The holidays are over and a new year looms. If your resolutions include cooking more, taking care of yourself, being more creative or simply enjoying the Wine Country life, here are some ideas for achieving your goals.
Mealtime
Salt of the Earth
Ooh, Mommy! This Umami Sea Salt, flavored with black garlic and shiitake mushrooms, adds savory, earthy, meaty deliciousness to soups, stocks, roasted meats and grilled fish. Umami (Japanese for yummy) is the sensory ability of certain foods, among them soy and Worcestershire sauce, miso, mushrooms, tomato paste and Parmesan, to round out other flavors and add depth to any recipe. Just think how many ingredients you won’t need if you keep this savory salt on hand.
$12.95, Shed Healdsburg, 25 North St., Healdsburg, 707-431-7433, healdsburgshed.com
Sweet Surprise
As if the dessert a chef whipped up wasn’t decadent enough, a few drizzles of BLiS kettle-cooked maple syrup that’s aged in bourbon casks has a certain je ne sais quois that you won’t get with the grocery store stuff (made of high-fructose corn syrup. Yuck.). Think of it as an investment in your sweet tooth.
The food world is abuzz over the La Chamba soup and stew pot. Gourmands may have just discovered it, but in Colombia, these clay pots have been used for more than 500 years. Best for hearty stews and beans, you can use them on the stove, in the oven and over live coals. This lovely form certainly knows a thing or two about function.
$98, Brama, 493 First St. W., Sonoma, 707-935-3717, bramacookware.com
For the Artful Eye
Dead Cred
Behold the Sacred Eye Woven shirt from Roark Revival, a surf/skate/adventure company that follows the mysterious “Roark” on his globe-trotting travels. From the recent Himalayan Halfway House collection, this item has a story involving dancing skeletons and beer. You make up the details as you invite admirers to gaze deeply into your mystical shirt.
Sebastopol artist Grace Levine is an obsessive collector of antique toys and flea-market kitsch that most of us would overlook. Incorporating, in this case a stuffed 1950s autograph dog and chicken tea cozy, into her artwork, she creates floaty dreamscapes of thought and fancy. Her “Austin Texas The Very Loved Autographed Dog From Uncommon Objects” is made of gouache, watercolor, acrylic, pencil and glue on paper, 22 inches by 30 inches.
Santa Rosa’s Catherine Sieck creates paper cutouts so intricate it’s hard to believe that a sharp blade and imagination are the only tools of her trade. Sieck also creates shadow puppetry from her cut-paper art, as well as murals that can be found around the county. Her pieces are all originals, and when they go up for sale on her website, they sell out almost instantly. $350 for “Barking at the Bastille,” catherinesieck.com
Get Out the Crayons
Fabric designer Tula Pink’s “The Tula Pink Coloring Book: 75+ Signature Designs in Fanciful Coloring Pages,” channels the inner 6-year-old in all of us. The grown-up coloring book trend gives reason to get out those crayons again, and this stylish black and white book is filled with swirling nature scenes in the abstract, just begging for creativity of your own.
$15.99, Quilted Angel, 200 G St., Petaluma, 707-763-0945, quiltedangel.com
Dress-Up
Wigging Out
Hair is a gal’s crowning glory, except when it looks like someone put a small pet up there. Whether you’re looking for a little fashion fun — who wouldn’t love to go blonde for a day? — or need some faux locks, Gardeaux Wigs are made of 100 percent human hair. Styled and colored in Santa Rosa to look like you’ve just walked out of the salon, these wigs can be curled, flat-ironed and even cut.
There’s no doubt you’ll be the talk of the party in these Bella Vita pumps. They’re wearable art that you’ll want to save for special occasions like, say, going to work or that uninspired PTA meeting. We’re especially fond of the little Bambi at your heels, but the mini Asian tableau takes your breath away.
$175-195, Bella Vita, 471 First St. W., Sonoma, 707-935-8206, bellavitasonoma.com
Wrist Bling
There are only a handful of jewelry items that actually look good on men. Pinky rings aren’t one of them. But these handsome leather bracelets, from the “Jewelry in the Vineyard” collection, are made in Sonoma and definitely make the sexy list.
$62-$75, Scott Lyall Clothes for Men, 115 E. Napa St., Sonoma, 707-933-8770, scottlyallclothes.com
FUN & GAMES
Sith On It
If you think only small boys love Legos, try giving a set to a grown-up and watch the squeals of delight. Pair with a Star Wars theme, and you can forget getting any chores done for the weekend. This Lego Dark Lord has gone to pieces (160 to be exact) with fully posable limbs, fabric cape and red light saber.
$38, The Brick Hutt, 420 Mendocino Ave., Santa Rosa, 707-575-4888, thebrickhutt.com
Fun for Fidgety Kids
When the weather is too nasty for kids to go outside, let them unleash their energies indoors with Creativity in a Can by Faber-Castell. Using their imagination and the materials in the cans, children experience a hands-on activity that helps them develop problem-solving and critical-thinking skills. Budding artists make their own masterpiece using paper frames, embossed rubbing plates and colored pencils. The Build can comes with more than 80 items for designing and constructing with wooden sticks, plastic foam shapes and yarn. With the Stories can, kids write and illustrate their own book, and then act out their stories.
$10, Village Art Supply, Montgomery Village Shopping Center, 715 Hahman Drive, Santa Rosa, 707-575-4501, villageartsupplies.com
KFC (Korean Fried Crack) at Dick Blomster’s Korean Diner, a pop-up restaurant in Santa Rosa, at Don Taylor’s Omelette Express. Photo: Heather Irwin/The Press Democrat.
Don’t give up, it’s not too late for a fun day or night date with your Valentine(s) this weekend. We’ve got all prices, all kinds of activities (they have to include food, however) and chocolate galore. Here are some fun things to do this Valentine’s Day in Sonoma County. We’ve ordered them from cheap to luxe, since we get that there are pocketbooks of all kinds. Best of all, these are ALL things I .
Seoul Fries at Dick Blomsters
Live Music and Wine: Cellars of Sonoma is a really fun spot to grab a glass of wine and heart some live music any weekend night, but on Valentine’s Day, they’ll be featuring live jazz from 6-8p.m. with your sparkling rose (or whatever else you’d like). A nice cheap(ish) date. Head over to Dick Blomster’s pop-up at the Omelette Express for KFC (Korean fried crack that’s the best fried chicken you’ll have all week) and other goodies. Valentine special: KFC for two + Fried PB&J with vanilla ice cream and poprocks for $25. Dang! Very family-friendly if you’re celebrating with the kids. 112 Fourth St., Santa Rosa.
Valentine Brunch: Skip the dinner and have a snuggly brunch 2/13-2/15 at Breakaway Cafe (19101 Sonoma Hwy, Sonoma, 996-5949) with a breakfast bowl of slow roasted pork, poached eggs, salsa verde and tortillas, raspberry upside-down pancake with creme friache, or eggs Benedict, $11-15.
Yoga and Chocolate: Move through your senses as YogaONE’s Jessica Webb intertwines the decadent effects of chocolate with a soulful yoga flow. Sonoma Chocolatiers chocolate is your motivation to move through each yoga asana. Feb. 13, 4-5:30p.m., $40. Pre-registration required, loveyoga.com or 542-9644.
Run for Fondue: Run (or walk) with your Valentine on Feb. 14 at the I Heart Run event at Howarth Park. There are separate “corrals” for married folks, couples, singles, best friends and “it’s complicated” relationships. For your efforts, you’ll get free hot chocolate, a fondue station, a couples advice booth, hug booth, proposal booth and free massage! $45, register online at iheartrun.com.
Fork Roadhouse Valentine’s Dinner: This is one V-day dinner we’re seriously considering, because Chef Sarah is so darn great. This hidden gem on Bodega Highway is serving up crab cakes with sherried local mushrooms, her incredible avgolemono soup, steak for two, beet ravioli or black cod and beet cake or truffle and cookie plate for two. $50pp, reservations required, 634-7575,9890 Bodega Hwy, Sebastopol.
Della Fattoria: We hear that this popular bakery and breakfast/lunch spot is planning to expand their hours and dining room soon (link to houston), and their Feb. 14 five course dinner is a great way to see what’s on the horizon. Dishes include fried polenta cake, raviolo with favas and wild mushrooms, seared ribeye with Bearnaise and chocolate mousse cake for two, 6-9p.m., $65pp. Reservations recommended, 763-0161.
Gerard’s Paella
Playful Paella: Spend the evening at Relish Culinary with the master of Paella Gerard Nebesky (aka the Paella Guy”). It’s an over-the-top evening with Spanish tapas, Gerard’s ultra-luxe black paella with seafood and squid ink and churros with dark chocolate dipping sauce. Plus sparkling and plenty of incredible local wine to pair up. Feb. 14, 6-9p.m., $124. Register online at relishculinary.com
Chocolates from Eye Candy chocolatier in Sebastopol on Feb. 9, 2016. (Heather Irwin/The Press Democrat)
Eye Candy Chocolatiers: Chocolate is Dr. Sonja Schluter’s happy place. The Sonoma ophthalmologist spends her days working with patients facing serious vision problems, primarily glaucoma. So her off-time passion for making beautiful chocolate truffles has become an outlet of beauty, precision and, of course, deliciousness.
But after 20 years practice (and giving most of her chocolate creations to friends), she’s finally opened a tiny retail shop at Sebastopol’s Gravenstein Station called Eye Candy.
Jewel-like truffles of every size and shape line the case, with flavors like passionfruit, guava, Earl Grey tea, chai coconut and cinnamon cardamom, making decisions difficult. What we love is the bitterness balancing act. Schulter uses a chocolate that’s between 54-64 percent cacao (milk chocolate has as little as 10% and extra-dark is around 80%), easing up on some of the intense bitterness of other dark chocolates.
Each of the truffles is made in the shop, with a mix of precision and creativity. “It fits my personality,” said Schluter, who has culinary training from the Ecole Chocolat in Vancouver and Callebaut Academy in Chicago. Crediting her mom, Tamara Suslov, M.D. (who founded the Eye Center in Sebastopol) for her tenacity and inspiration, Sonja brings her two worlds of chocolate and ophthamology together by donating a portion of her candy proceeds to the Glaucoma Research Foundation.
“Its a beautiful balancing act,” she said. 6761 Sebastopol Ave, Sebastopol. Open Monday through Saturday from 11a.m. to 4p.m.
Sick of dressing up for a two hour, $200 dinner you dread once a year? Ditch it, and take your sweetheart for a wild Sex Safari adventure.
Safari West in Santa Rosa is known for giving visitors a glimpse into the African Savannah, but this tour is beyond your average safari adventure.
This adult only event formally called “Wild Jungle Love ‘Amour’ Party” is also known as the Sex Tours.
On their website, the event is described as “Pile into an open-air safari vehicle and drive out among some of the world’s most exotic and enthralling creatures for a wild safari tour led by Safari West’s animal experts as they probe the revealing ‘Ins and Outs’ of Wildlife courtship.”
Tickets are priced at $148.50 per adult, and includes a brunch at noon, a “Amour Celebration” at 1 p.m. and the Sex Tour from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Cinnamon French toast made from Village Bakery brioche topped with butter, fresh whipped cream, organic raspberries and real maple syrup with sparkling wine and a cappuccino at Estero Cafe in Valley Ford. (Alvin Jornada / The Press Democrat)
This Sunday, instead of going out for a romantic Valentine’s Day dinner, you can treat your sweet babboo to something a little different: an intimate breakfast in bed, complete with fresh squeezed juice and coffee.
And, if you take the time to source your ingredients from local farms and producers you’ll get points for the added love on your plate.
At Estero Cafe in Valley Ford, husband-and-wife co-owners Samantha and Ryan Ramey draw upon the west county’s free-range egg farmers and artisan producers to elevate their hearty all-day, every-day breakfast dishes. On many mornings, the cafe is filled with the same farmers they source from, who stop by to fuel up for the day.
“Making breakfast for Valentine’s Day is kind of a nice idea,” said Samantha, 30, who runs the front of the house. “You could bring some flowers and create a special coffee drink, like a latte topped with cacao and cinnamon.”
At Estero Cafe, one of the most popular dishes is the Breakfast Salad, featuring warm slices of bacon and sauteed mushrooms plus a poached, pastured egg from Hands Full Farm in Valley Ford, served on top of fresh spring mix dotted with avocado and Pug’s Leap Chevre from Petaluma.
“It’s well balanced, healthy and really filling,” Samantha said of the salad. “The bacon, egg and cheese are pure protein. It’s everything you want for breakfast in a salad.”
Another heart-warming egg dish from the homey cafe is the Sonoma Omelet, filled with local spinach, onions, Mycopia mushrooms and the nutty, sweet Estero Gold cheese from the Valley Ford Cheese Co. The spinach, onion and mushroom filling is cooked in one pan, and the eggs are cooked in another.
“The secret is the flip,” Samantha said. “If you can’t flip it in the pan, cook it in a cast-iron frying pan and finish it in the oven.”
If you want really dress up the plate, you could also fry up some crispy hash browns that you’ve prepped the night before.
“We start with Yukon Golds and parboil them until they are three-quarters of the way cooked,” Samantha said. After the potatoes cool, they are thrown into the refrigerator until morning, when they are grated and tossed with salt, pepper, cilantro and green onions.
“Make sure your cast-iron pan is nice and hot, and the oil has heated up,” Samantha said. “That way the potatoes won’t stick.”
If your sweetie likes a bite of something sweet in the morning, the Estero Cafe has just the thing: a French Toast that’s so easy, even a child could make it.
“We whisk the eggs and add Clover milk, fresh cinnamon and housemade vanilla extract,” she said. “Then we top it with whipped cream and fresh raspberries.”
The secret is the eggy brioche bread from Village Bakery of Sebastopol.
Although everything is made from scratch, there is rarely a long wait to get into the cafe, which seats seven at the counter and about 25 at tables.
“It’s breakfast,” Samantha said. “You can count on being fed within an hour.”
The couple purchased the Estero Cafe a little over a year ago. Samantha, who also manages the Bodega Bay Farmers Market, grew up on Long Island in a confirmed food family. Her grandfather and father were in the wholesale meat and provisions business, delivering high quality meats all over New York City.
She met her husband, Sonoma County native Ryan Ramey, while working in a restaurant in San Diego. The couple moved to Bodega Bay five years ago and started cooking at the local farmers market while Ryan cooked at Tolay Restaurant & Lounge at the Sheraton in Petaluma. Then they decided to start their own business, Northwest Catering.
One of Samantha’s favorite Valentine’s Day memories is when Ryan woke up early to toast bagels he had made from scratch.
“It took him three days,” she said. “Coming from New York, I love bagels.”
The following recipes are from Samantha and Ryan Ramey of Estero Cafe in Valley Ford. They source their brioche bread from Village Bakery in Sebastopol and use organic Driscoll raspberries from Watsonville.
French Toast
Makes 2 servings
Sliced Brioche bread
2 eggs
2/3 cup whole milk
1/4 of a vanilla bean, scraped (or 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract)
Whisk eggs in a large bowl and mix in milk, a quarter of the vanilla bean (or extract) and cinnamon.
Dredge slices of brioche in the egg mixture (2 – 3 slices per person). While you let them soak: With an electric mixer, or by hand, whip cream with a quarter vanilla bean (or 1/4 teaspoon extract) and a tablespoon of maple syrup till peaks stand on their own — transfer to container and refrigerate.
On a large, hot skillet on medium to high heat, add clarified butter or oil of your choice and pan fry the soaked bread until lightly browned and all egg is cooked throughout (about 3 to 4 minutes on each side.)
Serve hot, topped with a teaspoon of fresh room temperature butter, the whipped cream, berries and maple syrup.
For the following dish, Estero Cafe sources the baby mixed greens from Laguna Farms in Sebastopol, the mushrooms from Mycopia Gourmet Mushroom Company in Sebastopol, and the bacon from the Sonoma County Meat Company in Santa Rosa and the Pug’s Leap Chevre from Petaluma. Most of these can be found at Oliver’s Markets.
Breakfast Salad
Makes 2 servings
For the dressing (makes 8 ounces):
1 cup organic extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 bunch thyme
1-2 cloves garlic (depending on size)
1 small or 1/2 large shallot
— Salt and Pepper (a pinch of each)
For the salad:
1 medium Yukon gold potatoes, parboiled
3-4 King Trumpet mushrooms
— Red onion, a few thinly sliced rings for each salad
3 ounces baby mixed green lettuces
1/2 ounce baby spinach
2 eggs
4 strips bacon
1 avocado, sliced (half of one for each salad)
— Pug’s Leap Chevre (one container)
Make salad dressing in food processor or in bowl with a whisk. Finely chop shallot, garlic and thyme. Mix in mustard and honey and add the vinegar. While mixing slowly pour in the olive oil. Put in a dispenser and set aside. Makes 8 ounces but salad only requires 4 tablespoons.
Chop potato and fry in hot oil or saute in a pan.
Slice mushrooms and onions. Crisp sliced bacon (in a pan or on a bake sheet in the oven) and saute onions and mushrooms with a drop of oil.
Simmer a small pot of water with a splash of apple cider vinegar in it for poaching eggs.
Toss greens and spinach in a bowl with dressing and using your hands or tongs, plate dressed greens on a large dinner plate
Carefully slice avocado and scoop out and serve each salad with a quarter of an avocado. Scoop and serve 3 quarter-size balls of chevre on each salad. Put sliced onions on top of your salad.
Carefully crack two eggs into simmering pot of water. (You can crack the eggs in a bowl and carefully slide them into the low simmering water – be careful not to crack the yolk.) Simmer for 7 minutes until whites are cooked but yolks are still runny – longer if desired (This can be done one day before and then heated in simmering water if desired.)
With a spoon, transfer hot mushrooms and crispy potatoes to salad and sprinkle all around. Place two strips of bacon on the top of each salad. Using a slotted spoon, carefully remove poached egg and carefully place in between bacon strips on the top of the salads. Garnish egg with cracked pepper.
Sonoma Omelet with Hash Browns and Toast
Makes 2 servings
For hash browns
2 medium Russet potatoes
2 green onions
1/2 bunch cilantro
— Salt and pepper to taste
For omelet:
1/2 cup clarified butter or oil
6 eggs
8-10 King trumpet mushrooms
1 sweet yellow onion
2 ounces baby spinach (2 handfuls)
1 quarter-pound wedge Valley Ford Cheese Company Estero Gold
— Sliced sourdough bread
— Fresh jam
Boil potatoes until they are cooked but still firm, about 20-25 minutes in salted water. Set aside and let cool (this can be done the day before and left in the refrigerator)
Slice mushrooms and onions and grate cheese. Set aside for cooking. Chop cilantro and slice green onions .
Shred cooled potatoes into a large bowl with a cheese grater and mix in green onions and cilantro. Mix well.
Whisk eggs, Heat three skillets with the clarified butter. Drop hash brown mixture down and spread evenly in the pan and then leave to get crispy. Season with salt and pepper.
Drop sliced bread in toaster and pop open jam for service.
In second skillet, cook onion and mushrooms for 2 minutes until browned and then add spinach.
Next, cook half your scrambled eggs in third skillet on medium heat, spread the egg out evenly to cook using a rubber spatula and once there is only a little liquid on top, flip the egg. (If you are unsure about this step, finish omelet in oven using a cast-iron skillet. Fill one side of omelet with mushroom, onion and spinach mixture and sprinkle shredded cheese inside, then fold and sprinkle more cheese on top. Repeat this process for the second omelet.
Once the bottom of the hash browns is browned and crispy and has lifted a little off the skillet, flip them over with a metal spatula.
Serve half the hash browns and a omelet on each plate and serve with buttered toast and jam.
Staff writer Diane Peterson can be reached at 521-5287 or diane.peterson@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @dianepete56.
Capt. Steve Baxman has been saving lives and fighting fires on the Russian River for the past 45 years. (JOHN BURGESS / The Press Democrat)
Capt. Steve Baxman has been saving lives and fighting fires on the Russian River for the past 45 years. (JOHN BURGESS / The Press Democrat)
Steve Baxman makes friends the hard way. “I still have people stop me on the street and thank me for something I’vedone,” he says.
As a member of the Monte Rio volunteer fire department for the past 45 years, Baxman has rescued so many people he can’t remember them all. “But I’ll say, ‘Give me a few clues,’ and it always comes back to me.”
He was first on the scene at the Rio Nido mudslide that destroyed several houses in 1998.
“There was a gal and her mother and the mother didn’t want to leave,” Baxman recalls. “I said, ‘We gotta get out of here,’ and we look up the hill and this giant root ball on an 80-foot tree is sliding down the hill, coming right at us.
We ran out of there just as it hit the house.”
This winter, with all the talk of El Niño and heavy rains, he’s keeping an eye on the weather and staying prepared along the Russian River. But “I don’t try to predict it anymore.”
BORN:Miami Beach, Fla.
AGE:63
AGE OF HIS MUSTACHE:42. “I grew it after I got out of the military in 1973 and never shaved it off.”
NICKNAME:“An old boss called me ‘High Pockets’ because he said I was so tall that my ‘pockets were high.’” Baxman is 6-foot-5.
OB-GYN TRAINING:“I delivered a baby in 1985. My name’s on the birth certificate. The woman was sitting in the passenger seat with her feet up on the dashboard, in a Volkswagen Rabbit. Just as the paramedics show up, I see this head coming out and there it was — a baby girl.”
DAY JOBS:School-bus driver for four years and tow-truck driver for 36 years. Now retired.
YEARS AS MONTE RIO VOLUNTEER FIRE CHIEF:29
MOST MEMORABLE RUSSIAN RIVER FLOODS:1986, 1995, 1997 and New Year’s Eve 2005-06
FLOOD DELIVERIES:“The only things we’ll take to people are diapers and medicine, if we can get it. But people call me and they want ice, they want booze – I have to tell them we’re not a courier service.”
ON HIS NIGHTSTAND:“Anything by Tom Clancy, Ken Follett or James Michener.”
FAVORITE HOBBY:Riding ATVs while rounding up livestock
WEST COUNTY VIBE:“The people here are different. They have different ideas, different philosophies. And there’s a real spirit of community.”
Rodney Strong Vineyards in Healdsburg produces a long list of wines, from Bordeaux varietals to Pinot Noir and Zinfandel. (Photo Courtesy of Rodney Strong Vineyards)
Winter is quiet and contemplative in Sonoma, a time when grapevines go dormant and the wines from the 2015 harvest are at rest in cellars. The countryside can be beautiful, dark golden and gray, without a grape leaf in sight. It’s a fine season to stop in at wineries, which are apt to be less busy now that the tourist rush is over. Wine writer VIRGINIE BOONE recommends these wineries for wintertime visits. All are open to the public, typically from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Contact individual tasting rooms to confirm.
This time of year, don’t miss the Syrah and Petite Sirah at Anaba in Sonoma, a Rhone varietal specialist. (Photo courtesy Anaba Vineyards & Winery)
Anaba Wines, 60 Bonneau Road, Sonoma, 707-996-4188, anabawines.com. This Rhone varietal specialist offers a fair amount of fun and educational experiences, including a “Beyond the Label” look at how Anaba wines are made. Offered Friday through Monday at 11 a.m. ($10, reservations required), the session’s topic changes each week. The Salon Tasting is another option, Tuesday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. It’s a seated tasting of several wines ($30, reservations required). The Syrah and Petite Sirah are winter favorites.
Auteur Wines, 373 First St. W., Sonoma, 707-938-9211, auteurwines.com. Auteur is open by appointment only, except for Saturdays, when walkins are welcome. It produces exceptional Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays from coastal areas and guides visitors through a tasting of five wines at a time ($25). The tasting room is in a cozy house off the Sonoma Plaza, where tastings take place at a communal table fit for conversation and conviviality.
Balletto Vineyards, 5700 Occidental Road, Santa Rosa, 707-568-2455, ballettovineyards.com. The Ballettos are a longtime farming family living in the heart of Russian River Valley. With more than 600 acres of wine grapes, the Balletto winery produces a diverse range of Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays, many of them vineyard-designates, as well as a crisp Pinot Gris from its BurnsideRoad Vineyard, plus the occasional Zinfandel and Syrah. In addition to its acres of grapes, the winery has a regulation-size baseball field, built for the vineyard crew and lovingly referred to as the Field of Dreams.
Ceja Vineyards, 22989 Burndale Road, Sonoma, 707-255-3954, cejavineyards.com. The Ceja family offers an in-depth dive into Carneros wines at its tasting room, where a sampling of five wines ($20) from its portfolio is available Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Reservations are recommended. Also visit the family’s Carneros Brewing Co. next door, a microbrewery founded by four Ceja brothers. Its taproom and beer garden are open daily.
Dutton-Goldfield, 3100 Gravenstein Highway N., Sebastopol, 707-823-3887, duttongoldfield.com. A producer of cool-climate Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Syrah, as well as Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Zinfandel and a fine Pinot Blanc, Dutton-Goldfield offers visitors a taste through several of the wines at a leisurely pace. There are more specific tastings, including Wine & Cheese ($30), Beast & Pinot ($40), and a popular choice, Bright Whites & Sushi ($35). These tastings must be booked ahead online.
Gary Farrell Vineyards & Winery, 10701 Westside Road, Healdsburg, 707-473-2909, garyfarrellwinery.com. With some of the best views in the Russian River Valley, this winery also produces some of Sonoma’s best wines, from its singlevineyard Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs, to Sauvignon Blanc and a Pinot Noir rosé. Take in a Terrace Tasting ($25), a hosted sampling of six single-vineyard wines enjoyed alfresco, or book the two-hour tour, tasting and lunch ($75), which concludes with a tasting of six wines on the more private Woodland Terrace.
Gloria Ferrer Caves & Vineyards, 23555 Highway 121, Sonoma, 707-933-1917, gloriaferrer.com. Its recently renovated tasting room and vista terrace are the draws at bubbly expert Gloria Ferrer, where food and sparkling wine always go hand in hand. The daily tasting experience centers on a wine flight or glass paired with nibbles of cheese and charcuterie. Guided tours are offered three times a day, allowing visitors to learn how traditional-method sparkling wine is made, and concludes with a tasting of two sparklers and one Chardonnay or Pinot Noir still wine. Bubbles and Bites, available by reservation daily, is a private tour followed by a seated wine tasting with seasonal bites.
Gundlach Bundschu, 2000 Denmark St., Sonoma, 707-938-5277, gunbun.com. This venerable winery has a wealth of wines on hand to sample, and winter is a good time to venture into the caves for a tasting. A close look at the vineyards is also a possibility. The producer’s Sonoma Coast Gewürztraminer is a particularly fun wine to drink, along with its Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Tempranillo.
Hawkes Wine, 383 First St. W., Sonoma, 707-938-7620, hawkeswine.com. Based in Alexander Valley, Hawkes maintains a casual tasting home off the Sonoma Plaza, too, inviting visitors to explore its range of wines, many of them made from estate-grown grapes. A vin gris made from Tempranillo is in short supply but well worth trying, as are the Chardonnay, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Also visit Hawkes at 6738 Highway 128, Healdsburg, 707-433-4295.
Iron Horse Vineyards, 9786 Ross Station Road, Sebastopol, 707-887-1507, ironhorsevineyards.com. This family- run sparkling wine producer also makes outstanding still wines. The estate-grown Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are noteworthy, and there is an unoaked Chardonnay for fans of a lighter style. A flight of five wines ($20) is a good way to start, with tours available at 10 a.m. daily, by appointment ($25), which also includes a tasting. Book ahead for a private truck tour through the vineyards and a private tasting with winemaker David Munksgard, offered Mondays at 10 a.m. ($50).
Jordan Winery, 1474 Alexander Valley Road, Healdsburg, 707-431-5250, jordanwinery.com.Jordan’s vast estate is beautiful year-round, but in wintertime, it’s a cozy place to hole up for a tasting with food pairing in the winery’s private library. It’s a by-appointment, seated experience that highlights Jordan Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon and the talents of in-house executive chef Todd Knoll. Lasting one hour, tastings are available Monday through Sunday at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. ($30).
Kamen Estate Wines, 111B E. Napa St., Sonoma, 707-938-7292, kamenwines.com.In downtown Sonoma, Kamen offers this light, bright tasting room, the perfect spot to pop in for a flight of its estate-grown wines. With an emphasis on mountain Cabernet Sauvignon, a tasting of three wines ranges from $20 to $35. Sauvignon Blanc, Grenache, Syrah and Cabernet Franc also figure into the mix. For a more rugged experience, book a vineyard tour and tasting for $80 and spend two hours in the hills above town.
Kokomo Winery, 4791 Dry Creek Road at Timber Crest Farms, Healdsburg, 707-433-0200,kokomowines.com.A producer of small-lot wines, Kokomo is open daily for $10 tastings of its wide range of red wines, including Zinfandel, Pinot Noir, Malbec, Petite Sirah, Grenache, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. For seekers of white wines, it also produces Chardonnay, Muscat Blanc and Sauvignon Blanc, in addition to a late-harvest Muscat Blanc. Many of its fans, however, come for the crisp Grenache rosé.
La Crema Winery, 235 Healdsburg Ave., Healdsburg, 800-314-1762, lacrema.com.In an intimate tasting room in downtown Healdsburg, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir specialist La Crema offers a selection of tasting experiences, from its signature tasting ($10), to a Pinot Noir Appellation Tasting ($15) and Lounge Exclusive Tasting ($20), none of which require advance reservation. For a more indepth tasting, try the Nine BarrelRoom Experience ($30), a look at the producer’s highest-end wines, or pair wines with cheese ($35); either way, it’s best to reserve ahead.
MacLaren Wine Co., 27 E. Napa St., Suite E, Sonoma, 707-938-7490, maclarenwine.com.A tiny, one-man operation, MacLaren produces a crisp, delightfully complex Sauvignon Blanc called Lee’s (named after winemaker Steve Law’s mom) and a slew of heady, cool-climate-inspired Syrahs from throughout the county. The tasting lounge on Vine Alley is relaxed and intimate, with Law usually on hand to pour the wines. It’s open Monday and Thursday, noon to 5 p.m.; Friday through Sunday, noon to 6 p.m.; and Tuesday and Wednesday,by appointment.
MacRostie Winery and Vineyards, 4605 Westside Road, Healdsburg, 707-473-9303, macrostiewinery.com.New to Westside Road, the MacRostie Estate House is an elegant place to enjoy elegant wines, including single-vineyard designated Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs, most from Russian River Valley and with a few options from Carneros and the Sonoma Coast. Daily tastings are available on three patios and indoors, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., with reservations recommended ($15-$25).
At Martinelli Winery in Windsor, an old hop barn has been turned into a warmly welcoming tasting room. (Photo courtesy of Martinelli Winery)
Martinelli Winery, 3360 River Road, Windsor, 800-346-1627, martinelliwinery. com.Once the site of an apple stand, Martinelli is still a place to procure divine Russian River Valleygrown apples, but more importantly, to taste and buy stellar Chardonnays,Pinot Noirs and Zinfandels. Stop in and you’re likely to run into a Martinelli family member. This multigenerational operation offers private tastings and tours, plus more casual tastes in an old, red hop barn that now serves as the tasting room.
Pangloss Cellars, 35 E. Napa St., Sonoma, 707-933-8565, panglosscellars.com.Newly opened in a carefully restored 113-year-old building, Pangloss is a sister label to Repris, a winery within the Moon Mountain District. Erich Bradley of Sojourn Cellars makes the wines. The lounge features several tasting experiences, from a communal banquet seating area to a more relaxed space around the fireplace. The wines range from Anderson Valley Pinot Noir to Hamel Vineyard Zinfandel.
Paradise Ridge Winery, 4545 Thomas Lake Harris Drive, Santa Rosa, 707528-9463,prwinery.com.Tucked away in the wilds of Fountaingrove, Paradise Ridge offers a range of wines to enjoy along with unparalleled views across the greater Santa Rosa Plain and beyond. There’s also an impressive outdoor sculpture garden, Marijke’s Grove. A wine and artisan cheese tasting ($25) is recommended, as is picnicking on the grounds, allowed with the purchase of a bottle of wine for every two people.
Passaggio Wines, 25 E. Napa St., Sonoma, 707-934-8941, passaggiowines.com.Owned and operated by winemaker Cindy Cosco, Passaggio aims to make food-friendly wines inspired by her Italian heritage. Amongthe offerings are Pinot Grigio, unoaked Chardonnay, several Sauvignon Blancs, blends and a couple of interesting rosés, made from Barbera and Mourvedre. The signature red wine is Unmarked Repeat Offender Sangiovese, a nod to Cosco’s former life in law enforcement.
Patz & Hall, 21200 Eighth St. E., Sonoma, 707-265-7700, patzhall.com.The Sonoma House at Patz & Hall is an expansive home fashioned specifically for intimate tastings. The Salon Experience, for example, is a seated, by-appointment taste through six vineyard-designated Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs paired with locally sourced bites. Lasting about an hour, it is $60 per person, with a 10-person limit. The more casual Tasting Bar is set up for shorter explorations of the wines Thursday through Monday, at the top of each hour, 10 a.m. through 4 p.m. — also by reservation.
Pellegrini Wine Co., 4055 W. Olivet Road, Santa Rosa, 707-545-8680, pellegrinisonoma.com.A longtime, multigenerational-owned vineyard and winery in the heart of Russian River Valley, Pellegrini offers an outdoor tasting bar and farm-to-table garden, surrounded by beautiful, vineyards. Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are specialties, produced from estate- grown grapes. Tastings and tours are by appointment Monday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Quivira Vineyards, 4900 West Dry Creek Road, Healdsburg, 707-431-8333, quivirawine.com. A wonderland of natural beauty in all seasons, Quivira is always alive, open for tours ($20) of its Zinfandel vineyards, beehives and biodynamic gardens, where chickens roam free. Be sure to try the winery’s sumptuous Sauvignon Blanc, balanced Zinfandels and hard-to-find Grenache.
Ravenswood Winery, 18701 Gehricke Road, Sonoma, 707-938-7292, ravenswoodwinery.com. Before there was a pursuit of balance, there was Ravenswood’s rallying cry of “No Wimpy Wines,” a philosophy it continues to hold to this day. The Zinfandel specialist offers daily tastings of its newest releases, as well as more specialized looks at rare, small-lot Zinfandel ($18) and Cabernet blends ($18). Add an artisan cheese or charcuterie plate for $17 each. A more-hands on approach is available via the Blend Your Own No Wimpy Wine experience. At $65, it’s an opportunity to create one’s own field-blend wine and take it home in a 375-ml bottle.
Roche Estate Winery, 122 W. Spain St., Sonoma, 707-935-7115, rochewinery.com. A longstanding, family-run winery, Roche runs this tasting room from a Craftsman-style house built in the 1940s and surrounded by outdoor seating. Its snack-plate menu made by the neighboring Sunflower Caffé complements the cool-climate Carneros wines, from Chardonnay to Merlot. The winery also invites visitors to picnic on its grounds, allowing them to bring their own lunch.
Rodney Strong Vineyards, 11455 Old Redwood Highway, Healdsburg, 800-678-4763, rodneystrong.com.
One of the county’s most diverse and sustainably minded producers, Rodney Strong makes a long list of wines, from Bordeaux varietals to Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Zinfandel. The best way to get a snapshot of the winemakers’ skills is through the Food & Wine Pairing Experience ($55), a serving of five bites created by the estate’s chef that is thoughtfully paired with five wines. Reservations recommended.
Schug Carneros Estate Winery, 602 Bonneau Road, Sonoma, 707-939-9363, ext. 202, schugwinery.com.
The legendary Walter Schug, who died late last year at age 80, was heavily involved in the creation of Joseph Phelps Winery’s Insignia Bordeauxstyle red blend, as well as many of the producer’s other wines, before opening this family outpost where he could focus on Pinot Noir. His children continue to support the dream, offering self-guided tours of the estate vineyard and daily tastings of its finely made wines, which also include Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and a lateharvest Riesling, among others.
Scribe Winery, 2100 Denmark St., Sonoma, 707-939-1858, scribewinery.com. The brothers Mariani preside over a wide range of casually cultivated events at their outpost on the hill, where unusual wines such as Sylvaner, Riesling and skin-fermented Chardonnay rule. They also make an estate Carneros Pinot Noir and a Cabernet Sauvignon from a vineyard they farm on the eastern slopes of Atlas Peak in Napa Valley. Reservations are required.
Sebastiani Vineyards and Winery, 389 Fourth St. E., Sonoma, 707-933-3230, sebastiani.com. This historic winery maintains a sprawling tasting room and visitor center that’s popular with crowds, and where antique redwood tanks surround a lively tasting bar. Daily tours are offered at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. ($5), while more in-depth offerings include a Historical Vines and Wines Tour, with much of the time spent in the vineyard (daily at 11 a.m., $45). A Wine and Chocolate tasting is conducted daily, between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. The cost is $10 to $20, depending on the level of wines chosen. Wine and cheese seminars are also available.
Seghesio family Vineyards in Healdsburg offers thoughtfully crafted food-and-wine pairings. (Photo courtesy Seghesio Family Vineyards)
Seghesio Family Vineyards, 700 Grove St., Healdsburg, 707-433-3579, seghesi o.com. Within strolling distance from the plaza, Seghesio is open daily for walk-in tastings. When time allows, enjoy the Founder’s Flight ($30), available on weekends by appointment. It’s a seated tasting of several wines, accompanied by artisan cheeses and house-cured salumi. On weekends through November, the Family Table ($75) is not to be missed. A brief tour and sampling of salumi is followed by a private, seated, multicourse lunch with exclusive, hard-tofind wines.
Sojourn Cellars, 141 E. Napa St., Sonoma, 707-938-7212, sojourncellars.com. By reservation only, Sojourn offers a sit-down educational tasting of its stellar wines, including Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon — wines difficult to come by unless you’re lucky enough to be on the mailing list. Erich Bradley is both a partner and the winemaker, working with such vineyards as Durell, Campbell Ranch, Silver Eagle and Beckstoffer Vineyard Georges III.
Chef Douglas Keane, formerly of Cyrus restaurant in Healdsburg, will open a yakitori restaurant in St. Helena in 2016. Photo: Heather Irwin.
After months of hush-hush planning, local chef-lebrity and Top Chef Masters winner Douglas Keane has finally broken his silence on plans for a collaborative St. Helena restaurant with L.A. chef Sang Yoon.
Named Two Birds One Stone, the Japanese-style yakitori grill will be housed in the newly-rehabbedFreemark Abbey Winery in the Napa Valley, owned by Jackson Family Wines. Yakitori restaurants are usually casual eateries that serve small plates of grilled meat and vegetable skewers, along with beer and wine (the term actually means “grilled chicken”). The restaurant is slated for a June 2016 opening.
Two Birds One Stone’s menu will be focused on local chicken and duck as well as highlighting local produce from Keane’s vast network of Sonoma and Napa purveyors.
“It’s going to be a high energy, casual environment with great inspired but not challenging food. A place you can stop by for a drink and a couple bites or hang for the whole night,” said Keane, who was co-owner of the two star Michelin restaurant Cyrus in Healdsburg with Nick Peyton until its closure in 2012. He retains co-ownership in Healdsburg Bar and Grill with Peyton.
Sang, who appeared with Keane on Top Chef Masters in 2013, is the owner of Father’s Office gastropub and Lukshon restaurant in Los Angeles. The two became close friends — which some jokingly called a “bromance” — during taping of the intense Bravo television competition.
The two hinted at a possible collaboration last fall at Kendall-Jackson Winery’s Heirloom Tomato Festival, when Yoon was a judge and Keane a contestant at the annual chef cook-off, but they kept the final details secret until this week. The sneak peek at their opening menu includes an impressive lineup of fowl that will be cooked on a hardwood grill, as well as beef and seafood. Master Sommelier Kevin Reilly (Cyrus, Quince) will head the wine program.
“We are both at a stage in our careers that we can pick what we want to do, so it really has to be interesting and fun. This is both,” said Keane.
The announcement of Two Birds One Stone comes exactly 18 months after Keaneannounced plans for an ambitious upscale rebirth of Cyrus in Alexander Valley. That project, on a parcel also owned by Jackson Family Wines, angered local residents concerned about zoning issues in the agricultural area. Keane said the project is still in play, but is keeping mum on any further details.
JFW chairman Barbara Banke has long been a supporter of Keane’s culinary projects in Sonoma County and was instrumental in helping Cyrus 2.0 move forward. But with that project in flux, Keane turned his eye toward the company’s Freemark Abbey Winery, a more than 125-year-old St. Helena institution that was overhauled during the past two years, taking the building down to its stone walls.
Keane also is a longtime friend of renowned Kendall-Jackson culinary gardener Tucker Taylor, the former French Laundry produce whisperer. Taylor’s daily Instagram photos of his fruits and veggies have garnered him Internet celebrity of late.
“The abundance of produce that exists in Wine Country will be almost as much of the menu as poultry in certain times of the year,” Keane said. “The close ties with Tucker as a direct source will be a huge part of our menu inspiration. A lot of…the plate will be vegetables, too.”
Keane and Sang are in good company as high-end chefs throughout the country turn their attention toward American versions of izakaya, informal Japanese gastropubs that are as much about eating as drinking. Minimashiis slated to open in Napa this month, an izakaya from celebrated chef Curtis Di Fede of Oenotri. In Sonoma County, Ramen Gaijin also serves izakaya, along with ramen. Hana Japanese chef Ken Tominaga opened yakitori restaurant Pabu in San Francisco recently with Chef Michael Mina, and izakaya (pub-style) restaurants have popped up all over the Bay Area in recent years.
“To focus on Asian flavors while highlighting the abundance of product in front of us seemed like a good way to enter the market with a unique offering, and it’s a natural extension of both of our styles. We love this type of food and get excited about showing it off,” said Keane.
Keane’s affinity for Japanese cuisine was showcased at Cyrus and at Shimo, which closed in 2011. He also had a short-lived Asian-style wings restaurant at Graton Casino.
“It’s not everyday you get to work on a project in a place that I really love visiting,” said Yoon. “It’s an opportunity I felt I couldn’t pass up.”
Whether Roberta Ahrens creates a panoramic mural or an 8-by-8-foot painted canvas, her work is never diminutive. Nature speaks to her in a loud voice, and she translates that inspiration into paintings that are lifelike yet unique. She paints cherubs on ceilings, and lilies, poppies and peonies on cracked linen, bringing vibrancy and boldness to the walls and canvases that meet her brush stroke.
Ahrens expertly transforms a painted wall into one that appears to be old wood or adobe. She can turn a ceiling into a wispy, cloud-filled sky. She created a 9-by-12-foot canvas full of flowers and covered it with a protective varnish so it could be used as a carpet under a dining room table. And when a client lamented the view of a drab utility building outside her kitchen window, Ahrens created the trompe l’oeil of a chicken coop complete with realistically rendered hens and a rooster.
While she has transformed many private homes with her decorative painting, Ahrens’ work can also be seen in public spaces, including Ferrari-Carano winery in Healdsburg and Sunflower Caffé in Sonoma. At Ferrari-Carano, she was commissioned by Rhonda Carano to paint a high-domed ceiling in the corporate villa, and murals of rolling hills
Wand rows of Italian cypress trees in the private tasting room.
“It’s tough to paint murals when you’re high up on scaffolding, because you can’t see what it is going to look like,” Ahrens said. So she uses a trick she learned early in her career: view the painting through the back end of binoculars, achieving a sense of distance.
At Sunflower Caffé, she painted six massive panels of sunflowers that cover the entire wall behind the long counter. They are hung like tapestries, not glued to the wall, so they can someday be taken down and hung elsewhere. Sunflower owner James Hahn profusely praises Ahrens’ work.
“You can express your vision to her and not only does she grasp your idea, she adds her creative expertise and gives you exactly what you wanted,” he said. “She is an amazing artist but also a savvy business professional. We’re opening another restaurant, and Roberta will definitely be on the design team.” Her work will be displayed on Sunflower’s walls during January and February, the second time she has been represented in the cafe’s ongoing, revolving art shows.
“I am a master finisher in my profession, but it has taken a while for me to think of myself as an emerging artist,” Ahrens said.
She invented her own signature painting surface, troweling several layers of white plaster onto linen canvas, letting it dry and then rolling it, causing it to crack.
“I’ve really gotten it down to perfection now,” Ahrens said of the technique. The resulting canvas is “tough and slightly thirsty.”
She works in both acrylics and watercolors. After applying the paint to the cracked canvas, she often manipulates it, using sanding and carving techniques. She then glues the canvas to a box frame or backs it with silk or other fabrics so it can be hung tapestry-style. Sometimes her work is glued directly onto the wall.
Ahrens’ paintings have been sold at several galleries and are currently shown at Bluebird Gallery in Laguna Beach and Living Green in San Francisco. She participates twice a year in art fairs at Glasshoff Sculpture Ranch in Fairfield, which she describes as a “very hush-hush event” that nevertheless draws about 3,000 art enthusiasts. She sold eight large pieces to collectors there in the past year. “It’s a new audience for me that’s turning into true success,” she said.
Another first for Ahrens was painting on a nearly 6-foot-tall fiberglass rabbit for the “We Know Jack” fundraiser for the Vacaville Museum. She painted it black and covered it with California poppies. The winning bidder was Assemblyman Jim Frazier, who placed it in his Sacramento office.
A three-series set of amaryllis and poppies can be found on allposters.com, her one allowance for mass production of her work.
“It’s not a big moneymaker for me, but to know my work is hanging nationally, or maybe globally, … makes me happy,” she said of the exposure that comes from online sales.
Ahrens describes the majority of her work as “large-scale botanicals.” She tries to capture the “architecture of nature” in her work, and her canvas itself is part of her work’s allure. Not surprisingly, real sunflowers tower in the front and back gardens of her Petaluma home, where the carefully tended blooms, strawberries and tomatoes of summer fuel her artistic soul all year long.
Although she has no formal art training, Ahrens said she was always the kid at school who could be found in the art room. She was raised in Oregon and followed her older sister, Shelley Masters, to San Francisco. An established master finisher, Masters took on her sister as an apprentice, and paved the way for her entrée to decorative painting.
Ahrens perfected her skills on the job with Evans & Brown, a San Francisco mural and wall-covering firm. She traveled nationwide, applying decorative techniques in shopping malls, hotels and corporate entryways before setting off on her own. Her work appears at the Wynn and Encore hotels in Las Vegas, the Palm Resort in Dubai, and the Four Seasons Maui.
To help market her home-decorative painting niche, Ahrens has a permanent installation of 4-foot sample boards hanging in Peterson’s Paints store in Petaluma, displaying an array of faux finishes; a binder at the counter gives details on each technique and the colors used. While decorative painting is her mainstay, Ahrens said she is thrilled to be part of the team working on the decor of The Petaluman, a boutique hotel scheduled to open in downtown Petaluma this year. And her commissioned work continues to lead her in new directions. An architect hired her to do paintings on cracked linen, a finish his clients admire, but because they love simplicity, there were no flowers this time — just one massive piece in textured white and a second that is entirely black.
“With no imagery, you can really see the cracks,” Ahrens said. “I definitely want to dive in and explore this minimalist idea more.”
When Fred and Barbara White Perry purchased 4 acres that were once part of the historic Buena Vista Winery, established in 1857, they felt a huge responsibility to honor the land. Located inside the Buena Vista gate and with a view through the trees to Bartholomew Park Winery, they can imagine Agoston Haraszthy, the original owner of both wineries and vineyards, still wandering their rows of Zinfandel.
In 1996, the couple had been living for 10 years in a two story home Barbara designed on Sonoma Mountain, where they enjoyed riding their horses. They’d tired of living in the hills and were searching for flat land closer to the heart of things near Sonoma Plaza, where they could build a home with no stairs. Buena Vista’s ownership was transitioning yet again at the time, and when they heard a small piece of the estate was for sale, with vines planted by acclaimed viticulturist Anne Moller-Racke in the early 1980s, they snatched it.
Barbara, an artist and architectural designer, began rendering the plans for their new home by hand, starting out by sitting for hours in the rain, diagramming the natural flow of water on their future home site. She planned the home to the minutest detail, building an architectural model — a step usually reserved for large commercial properties. Even the home’s color palette was decided at the model phase (the exterior stucco is painted the exact color of a rock found on the property). Barbara’s blueprints were stamped with the county’s permit approval on Valentine’s Day 1997, a sign that this home they now cherish would become part of their ongoing love story.
The couple spent hours siting the home’s front door, standing on ladders and taking photos, eventually deciding on the perfect view. A 12-foot-deep veranda with pillars runs the width of the house, a subtle historical reference to Haraszthy’s original villa.
Barbara’s second design inspiration came from an old, wooden, three-gabled farmhouse on Arnold Drive. She had long admired the slowly deteriorating structure and photographed it in 1984. Their home now has three gables, just like the farmhouse did until it was bulldozed in 2001.
The farmhouse was also important to Barbara because it was one of the sparks that led to her publishing her book, “Drawing Sonoma,” which was released in late 2015 and is now in its second printing. The book is a collection of 45 of her ink and vine charcoal drawings of historic and unique properties in Sonoma Valley. The three-gabled farmhouse appears in the section titled, “Gone But Not Forgotten,” where iconic structures no longer standing are captured.
When building a home, most people consider how many heads on pillows they want to accommodate, but for Barbara and Fred, it was all about art on walls. Longtime collectors, particularly of notable Sonoma artists, their goal was to make the interior perfect for showing art. Barbara plotted all the windows so that there was room in between for canvases, and integrated lighting in the 9-foot ceilings to shine at the perfect angle to illuminate paintings. At the center of the residence is a long gallery wall with ample room for the 11 paintings that hang there.
Above the living room fireplace is a Dennis Ziemienski painting, the largest piece in their collection. They also have two Keith Wicks oils, one depicting Spain Street West and the other The Corner Store on the plaza, both purchased at Sonoma’s Plein Air Festival in 2009. There are three Brigitte McReynolds pastels, and commissioned Cynthia Hipkiss clay sculptures of Fred and Barbara riding horses while sipping sparkling wine, with a little sign that reads, “Here’s to 40 Years of Happy Trails.” The “40” is a Post-it, as Barbara updates the number on each wedding anniversary.
In the entry hall are three Jim Callahan bronze sculptures, “Golden Girl,” “Unbridled” and “Sisyphus,” a surprise gift from Fred to Barbara. He placed it on a ledge near the front door and waited until she noticed it. She was thrilled when it caught her eye a few days later.
They also buy art on their vacations, with many pieces acquired at galleries in Carmel. They see something they like, then discuss the possible purchase at dinner over a glass of wine. “We joke later about whether it was a one-glass or two glass decision,” Barbara said. Their home has a trussed roof, which means fewer weight bearing walls are required, making it open and airy. The clean lines encourage a certain ease and sense of calm. Simple, well-designed furniture seems to fade away so the art can reign. The doorways are 3 feet wide with a flat saddle for ease of movement, and the flooring throughout is 12-inch, off-white porcelain tile that has a sheen, which Barbara said makes it easy to keep pristine. She was the general contractor for the project, and the goal in the material choices she made was to keep the home low-maintenance.
Behind the 2,900-square-foot, three-bedroom home (a master suite, guest bedroom and an office for Fred, an expert in cyber security) is Barbara’s artist studio, where she paints almost every day. While the White Perrys collect other Sonoma artists, including Claudia Wager and Brennie Bracket, there are many who collect Barbara’s work. She has been painting since she was a young girl in rural Illinois, studied at the Chicago Art Institute, and was honored as Sonoma’s “Treasure Artist” in 2015.
There is a garden patio between the home and the studio, and an additional outdoor eating area off the dining room, giving two alfresco options no matter which way the wind is blowing. Three acres of vineyards completely surround the home.
Fred and Barbara are philanthropically inclined, and have held many nonprofit fundraisers on their property, often with Fred preparing all the food. They particularly enjoy contributing to Sonoma’s Pets Lifeline, where they found their adorable dog, Benny, a Jack Russell-West Highland white terrier mix. They have a long association with the Sonoma League for Historic Preservation, and are proud that their property won the League’s Preservation Award in 1999 for “new construction compatible with and sensitive to existing historic structures or sites.”
As their home is just a stroll away from Buena Vista’s stone press house, built by Haraszthy in 1863, it’s indeed quite an accomplishment.
Salt of the Earth
Sweet Surprise
Hot Pot
Dead Cred
Collect ’Em All
Cut It Out
Get Out the Crayons
Wigging Out
Wrist Bling
Sith On It
Fun for Fidgety Kids
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