in neutral French oak adds a viscosity to the wine that lends to a lovely, silky texture in the mouth, with flavors of ripe stone fruit, wet stone and more green apple.

Rock For a Cause at The Petaluma Music Festival

By Sarah Stierch
The 2017 Petaluma Music Festival takes place August 5 (Photo courtesy of Petaluma Music Festival)
The 2017 Petaluma Music Festival takes place August 5 (Photo courtesy of Petaluma Music Festival)

Live music and cold beer on a sunny Saturday in Petaluma? All proceeds benefit local music education in public schools? Sounds like music to our ears. 

This year’s 10th annual Petaluma Music Festival, on Saturday, August 5, will bring 4,000 music lovers together for a great cause. All proceeds benefit the music education programs of all Petaluma area public schools.

The Petaluma Music Festival is bound to satisfy lovers of Americana, rock, twang, and psychedelic music. Fourteen bands will rock on four stages, with the Chris Robinson Brotherhood headlining the festival. The psychedelic rock band is led by Chris Robinson, frontman of the rock ‘n’ roll band the Black Crowes.

Other acts performing include Scott Law & Ross James’ Cosmic Twang w/special guest Lebo (who are tight with the Grateful Dead‘s Phil Lesh), Poor Man’s Whiskey, Stu Allen & Friends, Moonalice, T Sisters, Midnight North, Royal Jelly Jive, Grateful Bluegrass Boys, The Incubators, Colonel & the Mermaids featuring Alex Koford, The Pulsators, The Bootleg Honeys, and Miss Moonshine.

Beer will be served by Lagunitas Brewing Company. A silent auction and a raffle for a signed celebrity guitar will take place.

Meet and greets with artists will take place all day and plenty of local food and wine vendors will be on hand. VIP tickets offer shaded reserved seating and complimentary food and wine and beer tastings.

It’s a family friendly event, with kids under 12 getting in for free. A designated kids area includes bouncey houses, a giant slide, face painting, arts and crafts, a petting zoo, and more.

The Petaluma Music Festival is Saturday, August 5 at the Sonoma-Marin Fairgrounds in Petaluma. Tickets start at $45. petalumamusicfestival.org