Page 520 – Sonoma Magazine

From Farm to Fridge

December 2013

By Virginie Boone

David and Kristine Beck at Twisted Horn Ranch in Bloomfield, California. (Photo by Erik Castro)

Imagine an online grocery store where the best of local meats, cheeses, vegetables, breads, fruits and gluten-free goodies could be ordered for next-day delivery or pickup, potentials of deliciousness ready from your screen.

Jason Gooch carrying an assortment of freshly laid eggs at Wyland Orchards his family owned and operated pastured egg ranch in Petaluma, California.(Photo by Erik Castro)

A service called Good Eggs is bringing locally grown and made food items to customers throughout the Bay Area via its new website, with orders assembled for home delivery or pickup from a range of locations, with a strong lineup of Sonoma County purveyors in the mix.

“We want to make a market for the good guys,” said Clint Schmidt, who oversees marketing for Good Eggs.

Launched last February, Good Eggs finds and partners with farmers and food makers who aim for that elusive combination of ethical and worth eating.

“We’re pretty stringent,” Schmidt said. “(Products) need to be local and good quality.”

Good Eggs’ producers are expected to run their operations with integrity and serve their local communities, paying their employees fair wages, treating animals humanely and avoiding synthetic inputs as much as possible. There are other criteria, starting with transparency about their practices and ingredients.

Word is starting to spread among purveyors with quality goods to sell. The company works with approximately 300 food suppliers in the Bay Area, and has a total of 500 across the United States. Co-founder Rob Spiro told SF Weekly that Good Eggs filled an estimated 200 to 300 orders a day last summer, and has plans to scale up to 2,000 orders a day in the Bay Area alone. Its first phase has been so successful that Brooklyn, New Orleans and Los Angeles have emerged as additional pilot marketplaces for the service.

Jon Bowne of Gypsy Cheese Co. in Valley Ford said it’s difficult to make a profit as a small food producer, especially when having to rely on traditional distribution networks that demand low prices to make room for their own markup.

“Good Eggs provides a venue for direct-to-consumer sales but doesn’t require as much of the labor, fees, permits and equipment that farmers markets demand,” he explained. “This allows us to realize a much higher margin on sales.”

It also provides a cutting-edge, enjoyable buying experience for customers, who Bowne said are high-quality clientele for a craft-food producer — and that’s important.

“These high-value customers help create a buzz for the product,” he said. “And it appears that Good Eggs is growing rapidly. I can’t think of another sales venue that could match its likely growth trajectory.”

Shelley Mainzer is one of those customers. She works and lives in San Francisco and joined the service in February 2013.

“You know how you think food is supposed to taste but then you buy something at the grocery store and it maybe smells good but has no flavor or tastes like water?” she asked. “Good Eggs is the complete opposite. It’s like being on the farm, picking things fresh every time I get a delivery. Everything tastes amazing, too.”

She loves knowing which farm grew her food and having direct contact with many of the farmers.

“It’s made cooking more exciting for me,” Mainzer added. “I try new things and eat so much more healthy and it’s easy; they deliver to my office. Everything about them gets me excited about farm-fresh, healthy, delicious food.”

ason Gooch with an assortment of freshly laid eggs at Wyland Orchards his family owned and operated pastured egg ranch in Petaluma, California. November 14, 2013. (Photoby Erik Castro)

In the Bay Area, Good Eggs includes products from as far north as Sonoma County, to Pescadero in the south and Yolo County in the east. It’s a crucial distribution outlet for Sonoma purveyors wanting to reach a large area.

“One of our challenges as a new company with a new product was to get our product to the right marketplace,” said Kristine Beck of Twisted Horn Ranch in Bloomfield. “Farmers markets are good but time-consuming, and we had full-time day jobs and weekend ranch work. Selling from the ranch works, but it’s a narrow group we could reach that would be driving almost to Bodega Bay to pick up beef. Grocery stores would work but we were too small to supply what was needed. Good Eggs solved all that for us.”

Twisted Horn and other vendors who qualify for Good Eggs are not required to pay upfront nor create any additional advertising or marketing. The model also works for many vendors because inventory can fluctuate.

“For us that was important, as we have varying amounts of inventory and we didn’t know how fast things would move,” Beck explained. “We have a very long lead time to get new inventory, so that works well for us to have flexibility. But one of the best things about Good Eggs is home delivery. We’re excited to be able to have our beef delivered right to the customer.”

Delivery areas and pickup locations are, for the moment, concentrated where larger populations exist. They include a handful of San Francisco neighborhoods, Oakland, Berkeley, Marin and parts of the Peninsula. Purveyors can also create their own pickup points; Twisted Horn is considering one in Petaluma.

Sonoma County is well represented on Good Eggs. Here’s who is involved:

Bloomfield Farms, Petaluma: Bloomfield grows certified-organic and heirloom produce, offering seasonal salad mixes, red little gem lettuce, small CSA share boxes and more through the Good Eggs site. The farm consists of 45 acres in the Estero Americano Watershed roughly between Bloomfield and Valley Ford and specializes in cool-weather crops like spinach, broccoli and strawberries. Large groups are invited to tour the farm by appointment with the option to include lunch, made either by chef Brandon Guenther of nearby Rocker Oysterfellers or chef Gerard Nebesky of Gerard’s Paella. But the best experience of all might be the Sunday UPicks, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., when visitors are invited to harvest their own organic produce, buy farm fresh eggs and the like, then stay for brunch, all for $30. bloomfieldfarmsorganics.com

Chalk Hill Cookery, Healdsburg: Founded by chef Matteo Silverman, previously of San Francisco-based vegetarian restaurants Green’s and Millennium, Chalk Hill makes vegan baked goods, some also raw and/or gluten-free, including chocolate macaroons, lavender shortbread, toffees and granola. Product packaging is made from biodegradable cellophane. Silverman also sells caramel corn, raw golden flax seeds and even palm sugar, a low-glycemic sweetener that’s also organic. Chalk Hill Cookery is also a caterer able to create four-course vegan dinners. chalkhillcookery.com

Gypsy Cheese Co., Valley Ford: Gypsy Cheese is a small, husband-and-wife-led operation making small-batch cheeses from raw goat’s and cow’s milk, sourcing the milk from other nearby family farms. Its Caravan Gold is a feta-style cheese marinated in local olive oil and herbs. Gypsy Rose is a semi-hard cheese aged for several months. Former lawyers, Jon and Lauren Bowne started production just last year. gypsycheese.com

Happy Hens Farm, Petaluma: From Sonoma Mountain, Happy Hens raises chickens and ducks (and their eggs), heritage pork and grass-fed beef, lamb and goat. Herding dog Jack and resident llama Hans look over the flocks, which are given free rein to roam around together. Jack has inspired the launch of ranch-made dog treats, too, made from fresh meats. Happy Hens will soon be organically certified. In the summer Farm Camps go for two-week stretches, bringing in children to take care of the animals and the farm, around carefree days of farm-related arts and crafts, storytelling, gardening and fun. happyhensfarmgirl.blogspot.com

Jellicles Farm: Jellicles is a “tiny patch” of farmland in Santa Rosa, making honey, ghee, salts (with rosemary, lavender or fennel) and herbal teas. For Good Eggs, Jellicles also sells plant starts, dried flowers, seasonal decorations and Thai chiles and LabLab beans. facebook.com/jelliclesfarm

Twisted Horn Ranch, Bloomfield: Twisted Horn raises Longhorn cattle without the use of hormones or antibiotics, a breed whose meat ends up being lower in fat and cholesterol than chicken, especially since these bovines graze freely and feed on wild grasses. Cuts available include prime rib, steaks, tri-tip, filet mignon, beef heart and ground beef, as well as a line of stocks and sauces. Owners David and Kristine Beck additionally offer visits to enjoy the sunset from the ranch, made all the more comfortable from the sun-filled, 600-square-foot, well-appointed guesthouse, available for overnights. Sometimes they even do a cooking class in the ranch kitchen for up to 10 guests at a time. twistedhornranch.net

Wyland Orchards, Petaluma: Wyland is a family-run farm with chicken eggs, duck eggs, Berkshire pork, lamb and grass-fed Angus beef, including sausage and bacon. Started as an olive orchard in 1999, the owners, Jason and Beth Gooch, soon added a flock of sheep to their land, then chickens, which roam freely and graze beneath the trees. Today, cattle and pigs are also in the mix. No antibiotics or hormones are used. Via Good Eggs, customers can also buy beef heart, tongue, oxtail and offal. wylandorchards.wordpress.com

Serious About the Gin Game

December 2013

By Sonoma Magazine Staff

The Spirit Works distillery in Sebastopol specializes in a Sloe Gin, using a traditional English recipe. (photo by John Burgess)

After Timo Marshall proposed to his girlfriend, Ashby, he wanted a meaningful gesture to break the news to her parents. So he gave them a bottle of his family’s traditional, homemade sloe gin.

“That was the biggest thing I could think of doing,” the U.K. native recalled nearly a decade later.

Now the Sebastopol couple want to bring sloe gin to the rest of America, producing what they say is the first traditional English version made in the U.S. The Marshalls founded Spirit Works Distillery in 2013 with a specific eye toward creating the unjustly obscure liquor.

They started out thinking they would buy a farm and grow sloe berries and other products to help some local distillery make a traditional gin. But two things quickly became clear. First, the Marshalls didn’t have the time or money to create such a high-risk, small-audience farm. And second, there wasn’t a small distiller that makes the base liquors —vodka and gin — in the exacting manner that the couple had in mind.

Husband and wife team, Timo and Ashby Marshall, founded the Spirit Works in Sebastopol, distilling whiskey, vodka and gin. (photo by John Burgess)

So the Marshalls decided to do it themselves, learning from scratch how to make liquor.

Their distillery, in Sebastopol’s new Barlow district, is a gleaming showpiece, with three separate stills enabling head distiller Ashby to make liquors of all sorts, starting with their vodka and gin.

What distinguishes Spirit Works from many distillers, however, is that the Marshalls control every aspect of the process, starting with buying the wheat they grind and brew into the base mash that becomes the liquor. Many distillers purchase premade mash, or even buy premade liquor to infuse with other flavors.

The Marshalls grind California winter red wheat to a fine flourlike consistency, mix it with hot water to make a mash (similar to the process used by beer brewers), then distill that mash into vodka. To that vodka, they add various herbs and spices and redistill it to create gin. That in turn becomes sloe gin when the sloe berries are steeped in the gin to extract the fruit flavor.

“The important thing always to come back to with us is we are a grain-to-glass facility,” Timo said. Since there are hardly any sloe berries grown in the U.S., Spirit Works turned to a source in Eastern Europe. But the rest of the ingredients are sourced as locally as possible.

The Spirit Works distillery in Sebastopol uses whole grains for the mash, then add locally-sourced botanicals such as coriander, citrus, cardamom, and angelica for their gin recipe. (photo by John Burgess)

The process of making sloe gin is straightforward: soak some of the small sloe berries (a relative of the plum) in liquor to extract the purple color and bitter fruity flavor, then add some sugar and let it age.

The result is a silky, fruity concoction that is similar to a rich Port or a French cassis, the liqueur often mixed with Champagne to create a kir royale.

Like many Englishmen, Timo grew up in a family that foraged for sloe berries in the fall; the fruit is freely available on the blackthorn bushes used by many farmers to create hedgerows around their fields.

Collecting the berries, painstakingly preparing them to soak in the liquor, and bottling the sugared juice are part of nostalgia in the English countryside, he said. Families bond over the process, often sharing glasses of the previous year’s product while making the new batch.

“No one farms sloes. … In the autumn we would take these walks: In the U.K., you can walk anywhere, there are public footpaths over everyone’s farms, and you can just forage in the hedgerows for whatever is there at the time,” Timo said. “Most families out there will make a couple bottles or six bottles of sloe gin every autumn.”

Unfortunately, commercial sloe gin has gotten a bad name in recent decades, made with cheap liquor and low-grade flavorings. Only a handful of distillers around the world make sloe gin the proper way.

In its more traditional, professionally produced form, Timo and Ashby said, sloe gin is more bitter and less sweet than the homemade stuff; this allows bartenders to more finely control the flavor profile of cocktails.

Timo Marshall adds juniper berry to gin in the handmade copper hybrid pot still at the Spirit Works distillery in Sebastopol. (photo by John Burgess)

But even with the differences in homemade sloe gin, the Spirit Works version has gotten a thumbs-up from an important critic: Timo’s father. “He told me, ‘Your great-grandmother would definitely have approved,’” Timo said.

Michael Cecconi, bartender at San Francisco’s Two Sisters Bar and Books and consultant to Sebastopol’s Zazu restaurant, said that Spirit Works’ sloe gin, which sells for around $40 a bottle, revives a “wonderful tradition with a local product.” The intense fruit flavor and modest alcohol (54 proof) make it an excellent ingredient for bartenders looking to make relatively low-alcohol cocktails.

The distillery’s great story, combining family history with the farm-to-glass, do-it-yourself ethos, appeals to customers, particularly in the Bay Area, who are interested in artisan production.

But it’s not just customers who are happy. One of the side benefits of finally debuting their dream drink, Timo said, is that they now have enough sloe gin on hand to actually indulge in a few glasses once in a while, rather than hoarding the annual harvest for special occasions.

“It’s so hard to come by … it’s so luxurious for us to be able to go to our pantry and have a couple of glasses of sloe gin,” he said.

Boutique Bonbons for All

December 2013

By Sonoma Magazine Staff

Chelsea Bloom decorates the truffles at Recherche du Plaisir in Santa Rosa. (photo by Conner Jay)

First, there’s the bright snap as a thin cloak of tempered chocolate gives way to rich chocolate ganache (simply, chocolate and cream) that spreads over the palate in dark, delicious glory.

The confections from Gandolf’s Fine Chocolate in Santa Rosa are among the best and most satisfying you’ll find this side of Paris.

Guy Daniels with Gandolf's Fine Chocolates prepares his boutique truffles in Santa Rosa. (photo by Conner Jay) — Guy Daniels with Gandolf’s Fine Chocolates prepares his boutique truffles in Santa Rosa. (photo by Conner Jay)

Guy Daniels, who founded the company (named after his beloved cat) in 1999, explained that tempering, the biggest challenge a chocolatier faces, is what sets his chocolate apart. To temper it, couverture chocolate (a very high-quality chocolate that contains extra cocoa butter, made specifically for this process) is first heated to 114 degrees, then cooled to 82 to 83 degrees, and then heated again to 89 degrees.

“When this is done correctly,” said Daniels, a full-time chocolatier, “the molecules realign themselves. This is essential for enrobing a truffle with snap.”

Tempering gives chocolates their texture and sheen, increasing their visual appeal and improving the way they feel in the mouth. (Untempered, chocolate may taste good but have a spongy texture, look dull or blotchy, or show streaks of fats.) Not all chocolate behaves the same, and procuring couverture chocolate that is consistent is an equally important task.

“I use Guittard,” Daniels explained. “I am very careful, very cautious about this. I cannot afford inconsistency.”

For the ganache, Daniels has more options. He’s a fan of Hawaiian chocolate, in part because of its quality and in part because it is easy to verify claims made about it — for example, that it is organic. When he can get Hawaiian chocolate (very little is produced), he features it in a classic truffle. He also uses other chocolates that pique his interest.

When it comes to flavorings, Daniels is a traditionalist. A delicate restraint is part of his artistic signature.

“From my perspective,” he said, “nothing is better than pure cream and the finest chocolate.”

The best flavorings are, he believes, the tried-and-true classic combinations that have endured for decades. Hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, dried fruit, espresso, Kahlua and amaretto have long been praised for their affinity with chocolate.

Gandolf's Fine Chocolates get ready to be shipped out in Santa Rosa. (photo by Conner Jay) — Gandolf’s Fine Chocolates get ready to be shipped out in Santa Rosa. (photo by Conner Jay)

Yet Gandolf’s biggest seller is a salted caramel truffle, a simple combination of caramel-chocolate ganache topped with a bit of flaky salt.

“People who buy this one buy a lot, not one or two truffles, but boxes of truffles, and they don’t typically buy other flavors,” Daniels said.

Come Valentine’s Day, Nipple of Venus, popular year-round, garners even more attention, thanks to both its name and its suggestive slash of tempered white chocolate atop a classic dark chocolate truffle. Fans of the 2000 movie “Chocolat,” starring Johnny Depp and Juliette Binoche, will recognize the name.

Gandolf’s chocolates are available at gandolfsfinechocolate.com. Contact Guy Daniels at 707-861-0489. Prices range from $2 per truffle to $48 for a box of 24.

When More is More

A chocolate purist might be satisfied with a single Gandolf’s truffle. But for many, more is always more when it comes to chocolate, and truer than ever on Valentine’s Day. And it’s not just in quantity, but also in flavor combinations that push the boundaries of tradition.

For such delicacies, look no further than Recherche du Plaisir, a sweet little sweet shop in Santa Rosa where chocolatier Lucy Gustafson crafts truffles and other bonbons, French macarons and more. Flavors range from classic dark chocolate and salted caramel to red-hot ganache; dark chocolate spiked with ancho chile and other spices; strawberry preserves with white chocolate; dark chocolate hearts filled with white chocolate and peppermint; and the Violet Beauregard, made of white chocolate and blueberry preserves.

The shop has beautiful containers, too, including a gorgeous heart-shaped box crowned with circular swirls of thin red ribbons that holds nearly three dozen morsels.

Recherche du Plaisir is at 3401 Cleveland Ave., Suite 9, in Santa Rosa. For more information, call 707-843-3551 or visit www.rdpsweets.com. Prices range from $2 for a single bonbon to $74 for a heart-shaped box of 33.

Wines for every occasion

December 2013

By Virginie Boone

Whether fancy or casual, there’s a wine for every occasion.

Sometimes the occasion calls for something fancy; other times, all that’s needed is a good, honest wine. Here are some recommendations to suit a range of wintertime moods and events, from a romantic, fireside Valentine’s Day to a Super Bowl party.

Sauvignon Blanc for Chinese New Year

If you like:

Merry Edwards 2012 Russian River Valley Sauvignon Blanc ($32)
Edwards has built her substantial reputation on producing silky, voluptuous Pinot Noirs from the Russian River Valley, but she’s also a master of this white varietal, expertly crafting a wine that’s equally textural and hedonistic. Hearty in fig and lychee fruit, it also has a floral component. It’s an ideal wine for spicy Chinese noodles and salads, and rich and creamy enough to stand up to fish dishes and stir-fried garlic scallops.

Then try:

Casey Flat Ranch 2012 Open Range California Sauvignon Blanc ($15)
Made by up-and-coming Napa-based winemaker Laura Barrett, the wine is a steal for its high quality. Grapes were sourced from throughout the North Coast, including the Casey Flat Ranch in Capay Valley, as well as Lake and Mendocino counties. Slightly herbal with balanced layers of grapefruit, tropical fruit and lemon, it has acidity and structure to spare. Pair it with fresh oysters, or long noodles and leafy greens, two good-luck foods.

Brut Rosé for Valentine’s Day

If you like:

Inman Family 2009 Russian River Valley Brut Rosé Nature Sparkling “Endless Crush” ($68)
Disgorged in September 2012, Kathleen Inman’s sparkling brut rosé is made from her estate OGV Pinot Noir grapes. It makes for a romantic sharing à deux, inspired by Inman’s own 25th wedding anniversary. A wine of great depth, brightness and personality, it tastes of fresh-picked strawberries and cherries, with a streak of citrus and brioche right out of the oven.

Then try:

J Vineyards & Winery Russian River Valley Brut Rosé ($38)
A salmon-hued bubbly resplendent in strawberry and brioche flavors, this is another wonderful wine for Valentine’s Day: soft and dry, with Meyer lemon and lime tones from the small amount of Chardonnay blended with Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. Crisp acidity provides a steady backbone and superb refreshment.

Rhone White Blends for Groundhog Day

If you like:

Sheldon 2012 Sonoma Coast Vinolocity Blanc ($30)
Grenache Blanc with smaller percentages of Viognier and Roussanne, Vinolocity is flinty with lime and green apple, a streak of spice and ripe peach and pear notes peeking through. Fermented in stainless steel, it’s dry, layered and made in very small quantities; get yours now.

Then try:

Bump 2011 Fortune Sonoma Valley White Wine ($20)
Bump’s first bottling of a white Rhone-inspired blend is comprised of Marsanne, Roussanne, Viognier, Grenache Blanc and Picpoul Blanc, grown in a vineyard near the town of Sonoma. The wine is very floral in aroma; in the glass, there are hints of Meyer lemon and honey.

Zinfandel for Cozy Meals, Super Bowl Parties

If you like:

Beltane Ranch 2012 Sonoma Valley Estate Zinfandel ($44)
The family behind the Glen Ellen bed-and-breakfast broke into the wine business a few years ago with an estate-grown Sauvignon Blanc, using grapes it once sold to the likes of Cakebread Cellars in Napa Valley. In late 2013, Beltane released its first Zinfandel, with spicy blackberry and leathery tannins. It’s still a baby, showing tremendous potential to age.

Then try:

Quivira 2011 Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel ($22)
Quivira’s “starter” Zinfandel tastes deliciously of its appellation, accessible in its soft layers of spice and brambly plum and blackberry fruit. With plenty of balancing acidity, especially from a cool vintage, it’s ready to be paired with a wide range of dishes, including pizza, spaghetti and meatballs, and Super Bowl barbecue.

Syrah for Slow-Braised Meats

If you like:

Failla 2011 Estate Vineyard Fort Ross-Seaview Syrah ($62)
A classic, cool-climate Northern Rhone-style Syrah, this wine is a savory study in pepper and tobacco personality, with the notion of fruit a mere suggestion. Smelling and tasting much like roasted meat itself, it will happily accompany more, whether it’s slow-braised or roasted beef, pork, venison, lamb or duck. No matter the meal, what you’ll remember most is this bottle.

Then try:

People’s Wine Revolution 2011 Moon & Sun Massa Ranch Yountville Syrah ($18)
Made from organically grown grapes by Matt Reid, the former custom-crush winemaker at Failla, this Syrah generously imparts a grind of black pepper and briary black and blue fruit, making it a good wine to pair with hearty wintertime meats slathered in mushrooms and bacon, or midweek slow-cooker pork tenderloin.

The Train is Coming

December 2013

By Sonoma Magazine Staff

John and Pat Rich ride along the multi-use trail next to the SMART tracks, between 8th Street and College Avenue in Santa Rosa November 1, 2013. The trail is being extended alongside the tracks, allowing cyclists and walkers to move from Cloverdale to Larkspur. (photo by Christopher Chung)

Someday you’ll be able to travel from Cloverdale to Larkspur and back without driving your car.

Thinking of the train on the new Sonoma Marin Rail Transit (SMART) system? Well yes, that too. After years of debate, its first phase is expected to connect Santa Rosa and San Rafael by early 2016.

But just as significant — some might say more so — is the 71-mile pathway being created parallel to the train tracks that will allow walkers and cyclists to move from Cloverdale all the way down to Larkspur, where they can find the San Francisco ferry. The trail, 54 miles of off-road path and 17 miles on city streets, may be part of the larger rail project but it is on a separate construction track.

Already there are parts of it you can enjoy.

Ultimately the trail will connect 10 cities, 14 SMART stations and thousands of people in Sonoma and Marin counties. Of course, it’s not as simple as it might sound. With two counties, 10 cities and Caltrans involved, you knew it wouldn’t be.

Of the 47 segments along the length of the trail, a whopping 22 of them are currently the stuff of dreams. The latest government analysis pushes them off into a vague future, kept on the drawing board by cost or technical complexity.

Sections of the trail already exist in stretches previously built by counties or cities, and will be folded into the larger pathway from Cloverdale to Larkspur. That includes a stretch of the Joe Rodota Trail in Sonoma County and several segments in southern Marin County.

Just last fall, a short section opened in Santa Rosa, running from Eighth Street to West College Avenue, just north of Railroad Square. It’s already popular with cyclists and walkers.

The rest won’t exactly be built in order, from one end of the line to the other. Some of the cities will create their pieces of the trail in a kind of patchwork as staffing, weather and funding allow. Most of the trail will be built by SMART.

In the meantime, follow our map, at least with your eyes. Covering that ground on foot will come later. Seven new sections are ready to be assigned to contractors, and should be finished in late 2014 or early 2015.

As for a date when the very last stretch of pathway will be finished? We wouldn’t even venture a guess.

Hard Cider Soars

December 2013

By Virginie Boone

Jolie Devoto Wade, and her husband, Hunter Wade, gather the last of the fallen apples from their Devoto Gardens west of Sebastopol. (photo by John Burgess)

The country is going mad for hard cider, traditionally made from apples that have been fermented and aged, sometimes in oak, much like a wine.

Fresh squeezed apple juice at Tilted Shed Ciderworks near Forestville. (photo by Kent Porter)

An American mainstay since Colonial times, cider lost much of its fan base during and after Prohibition. But now it’s roaring back, with consumption up 50 percent in the last decade, according to the Beverage Trade Network (statistics show cider drinkers to be overwhelmingly young and female).

In Sonoma, the charge is being led by artisans eager to replant and rediscover the heirloom apple varieties once grown in abundance for cider — apples that tend to be tarter than the ones we like to eat.

Versatile and relatively low in alcohol and price, ciders make for a fun new way to test theories on pairing drinks with food. Here are two local cider producers to know.

Devoto Orchards Cider

Jolie Devoto-Wade of Devoto Gardens & Orchards is a second-generation farmer whose family has grown more than 55 varieties of organic, dry-farmed apples just west of Sebastopol for close to 40 years. With her husband, Hunter Wade, she oversees 15 acres of apples among a few other crops, including flowers and Pinot Noir grapes.

Jolie Devoto Wade, and her husband, Hunter Wade, have launched Apple Sauced Cider, using the family’s Gravenstein apples for the cider. (photo by John Burgess)

A few years ago, the couple decided to return to the family farm after studying cider-making in the north of Spain. They soon launched a line of hard ciders made from organic Gravensteins. The first, Save the Gravenstein, was produced from 15 tons of organic apples with the goal of ramping up production substantially year to year, all in an effort to, as the name says, save more Gravenstein trees from being replaced by other crops, including vineyards.

At 6.9-percent alcohol, Save the Gravenstein ($12.99 a bottle) is a food-friendly cider that’s also enjoyable on its own. The most recently released vintage, from apples harvested in August 2013, has 5 percent Akane, Burgundy, Hubbardston Nonesuch, Pink Blush and Pink Pearl apples added to the Gravensteins. It’s a fine partner for sharp cheeses and seafood.

Devoto Orchards’ Backyard ($12.99 a bottle), released in October 2013, is made from Gravensteins grown in neighbors’ backyards, a project in partnership with Slow Food Russian River. Sales proceeds benefit the nonprofit group.

Tilted Shed Ciderworks

Another husband-and-wife operation, Tilted Shed gets many of its specialty apple varieties from Devoto and is planting its own trees on a 5-acre property near Forestville.

Scott Heath and Ellen Cavalli first experimented with making cider in New Mexico, but their journey eventually led them here, where they knew they could “elevate the apple to greatness,” as Cavalli said.

They have approximately 2 acres planted to heirloom cider varieties, including the traditional Muscat de Bernay, a bittersweet variety native to Normandy, France, and the slightly sweeter Roxbury Russet, bred in America as far back as the 1700s. Cavalli and Heath ferment their ciders to dryness, aiming for a savory, full-bodied style.

They offer a handful of ciders, from Lost Orchard Dry at $10 a bottle (quite tannic and dry) to January Barbecue Smoked at $8.50 a bottle (the apples are wood-smoked before fermentation, meant to accompany smoked meats, seafood and aged cheeses). The 2013 Barbecue Smoked bottling will be released in mid-January.

Tilted Shed also just released a new cider from the 2012 harvest, Barred Rock Barrel-Aged Cider, a plush, dry, savory winter warmer made from late-season heirloom apples ($9 for 375 ml). Aged in Kentucky bourbon barrels, Barred Rock offers notes of amaretto, vanilla and toasted marshmallow.

Neither Tilted Shed (tiltedshed.com) nor Devoto Orchards (devotocider.com) have tasting rooms; visit their websites to learn where to try and buy their ciders.

Rethinking the Art Museum

December 2013

By Sonoma Magazine Staff

Visitors at the Sonoma Valley Museum toured the Memories: The Kathleen Thompson Hill Culinary Collection exhibit with glasses of wine before a special showing of the movie “Julie and Julia” followed by food from the movie cooked by Sandra Bernstein of The Girl and the Fig. (photo by John Burgess)

As executive director of the Sonoma Valley Museum of Art, Kate Eilertsen aims to change the way people think about museums.

“The word ‘museum’ makes people yawn,” she said. Now, downtown Sonoma’s museum is trying new things to add a little kick.

For four years, the museum offered “Mix” cocktail nights in a successful effort to attract singles and younger adults.

“A lot of them joined the museum as members,” Eilertsen said.

“Memories: The Kathleen Thompson Hill Culinary Collection” exhibit at the Sonoma Valley Museum of Art includes a display of vintage sifters and other kitchen implements. (photo by John Burgess)

To keep the program fresh, Eilertsen, her staff and board of directors hit the pause button until they could find something new that would re-energize it.

The museum also ran its own coffee shop for a while. Eiltersen converted office and storage space into two classrooms for talks, workshops and hands-on, artistic fun.

“We have the ‘Wet Room’ now, where you can spill paint on the floor and not worry about it,” she said.

The museum regularly invites art lovers to meet and tour local artists’ studios.

The museum’s choice of exhibits also reflects the search for something new. Showings in the recent past have featured creative puzzles by local artists, and art work (as well as words) by San Francisco poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti.

During an exhibit of vintage kitchen implements collected by local food writer Kathleen Thompson Hill, the museum screened films with food themes, including “Julie & Julia” and “Big Night.”

“We have tried to do a wide variety of shows,” Eilertsen said. “I believe that art is not just a pretty picture hanging on a wall. It’s about creativity.”

Since it opened its doors in 1999, the museum has staged more than 70 exhibitions attracting more than 130,000 visitors.

The current exhibit, “Site and Senses,” runs through March 2 and spotlights the designs of San Francisco architects Joshua Aidlin and David Darling. The exhibit emphasizes smell, touch and sound, as well as sight, Eilertsen explained, and includes a wall of charred wood and a gravel path.

“Museums everywhere are looking for ways to become more interactive,” she said.

This spring, the museum will present its annual salute to relatively unknown local artists in the “Discovered: Exceptional Artists of Sonoma County” exhibit, running from mid-March to late April. This year, the program also will include appearances by young local performers mentored by the Transcendence Theatre Company, a troupe of actors and singers with Broadway and national touring company experience, based at Jack London State Historic Park.

The museum is open Wednesday through Sunday, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $5 for adults and free to those 18 and under; Wednesdays are free to all.

Sonoma Valley Museum of Art, 551 Broadway, Sonoma, 707-939-7862, svma.org

Get Thee to a Spa

December 2013

By Meg McConahey

The Spa Hotel Healdsburg offers a Farm to Spa menu of treatments that sound downright delectable. (photo by Chris Hardy)

The craving for natural and organic that has fed the farm-to-table movement is spilling over to personal care, with many spas now offering “farm to spa” treatments that sound good enough to devour. And like discriminating chefs seeking new flavor combinations with hyperlocal ingredients, area apothecaries are experimenting with luscious mixtures of home-grown herbs, flowers and fruits to create natural, plant-based products that are incorporated into massages, facials, wraps and other treatments used in the region’s top spas.

The Spa Hotel Healdsburg touts a Farm to Spa Collection Menu with seemingly delectable selections such as the Lavender and Peppermint Massage using Matanzas Creek Winery lavender, and Wine and Honey Wraps using Quivira Vineyards & Winery’s Sauvignon Blanc and honey from Beekind.

It’s a natural extension of the hotel’s Dry Creek Kitchen, whose chefs forage the Healdsburg farmers market for produce. Spa manager Dawn Stephens also shops the market for mint, cucumber, lemons and other edibles to season the refreshing spa water.

“We’re so lucky to be in this wonderful and abundant area,” she said. “And it’s easy and fun to play with locally produced scents and ingredients.”

Products from Michele’s Apothecary, a farm in Bennett Valley where Michele Steinert mixes up more than 50 products, from calendula petals to lemon verbena, comfrey to catnip. (photo by Chris Hardy

Meyer lemons are among the spa’s signature ingredients. For winter, what could be more comforting than to be wrapped in a warm blanket like a baby, fresh from a massage with lemon oil and sage body milk?

As with restaurants, spa menus can also change with the seasons.

“When the apples are happening, we do an Apple of the Eye with every single treatment we have,” said Loma Alexander, who co-manages the spa at Forestville’s Farmhouse Inn. Apples from inn owner Catherine Bartolomei’s nearby farm are grated and steeped with chamomile teabags for soothing the eyes.

Honey from the farm is incorporated into the Warming Ginger Honey Massage, along with locally gathered flowers and fruit, to make velvety creams and “farm to spa table” skin masks.

“It gives people a sense of place when they come to visit,” Alexander said, “and allows them to learn a little bit about our locale.”

Local can mean Bay Area, Wine Country, Sonoma County or even a spa’s own garden. The Farmhouse spa harvests geranium leaves from the garden for use as a natural exfoliant in some treatments.

The grounds at MacArthur Place Hotel & Spa in Sonoma provide bounty for the inn’s Garden Spa.

The Peppermint Reflexology begins with a foot soak in bath salts with rosemary and peppermint from the garden. Rose petals are sprinkled in tubs and dusted on tables.

“All our treatments,” said Garden Spa director Tiffany Delayly, “are based around plants, flowers or herbs.”

Michele Steinert at work in her lab sorting through wildflowers she’ll use in one of her products she blends for high-end spas under her Michele's Apothecary label. (photo by Chris Hardy) — Michele Steinert at work in her lab sorting through wildflowers she’ll use in one of her products she blends for high-end spas under her Michele’s Apothecary label. (photo by Chris Hardy)

Many spas source from local makers, among them Sequoia Beauty in Petaluma and Michele’s Apothecary. At her 17-acre farm in Bennett Valley in eastern Santa Rosa, Michele Steinert mixes up more than 50 products, from calendula petals to lemon verbena, comfrey to catnip.

Using a small copper still, she distills her own hydrosols, which are perfumed waters. Organic shea butter and sunflower oil are key ingredients, as well as sugar, a natural exfoliant.

Steinert makes custom products for the Hotel Healdsburg spa and for Raindance, the spa at The Lodge at Sonoma Renaissance Resort & Spa. Many of her ingredients come from the Sonoma County Herb Exchange and local farms. She also regularly sniffs her way among the 800 rose bushes at The Lodge, plucking the best for bath salts and body polishes.

“I choose the most fragrant and the most colorful,” she said. But the whole vast and varied Sonoma landscape, from Sebastopol to Sonoma Valley, she explained, is “rich with inspiration.”

Hotel Healdsburg’s Stephens said guests peruse the spa menu with the same hunger they might approach a restaurant menu.

“What chefs are doing is gathering and featuring the best elements in our surroundings,” she said. “I feel like we could be on par with the best of them, not in the kitchen but in the spa.”

Love blooms among the vineyards

December 2013

By Sonoma Magazine Staff

When preparing to pop the question, the Sonoma Wine Country has plenty of magnificent backdrops to make the proposal complete. (Charlie Gesell)

Arthur Liao was nervous. He was about to pop the question — a once-in-a-lifetime question, he hoped.

Liao was 95 percent sure his girlfriend, Johanna Sung, would say yes to his marriage proposal, but there was that 5 percent to agonize over. In an attempt to make his proposal fail-proof, the 29-year-old Google engineer from San Francisco played Romeo and rigged up a trip to Wine Country to secure an irresistible backdrop.

With help from locals, he picked a romantic perch: the hilltop terrace at Healdsburg’s Gary Farrell Vineyards & Winery overlooking the Russian River Valley. Then all he had to do was wait until sunset and keep the ring a secret, hoping that Sung wouldn’t get suspicious about the box in the pocket of his navy blazer.

A surprised Sung said the proposal was surreal, with the setting and sunset bewitching.

Sung, 29, is the marketing manager for Lending Club, a startup lending company. She’s also from foggy San Francisco, and is a longtime fan of Wine Country because of its sun-drenched views.

Nancy Bailey, general manager at Gary Farrell, said the property is well-suited to romance with its views of the valley, and everyone involved knows the element of surprise is vital when plotting proposals.

While some prefer a well-orchestrated proposal with family and friends, others opt for something a little more low-key or intimate. An avid hiker, for instance, recently proposed at Glen Ellen’s Jack London State Park, concealing the ring in his backpack, along with wine and picnic treats. The couple hiked a mile to the lake surrounded by redwoods and then sat on the stone wall, known as a romantic spot for writer Jack London and his wife, Charmian.

Bella Vineyards and Wine Caves in Healdsburg also offers a captivating view. Ross Clendenen, Bella’s marketing manager, said he has set up at least nine proposals.

“We generally set it up as a tour,” he said. “However, that is usually a ruse to get them up on Lily Hill overlooking Dry Creek Valley. The view is incredible, with the whole north end of the valley below.”

The tour guide often takes couples in his four-wheel drive to the secluded vineyard near a grove of redwoods, having stashed wine and glasses nearby. Clendenen said the modus operandi is to have the tour guide find a way to excuse himself, to give the couple time alone.

Clendenen said he’s only had one “no,” and that it was a bit awkward.

“The guy was pretty upset and asked me for my advice,” Clendenen said. “I told him maybe he should write a country music song.”

Beautiful Blooms Fresh From Wine Country

December 2013

By Sonoma Magazine Staff

After harvesting roses, Bernardo Negra of Neve Bros. nursery takes an armload to be packed in Petaluma. (Kent Porter)

If you want to charm a loved one on Valentine’s Day with roses grown in Sonoma soil, several florists source at least some of their flowers locally. Check out Tesoro at Cornerstone Gardens in Sonoma (tesoroflowers.com), Dragonfly Floral in Healdsburg (dragonflyhealdsburg.com) and Grohe Florists & Greenhouse in Santa Rosa (groheflorist.com). A number of stores, including Petaluma Market, Oliver’s Markets and Community Market in Santa Rosa and Sebastopol, also carry Sonoma-grown flowers.