Living the Good Life

Food and Wine and Pebble Beach

2008-03-26T13:51:32Z

By Robert Farmer

During a recent trip to the Pebble Beach area it struck me - this place is actually pretty nice. Sure, postcard views of the rugged coastline and storybook houses in the hills are a dime a dozen here. But beyond that obvious stuff, there's a lot going on in Pebble Beach. I took time in between watching actors act like they know how to play golf (who am I kidding, most of them are a hell of a lot better than me!), to explore some of the region's finer establishments for culinary delights and the occasional beer. The list can take a month's worth of columns to fill, and I will devote the necessary time to that venture in due course. But in this case I wanted to tell you, faithful reader, that there's a simpler way to get up to speed on the region's best food and wine--during the first annual Pebble Beach Food and Wine Event, scheduled for March 27-30.

This all-encompassing four-day affair is held in four of Pebble Beach's premiere venues, including the famed Lodge at Pebble Beach and features the presence of the globe's top chefs and the fruit of the area's best wineries. Among the big names cooking for the event are Tom Colicchio, Gary Danko, Gérard Boyer, Thomas Keller, Jacques Pépin, Charles Phan, and Charlie Trotter. Wineries represented include Château Margaux, Harlan, Screaming Eagle, Opus One, PlumpJack, Silver Oak, and Veuve Clicquot. This heavy-hitter event, which was created to replace the wildly popular but now shut Masters of Food and Wine, is a rare opportunity to capture all this eating-and-drinking star power on a single peninsula. Numerous ticket packages are available in a range of prices. Check out www.pebblebeachfoodandwine.com, or call (866) 907-3663 to find the one that best suits your Pebble Beach palate.

Wither Wine Country Weddings?

2008-03-05T23:35:51Z

By Courtney Cochran

The first part of the story is familiar: Boy meets girl, boy buys ring, boy pops the question. Fanfare and general bliss come next, followed quickly by the other big question - where should we get hitched?

And while this new question can give rise to a dizzying set of considerations for any couple, those inclined to a wine country wedding are faced with their own unique set of sometimes overwhelming options. Will any wine region do, or is there a special area we're set on? Will our guests be up for a destination wedding, and - if so - is there adequate lodging nearby to house everyone? And, of course, How much does a wine country wedding cost? Will it amount to more or less than getting hitched somewhere else?

We here at WineCountry.com want to know how couples sort through these sorts of questions en route to planning their own unforgettable wine country weddings. If you have an experience, resource or tip you'd like to share, please post it here as a comment.

Not only will your feedback help visitors to the site - many of whom visit us for guidance in wine country wedding planning - it will also give us valuable insights into how we can improve our own wedding planning content. Cheers to that.

Hopmonk On the Way to Sebastopol

2008-02-24T15:22:34Z

By Robert Farmer

Fans like me of Gordon Biersch brewery and restaurant will be in a good mood upon hearing the news that Dean Biersch is nearing completion on his next beer-related venture in at the intersection of Highways 116 and 12 in Sebastopol. His anticipated Hopmonk Tavern (www.hopmonk.com) is scheduled to open in spring of this year, and usher in a new-era watering hole for Sonoma County beer aficionados. Biersch is the co-founder of the aforementioned brewery and restaurant, a concept that spread like wildfire via incarnations in various cities around the nation and which also helped bring the microbrew-pub trend in the United States to a froth.

For his new endeavor, Biersch plans to serve up an English-style tavern, complete with neighborly atmosphere and live regular live music. But the focus will be on beer and good food that goes well with beer. The plan is for Hopmonk to offer a regularly changing menu of small-batch beers from across the U.S. and Europe. The beers, personally selected by Biersch, will be offered alongside a simple menu of suds-friendly, locally sourced fare. Further completing the scene is Hopmonk's setting; built into a century-old structure with stone walls and a Douglas fir plank floor Designed by Shawn Hall, the 105-seat restaurant will feature restored Douglas fir floors. The restaurant is complemented by a 1,400-square-foot music venue that is sure to be a weekend hotspot. The outdoor beer garden will surely be popular no matter what day of the week. I, for one, am looking forward to hopping on over.

Sonoma Gets Red Carpet Ready

2008-02-20T20:36:40Z

By Courtney Cochran

Who needs Hollywood?

Come Sunday, there'll be plenty of glamour right here in the heart of wine country when the Sonoma Valley Film Society (sonomafilmfest.org) presents "Night at the Oscars," a black tie-optional gala and live broadcast of the 80^th Annual Academy Awards in downtown Sonoma. Guests are invited to walk the red carpet beginning at 3:30pm, after which they'll be treated to a "multicourse epicurean feast" and "megascreen live broadcast" of the awards, according to the society's web site.

Tickets don't come cheap - they're going for $250 a head - but the Oscars don't come around often, either (nor does the chance to walk a red carpet, for that matter). After the telecast guests can expect dessert and dancing followed by an after-party, proving that, against all odds, wine country is poised to burn the midnight oil. It doesn't get much more Hollywood than that, folks.

New Campaign Touts California as Land of Wine and Food

2008-02-14T15:16:21Z

By Robert Farmer

In case, like my friend who for the last two decades was lost on a remote desert island somewhere in the South Pacific, you didn't already know that California is the Land of Wine and Food, our beloved governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger was recently trotted out as part of a new campaign to tell you so. In spite of my possibly undetected sarcasm here, I actually think this is a good idea on behalf of the California Travel and Tourism Commission. The Commission has brought out some - if not outright famous - at least recognizable names to promote their new portal for visitors to California in search of the wine and food experience.

Although all the information and then some can be found on the site you're currently reading, I still commend the Commission for recognizing that food and wine are perhaps the Golden State's most attractive reasons for visiting. In addition to "The Governator", the campaign features such personalities as Thomas Keller, famed chef of French Laundry, and Andrew Firestone, the fortunate son of Santa Barbara's Firestone Vineyards, who also blogs for the site. The Commission will market the site via TV spots featuring Schwarzenegger and his wife in major markets beginning this month. In the meantime it can be found here: www.landofwineandfood.com

Romantic MacArthur Place

2008-02-01T14:28:50Z

By Robert Farmer

I must admit that I have long resisted the concept of Valentine's Day, firmly rooted in the belief that it's a marketing hoax perpetrated on countless hapless romantics. But it can still be fun to indulge it. So whether you are romantic once a year, or year round, at least the special February day gives pause to consider your romantic feelings for another. So I'll throw some ideas here and in entries to follow that you can use however you see fit. Dare I say, they've worked for me. Of course Wine Country drips with romance all the time. But for Valentine's Day, many already-romantic places turn up the heat with special themes.

One that caught my eye is at MacArthur Place (www.macarthurplace.com), near the Plaza in quixotic Sonoma. Already one of my fave locales for a secluded getaway for two, the elegant and tucked-away inn is serving up an red-themed "ultimate" Valentine's Day package, which includes a stay in a garden spa suite - one of the best room-types in the county - with a private outdoor patio and shower, and a huge outdoor tub made from teak and meant for two. On Valentine's Day, the room comes with a bottle of rare estate red wine from Benziger, as well as four-course dinner at Saddle's, the property's excellent steak house. The dinner is paired with red wines, of course, and is followed by red grape seed bath and scrub in the tub. Sounds juicy, right? I have to admit even my marketing misgivings about the Special Day would soak away with such a weekend.

MacArthur Place is obviously not the only inn catering to Love for the weekend. But it's definitely one of the most indulgent I've heard about. Let me know what you think when you get back and get the grape seeds washed off…

Honing Your Wine Frequency at 32,000 Feet

2008-01-30T15:23:42Z

By Courtney Cochran

Admit it: You’re seriously considering packing a parachute if you have to watch another G-rated animated flick on your redeye to Boston.

But don't bail out just yet, frequent flyer.

When popular wine podcast Graperadio (graperadio.com ) becomes available to American Airlines’ Business and First Class passengers beginning in February, it’ll allow air travelers the unprecedented opportunity to bone up on interesting topics like wine history, wine drinking and wine etiquette courtesy of the airline’s in-flight entertainment players. And besides the usual “Wine 101”-type content, the 30- and 60-minute program segments will also feature interviews with high-profile wine industry luminaries such as Margrit Mondavi (telling the Mondavi story from her point of view, rather than that of a certain book author), Gaia Gaja of Piedmont’s acclaimed Gaja family, and Frederick Paniotis of Champagne’s venerable Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin.

Here’s to Flying the Much Friendlier Skies
Together with the recent launch of the Vino Volo chain of airport wine bars, the high altitude debut of GrapeRadio signals a welcome new direction in air travel. Thankfully, one that precludes packing a 'chute.

I’ll Take My Massage At Solage

2008-01-23T00:10:14Z

By Courtney Cochran

In Napa for a conference last week, I stopped by new spa/hotel hot spot Solage in Calistoga to see what all the fuss was about. The Auberge property, aimed at a younger demographic and completed in mid 2007, has taken some flak for its uber-minimalist design and “bungalows” rumored to recall military barracks more than cozy wine country cottages, so naturally I was eager to check it out and cast my vote.

On a low note, true to the rumors I found the dwellings and landscaping disappointingly stark, the whole thing reminiscent of a deserted mini-tract-home community where the developers (perhaps prompted by the recent mortgage crisis) left in the night before finishing the landscaping. The ghost town vibe wasn’t helped by the worrisome lack of guests; aside from myself and four other diners at the poolside BarSolage café there wasn’t a soul stirring on the nearly treeless “environmentally sensitive” grounds.

High Notes: Service & Spa
Happily, unlike the landscaping the service was anything but spare. Everyone I encountered during my visit, from bellhop to waiter to spa attendant, was cheerful and eager to help, in all likelihood relieved just to have someone to attend to. Whether this level of attention can continue when patronage at Solage picks up (it should be noted that January is wine country’s slowest month for tourism) remains to be seen, but it’s a good sign nonetheless.

On the whole, the best part of the Solage experience seems to be the spa, which is immaculate, vast, and offers a good variety of standard and more innovative services. While some of the spot’s treatments sound a little contrived (sample: The Mudslide Experience features treatments administered in the mud “bar” by a “mud-tender”), others such as advanced facials from the school of celeb facialist Kate Somerville are solid additions to local spa offerings.

Where Minimalism Makes Sense
And it's in the spa where the minimalist vibe that falls short on the rest of the property finds its best expression. Spas are by nature simple, clean and zen, and so it's probably no surprise that the resort's restrained modernism seems right at home at SpaSolage.

If they’d only plant a few more trees, I might be able to say the same for the rest of the place.

Cold Therapy

2008-01-11T17:41:12Z

By Courtney Cochran

While contemplating the usual suspects in cold therapy at my local Safeway today it dawned on me that my choices couldn't seem less therapeutic. Their weird, extraterrestrial sounding names - a sampling included oddities Mucinex, Drixoral and Zicam - were an affront to my already congested senses. Even worse, their homogoneous, sterile-looking packaging only served to make me feel more sick than I already did. So, in a rare moment of extra-viral clarity, I pulled myself together and hacked and sniffed my way over to a much more inviting place: the wine aisle.

In a perfect world, my doctor's prescription for cold relief would include the following:

* warm blanket
* lots of sleep
* sappy romantic comedies along the lines of When Harry Met Sally and You’ve Got Mail
* gigantic bottle of full-bodied, fruity red wine, preferably high in alcohol content to encourage aforementioned sleep

Now, I just got off the phone with my doctor and I'm pretty sure her cold season advice did not include the fourth item on my list. Still, what she doesn't know won't kill her, and so I am, with an enormous smile on my face, currently enjoying a 2004 Ledson "Baldocchi Old Vine" Russian River Valley Zinfandel (ABV 14.9%, thank you very much).

It may not be Mucinex, but I sure do feel better.

Wine: No Longer a Stowaway at the Movies

2007-12-28T22:41:25Z

by Courtney Cochran

If you're like me, you may have stashed a bottle of vino in your purse or overcoat on occasion before heading into the movies. Sure, you felt a bit sheepish about your contraband, but when the opening credits rolled to the tune of a lush Santa Rita Hills Pinot, you knew you’d taken the risk for good reason. Still, sipping from the Styrofoam cup you snagged at the concession made your reward seem less sweet.

With the opening of Sundance Cinemas San Francisco at the old AMC Kabuki Theater in Japantown (sundancecinemas.com ), you can purchase wine by the half glass or glass and take it right into the theater with you, no smuggling required. The first theater in the city to snag a liquor license, Sundance offers moviegoers an eclectic lineup of 25 wines sourced from both local and global producers, many of them made from organic or sustainably farmed grapes.

Even better, they’ll give you a real glass, too.

Full disclosure: I am the sommelier who selected the wines for Sundance Cinemas.

NYE in Wine Country – A Festive Affair

2007-12-26T13:46:35Z

by Courtney Cochran

Most of the time, wine country is where you go to relax, take a breather from the bustle of the real world and – if you're lucky – perhaps even catch up on some sleep. But come New Year's Eve, even wine country kicks things up a notch. Read on for what are sure to be some of this year's most festive affairs in wine country.

You can sleep later - after all, you'll have all year to catch up.

Mask Optional

Dubbed "Midwinter's Night", the 2^nd annual New Year's Eve benefit at the Sonoma Valley Museum of Art is a masquerade ball boasting a vodka and caviar bar, seated dinner catered by The Girl and the Fig, midnight Champagne & chocolate bar and dancing. Tickets don't come cheap ($500/head), but with all these goodies plus a portion of proceeds going to charity, it's tough to resist this festive fête.

(707) 939-7862

A Beastly Affair

Not to be outdone, Santa Rosa's Safari West delivers the ultimate in adventure with its annual dinner dance held in the company of exotic animals. Overnight guests enjoy a safari on the 31^st plus continental breakfast and mimosas the next day, and all guests get to groove alongside the likes of giraffes, gazelles, oryxes and ostriches – to name just a few of the fellow revelers expected at the affair.

$80/head or $486.50/couple overnight (707) 579-2551

When Life Bubbles Over

2007-12-19T17:14:30Z

By Robert Farmer

Nothing prepared me for the sheer joy of it. Nothing anybody told me – and believe me, lots of people told me lots about it – prepared me for what really to expect. Nothing. Even the best, most well-meaning advice about “getting plenty of sleep while you can,” and about how to “enjoy my freedom while it’s still available, was able to adequately capture the true nature of the Event and life immediately after the Event. It turns out that having a child is something – to employ a rather hackneyed cliché – one must experience to appreciate.

And that is exactly what happened to Yours Truly in early December when my wife delivered after no shortage of agonizing labor our first child, a beautiful daughter. She was north of ten pounds and her size seemed to belie her sweet innocence while it also underscored the magnitude with which she impacted our life. People go on and on about how a baby will change your life. But mostly they mean the nuts and bolts of it. Gone are the blissful, slumbering nights and long leisurely weekend mornings. Gone is the narcissistic focus on Self. It’s all replaced by an incredibly unexpected and unwavering need to care for someone else. I now know they’re talking about when they speak of unconditional love. Nothing anybody told me prepared me for that part of it. It's life bubbling over, and I’m there to scoop it all up.

And, it's also the reason I have been saving a bottle of 1998 Schramsberg Reserve sparkling wine to commemorate the occasion. Sure, there are bigger names in the “celebratory” wines world. But like the emotions I’ve experienced with this child, wines like this are something one must experience to appreciate. This is a truly great sparkler, befitting any great occasion. It represents just 2% of the winery’s production, but it’s their best pinot noir-based sparkling wine. It’s wonderful, a thing of beauty, and I hope you can appreciate my analogy here.

Winter Resort Golf

2007-12-13T14:02:52Z

By Robert Farmer

I'm not among the dying breed of global warming deniers, and I happen to believe that the issue is a serious one. But if I had to see the bright side (and I usually do), then I’d say one of the benefits of the earth getting warmer would be year-round golf without chasing down to Palm Springs for the winter.

Here it is December and there have been dozens of great golf days so far this fall — like summer all over. So it's in this spirit that I am glad to report that one of my favorite Wine Country golf destinations has announced a rather warm offer to people like me. Napa Valley’s Silverado Resort (800-532-0500; www.silveradoresort.com) has dropped like a ten-foot birdie putt its prices on popular golf and spa packages. Through Feb. 29, the resort is offering a roomy suite and golf for two with cart for each night's stay for the screaming-deal-price of $289 on Friday and Saturdays. It's even cheaper on weekdays. It's a great price and an excellent chance to don the long-sleeve gear (it might be sunny, but it can get chilly), and experience one of the region's great golf outings. And come summer, you'll be tuned up and ready for more heated competition.

The Book of Mondo

2007-11-29T01:05:08Z

It was released about the same time that the mega-hit wine-themed film “Sideways” came out, so Jonathan Nossiter’s documentary, “Mondovino” sort of got lost in the shuffle and was seen by only a fraction of the “Sideways” crowd. Too bad, really, because as a movie about wine, “Mondovino” is a far superior work in my humble opinion; far more effective in shedding light on the inner-circle snobbery of the wine industry—well beyond the simple catch phrase “no merlot!” made unjustly popular by “Sideways.” I strongly suggest making “Mondo” part of your DVD library. And now there’s something to add to your bookshelf. Nossiter recently released his first book, which he calls an “anti wine guide” that, like his film, pulls the wool back on the industry’s most influential critics and on the exorbitant pricing prevalent in the business. With an official launch in Bordeaux “Le Gout et le Pouvoir” (Taste and Power), sets out to democratize wine, taking to task such critics as Robert Parker who, in Nossiter’s view wields undue influence over the sale and price of wine. The book, said Nossiter in a statement, “is a call to find another way to talk about wine, to find words that include people, not exclude them.” That’s great stuff! Nossiter’s book is destined to make waves. If you can read French, you can get it now online (www.amazon.fr). The English version is slated for US distribution in late 2008.

Seeing Stars

2007-10-29T16:13:46Z

By Robert Farmer

OK, so I couldn’t let this go by without acknowledging it. Because not too long ago in this space, I offered my humble insight into what I have long considered the most power-packed dining destination per square mile in the United States. And now my article about Yountville has proven prescient (if I may take a moment to strain my arm patting myself on the back) because recently the good people at Michelin Guides have concurred with my enlightened wisdom and bejeweled the tiny Napa Valley town with six — count ‘em, six!—stars. Impressive, right? Especially when you consider that you can walk from one end of the town to the other in ten minutes, while there are entire countries in Europe with no Michelin stars. During that ten minute walk you’ll of course pass the legendary French Laundry, which perhaps not surprisingly was re-awarded its three stars, accounting for fully half of the town’s star-count. But you’ll also pass Bouchon, Bistro Jeanty, and Redd, each of which received a star—Redd enjoying its first such accolade. But my recommendation of course is not to walk past this stellar collection of culinary star-power. It’s to go in and grab a table.