One of the newest things in wine also happens to be the oldest: Doing nothing.
There’s a growing backward-is-forward movement afoot to simply let grapes do their thing when it comes to making wine. Defined as “natural wines”, they’re the kicked-back kin to biodynamic and organic wines (sustainably grown, minimal intervention) with one major difference — they’re fermented with only the wild yeasts in the air around them.
Like creating a bread starter without commercial yeast, it can be a dicey but exciting proposition that in the right hands makes for a truly of-this-place wine that never turns out the same way twice. These are the wines of 100, even 1000 years ago.
Here in Sonoma County, the Natural Process Alliance’s Kevin Kelley and his small winemaking crew are at the leading edge of the trend, garnering serious attention for their hyper-local sippers that are grown, bottled, er…canteened (more on that, later) and drunk all within 100 miles. Their explanation of natural wines goes even further: No additions or subtractions in the winemaking.
Unfiltered and unmanipulated, they’re like no wine you’ve ever tasted in that they smell and taste like the grapes they come from and are, well, alive in a way that wine usually isn’t. They have soul. Low in alcohol and high in drinkability, they’re the kinds of wines your grandpa would have made, assuming he had the kind of skills Kelley and his crew do. And the influences of Cake, Ween and Mark Kurlansky informing their vision.
[vimeo width=”350″ height=”200″ align=”left”]http://vimeo.com/10103518[/vimeo]”We strive to allow the character of the location and vintage shine. Our annual goal is to have a label that reads; Ingredients: grapes,” says Kelley.
If that sounds like a given, consider the fact that government regulators denied Kelley’s petition to have a label with exactly those words. In an industry that regularly relies on a combination of commercial yeast, enzymes, animal byproducts, filtration and/or specialized bacteria to produce viable wines, Kelley’s natural approach didn’t sound feasible. Grapes the only ingredient in wine? Poppycock!
“It got killed because they said you just couldn’t do that,” said Hardy Wallace, who’s serving as the public champion, cellar rat and delivery man for the fledgling NPA. Wallace, you may remember, won a six-month dream job at SoCo winery, Murphy-Goode as their social media guru. When that gig ended, he practically tripped over himself to join up with the NPA, whose trajectory he’d been following for months. “I’m here chasing a dream.”
Wallace compares the NPA wines to sashimi. Freshness is critical and it’s meant to be consumed quickly. “With sashimi, it’s all about just being a cut of fish. The best thing is that it hasn’t really been touched,” he said. “Like sashimi, this wine is meant to be drunk right now. Tonight,” he said. Immediate drinking means there’s no need for corks and glass bottles. Instead, the NPA is using refillable stainless steel canteens, much like you’d take to the gym. The bottles are delivered to restaurants or filled at their tasting room from taps — yes, actual taps.
“It’s the jug experience with wine that no one else is having anywhere else in the country,” Wallace said. The NPA limits its distribution to the Bay Area, with most of its restaurant clients in San Francisco and the East Bay. Only one Sonoma County restaurant, Scopa, currently stocks the wines.
As winemaker to traditional (and coveted) labels like Lioco and his own brand, Salinia, Kelley’s already got a following, but this new style of sippers at the NPA has a rabid sommelier and chef following. What’s surprising is that the wines — which admittedly need a bit of explanation — are still a hard sell in Sonoma County. Wallace just shrugs when it comes local restaurants accepting the wines. Our loss.
Currently, there are four wines on tap at the NPA: Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, a red blend called Sunhawk and Pinot Gris. You can stop in for a taste of the wines, on tap, Friday and Saturday from 10:30am to 6:30pm Friday and Saturday or by appointment. 3350 D Coffey Lane, Santa Rosa, 527-7063.

Cobblers are such a homey little hug of a dessert.

I remember never being all that impressed with them as a kid. They seemed like such a Betsy home-ec thing to make. Something eternally stuck in a bygone era — like lime Jell-O with Cool Whip. Not to mention being scarred by versions using canned peaches and Bisquick, resulting in a gooey mess that smelled like an elementary school cafeteria.
This is an entirely different beast.
Peaches are at their juiciest right now, soft and drippy and sweet as a summer evening. A hint of lemon with a crisp, airy biscuit atop makes for a perfect cobbler for a warm September evening. Inspired by a collection of old and new recipes, caterer and bake Meloni Courtway knows a thing or two about cobblers, recently having made 40 for a summer event.  Here’s her can’t-miss recipe…
(PS: Meloni will be taking her baking skills to Olympia’s Orchard on Sept. 12 and Two Rock Ranch on Sept. 19 for Apple Pie workshops teaching the secrets to a perfect crust and all picking. Visiting TwoRockRanch.com for details.)
Perfect Peach Cobbler
recipe by Meloni Courtway
Serves 15
3 pounds peaches, peeled and pitted
1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
Juice of 1 lemon + two teaspoons lemon juice
Zest of half lemon
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup plain yogurt (not non-fat or low-fat)
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 stick unsalted butter melted and cooled
Heat oven to 350 degrees.Generously butter a large casserole dish. Peel and pit peaches. Slice into fairly large chunks. Place peaches, 1 1/4 cups sugar, cornstarch juice of 1 lemon and zest into large bowl.  Toss gently to coat, using a wooden spoon. You will be tempted to pull out several slippery peaches and pop them into your mouth at this point. Go for it.
Place sliced peaches in buttered casserole dish and into oven to heat until the juices begin to run – roughly 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl combine yogurt, 2 teaspoons lemon juice, and melted butter. Stir to combine. Set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Pulse briefly with paddle attachment. Add butter mixture to flour and pulse slowly to just combine. Do not over mix. This can  all be done by hand as well.
Pull hot peaches from oven.  Dollop tablespoons of the sticky dough over the hot peaches, distributing equally.  It will look like drop biscuits. There will be gaps where fruit shows through – this is good, as the dough will rise!
Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until the tops are golden brown.  Serve warm or re-warmed later the same day with vanilla ice cream!

I’m not sure if you read the New York Times’ 36 Hours in Sonoma County published over the weekend. But take a second…with an open mind…and tell me if this person actually ever spent any time here. No offense to the folks mentioned, but the article seems to not only be clueless on the geography of Sonoma County (Cloverdale to Sonoma in an hour? Really?) but kind of misses a lot of the finer points of what really makes Sonoma County, well, Sonoma County.
Here are a few of the most offensive eye-rollers…
– Cars have bumper stickers like “Kill your TV” and “Subvert the Dominant Paradigm,” and people here mean it.
(Personally, I have a bumper sticker that says, “My company is owned by the New York Times and all I got was this crummy blog.“)
– The town of Santa Rosa is also filled with bars, though many can feel fratty. An exception is Christy’s on the Square (96 Old Courthouse Square, Santa Rosa; 707-528-8565; christysonthesquare.com), which draws an older, sophisticated clientele. (Fratty? Really? Have you been to Santa Rosa?)
– Wine country is not renowned for its night life, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have fun. (Glad to hear that. I’ll toast to the fun at H2Hotel with world-renowned cocktail-maker Scott Beattie, or up at Cyrus. Maybe hang out with Mateo Granados at one of his Tendejon’s or give a toast to Russian River Brewery. )
– The winery, with its dusty driveway and artfully rundown hacienda, is so new the first wines from these vineyards, a pinot noir and chardonnay, won’t be released until next year. (If you wanna get all young blood, how about the Natural Process Alliance folks, who actually have some of their own wine to drink. )
Sigh.
What’s your take? Phoned-in or dead on?

After waiting, and waiting, and waiting, and waiting some more, our precious end of summer tomatoes are finally ripening. And with them come a rush to cash in on that once-a-year flavor that only comes from a still-warm heirloom picked right off the vine. Restaurants are loading up their menus with tasty, ripe tomato dishes, canners are getting their Mason jars ready and festivals celebrating the ruby fruit are about to get underway. Here’s what you’re saying about how you savor the wolf-peach (aka the tomato) and some spots around the North Bay to find all the fixings to savor these juicy morsels.
Fried Green Tomatoes: A southern specialty that’s more than just the name of a movie that taught us all the meaning of Towanda! It’s a great way to use up end-of-season unripened tomatoes, seasoned with breadcrumbs or cornmeal and fried crispy in a cast-iron skillet. Jeff Mall at Zin Restaurant (344 Center Street, Healdsburg) uses his own home-grown tomatoes for his version, which changes frequently. currently on the menu: Tomato Tomato Tomato salad with Heirlooms, Fried Green Tomatoes and Cherry Tomatoes with Bacon and Basil.

Celebrate Tomatoes
There’s no shortage of tomato-fests. Here are some favorites:
– Kendall Jackson Heirloom Tomato Fest: Tomato-lovers flock each year to this ode to heirlooms, now in its 14th year. The winery grows nearly 180 varieties of tomatoes in the culinary gardens, all of which are available for tasting on at the event. Dozens of Sonoma County chefs and restaurants turn out to showcase their own tomato creations and a chef’s challenge featuring top toques from the Bay Area. 11am to 4pm, September 11, 2010, $65 per person, 800-769-3649, http://www.kj.com/events/tomato-festival/.
Attack of the Killer Tomatoes 5: Carneros Bistro & Wine Bar is under siege Sept 14-20 as they harvest the spoils of their organic garden’s 25 heirloom tomato varietals. “This time of year we harvest two 24 lb. cases of tomatoes every day,” said Chef Janine Falvo, She’ll feature dishes including Menage a Tomato with Housemade Mozzarella and Watermelon Gazpacho, a PBLT Sandwich with Pork Belly, Lettuce and Tomato on a Brioche Bun, Pineapple Tomato Poached Halibut with Grits, Yellow Taxi Cab Hollandaise and Lobster Mushrooms, Lamb with Sousvide Eggplant, Falafel, Tomato Confit and Black Garlic, and Sweet Tomatoes with Lemon Basil Ice Cream. All of tomato dishes can be ordered a la cart or as part of a tasting menu three courses for $45 or $65 for five courses. Rock-star sommelier Chris Sawyer does tomato-inspired wine flights, with pairings are available for an additional $15 for three courses and $25 for five. Don’t miss the Best Ever Bloody Mary while watching the cult-classic movie, Attack of the Killer Tomatoes broadcast in the bar all week.1325 Broadway, Sonoma, (707) 931-2042

Caprese: The classic Italian antipasti of fresh slices of mozzarella and mozzarella topped with basil, olive oil and balsamic vinegar.  This time of year, it’s a menu staple, but beware of imitators. Burrata (a fresh mozzarella stuffed with cream or ricotta), mozzarella di bufa (buffalo milk mozzarella) or freshly pulled mozzarella are the best — not the rubbery stuff. Rosso Pizzeria’s John Franchetti does one of the area’s best mozzarellas, and usually has some variant of caprese on his menu (53 Montgomery Dr., Santa Rosa). “As for which restaurant does well with ripe tomatoes, I love, love, love the Caprese salad (on their flat bread) at Rosso’s when it’s tomato season. Super yum!” said Kelly Hamilton.
But this one’s pretty easy to do at home as well. Rosso sells fresh mozzarella at the Saturday and Sunday farmer’s markets in Santa Rosa and Sebastopol, but you can also find an excellent burrata at Trader Joe’s. Add heirlooms, olive oil and a sweet balsamic like Sonomic from Sonoma Valley Portworks. “At home I make it all of the time, and recently I tried caprese skewers with chunks of fresh mozzarella, folded basil leaves, and cherry tomatoes. Portable Caprese!” said Michelle Marques.
BLT: So simple. So easy to mess up. Bacon, lettuce, tomato, mayo and great bread. The California twist is avocado, turning the BLT into the BLAT on many menus. It’s haute DIY BLT’s at Bardessono during Tomatoville (Sept. 10-12) where you can build a masterpiece with vine-ripened tomatoes, a variety of aioli (basil, bacon/sherry mayo, Cajun remoulade) a selection of local breads including brioche, pan de mie and artisan bacon from Baccalone, Fatted Calf and their own apple-smoked bacon. 6526 Yount Street, Yountville, (707) 204-6000. Want to make your own? Black Pig Bacon, made by Zazu Restaurant’s John Stewart, is available at G& G Market.
Cookbook author Paula Oandasan (There’s Not a Healthy Recipe in This Whole Damn Book: A Guide to Southern Comfort Food) skips the bacon and just slathers two pieces of squishy white bread with mayo, a little salt and pepper and loads on a juicy tomato for her Texas Tomato Sandwich. “Get a big glass of iced tea, get comfy and enjoy. You may add thin slices of red onion, but simpler is better. I wish it was always tomato season!” she said.
Tomato Jam, Homemade Ketchup, Tomato Chutney: When summer’s bounty overfloweth, there’s always preserving to keep the season fresh all year round. Just Like Grandma’s Jams sells tomato jam at the Saturday farm market in Santa Rosa, along with other flavors, and it’s not quite as weird as you might think. Perfect on a cracker with a schmear of cream cheese, it’s a sweet, sour and savory treat. At Equus at the Fountain Grove Hotel (101 Fountaingrove Parkway, Santa Rosa – (707) 578-0149), the kitchen serves up crab cakes with a fresh tomato chutney that’s perfect for the season. Green String Farm, a sustainable farm and stand near Petaluma, has jars of homemade ketchup, salsa and tomato sauce available throughout the summer from 10am to 6pm.
Pico De Gallo: “I love tomatoes in my salads, roasted or grilled, in a nice pasta sauce, as a side dish – but my all-time favorite is to use them in Pico de Gallo – always reminds me of simpler times when I was a little girl!” said Marlene Hudson. A simple salsa of fresh tomatoes, garlic, cilantro, onions and jalapeno, it’s easy to whip up at home. Got some extra? Throw the leftovers in a blender with a few breadcrumbs, olive oil and vinegar and you’ve got gazpacho — a cool Spanish summer soup.
Pasta with tomatoes: “My Early Girl tomato plants, true to thier name, that were planted on May 4th, yeilded the makings for our first fresh pasta sauce this past weekend. I cut the tomatos into chunks, added fresh thyme, oregano and basil (also from the garden, natch…) and sauteed in a pan with olive oil and some white wine. Add a little salt and pepper to taste and mix with some cooked penne or fusilli pasta and i have the freshest taste of summer ever!” said Laura Long.
Bread Salad: This simple salad idea comes from Edwin Spear, “Start with a colorful assortment of heirlooms, a cucumber, and a couple slices of grilled ciabbata or seeded sourdough. Brush the bread with some good, *local* olive oil. Cut the ‘maters, cukes, and bread into bite-sized chunks. Toss with minced garlic, a handful of fresh herbs–especially basil and thyme–and some really fresh goat or Pt. Reyes Blue cheese. Dust with–and here’s the kicker–lavendar salt, and drizzle with balsamic vinegar (I prefer locally-brewed “Sonomic”).
But maybe the simplest idea for what to do with your ‘maters comes from Meloni Courtway, “Picked fresh with my two year old and eaten in the yard, with seeds on our chins.”
What are your favorite ways to tomato?

CONGRATS TO Mudbug Eddie, who’ll receive my beautiful  Heirloom Tomato book.
As a full-time eater, I’ve nibbled my way through hundreds of restaurants in the Bay Area. I’ve got spare tire around my middle to prove it. But there are thousands of equally passionate part-time diners in the North Bay who know just as much — if not more — about local eateries, off-menu specials, lunchtime best bets, just-opened and sometimes-overlooked spots. Some of you have bigger dining expense accounts than I do, while others are penny-pinching students just looking for a cheap eat. But whatever your food budget, through my dining blog, BiteClubEats.com, Facebook, Twitter, email and just on-the-street chats with you, I’ve learned that together, we’re an unstoppable force in sussing out the best, worst and just can’t miss eateries throughout Wine Country.
That’s what this column is all about. One question each week answered by you, then edited and supplemented by me. Think of it as a delicious group project.
QOW: What’s your favorite way to eat ripe tomatoes? Which restaurants have especially great tomato dishes (Caprese, fried green tomatoes, etc)?
Please note that these comments may be used for publication in the Press Democrat, so please use your real first and last name (or sign in with Facebook) if you’d like to participate. Some lucky person just might get my desk copy of The Heirloom Tomato, a new book by Amy Goldman.

Frankly, I’d hoped for more. When putting my very health on the line, I at least like to stare death in the face and give a hearty belly laugh. Denny’s Fried Cheese Melt felt like a very weak fist shaking — maybe a stern finger pointing — at best.
New to Denny’s $2, $4, $6, $8 Value Menu, it’s a grilled cheese sandwich with four mozzarella sticks stuffed inside. Epic!
Along the lines of Carl’s Junior Footlong Cheeseburger or KFC’s Double Down, this is the latest entrant into the zeitgeist of  stupid, ridiculous, horrifying abominations that revel in their gastrointestinal wrongness. They dare you to eat them. The only plus: Their caloric freakishness is offset by the rush of hedonistic masochism that jolts through your veins. You could crush those self-righteous nutritionists with your belly rolls!

Hidden inside the menu, it’s hard to find and staff don’t seem to have their heart into its delivery. The slim $4 ‘wich masquerading as the promised Fried Cheese Melt had none of the aforementioned gusto. And came served minus marinara. Or fries (I was offered a salad or soup – meh). On the plus side, the ranch dressing did serve as a handy dunking pool. But sheesh, at least give me the satisfaction of some fries with my cheese-covered fried cheese with butter.
Calorie-wise, it’s still in the nightmare oeuvre, clocking in at about 895 calories and 34 grams of fat. Tack on the ranch dip, and you’re into the quadruple digits. But frankly, after a few bites, I lost interest and started thinking about exactly how many hours of cardio it would take to burn this meal off my thighs. And how many days I just clocked off my life.
So not worth it. Pass the salad.
Denny’s Fried Cheese Melt, available at all local Denny’s restaurants.

CLOSED Billing itself as “Solano County’s #1 Indian Restaurant”, Torch of India’s tagline might be a bit of an undersell in SoCo. Because while no one doubt’s Vacaville’s contribution to the expansion of chain restaurants, culinary mecca isn’t usually among it’s descriptors.
Number one is number one, though. And not to be scoffed at. With a sunny new coat of paint on the walls, a solid opening lunch buffet ($8.95) featuring Makhni (butter chicken!), Jalphrez, tandoori, pakora, saag paneer and lentils, along with fresh salads and steaming naan, the Torch is off to a bright downtown start.
Inside the former Kabab and Curry, the bar has been removed to make way for the lunch buffet, and the interior brightened up. Bollywood videos on flat-screen tv’s set the mood, providing instant conversation starters should dates/co-workers/online meet-ups turn dull. (You can brush up on the dance moves here) or here.

The new owners are from the northern region of India, so there’s lots of rich cream sauces (Kashmiri lamb cooked in a cream mint sauce), lamb, tandoor, kabab and clearly-marked vegan and vegetarian dal, masala and curries. The menu runs for eight full pages, so there’s clearly more tasting to be done. Much more tasting. Plus, the beer and wine license is about a week away, as are the belly dancers.
Stay tuned for more tastes, but for now, here’s to being number one. Wherever you’re from.
Torch of India, 507 4th St., Santa Rosa, open M-Sat for lunch and diner (closed 2:30 to 5:30pm) , Sunday from 5:30 to 9:30pm. 569-7500