News Briefs

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May 2-8, 2007

Plasma problems

Rare problems with blood transfusions are prompting collection centers to limit or eliminate plasma donations from women. However, officials emphasize that female blood donors are still desperately needed. Once collected, blood is usually broken down into one or more of its components: plasma, platelets and red blood cells. Recent research indicates that plasma from women who have been pregnant may contain antibodies that contribute to transfusion-related acute lung injury, an uncommon but serious complication of blood transfusions. Dr. Nora Hirschser of the Blood Centers of the Pacific, with a coverage area that includes Marin and Napa counties, says the organization is asking female donors if they’ve been pregnant and male donors if they’ve ever had a transfusion. If the answer is yes, instead of preparing the plasma for transfusions it’s used to create vaccines, albumin or immunoglobulins, which are blood derivatives used to treat various diseases. At Blood Bank of the Redwoods in Sonoma County, plasma is now being accepted only from male donors. Both blood centers encourage women to continue donating red blood cells and platelets. “The main product that we transfuse to our patients is red blood cells. That is key for us,” Hirschser explains. “We are always in need of more blood donors. It’s important that women continue donating.” Blood Bank of the Redwoods spokesman Scott Ferguson concurs. “There’s always a constant need for blood products, so we need everybody to come in and donate. We don’t want to discourage women.” Potential donors in Marin or Napa should call 1.888.393.GIVE; in Sonoma County it’s 1.800.425.6634.

Cable profits

Comcast–the Philadelphia-based megacorporation that provides cable, Internet and phone service throughout the North Bay and, indeed, almost all areas nationwide–is having an exceptionally good year. Its first quarter profits were $847 million compared to $466 million for the same period last year, or an incredibly healthy 80 percent increase. It’s true some of that remarkable profit upsurge was sparked by a $300 million one-time gain from dissolving a partnership with Time Warner Cable Inc., but the company credited the rest of its good fortune to its “Triple Play” promotion, bundling digital cable, Internet access and phone service into one discount-priced package. “We are just getting started capitalizing on the Triple Play opportunity,” enthuses Comcast chairman and CEO Brian L. Roberts. Comcast is one of several cable providers scrambling to win subscribers from telephone companies through aggressive marketing techniques. In the first quarter of this year, Comcast added 644,000 new digital cable subscribers. Its total revenue was $7.4 billion, up from $5.6 billion.


All That Jazz

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All That Jazz

music & nightlife |

Coupla (coco)nuts Dori Caymmi and Joyce kick off the fest.

By Greg Cahill

lWhen North Bay jewelry designer and jazz buff Jessica Felix heard that Santa Rosa radio station KJZY planned to start a smooth–jazz festival in her hometown of Healdsburg, she didn’t just get mad, she got creative.

You might say the 58–year-old Felix knows a thing or two about real jazz, music that isn’t afraid to challenge the listener.

During the 1980s, while living in Oakland with her then-husband Ken Schubert, Felix often hosted top jazz acts at the couple’s Gallery 552, a studio in a converted Victorian mansion that also served as the couple’s home. Felix housed her guests, cooking for them, partying with them, getting to know them. As a result, she developed close personal relationships with some of the biggest names in the business.

Jazz remained a part of Felix’s life after she moved to the relative quiet of Healdsburg a few years ago— after all, her jewelry and gift shop on the plaza is called Art and All That Jazz. But she had no plans to take on the often-demanding life of a festival promoter.

That all changed in 1999 when Felix teamed up with the Healdsburg Arts Council to host the Cedar Walton Quartet at the inaugural Healdsburg Jazz Festival. Under the guidance of artistic director and founder Felix, the festival has grown to include year-round events, with several in local wineries and restaurants, and a world-class public-school jazz–education program.

Now in its ninth year, the fest kicks off on May 3 with a “pre-festival” jazz gala featuring Brazilian chanteuse Joyce with Grammy–winning samba composer and guitarist Dori Caymmi at the Trentadue Winery. Chef Mateo Granados will provide a Brazilian–inspired menu paired with local wines and proceeds from the event will benefit the education programs.

That Brazilian flavor carries over as the fest begins in earnest on June 1 with the Stephanie Ozer Quintet hosting special guest vocalist Leny Andrade at the Geyser Peak Winery. On June 2, jazz pianist and vocalist Patricia Barber brings her red-hot quartet to Barndiva for two shows. Barber is the neo-boho queen of modern cool, a literate lyricist and savvy song interpreter who is blessed with a supple alto voice and plenty of attitude. The daughter of a jazz saxophonist and a blues vocalist, she can pen wistful originals that yearn for a new generation of Beat artists or drape the pleading classic-rock song “Light My Fire” in midnight blue.

The following day, the festival hosts a concert dedicated to renewing the spirit of New Orleans with the ReBirth Brass Band and trombonist Delfeayo Marsalis’ New Orleans Quintet. Delfeayo, the third-born son of the four talented siblings in the Marsalis jazz dynasty, has toured with Ray Charles and Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers. He is a recording artist and a much sought-after jazz record producer.

Other festival highlights include vocalist Rhiannon headlining a free June 5 concert in the Healdsburg town plaza with guest musicians Otmaro Ruiz, Abraham Laboriel and Alex Acuña. The Cookers—featuring all stars Eddie Henderson, Billy Harper, Craig Handy (who holds down the alto chair in the Mingus Big Band), David Weiss, Cecil McBee and Billy Hart—turn up the heat June 8 at the Raven Theater. Guitarist Jim Hall and bassist Dave Holland team up June 9 for a duo concert at the Raven. Hall has been a major influence on two generations of jazz guitarists, including Pat Metheny (who has recorded with Hall). Holland contributed bass lines to two of Miles Davis’ most influential recordings: In a Silent Way and Bitches Brew. He also has played with everyone from Chick Corea to Stan Getz to Thelonious Monk.

The festival closes on June 10 with a co-headlining bill at the Rodney Strong Vineyard that features the George Cables Project with Gary Bartz, Eric Revis and Jeff “Tain” Watts; and the Roy Hargrove Quintet with special guest vocalist Roberta Gambarini. Jazz lion and eclectic trumpeter Hargrove alone is worth the price of admission; if you’re not familiar with the lesser-known pianist George Cables, prepare to be pleasantly surprised.

The Healdsburg Jazz Festival’s gala kicks off on Thursday, May 3, at Trentadue Winery, 19170 Geyserville Ave., Geyserville. 5:30pm. $130. For complete ticket and schedule information for the fest, go to www.healdsburgjazzfestival.org.




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It’s a Wonderful Life

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It’s a Wonderful Life

Resident Tourist Guide:
Staying at Home to Play in Sonoma, Marin and Napa | 2007 Farmer’s Markets | Calistoga, San Anselmo, Petaluma | Wineries in Sonoma and Napa | Beaches in Sonoma and Napa | Day Spas in Sonoma, Marin and Napa

Special issues give structure to the otherwise messy lives of those in editorial, sort of like how the daily round at San Quentin helps to define the existence of its bayside residents. We duly scramble to fit the issue’s chosen topic with stories and items that interest us in the hopes that they will also interest you.

(And pssst: every issue is special.)

So when we were confronted with this new annual Resident Tourist salute, we had to scratch our collectively glossy, well-coiffed heads. A clever marketing term, “resident tourist” refers to those who have a good time in their own surroundings, who go out and shop, eat, dance, swim, stretch and culture-hawk near home.

Resident tourists, in fact, are all of us lucky enough to live in the North Bay and benefit from the fabulously thriving theater scene, the excellent restaurants and unique winery events, the vital live music community, the many art exhibition spaces, the proximity of several colleges and their slate of happenings, the national touring companies drawn by our performing arts centers, and a hearty etcetera.

This, essentially, is what the Bohemian truly strives to reflect every single week, 52 astounding times a year. Aiming to serve the community by reflecting it back to itself in the best possible way, the Boho is committed to producing the finest free community calendar in the North Bay, to highlighting the arts in a manner both different from and deeper than other media, to bringing area news and debate to the fore and to adding to the ongoing discussions about the role of farmers, food and wine in American life.

We take very seriously our role in helping to define, enliven and strengthen the shared bonds of community in Sonoma, Marin and Napa counties. Given all that highfalutin’ wah-wah, what we decided to do with Resident Tourist this year is to just be ourselves–only better.

What follows are extended listings for you to use in better exploring your community. We’ve rounded up the farm markets, striven to uncover all of the beaches that might be new to you, have extended our dining listings, have compiled complete winery listings based on years of review, are running a longer calendar and have even ventured a cold toe into the strange-to-us world of the day spa.

We hope that you’ll use the listings and information compiled in the following pages to better enjoy your life. It’s just that simple. We also hope, of course, that you catch all the small jokes we’ve scattered about, feel moved to spontaneously send us flowers, discover the warm sweetness of May’s first strawberries, memorize a difficult and lengthy poem, learn to tango, spend an afternoon volunteering for others, take up the mandolin, make your own pasta and continue to enjoy a robust sexual life with your best beloved. But perhaps that’s all better fodder for a different special issue . . .

–Gretchen Giles


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Museums and gallery notes.


Reviews of new book releases.


Reviews and previews of new plays, operas and symphony performances.


Reviews and previews of new dance performances and events.

To Market, To Market

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April 25-May 1, 2007

Resident Tourist Guide:

Your clip ‘n’ go guide to farmers markets in the North Bay

Marin County

Civic Center Second-largest farmers market in California. Year-round, twice weekly, Sunday and Thursday, 8am to 1pm. Marin Civic Center, North San Pedro exit off Highway 101, San Rafael. 800.897.3276.
Corte Madera Year-round Wednesdays, noon to 5pm. Town Center, Tamalpais Drive, Corte Madera. 415.382.7846.
Downtown San Rafael Farmers Market Festival Live music on five stages, food, kids’ activities galore and, of course, the good stuff you actually come out for. Thursdays from 6pm to 9pm through Sept. 27, rain or shine. Fourth Street, San Rafael. 415.492.8007.
Novato Opens May 1 and runs Tuesdays from 4pm to 8pm through Oct. 30. Grant and Sherman avenues, Novato. www.marincountyfarmersmarket.org.
Fairfax Opening day is still to be announced; originally scheduled for May 2. Wednesdays from 4pm to 8pm through October. Bolinas Park, 124 Bolinas Road, Fairfax. marincountyfarmersmarkets.org
Larkspur Opens May 19 and runs Saturdays from 10am to 2pm through the month of September. Larkspur Landing Circle, Larkspur. 415.382.7846.
San Geronimo Valley Supposedly runs Saturdays, May through October, from 9:30am to 1:30pm. We could not verify this. Valley Presbyterian Church, 6601 Sir Francis Drake Blvd., San Geronimo. 415.488.4746.
Sausalito Opens May 11 and runs Fridays from 4pm to 8pm through the month of September. Sausalito Ferry Landing, Bridgeway and Tracy streets, Sausalito. 415.382.7846.
West Marin Opens June 23 and runs rain or shine Saturdays from 9am to 1pm through the last weekend of October (season permitting). Opening day, author Paul Hawken is feted at a reception. Toby’s Feed Barn, 15479 State Route 1, Point Reyes Station. 415.663.9667.

Sonoma County

Cloverdale Opens June 15 and runs Fridays from 5:30pm to 7:30pm through Sept. 14. Cloverdale Plaza and Broad Street (across from the Plaza on Broad Street). 707.894.4094.
Cotati Opens May 31 and runs Thursdays from 4:30pm to 7:30pm through Sept. 13. La Plaza Park, Downtown Cotati. 707.795.5508.
Forestville Last year, the market opened on May 24, so we’re hoping for May 23 this year; we could not confirm the dates. Power of the media be damned. Central Forestville, across from the Quicksilver Mine Co. on Front Street (Highway 116), in the open lot. 707.887.8129.
Guerneville Opens May 15 and runs Wednesdays from 4pm to 7pm through Oct. 30. Located in town Plaza, 16201 First St., downtown Guerneville. 707.869.8079.
Healdsburg Previews on Saturday, April 28 and kicks off officially on May 5, running Saturdays from 9am to noon through November. Also, Tuesdays, 4pm to 6:30pm. Located at North and Vine streets, one block west of the downtown Plaza. 707.431.1956.
Occidental Opens June 15 with a community party and runs Fridays from 4pm to dusk through Oct. 26. Located in front of Howard’s Cafe, downtown Occidental. 707.793.2159.
Petaluma Opens May 26 and runs Saturdays from 2pm to 5pm through Oct. 27. Walnut Park, Petaluma Boulevard South at D Street, Petaluma. 707.762.0344.
Santa Rosa Wednesday Night Market Opens May 16 and runs Wednesdays from 5pm to 8:30pm through Aug. 29. A big party with live music, plenty for the little ones, food and craft items and, indeed, farmers. Mendocino Avenue between Fourth and Fifth Streets, downtown Santa Rosa. 707.524.2123.
Santa Rosa Year-round market on Saturdays from 9am to noon at Oakmont Drive and White Oak. 707.538.7023. Also year-round on Wednesdays and Saturdays, 8:30am to noon at the Veterans Memorial Building, 1351 Maple Ave., Santa Rosa. 707.522.8629.
Sebastopol Runs Sundays from 10am to 1:30pm through Nov. 25. Special event on May 6, at 11am, Alisa Smith and J. B. Mackinnon read from and discuss their book Plenty: One Man, One Woman, and a Raucous Year of Eating Locally, in association with Copperfield’s Books. Reserved eating tickets available with the purchase of Plenty at all Copperfield’s Books stores. Come early to hear the Mighty Chiplings, the greatest little bluegrass band in Sonoma County, from 10am. Sebastopol Plaza at McKinley Street, Sebastopol. 707.522.9305.
Sonoma Year-round, Fridays from 9am to noon in the Arnold Field parking lot adjacent to Depot Park, First Street West. Also, through the month of October, Tuesdays from 5:30pm to dusk in Sonoma Plaza. 707.538.7023.
Windsor Opens May 13 and runs Sundays from 10am to 1pm through November. Also, opening June 7 and running on Thursdays from 5pm to 8pm through August. Windsor Town Green at Bell Road. 707.433.4595.

Napa County

Calistoga Opens May 5 and runs Saturdays from 8:30am to noon through Oct. 27. 1235 Washington St., Calistoga, in the police department’s parking lot. 707.812.2640.
Napa Downtown Opens May 1 and runs Tuesdays from 7:30am to noon through October. Also, opening May 5, Saturday market runs from 8:30am to noon through month of October. In the COPIA south parking lot, 500 First St., Napa. 707.252.7142.
Napa Downtown Chefs Market This big street party opens May 25 and runs Fridays from 5pm to 8:30pm through Aug. 31. All along First Street, downtown Napa. 707.252.7142.
St. Helena Opens May and runs Fridays from 7:30am to noon through October. Crane Park on Crane Avenue, St. Helena. 707.486.2662.

Quick dining snapshots by Bohemian staffers.

Winery news and reviews.

Food-related comings and goings, openings and closings, and other essays for those who love the kitchen and what it produces.

Recipes for food that you can actually make.

Salt and Spray

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Salt and Spray

Resident Tourist Guide:
Staying at Home to Play in Sonoma, Marin and Napa | 2007 Farmer’s Markets | Calistoga, San Anselmo, Petaluma | Wineries in Sonoma and Napa | Beaches in Sonoma and Napa | Day Spas in Sonoma, Marin and Napa

Bathing beauty: Clearly, this young woman wasn’t frolicking in our frigid waters.

By Loren Newman and “Kelp Girl” Giles

Agate Beach Park
On Bolinas’ northern tip, Agate’s six-plus acres provides more than two miles of shoreline and excellent tide-pooling at low tide in the adjoining Duxberry Reef. Take Elm Road to Ocean Parkway. 415.499.6387.

Angel Island State Park
Featuring camping, hiking and biking, Angel Island offers some secluded beaches on a very public island in the middle of the San Francisco bay. Ayala Cove and Quarry Beach are protected and sandy, while Perle’s Beach offers pretty, if exposed, bay views and above-average beachcombing. The Immigration Station Barracks is anticipated to be closed through 2007 for ongoing renovation. On the upside, a cafe with beer, wine and a full oyster menu is now open. Accessible by public ferry from San Francisco or Tiburon. ai**@******ca.gov.

Bolinas
Don’t tell them we told you. Bolinas proves to be one of the quirkiest beaches on the entire coast. For the full experience, camp on the beach (it’s free) and mingle with the colorful after-dark set. Also write on the poetry wall. Look the directions up online; we can’t be held responsible. (Pssst: C122.)

China Camp State Park
Tourists and locals alike frequent China Camp to watch the wildlife, hike, swim, fish, boat, windsurf and nosh. Walk-in camping is available on a first-come basis. Located in Marin on the San Pablo Bay Shoreline. Just outside of San Rafael on North San Pedro Road. 415.456.0766.

Dillon Beach
This Highway 1 haven is located just outside of Tomales. Despite numerous shark sightings, the moderate surf is popular with surfers and the wide swathe at the mouth of Tomales Bay draws Bay Area dog-lovers, sunbathers, partiers and lovemakers from miles around, particularly Sacramento. Beach parking is $5, which is, of course, why we rarely go there. Take Dillon Beach Road from Highway 1 in Tomales.

Marin Headlands
Just on the other side of the Golden Gate Bridge and long used for military purposes, the Marin Headlands also has some of the most spectacular coastal slots in Marin County, including Rodeo Beach, which is possibly the easiest beach in Marin to access, with ample parking, public restrooms and a nearby Nike missile battery excitingly open Monday through Friday. Despite unpredictable weather, the small cover offers good sunbathing, surfing and yes indeedy, even semiprecious stones. Off Highway 101, take the Sausalito exit and follow signs for Marin Headlands and the beach.

Once out in the Headlands, it’s always going to be a good idea to pull over and park where you see other cars. Lots of small, chic, mainly nudie beaches are hidden here. There is, for example, Kirby Cove, a long, pebbly beach on the end of the Marin Peninsula that offers great views of the Golden Gate Bridge, along with a rock tunnel that can be explored if the tide is low enough. There are restrooms, fire pits, a few picnic tables and a few walk-in campsites for tents only. It’s of note that Kirby is frequented by the au naturel crowd. The government suggests directions thusly: Take the last Sausalito exit, immediately before the Golden Gate Bridge. Turn left at the stop sign, then an immediate right up the steep hill. This is Conzelman Road. The entrance to Kirby Cove will be on your left, a few hundred yards down Conzelman Road. Look for a gravel service road and metal gate, located at the end of the viewing point pullout.

Bonita Cove can be a bit of a mystery as the entire beach disappears at high tide. A new, improved access trail makes getting there much easier. Expect to encounter fellow humans who are nude or topless. Directions: 3.5 miles from the beginning of Conzelman road, there is a parking lot with a toilet (see driving directions for Kirby Cove). This is where the trail starts.

Tennessee Cove has a 1.8-mile path leading up to it surrounded by towering cliffs. At the southern end, there is a small, sandy beach with bizarre rock formations accessible only at low tide. Take the last Mill Valley exit off Highway 101 and go left on Tennessee Valley Road, following it to its end.

Red Rock Beach is widely considered the most popular nude beach north of San Francisco and thusly gets its share of crowds. On a warm day the non-swimmable, wind-sheltered beach can draw up to 300 patrons in various states of nakedness. There is a pervasive social vibe, but be warned: the nearest bathrooms are all the way at Stinson. Located between Muir Beach and Stinson.

Muir Beach Muir’s half-moon-shaped cove boasts some of the best sand in the state. Set against a thick, fragrant forest with a rippling creek, there are plenty of opportunities to check out the wildlife that inspired the great naturalist whose name is honored here. An extensive trail system leads up into the Muir Woods. The mellow surf makes this beach an ideal destination for fledgling boogie boarders and ocean swimmers. On warm days the parking lot fills up by 11am, so get there early. On Highway 101 at Mill Valley, take the Muir woods exit and follow the signs.

Paradise Beach Park Plopped down on the eastern shore of the Tiburon peninsula, the 19-acre Paradise Beach Park offers lawn and picnic areas as well as a horseshoe court and fishing pier. 350 Paradise Drive, Tiburon. 415.499.6387.

Point Reyes National Seashore
Nearly one-third of all known marine mammal species have been spotted in the waters surrounding Point Reyes. The beaches, while typically not swimming (or even dipping) beaches, are beautiful and the bird-watching is grand. This is a national treasure of huge value with several lovely beaches found along its rugged coast. We could kiss its sand. McClure’s Beach is arguably Marin’s most scenic beach with a rough coastline bookending the north and south sides. During low tide, there are wonderful tide pools at the south end. Because of the pervasive undercurrent, swimming and wading are heavily discouraged. Take Sir Francis Drake Boulevard to Pierce Point Road and follow it to the end.

Popular with dog walkers and trash-collecting artists, Kehoe Beach has a lovely short walk from the lot and features giant dunes, marshlands and sidling streams that lead down to this section of the so-called Great Beach. Also on Pierce Point Road. Just south of Kehoe is the bird-watching wonderland known as Abbott’s Lagoon. The dunes play habitat to the endangered snowy plover and resident egrets dominate. Walk past the lagoon and enter onto the Great Beach. Walking north connects to Kehoe, above. The parking lot is off of Pierce Point Road.

Sir Francis Drake would be proud of this beach that bears his name. With striking alabaster sandstone cliffs, which make for a dramatic setting and shelter the beach from northwesterly winds, this is one of the most accessible beaches at the Point Reyes National Seashore, and now sports a nifty restaurant adjacent to the parking lot. Be sure to attend the annual sand-sculpture contest held there every Labor Day weekend. Take Sir Francis Drake Boulevard west to its very end. There is a parking fee in the summer and this is where the buses decamp for the Lighthouse tour (which is why we rarely go there).

Very popular in the summer, Limantour Beach has a long blond stretch of sand and handy dunes to hide in from the relentless bloody wind. The nearby Estero de Limantour is also worth a stroll if you like birds in that special way, and we do. Once in the Point Reyes Seashore, take Bear Valley Road to Limantour Road and follow all the way.

Stinson Beach
This popular beach seduces thousands of visitors year-round with its moderate surf, great picnicking and white sand. On warm days, the parking lot is full by noon. Though acclaimed by the sunbathing set in the summer, the beach also offers striking morning views throughout the fall and winter. There are lifeguards on duty from late May through mid-September. This is as close to a SoCal beach as it’s possible to get in Northern California. On Highway 101 at Mill Valley, take the Muir Woods exit and follow the road past Muir Woods and over Mt. Tam.

Tomales Bay State Park
Tomales Park is a 2,000-acre park adjacent to the Point Reyes National Seashore located in Inverness. The park offers four day use, surf-free beaches that are protected by the Inverness Ridge. There is a “reasonable” parking fee (which is why so many cars are seen lining the roads), but if a full family is involved, it’s wisest to pay up and drive to park. Included in the park is Heart’s Desire Beach, which, with its flush toilets, barbecues and netted, shallow swimming area, is a perfect place to bring the young ones and for birthday parties for the older set. Pebble Beach can be reached to the southeast of Heart’s Desire by taking an easy uphill trail from the main beach at Heart’s. Indian Beach, a spot not yet reachable by road, is only a half-mile walk through a bishop pine forest, and Shell Beach can also be accessed by the trails from Heart’s Desire. Take Sir Francis Drake Boulevard into the Pt. Reyes National Seashore heading toward Drake’s Beach and use the Pierce Point turnoff to the entrance.

At ease: Growing up swimming at Stinson, we had no idea what women looked like in their bathing suits. In the late ’70s, it was still all Danskin leotards and elaborately dressed armpits.

The New York Times calls the Sonoma Coast “perhaps the most unsung stretch of shoreline anywhere in the Golden State . . . [the] wild and moody yin to Orange County’s bright and placid yang.” Puhleeze. Whatever. We just know that the wild rockiness of the Sonoma Coast is absolutely seductive.

Doran Beach
Possibly one of the best Sonoma beaches for a family outing. Located on a feature identified by two words that are rarely used in sequence–“sand spit”–Doran divides Bodega Bay from the harbor and Bodega proper. Surfing and body-boarding are popular on the windward side of the spit, while bird watchers enjoy the salt marsh on the other side. There are 138 year-round campsites, showers, a pier and, most importantly, a fish-cleaning station where dirty little fishes can be cleansed. $6 day use fee. 201 Doran Park Road, Bodega Bay. 707.875.3540.

Salt Point State Park
All 6,000 acres of Salt Point feature breathtaking views, stunning ground cover, sweet fishing and velvety beaches. There are 20 miles of trails plus four different beaches perfect for picnicking. A popular park during abalone season. There is a small boat launch. Salt Point is located on Highway 1, approximately 27 miles north of Bodega Bay. Call 800.444.7275 for camping reservations.

Sonoma Coast State Beach
One of California’s most underrated beaches, the Sonoma Coast state beach stretches 17 miles from Jenner to Bodega Head. Various beaches within the larger state beach can be accessed along Highway 1. Generally, the heavy surf and strong undercurrents make beaches along the Sonoma coast unsafe for swimming, but some at the Bohemian do it often, and it’s worked out OK for us so far. The park service would hotly disagree.

Included are Goat Rock Beach, with picnic tables, restrooms and harbor-seal colonies highlighting the expanse. No dogs allowed. Fun fact: The final scene of The Goonies was filmed at Goat Rock Beach. Do the truffle shuffle to celebrate. Highway 1 at Jenner. Blind Beach is located just on the other side of the Russian River mouth and boasts huge rock formations, including astounding natural arches.

With a capacious parking lot and fairly clean toilets, Shell Beach is popular year-round. Come prepared for the steep and sometimes eroded climb to and from the beach. Three miles south of Jenner on Highway 1. Other Highway 1 beaches on this stretch are Furlong, Rock Point, Gleason, Portuguese, Schoolhouse, Carmet, Marshall Gulch, Arched Rock, Coleman, Miwok and Campbell Cove. For its part, Wright’s Beach offers 30 campsites, as well as picnic tables, fire rings and nearby showers (that would be, shhh, at other campsites). Reservations are recommended, especially on weekends and during peak season. 707.865.2391.

Duncan’s Landing is notorious, boasting a reputation as the most dangerous point along the Sonoma Coast due to huge waves and inconsistent swells. It’s like the Hannibal Lecter of beaches. On the other hand, the spring wildflower displays are exceptional. Also in the Sonoma Coast collection is the popular picnicking spot Salmon Creek Beach, which while disallowing dogs and fires in favor of the snowy plover, usually features lots of surfers. (And we always come out heavily in favor of men changing their clothes, wearing nothing but a damp towel, by the side of the road.)

The 98 campsites in Bodega Dunes are fully equipped with hot showers, flush toilets and even a sanitation dump station. Whale watchers flock to Bodega Head in the winter and spring to see the migration. Whales or no, the views of the burly coast in both directions are top-notch. Rangers have reported an unusually high number of “sex in public” citations. No one has any idea why.

Stillwater Cove Regional Park Good for diving, good for views, good for doing your best air-guitar imitation of “Fever Dog.” Take the long stairway to the heavenly beach or use the wheelchair-accessible path. Check out the abalone divers. Try abalone diving and embarrass yourself, rather, given the recent deaths, please don’t. The 210-acre park offers meadows, forests, a beach launch for small craft and a superb view. Also included are numerous camping sites, toilets, dump stations and showers. Highway 1, approximately 16 miles north of the town of Jenner.


View All


Museums and gallery notes.


Reviews of new book releases.


Reviews and previews of new plays, operas and symphony performances.


Reviews and previews of new dance performances and events.

Fast Food Forward

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Fast Food Forward

April 25-May 1, 2007

After many months of Internet rumors, re-rescheduled release dates and an alternative advertising campaign that cost Boston’s bomb squad $750,000 “deactivating” cryptic pictographs of cartoon characters, the Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film For Theaters, based on the cult Adult Swim program, was finally released to a barrage of dumbstruck critics.

From the beginning, the film assaults the audience with a mess of apocalyptic images, sensory overloads and surrealist mayhem. In light of this, critical response collectively shrugged its shoulders and scribbled a few comments about lo-fi animation, plotlessness and drug culture. And while these observations are not unfounded, it appears as though these very same “negative” aspects of Aqua Teen are also part of its appeal.

In the shadow of its duly noted inaccessibility, Aqua Teen‘s nightmarish satire, hallucinogenic allure and successful transfer from an 11-minute skit into an 80 minute feature were somehow overlooked.

Much of the film’s madness centers around three characters: Frylock, a paternal super-genius pack of fries; Master Shake, an obnoxious underachiever acting as a catalyst to most of the trio’s misadventures; and Meatwad, a naïve ball of hamburger who lives alongside his fast food friends in a skuzzy New Jersey rental. This unholy trinity is the Aqua Teen Hunger Force. Their trashy neighbor, Carl, also accompanies the Aqua Teens, albeit unwillingly, through many of their wanton journeys of absurdity.

Describing specific plot details in Aqua Teen runs contrary to its central theme of apostasy. The film is best experienced as a force, like a river whose white rapids submerge the viewer within a heavy current. Succumbing to this force, rather than fighting it, allows for a more enjoyable viewing experience and, to some extent, separates Aqua Teen fans from those left struggling to understand the film.

Examining Aqua Teen‘s recurrent themes provides a more telling analysis of the film. This approach allows its elements as a Dadaist satire to surface and helps make some sense of its seemingly pointless cacophony of animation. The theme of American excess plays out in the TV show as well as the film. Being symbols of western overabundance themselves (fast food) the Aqua Teens are always striving at great lengths to become more popular, more attractive and more powerful. Master Shake and Carl are the most notable perpetrators. As seen countless times in the Aqua Teen episodes, it is that desire for more and more that leads to an inevitable climax of mutilation, alienation and chaos like the bursting of an overheated thermometer.

In the film, the Aqua Teens discover that they possess the most powerful piece of home exercise equipment in the known universe: the Insane-o-flex. Carl, hoping to become super buff, becomes enslaved by the machine. While forcing Carl into a continuous workout, the machine simultaneously morphs into a giant dancing robot and rains havoc across the North Jersey shore. He eventually becomes so muscular that he is rendered immobile. Finally, his bulging muscles are cut off with a hunting knife to form a body suit for another power-crazed toon. Time and time again throughout the series and the film, Aqua Teen satirizes American tenants of beauty and capitalistic gain, producing a cause and effect relationship that equates these pursuits with eventual humiliation, disfigurement and death.

Alongside their pursuit of identity through excess, the Aqua Teens adopt another search for meaning: discovering the details of their mysterious origins. Strangely, this topic has never been addressed during the series’ many seasons. But, as always, specifics fail to matter in the Aqua Teen universe and the audience is left uncertain of what to believe. If we trust the final hypothesis presented in the film, we’d believe that the Aqua Teens were the offspring of a sassy slice of watermelon and an enormous bean burrito with huge breasts. But their origin does not matter. Nothing matters. Every aspect of the film is merely another bend in that hypothetical raging river of Dadaist dredge. And when all of this insanity is assembled it paints a portrait of a selfish, unsatisfied America blundering toward a nihilistic end. These features link Aqua Teen…For Theaters more strongly with the early works of surrealist and experimental filmmakers like Luis Bunuel and Kenneth Anger rather than Adult Swim’s related postmodern cartoons for the twisted and the stoned.

With that said, Aqua Teen…For Theaters‘s never ending stream of surrealist imagery presumably makes for an excellent drug film. Not since Yellow Submarine has an animated feature tapped into such a rare visual experience. The revamped Aqua Teen theme song sequence brings a tsunami of colors and motion potent enough to shock and titillate and overstimulate anyone willing to undergo the film while intoxicated; and these people, most ostensibly, compose Aqua Teen‘s snickering audience. But I reject the claim that the film requires an altered state of consciousness for full enjoyment. With its aforementioned merit in satirical prowess, the film possesses many layers to dissect and enjoy. Furthermore, who’s to say that appeals to drug culture and cinematic worth are mutually exclusive?

Cinema’s basic elements, sound and motion, are often overshadowed by American film’s diehard obsession with plot. Although plot remains an important part of film, it has assumed such significance in the minds of viewers that any film abandoning a classic plot for another cinematic device is immediately disregarded or ignored. Many films fit this category: small on plot but big on art. Sadly, they often are below the public radar. So called “drug films” fit this category, disregarding plot while illuminating those sorely missed aspects of cinema and elevating them to the forefront.

Drug films also provide something that cinema has failed to explore to its fullest potential: a Dionysian portal for complete aural immersion. These films facilitate a window where the word’s laws and principles are absent and replaced by an uninhibited, baptismal revelry. It’s strange, but there’s almost a cleansing aspect to such disregard for continuity. And as a Bacchic escape, Aqua Teen works wonderfully with its constant flow of sensory discharge.

So how long, it’s been asked, can this bombardment of absurdity successfully occur? Well, I suppose it depends on your appreciation of the show. I imagine that if one finds this style of film offensive or challenging, Aqua Teen may feel longwinded. But this adherence to authenticity proves to be a double edged sword. While creators Matt Maiellaro and Dave Willis managed to keep the show true to the fans, it also makes no apologies for its absurdist disposition and keen awareness of their audience. The decision not to pacify the film in hopes of gaining a broader crowd of moviegoers is all we’d expect from the proprietors of such a thing as Aqua Teen Hunger Force.

This is a rare treat for fans of a television show. It feels good to be respected as a viewer. Most are not so lucky, however. In the past decade, Americans have passively witnessed the distasteful repackaging of some of their favorite boob-tube classics such as the celluloid blunders of Fat Albert, TMNT, Scooby Doo and its sequel, Bewitched and The Dukes of Hazzard. With few exceptions, if any, these films display the transparent motives of major Hollywood studios capitalizing on the nostalgic iconography of three generations raised by television. They are also, without question, some of the worst films ever made.

These films often fail because Hollywood is, first and foremost, a business whose agenda above all else is to make money. Placing profits before substance often produces shallow, predictable entertainment reluctant to challenge the audience. As Hollywood advocates, the best way to make the most money with a film is to thinly spread its appeal across as many demographics as possible without alienating the core audience. This method, as seen from big-budget flop after flop, often leaves the viewer dissatisfied.

The Hollywood outlook also fails to recognize that America is now a society ruled by advertisements and entertainment that fragment the masses into sharply defined groups of consumers rather than unite them. Films that remain unashamed of scaring away the largest possible audience, although fiscally imprudent, tend to resonate deeply within their intended, narrow spheres.

These films, like Aqua Teen and the like, generate more loyalty among fans. They also elevate the status of television-to-movie films from their cash-cow-opiate status to something more inventive, bold and potentially groundbreaking. And although Aqua Teen does not disserve the title of “groundbreaking,” it does hold a place somewhere between tragic social commentary and grotesquely brilliant in its unflinching vision of madness and disarray.


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Wine Guide

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Wine Guide

April 25-May 1, 2007

Resident Tourist Guide:

Wine for Beginners

Bacchus & Venus Tasting Room
A trendy place for beginners and tourists. Very beautiful and convenient, with an excellent collection of wines. Also has art and a gorgeous bay view. Great place to learn the basics. 769 Bridgeway, Sausalito. Open daily, 11am-7pm. Tasting fees vary according to flights. 415.331.2001.

Castle Vineyards & Winery
With a tasting room menu that features no fewer than a dozen wines, Sonoma’s Castle Vineyards and Winery ensures that one’s glass will runneth over (at least in aggregate). Castle’s tasting room features outdoor seating on a popular stretch of downtown real estate, which is perfect for mild imbibing and people watching–or, as the case may be, being seen oneself, glass in hand, bellowing haughtily like one of the beautiful people. 122 W. Spain St., Sonoma. Open daily, 10am-5pm daily. Tastings are $5 (fee waived with bottle purchase). 707.996.1966.

Charles Creek Vineyards
Located on the southwest corner of the Sonoma Plaza, the Charles Creek Vineyards Tasting Room and Gallery is the public access point to William Wiman Brinton’s burgeoning wine enterprise. The wines dazzle. Chardonnays and Merlot, those old workhorses, shine at Charles Creek. 484 First St. W., Sonoma. Open daily, 11am-6pm. $5 tasting fee waived with purchase. 707.935.3848.

Chateau St. Jean Winery
Take the educational tour and sample both reserve and premier wines. On acres of vineyard with gardens and gourmet food. 8555 Sonoma Hwy., Kenwood. Open daily, 10am-5pm. Wine Tour 101 classes occur daily at 11am and 3pm; no reservation needed. $15 for the tour; $5 for regular winetasting. 707.833.4134.

Folie à Deux
If you’re new to wine, or just want a good picnic or party wine, the Ménage à Trois wines–white, red and rosé–are tasty blends of three grape varietals (hence the name) that sell for about $12 each. 3070 N. St. Helena Hwy, St. Helena. Open daily, 10am-5pm. Tasting flight, $10. 1.800.473.4454.

Ravenswood Winery
The winery motto is “No wimpy wines,” and they make strong, much-praised Zinfandels. Knowledgeable tasting staff and newcomer-friendly. Look for their weekend barbecues and live music. A great place to learn that wine is supposed to be fun. 18701 Gehricke Road, Sonoma. Open daily, 10am-5pm. 707.933.2332.

Sonoma EnotecaBoth a tasting room and bottle shop on the southeast corner of the historic plaza, Sonoma Enoteca (the latter of which translates literally as “wine library”) hawks the wares of 12 different wineries, which makes it a sort of one-stop shop for both tourists and connoisseurs alike. Locals long-inured to delights offered in our area might also find themselves impressed with Enoteca’s wide and varied selection. Some 19 wines are usually listed on the tasting sheet, though the tasting room staff liberally shares unlisted wines as well. Sonoma Enoteca, 35 E. Napa St., Sonoma. Open Wednesday-Monday, 10am to 6pm; Tuesday, 10am to 3pm. $5 for six tastes. 707.935.1200.

Old School

Foppiano Vineyards
Over 100 years old, Foppiano produces wines that can be described as simple but delicious. 12707 Old Redwood Hwy., Healdsburg. Open daily, 10am-4:30pm. No tasting fee. 707.433.7272.

Martinelli Winery
Unrelated to the cider empire, this winery specializes in A-list wines but is still a funky red-barn establishment at heart. Martinelli Winery, 3360 River Road, Windsor. Open daily, 10am-5pm. No tasting fee. 707.525.0570.

Michel-Schlumberger
Highly recommended, but by appointment only. With a roaring fireside on a rainy day, Michel-Schlumberger is a cozy winery. The family has been making wine in France for 400 years. Well-known for Chardonnay. 4155 Wine Creek Road, Healdsburg. 707.433.7427.

Seghesio Family Winery
Once banal and overproduced, Seghesio now offers an education in delicious Italian varietals, many of them brought directly from Italy. Much-improved product with excellent Zinfandel and 2002 Cortina. 14730 Grove St., Healdsburg. Open daily, 10am-5pm. No tasting fee. 707.433.3579.

Trefethen Winery
Some critics claim Trefethen’s heyday was in the ’60s, but the winery proves them wrong with dependable, delicious wines. Trefethen is one of the oldest wineries in Napa. 1160 Oak Knoll Ave., Napa. Open daily, 11:30am-4:30pm. Estate tasting, $10; reserve, $20. 707.255.7700.

V. Sattui
Though crowded and a regular stop on the tourist circuit, V. Sattui remains charming in the Italian style. With no distribution except via the Internet, V. Sattui wines can only be purchased at the winery. 1111 White Lane, St. Helena. Open daily, 9am-6pm. No tasting fee. 707.963.7774.

Windsor Vineyards
Windsor Vineyards is the oldest and largest mail-order company for wines. The company specializes in custom labels and corporate and wedding personalization. Founded by local legend, the late Rodney Strong. 72 Main St., Tiburon. Open daily. Sunday-Thursday, 10am-6pm; Friday-Saturday, 10am-7pm. 800.214.9463.

Mom & Pop

Arrowood Winery
Richard Arrowood is a local guy who makes some of the best wines in the Sonoma Valley–pretty much the same thing he’s been doing for himself and his neighbors for the last 25 years. Most of Arrowood’s wine is done in the Bordeaux style of France. This means that French varietals like Cabernet, Mourvedre, Syrah, Malbec and Petit Verdot are used or blended in a way that is more like wines found in the southern region of France. 14347 Sonoma Hwy., Glen Ellen. Tasting room open daily, 10am-5pm. 707.935.2600.

August Briggs Winery
A pleasantly small winery with award-winning wines. August Briggs’ tasting room is a white barn lit by skylights and often staffed by the owner’s wife and mother. Once a roving wine consultant, August Briggs has now settled down to turn his considerable skill to his own wines. 333 Silverado Trail, Calistoga. Open Thursday-Sunday, 11:30am-4:30pm. No tasting fee. 707.942.5854.

Camellia Cellars
Like owner Chris Lewand, the wine is just so darned approachable and easy-going. Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon are most consistently strong, and a favorite is the ’01 Diamo Grazie, a Tuscan blend of Sangiovese, Cabernet, some Cabernet Franc and Petite Syrah that is thoughtful, deep and just big enough to be seriously reckoned with. 57 Front St., Healdsburg. Tasting room open daily, 11am-6pm. 888.404.9463.

Casa Nuestra Winery
Endearingly offbeat, with a dedicated staff and a collection of goats and dogs roaming freely. Nestled among corporate wineries with only six employees and an annual production of 1,500 cases, Casa Nuestra has charm to spare. 3451 Silverado Trail N., St. Helena. Open daily, 10am-5pm. $5 tasting fee. 707.963.5783.

Gallo Family Vineyards
Before there was the box, there was the jug, and among local producers, Gallo has long been a favorite. One need only utter the words “hearty Burgundy,” and one flashes back to the junior college campus and the first citation for “minor in possession of alcohol.” Gallo, however, has plugged the jug and ramped up an impressive array of premium wines under their new Gallo Family Vineyards banner. Better yet, all these wines can be had for under $30. Gallo Family Vineyards, 320 Center St., Healdsburg. Open daily, 10am to 6pm. The tasting room offers various programs ranging from complimentary to $10. 707.433.2458.

Harvest Moon Winery
The Pitts family sold grapes for decades until their thirty-something son returned to the farm and started vinting. Their modest, comfortable tasting room showcases estate-grown Zinfandel and Gewürztraminer. Harvest Moon Zins do seem to show their distinct charms from year to year. Is it the time-consuming vineyard practices of multiple harvests of each row–what winegrower Randy Pitts calls “shaving” the vineyard–and all the other diligence and love that’s put into these small-lot wines? Harvest Moon Estate & Winery, 2192 Olivet Road, Santa Rosa. Open daily from 10:30am to 5pm. 707.573.8711.

Kastania Vineyards
Next to a gas station between Petaluma and Marin County, the little vineyard on a hillock has marked the southernmost evidence of wine country viewable from Highway 101 for a decade. Owner Hoot Smith’s Pinot grapes have been vinted to acclaim, usually bought by Landmark Vineyards in Kenwood, and 2004 is Kastania’s first self-made vintage. Who knew that here on the border of Marin we’d find one of the most hospitable, no-nonsense family winery experience in the county! Kastania Vineyards, 4415 Kastania Road, Petaluma. 707.763.6348. Tasting by appointment.

Meeker Vineyard
The real treat here is a wine so gorgeous it’s hard to believe it’s that cheap and easy (it’s topped with a screw cap). To echo the tasting sheet, the liquid energy of the 2003 “Rack ‘n’ Roll” Zinfandel ($14) swirls in the glass like revelers in a rock-concert crowd. The point is, untamed by oxyphobic squares, these are the seductive vinous scents that flirt with misadventure while promising paradise, and give you that million-kilowatt smile. You can take that to the bank. Meeker Vineyard, 21035 Geyserville Ave., Geyserville. Open 10:30am to 6:00pm, Monday-Saturday; noon to 5pm, Sunday. 707.431.2148.

Murphy-Goode Winery
Expect a heavenly tasting experience at this three-family collective, with friendly, knowledgeable staff and good wine. Value is a premium. Be sure to try the Brenda Block Cabernet and Fume Blanc. 4001 Hwy. 128, Geyserville, Open daily, 10:30am-4pm. Regular tastings are free. 707.431.7644.

Passalacqua Winery
Family-run with a roaring fire in the hearth on rainy winter days. Passalacqua boasts good reds and Chardonnay as well as a fun wine-aroma kit to train your senses to identify common wine smells. Large deck, garden and vineyard. 3805 Lambert Bridge Road, Healdsburg. Open daily, 10am-5pm. No tasting fee. 707.433.5575.

Sausal Winery
Simple, rural, without corporate cross-promotions and pretense. Good Zinfandel and nice local cats. 7370 Hwy. 128, Healdsburg. Open daily, 10am-4pm. Regular tastings are free. 707.433.5136.

Sbragia Family Vineyards
Winemaker Ed Sbragia’s Sbragia Family Vineyard 2004 Cabernet Monte Rosso uncannily recalls raisin bread French toast, patted with powdered sugar and doused in fine maple syrup. Though not a breakfast wine by strictest definition (trust me, there are some), this Cab is a “come over for dinner, stay for breakfast” wine. If appropriately applied, this sexy, ambrosial elixir will raise more than merely eyebrows. Ahem. It will raise awareness of Sbragia’s fine family winery. Sbragia Family Vineyards can be tasted at Cellar 360, 308-B Center St., Healdsburg. Open daily from 11am to 6pm. 707.433.2822. www.sbragia.com.

Summers
Celebrated and locally owned winery with award-winning wine. Excellent Merlot and that rarest of beasts, Charbono. Small tasting room and friendly staff. 1171 Tubbs Lane, Calistoga. Open daily, 10am-4:30pm. No tasting fee. 707.942.5508.

Suncé Winery
An amateur winery turned professional, Suncé’s wine has won awards in both categories. Informal and family-run, it is rich with rustic charm and owned by a Croatian doctor of psychology. 1839 Olivet Road, Santa Rosa. Open daily, 10:30am-5pm. No tasting fee. 707.526.9463.

Thumbprint Cellars
Lounge on overstuffed furniture in a small tasting room staffed by the owners, Erica and Scott Lindstrom-Dake. The Lindstrom-Dakes started Thumbprint in their garage, and recommend vegetarian food parings with their wine. 36 North St., Healdsburg. Open daily, 11am-6pm. No tasting fee. 707.433.2393.

Unti Vineyards
Very friendly and casual with an emphasis on young Italian-style wines. Yum. 4202 Dry Creek Road, Healdsburg. By appointment only. No tasting fee. 707.433.5590.

Vincent Arroyo Winery
Small, tasting room is essentially a barn with a table near some barrels, but very friendly, with good wines. 2361 Greenwood Ave., Calistoga. Open daily, 10am-4:30pm. No tasting fee. 707.942.6995.

Earth Friendly

Benziger Winery
A nontraditional, organic, biodynamically farmed winery. Don’t miss the daily 45-minute tram ride replete with a tour of the vineyard, wildlife sanctuaries and caves. The excellent selection of wines serves as testament to the benefits of the earth-friendly approach to winemaking. 1883 London Ranch Road, Glen Ellen. Open daily, 10am-5pm. Tram tours, $10. Biodynamic tasting, $10; regular tasting, $5. 888.490.2739.

Fetzer Vineyards
Even as a corporate giant, Fetzer retains its conscience about the earth, the grapes, the land and its wine. With some 2,000 acres of grapes, the winery now claims that all of its own grapes are 100 percent certified organic, grown with sustainable practices fostering the well-being of the land. Though the winery also purchases traditionally farmed grapes for some of its wines, all those on its Bonterra label are made exclusively with organic grapes. The winery aims to be organic with all labels and varietals by 2010. Chardonnay is what Fetzer does especially well. Stroll through the organic gardens. 13601 Old River Road, Hopland. Tasting room open daily, 10am-5pm. 800.846.8637.

Field Stone Winery
Popular with hikers and bikers passing through, Field Stone Winery is an idyllic 85-acre ode to nature. It was also one of the first underground wine cellars, carved into the hill in the 1970s. 10075 Hwy. 128, Healdsburg. Open daily, 10am-5pm. No tasting fee. 707.433.7266.

Moshin Vineyards
It’s easy to like Moshin. There’s the hummingbird label. The new-in-2005, gravity-flow dream winery built into a hillside lets the wine flow gently from crush pad to the fermenters, with their sweet hydraulic punch-down setup, all the way down to, well, the tasting room. Former math teacher Rick Moshin fell hard for Pinot somewhere along the way, and both permutations on the menu show a marked style. Moshin Vineyards, 10295 Westside Road, Healdsburg, Tasting room open daily, 11am to 4:30pm. 707.433.5499.

Preston Vineyards
Try the Mouvedre and Sangiovese. Limited picnicking facilities, organic vegetables and homemade bread for sale. Plan to arrive on Sundays, when the bread is fresh and the Italian-style jug wine, Guadagni, is flowing. 9282 West Dry Creek Road, Healdsburg. Open daily, 11am-4:30pm. 707.433.3372.

Ridge Vineyards Lytton Springs
The resident winemaker at Ridge Vineyards, Paul Draper, is one of the top five winemakers nationwide. The wines are fabulous and tend to inspire devotion in drinkers. The tasting room is an environmentally conscious structure. 650 Lytton Springs Road, Healdsburg. Open daily, 11am-4pm. Regular tastings are free; $15 for Monte Bello tastings (so worth it!). 707.433.7721.

Quivira Winery
Wineries like Quivira are beginning to understand that the mere process of paying attention to the cycles of wind, rain and season, working with vines from bud break to harvest and relying more on nature than pesticides, is more than mere hippie juju. Quivira is aiming high and hopes fans will realize that its wine is more than just a glass of wine; it is a sip of time, place and the very best of intents. 4900 Dry Creek Road, Healdsburg. Open daily, 11am to 5pm. Tastings free; picnicking available. 1.800.292.8339.

Gloria Ferrer Winery
Part of the international Freixenet wine empire, Gloria Ferrer’s owner Jose Ferrer comes from a family that has an extensive history of winemaking; in Spain, his family has been in this business since the 13th century. Explore the Champagne caves on a guided tour. 23555 Carneros Hwy., Sonoma. Open daily, 10am-5pm. Cave tours at noon, 2pm and 4pm. Call ahead. $4-$10 tasting fee. 707.996.7256.

J Winery
J’s become such a local favorite in large part due to the consistently friendly and knowledgeable tasting-room staff who guide sometimes bewildered guests through the process of pairing food and wine. Friday through Sunday, the winery opens its more elegant tasting room, the Bubble Room, to guests. 11447 Old Redwood Hwy., Healdsburg. Open daily, 11am-5pm. Bubble room open Friday-Sunday, 11am-4:30pm. Food and winetasting fee, $10 (buy it!). 707.431.3646.

Korbel Champagne Cellars
Putting out 1.5 million cases a year, Korbel Champagne Cellars is one of the largest wineries in the country. A large, ivy-covered winery with a huge tasting room, fun staff, excellent deli and hourly tours, Korbel is a perfect stop on the way to a Russian River picnic. 13250 River Road, near Rio Nido. Open daily, 10am-5pm daily. No tasting fee. 707.824.7316.

Clos du Bois
With picnicking area, friendly staff and knickknacks galore, Clos Du Bois is a hidden treasure. Features Jerry Garcia’s wine. 19410 Geyserville Ave., Geyserville. Open daily, 10am-4:30pm. 800.222.3189.

Gundlach Bundschu Winery
A fun, casual winery with enjoyable wines. Gundlach Bundschu is famous for a publicity stunt in the ’80s when owner Jim Bundschu preformed a mock hold-up on a Napa-bound winetasting train filled with journalists, giving them samples of his Sonoma wine. Thus began a Sonoma vs. Napa wine feud. Plays and Mozart performed on the grounds in the summer. 2000 Denmark St., Sonoma. Open daily, 10am-5pm. 707.938.5277.

Hop Kiln Winery
Both pleasant and rural, Hop Kiln has an extremely popular crisp white wine (Thousand Flowers) which sells out every year, as well as a great ’02 Zinfandel Primitivo Vineyards. The grounds are gorgeous, with ponds, a garden and animals as well as plenty of food right on the Russian River. 6050 Westside Road, Healdsburg. Open daily, 10am-5pm. Regular tastings are free. 707.433.6491.

Sebastiani Vineyards & Winery
The winery has stuck close to its roots, relying on many of the traditional wines it has found success with in the past, like the Cherry Block Cabernet Sauvignon and “Eye of the Swan” Pinot Noir Blanc. The winery is charming and warm, with wines that are mostly straightforward, honest affairs without all the hype and hubbub of younger wineries. And with one of the best picnic areas around, the busy Sonoma tasting room is always abuzz with folks eager to taste a little bit of wine country’s glorious past. Sebastiani loves your pooch almost as much as you do. Water dishes are located around the property, and the winery has held a canine festival overseen by resident pup, Rubee Sebastiani, the past years. 389 Fourth St. E., Sonoma. Tasting fees range from $8 for three wines, or $18 for the Proprietor’s Tasting. Open daily. 707.933.3230.

Buena Vista Carneros
The winery’s history is recounted in a wall-sized story board that tells of its founding in 1857 by Count Agoston Haraszthy, a member of the Hungarian Royal Guard, who, among other disparate pursuits, also ran a ferryboat and founded a city in Wisconsin before launching the local wine industry. Despite the rich heritage of Buena Vista’s location, the winery sources its grapes down the road a few miles at the lauded Carneros appellation, where it owns a thousand acres of the prime real estate. The 2004 Syrah ($25) is rife with leather and tar, and satisfies an olfactory addiction for the deep, smoky aroma of hot asphalt about to be bulldozed. The 2002 Merlot ($25) is an inky, peppery wine with a alluring dusty quality, not unlike the cozy smell of a recently reignited furnace. Likewise, the 2003 Pinot Noir ($35) has a toffee nose that gives way to cherry and wood notes, which finishes in a flush of Mexican chocolate. In contrast, the 2004 Chardonnay ($22) is like eating a caramel apple from the inside out. It begins with the crisp hues of green apple, but finishes with a broad caramel flavor–a perfect Halloween sipper. Buena Vista Carneros, 18000 Winery Road, Sonoma. Open daily,10am to 4pm. Tasting fee, $5. 707.938.1266.

Bartholomew Park Winery
The kid sister of wine juggernaut Gundlach Bundschu, stately Bartholomew Park Winery is nestled in the Sonoma hills on the site of a former women’s prison–an odd but scenic locale for something that sounds like it belongs in a Henry James novel. Sauvignon Blanc and Cab are kings here. 1000 Vineyard Lane, Sonoma. Open daily, 11am to 4:30pm. Tasting fee, $5. 707.935.9511.

Chateau Montelena
The winery triumphed at the 1976 “Judgment of Paris” tasting where French judges, quelle horreur, found that they had awarded top honors to a California contender, 1973 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay. The generous pours are worth the $15 fee, which was waived anyway after we purchased Montelena’s unusual first offering, the 2005 Potter Valley Riesling ($20). Labeled off-dry, only sweet enough to bring its delicate pear flavor into focus, it’s a minerally, well-structured German-style Riesling. The 2003 Montelena Estate Zinfandel ($28) isn’t much of a Zinfandel, but you could wow someone in a brown-bag tasting with the finest Merlot he’d ever sipped. Soft, rich and plummy, this is an ultimate cheese-plate wine. The current Montelena Estate Cabernet Sauvignon release has been in the making since 2000, and rewards the patient tongue with softened tannins, yet prickles the pocketbook ($105). Breaking the rules, our tasting host led us back to the flagship 2001 Napa Valley Chardonnay, which indeed held its apple flavor and pie-crust aroma after the reds. It’s only available in a pricey $93 magnum, but it’s not bad for kids from the sticks. Chateau Montelena Winery, 1429 Tubbs Lane, Calistoga. Tasting room open daily, 9:30am to 4pm. 707.942.5105.

Francis Ford Coppola Presents Rosso & Bianco Winery
In a fairy-tale setting complete with a castle and friendly, attentive staff, Francis Ford Coppola’s Rosso & Bianco Winery has excellent white wines and an in-house restaurant. 300 Via Archimedes, Geyserville. Tasting room open daily at 11am; cafe open for lunch, 11:30am-5pm. 707.857.1400.

Freemark Abbey
Sure it’s got some arty associations–Keats, Chopin, a couple of the Brontës–but rest assured, tuberculosis is a drag. It’s also one of the reasons entrepreneur Josephine Tychson moved her ailing husband to the dry climes of Napa Valley in 1881, though not the only reason. The consumption-injunction was curtain dressing for Tychson’s enological ambitions, which, after a purchase of a 147-acre parcel of land, began to take shape, making her the first woman to own and operate a winery in the valley.

A century and a quarter later, her name has all but been scrubbed from the venture, the current name of which is a mash-up of Freeman, Marquand and a dude named Albert who apparently went by “Abbey.” The big gun at Freemark Abbey is the 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon-Bosche ($65)–pure kapow! in a bottle. Sourced from the fabled Bosche Vineyard seated on the Rutherford Bench, this wine has powerful dark berry notes and the dusty loam taste for which this region is known. It will make you want to be buried in a vineyard. Freemark Abbey, 3022 St. Helena Hwy. N. (Highway 29 at Lodi Lane), St. Helena. Open daily, 10am to 5pm. $5 tasting fee includes logo glass. 800.963.9698.

Iron Horse Vineyards & Winery
Despite the rustic tasting room, Iron Horse produces sparkling wine and Pinots for the elite. In fact, Ronald Reagan commissioned wine from Iron Horse for the historic summit meetings with Gorbachev that ended the Cold War. Near a farm with fresh, local preserves. 209786 Ross Station Road, Sebastopol. Open daily, 10am-3:30pm. Tasting fee, $5. 707.887.1507.

Russian Hill Winery
Russian Hill Vineyards is set in a Georgian manor resembling Tara from Gone with the Wind and offers a fantastic view. Simple tasting room, strong Pinots and Syrah. 4525 Slusser Road, Windsor. Open Thursday-Monday, 10am-5pm. No tasting fee. 707.575.9428.

St. Francis Winery
Simple but cozy, St. Francis Winery was inspired by the monk St. Francis and styled as a California mission, complete with a bell tower. Beautiful views from the tasting room. 100 Pythian Road, Santa Rosa. Open daily, 10am-5pm. $5 tasting fee; $10 reserve tasting; $20 reserve tasting with food pairing. 800.543.7713.

Simi Winery
Pioneered female winemaking by hiring the first female winemaker in the industry. A very popular winery, and therefore crowded. The tasting-room experience is mediocre, but the wine is fantastic and worth the wait. Excellent Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon. 16275 Healdsburg Ave., Healdsburg. Open daily, 10am-5pm. $5 tasting fee. 707.473.3213.

Rubicon Estate
Check out filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola’s cinematic memorabilia, his Zoetrope zine and Sofia, the Blanc de Blanc in a can made for his daughter during her coming of age. Despite the celebrity hype, the wine is award-winning. 1991 St. Helena Hwy., Rutherford. Open daily, 10am-5pm. 800.782.4226.

PlumpJack Winery
PlumpJack is named for Jack Falstaff, the jocular, debauched foil who cameos in a handful of Shakespeare’s plays. The tasting room, by contrast, is a spare and hip affair replete with a flatscreen TV that plays an endless clip reel of owner and SF Mayor Gavin Newson chumming it up with various network personalities, its sound overrun by an ersatz soundtrack that spans Modest Mouse and Sinatra. The 2004 PlumpJack Syrah ($38) is a comparatively beefy number, roiling with plum and black cherry notes in an exuberantly hot admixture that is 15.4 percent alcohol–perfect for cheap dates. The 2004 PlumpJack Merlot ($50) is a no-nonsense easy drinker in shades of pale raisin with a toasty finish that feels like someone just cinched the last strap of some shameful apparatus, leaving only enough breath to wheeze, “Kill me, Marion, just kill me.” PlumpJack Winery, 620 Oakville Crossroad, Oakville. Open daily from 10am to 4pm. Tastings are $5. 707.945.1220.

Toad Hollow
A humorous, frog-themed tasting room owned by Robin Williams’ brother Todd Williams and the late Rodney Strong. Refreshing and fun. Try the Eye of the Toad Dry Pinot Noir Rosé. 409-A Healdsburg Ave., Healdsburg. Open daily, 10:30am to 5:30(ish)pm. 707.431.8667

Valley of the Moon Winery
This winery was once owned by Sen. George Hearst, the man who sired newspaper magnate and Citizen Kane inspiration William Randolph Hearst. Perhaps instead of the epochal utterance “Rosebud” Welles belches in the beginning of Kane, we could dub in “Rosé” and have the man pitching for Valley of the Moon Winery’s 2005 Rosato di Sangiovese (a fancy way of saying “rosé made from a popular Italian varietal”). The wine is rife with pleasant dark berry notes, which instantly brought back rosy memories of berry-flavored Hi-C. The Rosato is a well-packaged gem of a refresher, and a fine way to bring down the mercury during these midsummer valley scorchers. Ditto the 2005 Pinot Blanc, a pithy mélange of coconut, mango and tropical citrus that’s a nice alternative to the Chards and Sauvignon Blancs splashing into summer’s glasses. Valley of the Moon Winery, 777 Madrone Road, Glen Ellen. Open daily, 10am to 4:30pm. Four complimentary tastes are provided; $2 reserve tastes. 707.996.6941.

Ferrari-Carano
A tranquil winery far afield with excellent white wines, a huge garden and a small cellar tasting room. The Fumé Blanc sets the bar on this varietal. 8761 Dry Creek Road, Healdsburg. Tasting room open 10am-5pm. No tasting fee. 707.433.6700.

Kendall-Jackson
Kendall-Jackson features amazing gardens and produces the popular wines gracing most American tables. Garden features include heirloom tomatoes (look for the annual festival in August) and a sensory patch that helps visitors learn the scent-notes of wine. 5007 Fulton Road, Fulton. Open daily, 10am-5pm. Tasting fees, $2-$10. 707.571.8100.

Matanzas Creek Winery
Matanzas Creek Winery features a peaceful tasting room overlooking its famed acres of lavender. In addition to rave-review wines, Matanzas naturally specializes in lavender products of all kinds. 6097 Bennett Valley Road, Santa Rosa. Open daily, 10am-4:30pm. Tasting fee, $5. 707.528.6464.

Paradise Ridge Winery
Paradise Ridge is a hot spot for weddings because it has a gorgeous, provocative sculpture garden with annually changing exhibits set amid a pygmy forest. Once a utopian commune at the turn of the last century, Paradise Ridge was founded by a Japanese immigrant of the Samurai class, one of the first eight people to smuggle himself out of Japan. Stay for sunset Wednesday evenings April through October. 4545 Thomas Lake Harris Drive, Santa Rosa. Open daily, 11am-5:30pm. No tasting fee. 707.528.9463.

(Also see J Vineyards & Winery, above)

Mayo Family Winery
Excellent place to pair food with wine, as tastings are matched with specific food items. Seven tiny courses and excellent wine for $20. 9200 Sonoma Hwy., Kenwood. 707.833.5504.

Viansa Winery
Large and filled with cross-promotional products, a deli and a pseudo-Italian marketplace. Viansa can feel overwhelming with not enough emphasis on winetasting, but there’s plenty of food. Has patio, wetlands preservation area and olive tree grove. 25200 Arnold Drive, Sonoma. Open daily, 10am-5pm. 707.935.4700

Clos Pegase Winery
Practically an art museum, Clos Pegase showcases plenty of sculpture, painting and architecture. Impressive premises, good red wines and near a petrified forest. Sadly, tasters are limited to tasting either white or red, so choose well. 1060 Dunaweal Lane, Calistoga. Open daily, 10:30am-5pm. Tastings, $5-$25. 1.800.366.8583.

Hall Winery
Owned by Craig and Kathryn Hall, who specialize in aggressively “beefy” wines of the type favored by Robert Parker. The reds are extremely popular and the tasting room features several pieces from the Hall’s generous private collection of intensely modern art and all things Austrian. 401 St. Helena Hwy. S., St. Helena. Open daily, 10am-5:30pm. $10 tasting fee. 866.667.HALL.

Hess Collection Winery
High above the fracas of the Napa Valley, the Hess Collection is an intellectual outpost of art and wine housed in the century-old Christian Brother’s winery. After making his fortune bottling Swiss mineral water, Donald Hess turned his attention to bottling something altogether different: wine. Cabernet Sauvignon is the Hess Collection’s signature varietal. Don’t miss the world-class collection of 20th-century art, including work by Francis Bacon, Frank Stella, Magdalena Abramowitz, a new acquisition of work by Anselm Keifer and many others. 4411 Redwood Road, Napa. Open daily, 10am-4pm. $10 tasting fee. 707.255.1144.

Imagery Estate Winery
Located on the site of the short-lived Sonoma Mountain Brewery, Imagery Estate results from a 20-year collaboration between winemaker Joe Benziger and artist Bob Nugent, who created the first label and curates the series. The concept: Commission unique artwork from contemporary artists for each release of often uncommon varietal wines. The wine gets drunk. The art goes on the gallery wall. Not so complicated. Count on the reds, particularly the strawberry jam-scented 2006 Pinot Meunier ($22) made an enticing rosé; I’d cellar it for, oh, about 20 minutes in the freezer before popping it on a warm evening. Pop quiz: What’s a Lagrein? Take a stroll down the informative “varietal walk” on the grounds to find out. Imagery Estate Winery, 14335 Hwy. 12, Glen Ellen. Tasting room open daily 10am to 4:30pm; after Memorial Day, until 5:30pm. 707.935.4515.

Mumm Cuvée Napa
Pretty with an interesting, albeit somewhat difficult-to-find collection of photography that changes exhibition regularly. Outdoor seating overlooking the vineyards. Features Champagne and wine with a good Blanc de Noir. Their Champagne on reserve is inspiring. Also near high-end Oakville Grocery with good cheese. 8445 Silverado Trail, Rutherford. Open daily, 10am-5pm. $5-$12 tasting fee. 707.967.7700.

Rosenblum Cellars
Funky and offbeat with Native American art, rave-review Zinfandels and friendly, low-key staff. Founder Kent Rosenblum is a veterinarian who still works with animals, despite his winery’s success. 250 Center St., Healdsburg. Open daily, 10am-5pm daily. No tasting fee. 707.431.1169.

St. Supéry
Expect to find the tasting room extremely crowded with an often-harrassed staff, but St. Supéry features an interesting art gallery with changing exhibitions. The famed Dean & DeLuca high-end grocery store, stocked with excellent everything, is nearby. See the art, grab a bottle and go. 8440 St. Helena Hwy., Rutherford. Open 10am-5pm. $10 tasting fee. 800.942.0809.

Stryker Sonoma Vineyards
An architectural award-winner, this off-the-beaten-path winery features beautiful views and spectacular wine, the best of which are the reds. A gem! 5110 Hwy. 128, Geyserville. Open 10:30am-5pm, Thursday-Sunday, or by appointment. No tasting fee. 707.433.1944.

Cline Cellars
Greeting visitors at Cline Cellars’ tasting-room door is a realistic, life-sized rubber butler, molded from latex and dressed in a tuxedo.Perhaps the rubber butler proves the adage that good help is hard to find. Good wines, however, are not hard to find at Cline, whose tasting-room menu currently boasts, among dozens of other selections, a raft of single-vineyard designate Zinfandels–gorgeous fruit bombs, each distinct from the other and each with its own super-powerful suggestion of simile. The price for all these bottles hovers between $25 and $28 (tastes are only a buck). However, elements of each can be found in a single bottle of the 2004 California Zinfandel, which is a tasty bargain at $11. Cline Cellars, 24737 Hwy. 121, Sonoma. Open daily, 10am-6pm. 707.940.4000.

Corison Winery
Winemaker Cathy Corison proudly describes herself as a “Cabernet chauvinist.” It’s refreshing to hear a woman stand by her Cab, but even more so to drink it. Corison Winery, 987 St. Helena Hwy., St. Helena. Tasting by appointment for a $10 fee, which is credited toward purchases. Personalized tour with food and wine pairing, Fridays at 10am by appointment. 707.963.0826.

David Coffaro Vineyards
Coffaro specializes in unique red blends and Zinfandels. A longtime Dry Creek Valley resident, he’s known as something of a character, keeping an online diary of his daily winemaking activities. You can read it at www.coffaro.com/diary.html. 7485 Dry Creek Road, Geyserville. Vineyard tours Friday at 11am and 1pm by appointment. Open daily from 10am to 5pm. Call 707.433.9715.

Kokomo Winery
Their little urban tasting room is right off Santa Rosa’s downtown freeway exit. View of a parking lot. No bucolic preciousness here. Backstory: Kokomo means “here.” Where? Kokomo, Ind. Why? This guy Erik Miller lands in Dry Creek Valley, finds his calling, etcetera, names winery after his home town. And? Opens the tasting room in the one city that thinks it’s in the Midwest instead of the capital of wine country. That’s the best part.

Other than the sweet and crisp 2005 Mendocino County Sauvignon Blanc ($16), it’s about the reds. The 2005 Perotti Zinfandel ($22) nearly jumps up out of the glass to give a raspberry-flavored smooch on the nose. The 2005 Timber Crest Zinfandel ($26) took me on a pleasant ramble through a country junkyard, brambleberry vines spilling over rusted cars, a nostalgic whiff of oil. Yes, the 2005 Petite Sirah ($22) is tannic, don’t panic. Steak, blackberries and cigar–it’s an entrée, a dessert and a vice. The 2005 Pinot Noir ($45) hints subtly of smoked Tofurky and spice, while the 2005 Dry Creek Valley Syrah ($22) comes on like a forest fire, all pine cones and smoke. Kokomo Winery Tasting Room, 305 Davis St., Santa Rosa. Open daily, noon to 7pm. 707.542.6580.

Ledson Winery
Ledson has delicious Merlot and resides in a starter castle. Originally designed as a family home, Ledson was converted into a winery after good grapes grew in the front yard. 7335 Sonoma Hwy., Kenwood. Open daily, 10am-5pm. $5 tasting fee. 707.537.3810.

Loxton Cellars
At Loxton Cellars in Glen Ellen, the shingle of Aussie Chris Loxton, who forewent a career in physics to save space-time in a bottle, Syrah and Shiraz are king. Loxton’s early quantum quest may account for why his list boasts a 2002 Hillside Syrah next to a 2003 Shiraz. Quoi? In physics, light can be perceived as either a particle or a wave–either way, it’s light. Syrah, Shiraz–to Loxton, it’s wine. And fine wine at that. The Shiraz was a strapping young lad with a dominant plum note flanked by hints of clove and pepper with a broad jammy finish. “Easily the best Shiraz I’ve made,” Loxton says in his tasting notes. 11466 Dunbar Road, Glen Ellen. Open by appointment 11am-5pm, daily. 707.935.7221.

Mauritson Family Winery
Zinfandels are the hallmark of this fledgling winery. Reserve vintages routinely sell out, including the much sought-after Rockpile Zinfandel. There’s a lot of buzz about wines from the Rockpile Appellation. All vineyards in the appellation must be higher than 800 feet above sea level, making it a drier, rockier outcrop with intensely-flavored fruit. 2859 Dry Creek Road, Healdsburg. Tasting room open daily, 10am to 5pm. 707.431.0804.

Siduri Winery
The winery is only open for tasting by appointment, but that shouldn’t be as intimidating as it sounds. During a Winter Wineland event, classic rock played in the background, and a large temporary staff of down-to-earth friends and vineyard owners was assembled to pour a Pinot-heavy slate. After a 20-wine tour of two states (California and Oregon grapes are featured) and even more regions, we emerged giddy and blinking in the sun–and still in Santa Rosa! Such a savings in gas. Siduri Winery, 980 Airway Court, Ste. C, Santa Rosa. Tasting by appointment, Monday-Saturday, 10am to 3pm. 707.578.3882.

Truchard Vineyards
No matter how attentive you are to the directions, no matter how much you study the quaint, hand-drawn map found online, no matter how vigilantly you watch the street addresses numerically climb along Old Sonoma Road, you will inevitably miss Truchard Vineyards. What follows is a three-point turn on a blind, two-lane road, with a single thought in your head: “This wine had better be worth the insurance deductible.” Such stunt-driving is a rite of passage, however, that tests not only one’s skills as a motorist but the length to which you will go for fine wine. You see, grasshopper, Truchard Vineyards is only visible to those who are ready to see it. And after a few death-defying drive-bys and an ill-advised turn or two across the double-yellow line, I not only saw Truchard Vineyards, I tasted it. And, yes, with Cabernet this good, it’s worth the deductible. 3234 Old Sonoma Road, Napa. Open by appointment only. 707.253.7153.

Wilson Winery
Friends should never let friends drink shitty wine. Upon tasting the 2001 Sydney’s Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon ($28), the snake-oil pitch for which could be “an elixir that buttresses the soul, raises the spirit and gives you moxie,” I believed every sip. Its earthy aroma recalled the rich scent of baker’s chocolate. Remember when you were a kid and discovered this lost treasure in the pantry only to bite into a brick of bitter? This wine completely makes up for it–put some in your inner child’s ba-ba. If paired with a grapefruit, the 2004 Blushing Flamingo Merlot rosé ($16) would make the perfect Breakfast of Champions lite. A fine rosé with exotic guava and melon notes to spare, it’s a fine way to start the day, particularly when friends don’t let friends dry out. This bird is merely a curtain opener, however, for the 2004 Tori’s Vineyard Zinfandel ($26), which makes such an honest stab at divinity that the blood of Christ looks like Kool-Aid in comparison. This deep, creamy flush of blackberries, freshly roasted coffee and pepper is a French kiss direct from God. Only 336 cases were produced–shall we go in on some together? And, do you have a truck? After all, friends don’t let friends drink alone. Wilson Winery, 1960 Dry Creek Road, Healdsburg. Open daily, 11am to 5pm. Tastings are $5; $10 for reserves. 707.433.4355.

Landmark Vineyards
Oh, glory to the 2004 Overlook Chardonnay, which has hues of nectarine and a bracing minerality that recalls the pleasant aroma of a used paperback–probably something by Hesse. Sourced from over 22 individual vineyards spanning Sonoma, Monterey and Santa Barbara counties, this Chard sounds like a multiple personality disorder in a bottle, but is rather a grape-grown gestalt of California fruit at its finest. A sibling Chardonnay, the 2004 Damaris Reserve ($36) is like a wedge of sour green apple dipped in honey, upon which a rose petal has fallen–and you eat it anyway. A bit precious, but why not?Landmark Vineyards, 101 Adobe Canyon Road, Kenwood. Open daily, 10am to 4:30pm. $5 tasting fee, waived with purchase. 707.833.0053.

Roche Carneros Estate Winery
During a 2006 visit, we tried a 2005 Sauvignon Blanc ($14.95), which is, in a word, Bubblicious. The fruity wine, done up in hues of summer pear, has a distinctly Bazooka Joe note that recalls one’s first junior high kiss and awakens the palate as wonderful late-summer refreshment. Another favorite is the award-winning 2003 estate Chardonnay ($24.95)–the San Francisco Chronicle gave it the gold–a lean, crisp wine that swaggers from yellow apple to a creamy finish, with vanilla patting its ass the whole way.

The 2003 Carneros Pinot Noir ($25.95) is an earthy mouthful of prime Sonoma real estate topped with a sinewy smokiness courtesy of brettanomyces, a residual yeast better known as “brett,” as in The Sun Also Rises. Brett is either a blessing or bane to winemakers, but here it adds a welcomed layer of complexity and a pinch of cinnamon. Roche Carneros Estate Winery, 28700 Arnold Drive, Sonoma. Open daily, 10am to 5pm. Tastings are free. 707.935.7115.

Selby Winery
Ain’t it grand that, even during the reign of a president who stays the course of sobriety, our fine local wines continue to be served at White House state dinners? The nonpartisan chief sommelier has been partial to Selby Chardonnay through several administrations, as attested to in official menus posted on the wall of that winery’s tasting room. Tony Blair enjoyed it with sliced duck breast. Bill Clinton had something similar. Sweet tooths might best appreciate the grassy, lemony 2005 Sonoma County Sauvignon Blanc ($13). A waft of the 2005 Russian River Valley Chardonnay ($28) brings back olfactory memories of sunny days gone by (was it that coconut sunscreen that the girls put on?) with a distinct flavor of lime. The late-harvest 2000 Sweet Cindy ($12), a tragically sweet potion that is all apricot and Cognac ringed with white raisins dancing around in a delirium. Selby Winery, 215 Center St., Healdsburg. Tasting Room open daily 11am to 5:30pm. Tastings are free. 707.431.1288.

Taft Street Winery
Taft Street Winery, in the rural industrial outskirts of Sebastopol, left over from the Gravenstein’s glory days, fits the bill. Don’t look for it on that town’s Taft Street–the winery’s founding garagistes carried the name north from Oakland, when they opened a winery proper in 1982. The 2005 Russian River Valley Chardonnay ($18) entrances with a faint whiff of burnt oak, like lazy smoke drifting from way down the road on a winter evening. My tasting cohort professes the leaner 2005 Sonoma County Chardonnay ($13) to be superior. Taft Street’s award-winning Sauvignon Blancs are a great deal. Taft Street Winery, 2030 Barlow Lane, Sebastopol. Tasting daily; Monday-Friday, 11am to 4pm; Saturday-Sunday, 11am to 4:30pm. 707.823.2049.

Armida
Set atop a hill with a spectacular outdoor deck, Armida features an inventive winetasting theme featuring Heaven and Hell on select weekends. The wines are original and there are three mysterious geodesic domes on the property. Plus: bocce! 2201 Westside Road, Healdsburg. Open daily, 11am-4pm. Regular tasting list is free; $2 for additional reserve tastings. 707.433.2222.

Chateau Potelle
The wineries of Mt. Veeder (there are more than a dozen, though only a handful are open to the public) are remote outposts high up in the hills, some 2,500 feet above sea level, and a world away from the hustle and bustle of the Napa Valley below. Using grapes from as far away as Paso Robles, winemaker Marketta makes a strong Syrah and an interesting meritage of Syrah, Cabernet, Zinfandel and Merlot that’s definitely worth a try. What you’re here for, however, are the VGS (“very good shit”) wines. 3875 Mt. Veeder Road, Napa. Tasting room open daily, 11am-5pm. Tasting fee, $5. 707.255.9440.

Darioush
Exotic locale, with giant columns and a Persian theme, Darioush features fantastic wine and is justly famous for its Bordeaux. Owned by a traditional Iranian family and personalized with interesting details, such as an amphitheater. 4240 Silverado Trail, Napa. Open daily, 10:30am-5pm. Tasting fees, $5-$10. 707.257.2345.

Nicholson Ranch Vineyards & Winery
Best known for its Chardonnays, Nicholson features a winery tour from the depths of the caves to the height of the property’s grandmother oak ($40 Wine Club members; $50 public; $25 kids). Nicholson 4200 Napa Road, Sonoma. Tasting room open daily, 11am-6pm; cave tours by appointment. Tasting fee is $5 for three wines. 707.938.8822.

Peju Province Vineyards
Oddly talented staff (tasting-room attendant Alan Arnople, or the “Yodelmeister,” specializes in rapping and yodeling) and fantastic Cabernet. 8466 St. Helena Hwy., Rutherford. Open daily, 10am-6pm. $5 tasting fee. 707.963.3600.

St. Francis Winery & Vineyards
St. Francis Winery and Vineyards’ wine also won’t put a hole in your pocketbook. Several moderately priced and immensely quaffable wines are available including the 2004 Sonoma County Old Vines Zinfandel ($22), which brims with blueberry matched with the vaguely acrid notes of fine espresso. Also, try the 2004 Sonoma County Chardonnay ($13)–it’s like a shard of peanut brittle in a glass. A wonderfully sumptuous wine, it has a notably lush mouth-feel that makes it a joy to sip as much for the taste as the feeling. St. Francis Winery and Vineyards, 100 Pythian Road, Santa Rosa. Open daily, 10am to 5pm. Tastings are $10, half of which is waived upon purchase; food and wine pairings are $20. 800.543.7713, ext. 242.

Quick dining snapshots by Bohemian staffers.

Winery news and reviews.

Food-related comings and goings, openings and closings, and other essays for those who love the kitchen and what it produces.

Recipes for food that you can actually make.

Morsels

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I actually thought it was charming when I called the Left Bank for reservations. “Bonjour,” answered the bubbly hostess with an accent that could only be described as California beach bunny. Nevertheless, I’d heard wonderful things about the brasserie and its bestowal of authentic French cuisine upon the people of Larkspur. (Four other Left Bank outlets are found in the South Bay.)

And so, on a recent Friday evening, my Paris-born fiancée and I left our car with a valet and walked inside. We entered a dimly lit yet bustling bistro with mustard-colored walls and enough oversized vintage French posters and marionettes to make us believe we were in the City of Light. We were promptly seated at a table facing a set of clocks noting the time in French-speaking Tahiti, Montreal and, um, San Francisco. Our friendly but novice waitress’ quaint pronunciation of the cheese “Livarot” during the recitation of specials furthered my skepticism. After another special, she told us, “Don’t ask me what that means, but it’s really, really good!”

She also informed us of the franchise’s Tour of France deal, an interesting contest for a trip to France, but an odd pitch from a fine-dining establishment. Also awkward was when the manager politely interrupted my surreptitious note-taking to confidently offer a take-home copy of the spring dinner menu. Slightly dumbfounded, I started off with the moules Florentine ($11.75), steamed mussels with shallots in a delectable white wine sauce. The calamars frits ($8.50) were not as crispy as desired, but the whole-grain mustard vinaigrette was perfectly tangy. Both starters were well-complemented by the bottle of 2003 Maison Louts Latour, the brisk house Pinot ($39).

For the main course, I had the canard a l’orange ($20.50), a plate of seared duck breast medallions surrounded by Camargue rice whose savory orange sauce was just calming enough to battle the dining room’s decibel level. My fiancée’s sole Côte d’Azur ($19.50) proved to be a soft, succulent fillet with delectable capers and olives in a light wine sauce.

After the manager swept our table with a tiny squeegee, we sneaked in an order of the pommes frites ($4.25), which were slightly too flaky for my taste. Now ready for dessert proper, we split the duo de sorbets ($5.50), seasonal ices made from local fruit. The pure, refreshing apple sorbet was a lovely surprise. We took the manager’s suggestion and each tried a glass of low-alcohol spring pear wine ($6.25 glass), part of the Normandy special that month and a delicious dessert wine that tasted like a deceptively soothing cider.

With our leisurely meal nearing its end, I took in the décor, a splendid blend of traditional and avant-garde (the giant pig’s head atop the fireplace). With over an hour until closing time, I was surprised when the manager returned our car keys and informed us of their valet’s early departure. Our car was parked right in front so I thanked him, slightly perplexed. “Yup,” my fiancée said between giggles. “That’s French, all right.”

Such splendid food is worth a little benign pomp.

Left Bank. Open for lunch, Monday-Saturday; dinner, daily; brunch, Sunday only, from 10am. 507 Magnolia Ave., Larkspur. 415.927.3331.



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Quick dining snapshots by Bohemian staffers.


Winery news and reviews.


Food-related comings and goings, openings and closings, and other essays for those who love the kitchen and what it produces.


Recipes for food that you can actually make.

Blendmaster

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What does a Merlot or a Pinot Noir or a Chardonnay actually taste like? At Cartlidge & Browne Winery in American Canyon, that’s in the palate of the winemaker, Paul Moser. For 25 years, he has produced varietally correct wines, blended with grapes from some of the best vineyards in the entire state. This tactic produces wines that are not necessarily the greatest in the world–Moser admits that–but they’re good, they’re quite cheap and they’re 100 percent what they claim to be.

“In blending varietally correct wines,” Moser says, “you actually have to decide each year what each wine is going to taste like. Each growing region has a very particular range of charcteristics. A Paso Robles Cabernet has a certain edge to it, and one from Mendocino will have its own qualities that are very recognizeable. So you have the opporunity to take the most attractive characteristics and put them into a sort of symbiotic combination.”

The temptation exists, acknowledges the 57-year-old winemaker, to push the boundaries of what is expected of a particular varietal by blending with the most extreme-flavored grapes available. He boasts that he could specially blend a Chardonnay, a Syrah or a Zinfandel and swindle the most extraordinary taster into thinking that it’s something else entirely. But Moser has never pulled such a prank.”Not purposely, anyway. I don’t think our customers would be happy with it. People buy Zinfandel because they like that peppercorn-raspberry-leather bite.” And they buy Cabernet, he adds, for its general profile of cassis, blackberry, tobacco, cedarwood and hints of graphite and pencil lead.

As for Merlot, Moser aims for something along the same lines, but with less of the pencil lead.

“Chardonnay,” he says, “is a little trickier because it can be styled in so many ways.” But the essential elements are stone-fruit flavors, floral aspects and an elusive creaminess that suggests cheese, butter or some other dairy product. And then there’s Pinot Noir. “Boy, that’s really a tough one,” Moser laughs. “It’s such a strange animal. It goes through phases where it’s really unappetizing, and we’ll say, ‘My God, what have we done?’ But a good one is a very interesting wine to smell and taste.” Aside from the usual lineup of nongrape fruit aromas like strawberry, Moser says a nice Pinot noir might have a cola or root-beer quality plus peculiar scents of beets and rhubarb.

Cartlidge & Browne produces one wine which is not varietally correct. This blend, named the Rabid Red ($15), is a stew of just about everything, including 1 percent Grenache and 1 percent Zinfandel. One may accuse a person of insolence or snobbery in adding 1 percent of anything to an alcoholic drink and claiming it makes a difference, but Moser insists it does. “You would be surprised at the difference it makes. I like it better with it than without. It’s that simple.”

Best of all, Cartlidge & Browne’s wines really are affordable. Of the eight bottles that currently feature the winery’s label, the priciest is $15, several are $10 and the cheapest is $7. “We’re totally populists here,” Moser says. “We’re consumers ourselves. I can’t afford a $40 bottle every night, and I wouldn’t want to sell them.

“We’re pushing the trend toward less window-dressing and snobbery and just getting back down to the basics: drinking wine and enjoying it.”

Cartlidge and Browne Winery, 205 Jim Oswalt Way, Ste. B, American Canyon. Tasting room open daily; Monday-Thursday, 10am to 4pm; Friday-Sunday, 10am to 5pm. 707.552.5199.



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Mental Math

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the arts | stage |

By David Templeton

David Auburn’s Proof is a first-rate, multiple award-winning drama. Crisply written with lived-in, matter-of-fact dialogue, constructed so perfectly it unfolds like layers of wrapping paper coming away from a gift you never knew you wanted, Proof is an irresistible mystery-drama about a family of mathematicians grappling with death, mental illness and a hidden notebook containing a history-shaking mathematical proof. The play has only one major flaw: it is too irresistible, and is now in serious danger of being overperformed. It’s the Fantasticks of nonmusicals. In the North Bay, where it has been staged three times in the last three years (four if you count Mendocino), it is scheduled for a run in Napa this summer and just opened in a four-weekend run at the Pegasus Theater Company in Monte Rio.

Confidently directed by Jacqueline Wells, this is a Proof with the wisdom to let its characters sit and talk to one another without leaping up and running about the stage every other line. (Why do so many directors allow their actors to do that?) In this Proof, the focus is firmly on the emotional connections between the characters. As Robert, the brilliant mathematician whose grasp of reality has been slipping for years, Peter Cooper captures the frailty of the once-great man while maintaining a powerful sense of wounded self-respect.

Rachel Hempy, as his youngest daughter, the would-be mathematician Catherine, is less layered and complex than the character is often portrayed, choosing instead to play her as younger, lighter and less emotionally wise. She seems, after years of being forced into caring for her mentally ill father at the expense of her own life, somewhat emotionally arrested. It’s a strong choice and an effective one, allowing her to play her passive-aggressive flirtation with visiting math geek Hal (a superb Donovan Dutro, easily the best Hal I’ve seen so far) with a extra dash of giddy girlishness, something that would not have worked with a darker, deeper Catherine.

Conversely, as Claire, Catherine’s sensible, less-creative sister, Maria M. Giordano brings more complexity to the role than usual, making her Claire a person who may have distanced herself from her less stable family, but who–for all her organization and detail-control–is clearly cut from the same cloth.

Working on a wonderfully expressionistic set by David R. Wright (a Chicago back porch painted entirely–walls, floors and deck–in autumn leaves and mathematical equations), the well-matched cast misses the mark here and there, throwing away some important lines in an apparent effort to avoid melodrama. But in the end, they create a memorable Proof that emphasizes the wounded hearts beating away beneath all those beautifully brilliant minds.

Proof runs Thursday-Sunday through May 12. Thursday-Saturday at 8pm; Sunday at 2pm. Pegasus Theater, 20347 Hwy. 116, Monte Rio. $12-$15. 707.522.9043.



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