Page 473 – Sonoma Magazine

Kendall-Jackson Heirloom Tomato Fest 2014

September 2014

By biteclub

A salmon and roe dish featuring heirloom tomatoes at the 2013 Chef Challenge.

Kendall-Jackson Wine Center will host its 18th annual Heirloom Tomato Festival on Saturday, Sept. 27 2014 from 11a.m. to 4p.m.

It’s one of my favorite events all year (and not just because I get to be a Chef Challenge Judge), but because of the nearly 200 varieties of heirloom tomatoes available for tasting, 50 restaurants serving tasty bites of everything from pizza to fried green tomatoes, and of course the wine. $95,

Kendall Jackson Wine Center, Fulton Road, Fulton. Proceeds benefit the Ceres Community Project.

KSRO adds Wolf and Smothers to Saturday lineup

September 2014

By biteclub

Steve Garner, John Ash, Marcy Smothers and Clark Wolf of KSRO’s Saturday food lineup.

Saturdays get even tastier on local news station, KSRO (1350AM, 103.5FM) with the debut of “At the Table with Wolf & Smothers” on Oct. 4, 2014.

Wine Country food fanatics Clark Wolf and Marcy Smothers will dish each week on food news and personalities with guests including Ruth Reichl, Emeril Lagasse, Bruce Aidells, Martin Yan and Top Chef Master’s Douglas Keane.

The dynamic duo’s first show airs live from the Sonoma County Fairgrounds during the Harvest Fair, and will on KSRO each Saturday from 1 to 3p.m. following The Good Food Hour with John Ash from 11am to noon and On the Wine Road with Jeff Davis from noon to 1p.m. Delicious!

BiteClub, of course, hits the local food beat on local radio station KZST (100.1FM) each Thursday morning from 7:40a.m. to 9a.m. with Brent Farris. Yeah, I just tooted my own horn. (And, PS…I’m truly sorry to those of you who have to hear me at Kaiser or your dentist’s chair.)

Get a sneak peek!

Viola Pastry Boutique Closing

September 2014

By biteclub

Chilaquiles breakfast at Viola Pastry Cafe in Santa Rosa, California ©heather irwin

Sad news in Montgomery Village. Chef Jennifer McMurray has announced that her popular cafe, Viola Pastry Boutique and Cafe (709 Village Court, Santa Rosa) will shutter on Sept. 27.

The good news, however, is that her homey cooking (and her hostess/mom, Vickie) are continuing their culinary journey. McMurray will continue catering private parties and events and is looking for a new location for her restaurant. Stay tuned.

Fork Catering Expands

September 2014

By biteclub

Sarah Piccolo of Fork Catering will take over the Bodega Hwy roadhouse this fal.

The adorable little roadhouse at 9890 Bodega Highway that’s seen a number of restaurants come and go in the last several years is being taken over once again, this time by the highly successful Fork Catering.

Owner Sarah Piccolo says she’ll use the spot for a variety of uses, including her catering kitchen, offering a breakfast and lunch eatery, food truck parking by the side patio for a “quick casual bite” and offering special event space.

Piccolo hopes to be open by November and plans to expand to weekend brunches, dinners and special events in the future. “The concept will be casual, approachable, family friendly, and will definitely support our local farmers, bread bakers, and community,” she said.

Williams-Sonoma Returns

September 2014

By biteclub

Chuck Williams in 1956. A Williams-Sonoma store will open in Sonoma in October 2014.

After several years of planning, permitting and building, kitchen outfitter Williams-Sonoma will be returning to its roots in Sonoma. In celebration of founder Chuck William’s 99th birthday, the store will open in early October at its original Broadway location on the Sonoma Square.

There will be a small cooking school and historic display, in addition to cookware and kitchen gadgets.

The landmark store opened in 1956, when a prescient Williams decided Americans might appreciate European-quality cookware. Just a few years later, Julia Childs’ Mastering the Art of French Cooking kindled a firestorm of interest in his high-end copper pots, pans and knives. utensils. Ironically, Sonoma County has’t had a Williams-Sonoma store since Williams moved his operation to San Francisco in the late 1950s.

You Say Tomato: Sonoma’s Bounty

September 2014

By biteclub

You Say Tomato: There’s no doubt its the very pinnacle of tomato season. In fact, when Biteclub ran into a certain grocery store tycoon recently, he arched a doubtful eyebrow when we suggested great heirloom tomatoes might be available until the end of September.

If you’re gonna get ‘em, get ‘em right now. Aside from local grocers and farm markets (don’t forget the burrata), you can take the easier route and let a pro help. We’re loving:

Salt cod with tomato jam and Bodega Red potatoes, Backyard, 6566 Front St, Forestville.

SunFed Ranch Burger, thick slab of heirloom tomato marinated in balsamic and garlic, mozzerella, pesto aioli, The Breakaway Cafe, 19101 Sonoma Hwy, Sonoma.

BLT’s with Panache: Green Grocer (Original Santa Rosa Market), Twist Eatery (6535 Front St., Forestville), Jack and Tony’s (115 Fourth St., Santa Rosa).

Brown sugar tomato jam, housemade burrata and heirloom tomatoes: Epicurean Connection (122 W. Napa St., Sonoma).

Tomato and chevre gallette: Patisserie Angelica (6821 Laguna Park Way, Sebastopol).

Potato and cheddar-stuffed chiles Rellenos on a bed of heirloom tomatoes: Undercover Baking Agency (463 Sebastopol Ave., Santa Rosa).

Keep in mind these are seasonal dishes, so if you have your heart set on something, check first.

Steeped in Family History

September 2014

By Sonoma Magazine Staff

Home of Sam and Robin Sebastiani. (photos by Chris Hardy)

On the oak-studded hillside behind Sam Sebastiani’s Sonoma home, a rocky path winds uphill, just a stone’s throw from the house itself. Is it a deer trail? A forgotten hiking path?

It’s actually the rustic road that Sam’s grandfather, Samuele Sebastiani, traversed many times a day more than a century ago while hauling cobblestones from the hilltop quarry down to Sonoma Creek for transport to San Francisco. Working at the quarry enabled Samuele to save enough money to build his landmark Sonoma winery, Sebastiani Vineyards, in 1904.

It’s fitting, and eerily coincidental, that 11 decades later, Samuele’s grandson now lives alongside that old quarry road and produces a line of small-batch wines dedicated to the memory of his grandfather.

Sam Sebastiani’s affection for his Italian roots and his wine heritage runs deep, and he revels in surrounding himself with memories of where it all began. Not only is his sprawling home ideally located atop Quarry Hill, but family memorabilia pervades the residence that he, his wife, Robin, and their four dogs have called home since 2008.

Before Sebastiani set eyes on the house, he had recurrent dreams about it. In each of the dreams, he was horseback riding in the hills of his childhood and would come across the house. He was speechless when his real estate agent drove him up to what was — quite literally — the house of his dreams.

Sam and Robin's dogs sleeping outside the living room. — Sam and Robin’s dogs sleeping outside the living room.

“I wanted tranquility, and I wanted privacy,” Sebastiani said. He got it, in spades. The large, single-story Craftsman-style residence was a spec home, so the couple were able to put their own touches on it.

Ceiling panels in the dining room, along with wainscoting throughout the house, are crafted from Sebastiani’s grandfather’s redwood wine barrels. There are paintings of the monastery where Samuele learned to make wine. Hand-carved cask heads from Sebastiani Vineyards flank the dining room window with its spectacular views of Gehricke Canyon.

Since the Sebastianis enjoy cooking — he is renowned in the family for his split-pea soup — there’s a large open kitchen complete with a rack of antique copper pots. Glass pendants collected during a vacation in Venice hang over the island, and the kitchen also features paneling made from Samuele’s wine barrels. The overall effect is that of an Old World Italian kitchen, yet with a touch Samuele could not have seen coming: a dishwasher exclusively for glassware.

The home’s furnishings are eclectic, a mix of American and Italian heritage pieces. Viticultural touches are everywhere, from the grape cluster lines hammered into the copper wet-bar sink to grape-accent tiles in the wine cellar off the dining room.

The home is filled with the hand-blown Italian glass bottles Sebastiani, 73, has long fancied, along with his extensive duck decoy collection. On one wall is his certificate of knighthood from the Italian government, in recognition of his work to promote Italian grape varieties. Just across from it are his framed Boy Scout merit badges and his Eagle Scout memorabilia. Around the corner are two life-size suits of armor.

Surrounding the home are olive, avocado, citrus and fig trees, Italian cypress and stone pines. Wisteria, clematis and jasmine scramble over arbors and soothing lavender scents waft around the bubbling fountains. Beyond the garden is the hill where the Sebastianis hike with some of their 15 grandchildren.

It’s the same hill, of course, where he spent his boyhood days, when he wasn’t helping out at the family winery, hosing off floors and rolling barrels.

Old balsamic vinegar barrels in the dining room.

“We lived 200 yards away,” Sebastiani recalled with a chuckle. “I was raised by the old Italians. As soon as you could stay out of trouble, they had you working. Our family code was that if you’re going to give orders, you better have done it.”

When he joined Sebastiani Vineyards full time in 1967, after completing an undergraduate degree and an MBA from Santa Clara University and a two-year stint in the Army, the industry had begun a radical transformation.

“In the 1960s, there was a small movement with a few wine writers,” Sebastiani recalled. “They wanted something to talk about, and it wasn’t jug wines. They were seeking wineries that were making wines with vintage dates and varietal designations.”

So Sebastiani Vineyards joined the Wentes of Livermore, Louis Martini in Sonoma and Napa, and a few others and began the shift away from jug wines. “If you stayed with the Burgundy, Chablis and rosé thing, you were gonna die,” he explained.

After his father, August, died in 1980, Sebastiani assumed the reins at the winery. His mission was to improve quality dramatically. “There was a need to be a standout, not just a player,” he said.

Premium grapes were key, and Sebastiani began his quest with longtime friends and grapegrowers Bob and Fred Kunde in Kenwood. “I negotiated a new contract with quality standards for each part of the ranch,” Sebastiani said. “We put quality standards on each of the varietals. I was ultimately buying every grape off the ranch.”

He also grew his enology staff and bought new equipment. “We proceeded to make some awfully good wines,” he said. “In 1984 and 1985, we won more awards than any winery in America.”

There was friendly rivalry with other winemakers. “Bob Mondavi was one of the greatest competitors in anything he did,” Sebastiani recalled. “He and I got to be good friends because we realized there was room for both valleys and both families. Bob had a knack for surrounding himself with great people.”

Things came to a screeching halt when his mother, Sylvia, abruptly removed him from his position as winery president in 1985, citing concerns about expenditures that Sebastiani deemed necessary.

“I got word that they weren’t happy,” he said simply.

Departing was difficult, but creating a new winery that would embody his vision alone was a tempting alternative. After a long search to find the ideal winery site, Sebastiani and his then-wife, Vicki, opened Viansa Winery & Italian Marketplace in 1989 on a Carneros hilltop south of Sonoma.

American Indian painting and antique wine bottle in the entry way of the Sebastiani home.

“I used to say at Sebastiani that I was trying to create a racehorse out of an elephant,” he explained. “At Viansa, I got to raise a colt to be a racehorse.”

Tapping into his heritage, Sebastiani focused on Italian grape varieties and introduced direct-to-consumer sales and a wine club, rare at the time. He also restored Viansa’s wetlands and created an acclaimed waterfowl preserve — a passion he continues today at Winemaker’s Island, his ranch in Nebraska.

Life was good. “It was a lot of fun,” Sebastiani said. “It didn’t hurt that Italian — quote, unquote — was popular in America. We had an elegant culture to wrap ourselves around.”

Around 2004, as Sebastiani prepared to retire and pass winery duties to his children, a problem arose. Consultants hired by the family said not all the children shared his vision for Viansa’s future. Ultimately, the decision was made to sell the winery.

Dining room with ceiling and wainscoting made from old redwood barrels from Sebastiani winery. — Dining room with ceiling and wainscoting made from old redwood barrels from the Sebastiani winery.

Walking away from a second winery, one into which he’d poured his heart and soul, was doubly bitter.

“You build it up and then you have to leave it. You start to believe that you’ve got a shadow following you around. If I didn’t have religion, I’d probably be sucking my thumb in a corner somewhere,” he said with a wry laugh.

After picking himself up, Sebastiani realized that he now had an opportunity to be free from the demands of a popular tourist stop like Viansa. “My dream was always to have a small winery where your (goal) was to make the best wine,” he said. “For the first time in my life, I was not stuck with anything. I could get my grapes anywhere.”

For what he calls his “swan song,” Sebastiani returned to the Kunde Ranch, now run by Bob’s son, Keith, for Chardonnay and Sangiovese grapes, and found three great spots in Amador County for Zinfandel, Primitivo and Syrah.

Sam and Robin Sebastiani walk down the old quarry road that runs through the backyard to their home.

In collaboration with his former Viansa winemaker, Derek Irwin, Sebastiani created his line of La Chertosa wines, limited to around 1,200 cases a year. The wines are named for the monastery in Farneta, Italy, where Samuele learned the art of winemaking. It’s a respectful nod to the grandfather who walked that quarry road so long ago.

It’s also a fitting finale to a life well lived, one spent celebrating family and heritage. In his memento-filled home, Sebastiani is content and at peace. “I live life day to day,” he said. “I’ve stopped thinking about the future and stopped worrying about the past.”

The Perfect Party Setting

September 2014

By Sonoma Magazine Staff

Guests cheer at the beginning of dinner at the home of Daryl and Lisa Groom. The Grooms hosted a cookout at their home in Healdsburg on Memorial Day Eve. (Photos by Charlie Gesell)

The glorious view from Daryl and Lisa Groom’s home sweeps out over downtown Healdsburg to Geyser Peak and Mount St. Helena and would be hopelessly distracting if it weren’t for the Grooms’ engaging hospitality. Conversation sparkles, food tempts, and the mood is Wine Country generosity at its most genuine.

Guests play games and take in the view of the surrounding hills in Daryl and Lisa Groom's backyard. — Guests play games and take in the view of the surrounding hills in Daryl and Lisa Groom’s backyard.

The vista becomes merely a backdrop for this outdoor escape because the grounds are gorgeous and the goings-on at the Groom home are so much fun. A large stretch of lawn and a shimmering pool set the bucolic scene. There’s table tennis and a giant Jenga block tower made of two-by-fours. And the bocce court beckons.

“We like games that can be played with one hand so you can hold a glass of wine in the other,” Daryl said, showing his affinity for good times and his respect for his profession, as he is one of California’s most acclaimed winemakers.

The Grooms bought this treasure of a property 16 years ago in a private sale, one of the upsides of being as plugged into the community as they are.

“Since we were lucky enough to buy this place, we feel we have to share it,” Lisa explained, and Daryl agreed. “People just fall in love with it, and we love sharing it with other people.”

The property is especially stunning in fall, arguably Wine Country’s finest season for outdoor entertaining; the landscape is ablaze with color, the fleeting light of early evening soft and enfolding.

The home sits on 7 acres on a hill off Dry Creek Road and includes a frequently used tennis court, organic garden, small orchard and chicken coop. There’s even a yesteryear clothesline tucked amid rose bushes and fruit trees.

A working Cadillac nicknamed Colby Red serves as a backdrop.

A 1949 black Cadillac was included in the sale of the house, and it has served as bride-and-groom transport for two couples, friends of the Grooms who were lucky enough to have their weddings at the home.

The first thing the Grooms did was put in a pool and build a 600-square-foot guesthouse, because they often have family visit from their native Australia and dinner guests sometimes spend the night.

The guesthouse is flanked by a commanding outdoor stone fireplace that the Grooms use year-round, especially as the last days of summer turn to fall. “When our children have friends over, it’s the natural gathering place for conversation,” Lisa said. She keeps s’mores ingredients on hand for such occasions.

The roof of the guesthouse extends over the fireplace and an alfresco dining area with a long, welcoming table that is surrounded by a low rock wall. Off to its side is an outdoor kitchen on a deck built by Lisa’s father. The granite-topped kitchen holds a sink, under-counter refrigerator, two gas burners and a built-in DCS grill. There is also a freestanding Weber kettle-style barbecue.

The original house was one story, 1970s-style. Once the outdoor space was spiffed up, the Grooms remodeled, adding a second story and creating 4,000 square feet where they’ve raised their four children — Lauren, 26, Meg, 24, and Kara, 22, who are now off on their own, and Colby, 16, who attends Santa Rosa’s Cardinal Newman High School.

In addition to an up-to-the-minute kitchen with an ample island and high-end appliances, there is a utility room that houses a washer and dryer at one end and a long stretch of counter space at the other. The counter is home to Lisa’s dehydrator and an ice cream maker, and also serves as something like a catering area when they host guests.

The Grooms worked with Gerda Engelbart of Healdsburg when they remodeled, and the landscape plan is credited to Up & Up Landscape in Sebastopol. Colby raises market lambs on the property, keeping a pair in a small shed with a pen.

Daryl and Lisa met when he was a winemaker at Australia’s most famous winery, Penfolds, in the Barossa Valley, and where she was a production assistant. They were a youngish married couple in 1989 when Penfolds purchased 50 percent of Geyser Peak Winery in Geyserville and installed Daryl as winemaker, moving the Grooms to the U.S. What they thought would be a stay of a few years turned out to be permanent, although their connection to Australia remains strong.

In 1997, partnering with Jeanette and David Marschall, Lisa’s sister and brother-in-law in Australia, they bought 87 acres in Barossa Valley, planted Shiraz and Zinfandel, and launched Groom Wines. Daryl is the winemaker, spending a good deal of time in Australia, and the Grooms market the wines in the U.S. from their home office.

Daryl and Lisa set the table and serve food for guests.

Asked if they do the cooking themselves, they answer “Yes!” in unison. Lisa does the shopping, prep work and inside cooking, and Daryl mans the grills. Lisa is a passionate gardener and beekeeper, and plans menus based on what’s fresh and homemade.

At a dinner for 14, Daryl grilled seven racks of lamb slathered with Lisa’s estate-grown blackberry sauce, and roasted potatoes and rosemary from the garden. The meal began with house-made fresh goat cheese with honey from Lisa’s hives. For dessert, there were three sorbets, strawberry elderflower, triple orange and lemon tequila, made with fruit grown on the property and accompanied by Lisa’s honey-basil shortbread.

She plants directly in the ground, dealing with gophers as best she can, saying that when she has her hands in the earth, she feels a cathartic connection to her mother and grandmother, who avidly gardened before her in Australia. Her garden includes a variety of squashes, melons, eggplant, strawberries, raspberries and peppers.

Lisa loves tomatoes, from which she makes “to-mah-to” jam. She currently has Red Brandywine, Green Zebra and Black Russian, among others varieties. “I grow San Marzano for sauce and canning, always an Early Girl for reliability, and a selection of heirlooms, which are more finicky to grow but the fruit is outstanding,” she explained.

Homemade chevre along with freshly picked cherries.

Lisa washes her garden harvest outside in an antique vessel that sits atop an ancient stone fencepost, which drains right back into the ground. She also nurtures abundant greenish-white hydrangeas that were on the property when the Grooms arrived and honor their link to the home’s history.

After Daryl’s storied career at Geyser Peak, and in addition to the Shiraz, Sauvignon Blanc and Zinfandel he makes for Groom Wines, he added an important element to his resume: Colby Red.

Colby Groom was born with a heart condition and has endured two open-heart surgeries and long recovery times.

He was so thankful for the good care he received that he asked his dad to make a wine that could be used as a fundraiser for heart-health charities. Daryl began producing Colby Red in 2011 with an original goal of donating $100,000. The wine has since raised more than $500,000, and the new goal is $1 million.

As brand spokesperson, Colby has been on the “Today” show and many local TV stations, with speaking engagements across the U.S. and Canada.

Daryl and Lisa love it when their children bring their friends home, and everyone gathers around the outside table to share their lives. A 1950s-style jukebox in the guesthouse has outdoor speakers, often blaring, and the rock wall is a favorite spot for dancing. It’s a place full of love and laughter, and the Grooms wouldn’t have it any other way.

The Finish: Gerda Engelbart

September 2014

By Sonoma Magazine Staff

Architect Gerda Engelbart (photo by Chris Hardy)

An avid ballet dancer into her late teens, Gerda Engelbart still finds a parallel between that fluid use of space on stage and her building-design work today.

“People have a relationship to space even if they’re not aware of it,” she said.

Whether designing the interior of Diavola Pizzeria & Salumeria in Geyserville or repurposing wood from a former boarding house in Healdsburg, her instincts in working with her clients are to “help them think of ideas that they never would have thought of on their own.”

From her father, Douglas Engelbart, inventor of the computer mouse, she learned to “break up the box and think outside the box.” From her mother, Ballard, she gained an appreciation for landscape design.

Yet she’s just as willing to redesign a Windsor tract home for a family outgrowing its living space. No matter the scale of the project, “listening is key,” she said. “The word ‘drafting’ or ‘drawing’ means to ‘pull forth,’ like you pull a draft beer or a draft horse pulls the plow. That’s what I’m doing with each client.”

Then: Born in Berkeley and raised in a Joseph Eichler-built house in Palo Alto in the 1960s.

Now: Lives in a 1930s cabin in Healdsburg, with vaulted ceilings and high windows. “I like to call it my mini-Maybeck,” she said, referring to Arts-and-Crafts-style architect Bernard Maybeck.

Studied architecture: California College of the Arts in San Francisco

Age: 60

Favorite analogy: “Rembrandt and Van Gogh are both great painters and the elements of design exist in all of their works; that’s what makes them great. But they’re completely different styles and it’s a personal choice about which one you like.”

Sense of discovery: “A lot of these old houses have beautiful fir underneath the floor and people don’t realize that it can be sanded.”

To unwind: Camping and long walks with her dog, Odin, a Belgian Malinois mix.

Guilty pleasure: “Way too much Sudoku.”

Latest project: A “very modern structure” in Dry Creek Valley for an artist who creates large-scale paintings and needs both living space and room in which to paint and exhibit her work.

Winery Tasting Rooms During Harvest

September 2014

By Sonoma Magazine Staff

Everyone seems to want to be in Wine Country during harvest, the most exciting and beautiful time of the year. There’s a buoyant energy at wineries now, as well as new tasting experiences and tours, many of which take place in the middle of the crush action. Wine writer Virginie Boone recommends these wineries for late summer and fall visits; they are open to the public, typically from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Contact the individual tasting room to confirm.

Anaba, 60 Bonneau Road, Sonoma, 707-996-4188, anabawines.com. In the heart of windy Carneros, Anaba welcomes tasters to enjoy its restored farmhouse and remarkable Rhone-variety wines, in addition to vineyard-designated Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays. A good spot for picnics, Anaba offers a wine education experience called Beyond the Label, during which each of its wines is explored in detail; there is also a Salon Tasting of flights of wines.

Benziger Family Winery, 1883 London Ranch Road, Glen Ellen, 707-935-4527, benziger.com. The great folks at Benziger now offer a seated Pinot Noir Experience, a chance to enjoy a guided flight of the winery’s top-notch, cool-climate de Coelo and Signaterra Pinot Noirs with paired bites. The cost is $50 per person, and the experience happens daily at 10:30 a.m. and 2 p.m.; advance reservations are required

Black Stallion Winery, 4089 Silverado Trail, Napa, 707-227-3250, blackstallionwinery.com. Posh and hospitable, Black Stallion offers luxury and comfort in equal measure, with plenty of outdoor seating to enjoy the winery’s Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay, and stellar bottlings of Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon.

Charles Krug-Peter Mondavi Sr. Family Vineyards, 2800 Main St., St. Helena, 707-967-2200, charleskrug.com. Charles Krug, where Peter and Robert Mondavi got their winemaking start, remains an impressive blend of old and new, and its epic Redwood Cellar is an airy place to taste. The Sauvignon Blancs are bright and crisp, the Cabernet Sauvignons elegant. Visitors can enjoy myriad tasting options and tours, and can take a bottle of wine to enjoy on the Great Lawn.

Chimney Rock, 5350 Silverado Trail, Napa, 800-257-2641, chimneyrock.com. Take a 90-minute Tomahawk Vineyard tour and sip winemaker Elizabeth Vianna’s Cabernet Sauvignon while listening to discussions on viticulture and winemaking. Gourmet cheeses provide nourishment ($125/person). Tours leave daily at 10 a.m.; reserve early.

DeLoach Vineyards, 1791 Olivet Road, Santa Rosa, 707-755-3309, deloachvineyards.com. The visitor experience at DeLoach is always a good one, but owner Jean-Charles Boisset can’t help but continue to up the ante, accentuating the celebration of nature here and the bounty of Biodynamic farming, as he has done at Raymond Vineyards in Napa Valley. This time of year, take part in the MFS Blending Experience, a chance to play with Pinot Noir; it’s offered daily by appointment, at 10:30 a.m. or 1:30 p.m.

Frank Family Vineyards, 1091 Larkmead Lane, Calistoga, 800-574-9463, frankfamilyvineyards.com. Frank Family is a popular Napa Valley stop because of its friendly gardens, picnic spots and affordable tasting fees: $20 for a tasting of four wines, from sparkling to Cabernet Sauvignon and Petite Sirah. It also happens to inhabit a historic site, the one-time Larkmead Winery, third-oldest in the valley.

Geyser Peak Winery, 2306 Magnolia Drive, Healdsburg, 707-857-2500, geyserpeakwinery.com. A new home for the timeless winery, Geyser Peak is near downtown Healdsburg; visitors can walk or bike to the new digs. Premier tastings start at $10, reserve tastings at $15, and summertime picnic options and seated wine and cheese pairing packages (by reservation) are available to guests.

Grgich Hills Estate, 1829 St. Helena Highway, Rutherford, 800-532-3057, grgich.com. The mighty Grgich Hills, a wonderful producer of Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon, offers a slew of fine visitor experiences, from barrel tasting every Friday at 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., to seated wine tastings with cheese ($40); a rustic vineyard adventure ($125); and grape stomping ($30, Labor Day to Halloween). On any day, the staff will also order box lunches for visitors to enjoy on the grounds.

Hall Wines, 401 St. Helena Highway, St. Helena, 707-967-2626, hallwines.com. Home to the gigantic silver bunny sculpture, Hall celebrates wine and art, offering the chance to breeze through its winery enjoying works of modern art and sculptures while sampling its exceptionally high-quality wines. Hall also runs a winery in Rutherford that’s more off the beaten track and can be visited too, by appointment, for tours and tastings.

Hamel Family Wines, 15401 Sonoma Highway, Sonoma, 707-996-5800, hamelfamilywines.com. So new that the winery, estate house and wines caves are still under construction, Hamel makes Bordeaux-style wines from four Sonoma Valley estate vineyards. Martha McClellan of Levy & McClellan and Checkerboard Vineyards – and a former associate winemaker at Harlan Estate – makes the wines.

J Vineyards & Winery, 11447 Old Redwood Highway, Healdsburg, 707-431-5400, jwine.com. A glass of bubbly is always a good thing, and this is a well-appointed spot at which to have one, as well as taste J’s Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays. But don’t miss having a sip of Pinot Gris, among its most popular, hot-weather-perfect wines. The J Bubble Room pairs wines with exquisite, locally sourced dishes; chef Erik Johnson is a huge proponent of sourcing locally.

Jordan Vineyard & Winery, 1474 Alexander Valley Road, Healdsburg, 800-654-1213, jordanwinery.com. By appointment, Jordan welcomes visitors for walking tours through its beautiful compound, which includes estate gardens where executive chef Todd Knoll sources a cornucopia of produce for winery meals. Tours and seated tastings are held Monday through Saturday throughout the year.

Littorai, 788 Gold Ridge Road, Sebastopol, 707-823-9586, littorai.com. Nestled in the cool Sebastopol Hills, Littorai offers two tasting options, both by appointment only. The first is a Single Vineyard Tasting of vineyard-designated Pinot Noir and Chardonnay ($25); the second is a tour of the Pivot Estate Vineyard, farmed Biodynamically, followed by a tasting ($40). Littorai winemaker Ted Lemon is among California’s finest winemakers and respected throughout the world.

Markham Vineyards, 2812 St. Helena Highway, St. Helena, 707-963-5292, markhamvineyards.com. Situated in one of the oldest stone buildings in Napa Valley, Markham makes a wide range of wines and offers a taste of four (Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon) in its daily Rock & Roll Tasting ($15). The on-site art gallery features the work of music photographer Baron Wolman, with lots of shots from Woodstock and the time he spent shooting for Rolling Stone magazine.

Monticello Vineyards, 4242 Big Ranch Road, Napa, 707-253-2802, corleyfamilynapavalley.com. Come to the Corley family’s Napa winery and sit down to a Jefferson House Reserve Tasting ($30) held in the Jefferson House Reserve Room or on the terrace. Dig deep into single-vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, or sign up to be winemaker for a day ($90), with a two-hour blending session and walk through the vineyards that ends with a tasting of more wines.

Murphy-Goode Winery, 20 Matheson St., Healdsburg, 800-499-7644, murphygoodewinery.com. Recently refreshed, the Murphy-Goode tasting room feels like a remodeled barn, with ample room to relax, play shuffleboard or linger on the back porch. It also houses a vintage photo booth for taking funny pictures in between sips of wine.

Navarro Vineyards and Winery, 5601 Highway 128, Philo, 800-537-9463, navarrowine.com. The wide selection of crisp white wines and bright, mellow reds is worth the drive to Philo in Anderson Valley, where Navarro’s homey picnic grounds inspire taking one’s time. Plenty of picnic goodies are stocked in the tasting room, including co-owner Sarah Cahn Bennett’s fine farmstead goat cheeses, made down the road at Pennyroyal Farms. Tours into the vineyard are led twice a day, by appointment.

Odette Estate, 5998 Silverado Trail, Napa, 707-224-7533, odettewinery.com. PlumpJack’s latest endeavor, Odette Estate, is open daily by appointment for tasting and hosts its popular Secret Cinema movie night Oct. 19. Beginning at 5:30 p.m., it’s a night of food, wine and an old-fashioned drive-in movie ($60/car). The movie is announced the week of the event (that’s the secret part); dressing up is encouraged and Gott’s Food Truck is on hand for the hungry.

Patz & Hall’s Sonoma House, 21200 Eighth St. East, Sonoma, 877-265-6700, patzhall.com. In a well-appointed house in the Carneros region, this chic tasting spot highlights all the delights of Patz & Hall, a specialist in single-vineyard Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Taste four wines for $25 with truffle nuts, or sit down for a discussion and tasting of six wines with meticulously prepared mini-meals ($50). Chances are the day will start off with a glass of bubbly to open the palate. Recently added is the Terrace Tasting, an intimate tableside tasting of single-vineyard wines with local cheese ($40).

Phillips Hill Winery, 5101 Highway 128, Philo, 707-895-2209, phillipshill.com. Newly opened in Anderson Valley, Phillips Hill resides in a two-story, restored apple-drying barn where tastings are held overlooking the nearby creek. French cheeses and charcuterie are served from the on-site commercial kitchen, a nice accompaniment to the elegant Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Gewürztraminer made here.

Quintessa, 1601 Silverado Trail, Rutherford, 707-286-2730, quintessa.com. Quintessa has recently built three lovely pavilions overlooking its Dragon’s Hill vineyard block. There, visitors (by appointment) are invited to enjoy a 90-minute immersion into the winery’s Cabernet Sauvignon, from barrel samples highlighting the estate’s 26 distinct vineyard blocks to rare library wines, all paired with local cheeses. The experience lasts 90 minutes and costs $125/person.

Red Car Wine, 8400 Graton Road, Sebastopol, 707-829-8500, redcarwine.com. Red Car makes some of Sonoma’s most exciting cool-climate wines, from crisp Chardonnays to nicely rendered Pinot Noirs and Syrahs. The whimsical labels alone are worth the trip.

Robert Biale Vineyards, 4038 Big Ranch Road, Napa, 707-257-7555, biale.com. A producer of truly elegant vineyard-designated Zinfandel and Petite Sirah, Biale works with a wide range of historic vineyards throughout Napa and Sonoma. Enjoy the outdoor patio and ponder the views of the surrounding vineyards as you taste through a lineup of fine wines, including the winery’s signature Black Chicken Napa Valley Zin, an ode to bootlegging in Prohibition days.

Rodney Strong Vineyards, 11455 Old Redwood Highway, Healdsburg, 800-678-4763, rodneystrong.com. For a comprehensive taste of Sonoma County with expansive views of vines, look no further than Rodney Strong, which offers an estate wine tasting daily as well as the option to try single-vineyard and reserve wines. From its Alexander Valley Cabernets to Davis Bynum Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays, there’s a lot to like here. Outdoor picnics are also in order, daily on the winery’s lawn or vineyard terrace, with picnic items for purchase inside.

Roederer Estate, 4501 Highway 128, Philo, 707-895-2288, roederestate.com. Take a tour ($6) of the Anderson Valley home of Roederer Estate and see how some of America’s best sparkling wines are made, then sit on the balcony and breathe in the cool coastal air. Picnics for two ($25) can be ordered ahead.

Rutherford Hill Winery, 200 Rutherford Hill Road, Rutherford, 707-963-1871, rutherfordhill.com. Tasting flights and cave tours happen daily at Rutherford Hill, a lovely tasting room with beautiful views of Napa Valley. But take advantage of the Saturday Blend Your Own Merlot Seminar if you can, a two-hour session that includes wine tasting and a cave tour, followed by the chance to blend, bottle and label a wine of one’s own ($105/person).

Schramsberg Vineyards, 1400 Schramsberg Road, Calistoga, 800-877-3623, schramsberg.com. Among the first in California to specialize in sparkling wine, Schramsberg occupies hallowed, historic ground and is home to the oldest hillside vineyards in Napa Valley and some of the first caves dug for storing and aging wine. Take a tour by appointment, and don’t miss the Mirabelle Brut Rosé and other gorgeous sparklers before moving on to taste the J. Davies Estate Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir.

Seghesio Family Vineyards, 700 Grove St., Healdsburg, 707-433-3579, seghesio.com. Through mid-October, this mighty Zinfandel producer operates Cafe La Brezza, a place to gather and enjoy small plates of Mediterranean-inspired, seasonally sourced foods such as oven-roasted shrimp, white bean salad and ribs with wines by the glass.

Silverado Vineyards, 6121 Silverado Trail, Napa, 707-257-1770, silveradovineyards.com. Perched atop a hill off the Silverado Trail, this is a quiet place to visit and enjoy terrace views, plus many tasting options on offer. The Saddleblock Tasting is a good one this time of year; it includes a tour of the Saddleblock vineyard with wines and appetizers ($75/person). Limited to four guests.

Tasting Room on the Green, 9050 Windsor Road, Windsor, 707-687-5089. A partnership of Deux Amis and Mutt Lynch wineries, this dog-friendly spot pours Zinfandel, Petite Sirah and a red blend called Ducks a Miss, made by Deux Amis winemaker Phyllis Zouzounis. Mutt Lynch wines include Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot and a limited series of vineyard-designate wines under the Man’s Best Friend imprimatur.

VJB Vineyards & Cellars, 60 Shaw Ave., Kenwood, 707-833-2300, vjbcellars.com. In an Italian-inspired, courtyard-centered villa in the heart of Sonoma Valley, VJB serves steamy coffee and pastries in the morning; panini, pasta and pizza during the day; and samples of its Italian-inspired wines. The winery also stocks co-proprietor Maria Belmonte’s line of sauces, pestos and tapenades, and houses a shop for gelato and specialty chocolates.