Ultra Brut Battle

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Ultra Brut Battle

This holiday season, we’re taking it down a notch. Brut? That’s yesterday’s dry. Extra dry? That’s a category of sparkling wine that’s actually sweeter than brut, possibly designed to confuse the credulous.

This year, we’re going “ultra brut.” Also called “extra brut” and “brut nature,” this is a style of sparkling wine with a whiff of the fresh breeze to the moniker. Virtually unadorned by sugary ornament, it stands alone in its natural state, proudly facing the winds of consumer trends.

Most sparkling wine has a syrupy slug (the dosage) added to it after disgorgement, when the dead yeast is removed from the bottle. In the brut style, it barely balances the acidity—less than 12 grams of sugar per liter. An ultra brut (less than six grams, or
0.6 percent) can only be produced under special conditions. Scott Anderson, associate winemaker with J Vineyards, explains that they first began work on J’s Cuvée XB in 2012. It was a blend of the 2011 vintage with a portion of reserve wines stored in the winery’s big, oak barrels. “We found we had a wine that had a nice mouthfeel,” says Anderson, “and that’s what you really need for one of these—a dry sparkling wine with some oomph behind it, without needing extra dosage sugar.”

Anderson says that they tabled the experiment for a year before coming back to it in 2013. “It’s the same wine—we just left it for an extra year on the yeast and—lo and behold—it worked out really well.”

For this year’s sparkling wine holiday edition of Swirl, I put the ultra brut challenge to Bohemian staff, fully anticipating that they might reject these carefully made wines in a blind tasting, because they’re too stripped-down for most palates. But it turns out that the ultra brut is not to be underestimated. Wines are listed in order of the panels’ overall preference; stars awarded from one to five by me—adjustments by no more than one-half point after retasting.

J Vineyards Cuvée XB, Russian River Valley ($45) This wine has just the faintest, hoary hint of vintage Champagne, that aroma of autolyzed yeast that’s warm and toasty and old and musty at the same time. Imagine that a Scottie dog shortbread cookie wakes up in a tangle of sheets in between a crimini mushroom and a sourdough starter, and says, “Whoa, what in heck did I drink last night?” A blend of 50 percent Chardonnay and 49 percent Pinot Noir, my debauched little friend, with a dash of Pinot Meunier to spice things up. A platinum blonde tinted slightly pink, the XB greets the palate with cake and raspberry frosting but leaves it with Sweet Tarts, lemons and limes. So teasingly rich, yet lean and snappy, this sparkling wine makes me crazy, and I’m glad that the Bohemians agree with me. Contains just 0.5 percent residual sugar. ★★★★½

Roederer Estate Brut, Anderson Valley ($23.99) The only non–ultra brut that I guessed as an ultra brut, the Roederer is tart and intense, with nectarine notes and the savor of freshly pressed Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes. Some said it was sweet; some, tangy. Some said it had a split personality. Good stuff. 1.2 percent. ★★★★

Domaine Carneros 2009 Estate Brut, Carneros ($32) Pear tart crust and lemon bars; sharp attack; lingering cider on the finish. By the by, Domaine C. has a tasting room-only 2010 Extra Brut ($39) that we discovered too late for this tasting. 0.9 percent. ★★★

Domaine Chandon Étoile Brut, Napa-Sonoma ($40) Well-liked, with marzipan aromas and sour apple skin notes. ★★½

Korbel Natural Brut, Russian River Valley ($15.99) Based on the 2011 vintage, “Natty K” may smell odd but it’s a party in the mouth. What is it with the pine sap aroma and this wine, every year? But it’s also reminiscent of smoked apple cider, and the bubbles won me over with their voluminous, cotton-candy sensation.
0.75 percent. ★★★½

Gloria Ferrer 2005 Extra Brut, Carneros ($45) This ranked highly with most tasters—for me, it’s a serious threat to the J XB. The Gloria has a warmer, more buttery aroma, like a Pepperidge Farm Chessmen cookie that went to bed early with chamomile tea, waking up refreshed and virtuous on New Year’s Day. Super acidic, like white grapefruit at Christmas breakfast, but the contrast with the scones and cream feels so right. 0.74 percent. ★★★★½

Mumm Napa Brut Reserve, Napa Valley ($39) Aroma: lemon custard tart crust. Flavor: lemon, apple, raspberry. Mousse: roiling. Nothing wrong here. 1 percent. ★★★

Iron Horse 2010 Brut X, Green Valley of the Russian River Valley ($50) This is a fine extra brut, a pale rose-straw-tinted sipper with the lightest of strawberry cake aromas, red apple skin, and tangy, Sweet Tart sensations. But at this searingly low dosage, it may be too raw and extreme—you might say exciting—for some palates. Call the Oyster Girls! 0.2 percent. ★★★★

Cante y Baile

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Cante y Baile

Those only casually familiar with flamenco may think of it primarily as a dance, yet that’s only one piece of the whole; at its heart, flamenco is Spain’s traditional folk music, which dancer and producer Savannah Fuentes is dedicated to sharing.

Fuentes’ upcoming show, Noches de Invierno (“Winter Nights”), combines her dancing with the voice of renowned flamenco singer Jose Anillo and Bulgarian guitarist Bobby de Sofia for a fully realized flamenco performance. From the road, Fuentes talks about her passion for the art form.

Born in Seattle, Fuentes was raised in a multicultural and artistic home but didn’t find a strong cultural identity until experiencing flamenco. “I felt a sense of pride and identity immediately upon seeing it,” she says.

She learned the art under such notable dancers as Ana Montes and Sara de Luis, and after high school, traveled to Spain. “It was an eye-opener and a culture shock, but it felt really alive. I wish I could go back and do it all over again,” she says.

“Flamenco is something you have to study forever,” says Fuentes. “I still consider myself an eternal student.”

Fuentes studied for years before ever performing, then in 2007 all the stars lined up. Fuentes produced her first show with a singer, and in the time since then, she’s gained a world of experience, going out on the road three or four times a year as a performer, producer, promoter and everything in between.

Noches de Invierno got its start during Fuentes’ last tour, when she first performed with Jose Anillo. She brought the world-renowned singer out from Spain after contacting him when a previous singer fell through.

“It was a big deal for me, because I don’t usually work with someone of his stature,” says Fuentes. “But we all got along together and he said let’s do it again, and here we are,” she laughs. Now Anillo joins Fuentes and guitarist Bobby de Sofia in celebrating the cold winter nights of the holidays with a hot and lively show.

“The most important thing for me is always flamenco singing. People think of it as a dance but it really is singing. That’s the heart and soul of it,” explains Fuentes.

“There’s nothing like it, it’s an emotional experience. I sing at home and in classes, but I don’t sing onstage,” Fuentes says. “I always make sure to get a true flamenco singer like Jose. It’s very specialized, very sacred.”

Savannah Fuentes and Jose Anillo present ‘Noches de Invierno’ on Monday, Dec. 15, at Sebastopol Grange, 6000 Sebastopol Ave., Sebastopol. 7:30pm. $23. 707.573.6049.

Pizza Perfection

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Pizza Perfection

Have you even been on a hike or mountain bike ride that was much longer and harder than you thought it would be? After you’ve eaten through all your Clif bars and gorp, and started to get weak with hunger, you begin to fantasize about what you’ll eat once you’re finally off the trail and back in civilization.

It’s a mind game that can get you out of the woods, literally and figuratively. If you happen to find yourself in such a predicament in the wilds of Marin County, stagger over to Larkspur’s excellent Pizzeria Picco for your reward. I don’t know about you, but a delicious pizza, a few pints of beer and soft-serve ice cream seems like an excellent way to restore all those lost calories and low blood sugar.

Sit at the small bar to watch the flames in the wood-fired oven cook your pie while you drink a beer or glass of wine. There are half a dozen or so tables outside too.

To affirm you’re in the right place, many of the pizzas are named after mountain bikes—the Specialized, the Son of Yeti, the Ellsworth. What’s in the name? Well, in the case of the Son of Yeti ($17.95), it’s mushroom, leeks, thyme, fresh garlic, house-pulled mozzarella, pecorino, and parmesan. The crust is exceptionally good. It’s thin, but soft and chewy with a pleasingly crusty and crisp exterior that shatters under the pressure of biting teeth. It’s an outstanding pie.

The margherita ($15.50) is no slouch either—tomato sauce, basil, mozzarella, parmesan, and de Padova extra virgin olive oil. One of the servers will drop off your pizza and slice it for you, asking how many wedges you wish—six, eight?

Everyone makes a caesar salad, but few are as well executed as the anchovy-enhanced version here ($11.95). It’s as a good as I’ve had anywhere. Straus soft-serve ice cream is better than the soft serve of your youth because it’s made with higher quality milk, and here you can get it topped with caramel and Maldon sea salt, olive oil or TCHO chocolate sauce. Welcome back to civilization.

Pizzeria Picco, 316 Magnolia Ave., Larkspur. 415.945.8900.

Letters to the Editor: December 10, 2014

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Letters to the Editor: December 10, 2014

Rock On

Very nice article, Johnny (“Carry On,” Dec. 3)! It hasn’t been easy losing Jimmy. Rock on! Jimmy would want that!

—Suzy Barrett
and Leilani Frick

Via Bohemian.com

Helping the Homeless

The Federal Real Property Council lists nearly 80,000 properties as unused or underutilized. The annual upkeep of these facilities costs taxpayers approximately $1.7 billion annually, without a return on that investment.

In the meantime, over 600,000 people in the United States are homeless, and many more struggle on a daily basis to provide food and shelter for themselves and their families, with or without public-assistance programs designed to provide a hand up in the face of the always increasing cost of living.

A November report by the Government Accountability Office examined Title V
of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act. This legislation was designed to identify and transfer unused federal properties to homeless assistance providers. Despite the fact that resources were expended on evaluating more than 40,000 properties, only 122 have been transferred to homeless groups in the 27 years since the act was passed in 1987.

Addressing an ongoing problem with an underserved portion of the population can be achieved. Just because a program with noble intentions is inefficient and underutilized, it doesn’t mean it should continue to be ignored. There is a moral imperative to ensure that every person has a clear path to meeting the most basic of needs: food, water, clothing and shelter.

In the meantime, despite the effort of some farmers, grocers and restaurants, unused food rots in fields and landfills across the country. The Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act (1996) shields donors from liability in the event of sickness from food contributions, provided that there was no intentional negligence or misconduct. Perhaps management at your local grocery store or favorite restaurant would appreciate the reminder. They may even qualify for tax deductions while doing their community a service.

This past July, a bill passed the House of Representatives that now awaits deliberation in the Senate. Proponents contend that the America Gives More Act of 2014 (HR 4719) would encourage charitable food contributions by extending and enhancing several tax deductions. Calling or writing your senators will help get this bill on the floor if you feel that it would incentivize contributions from people and places they don’t currently come from.

Some studies report that as much as half of the food produced in the United States is thrown away. Children go to bed hungry every night. There’s something wrong with this picture.

—Ryan Swanzey

Los Angeles

Write to us at le*****@******an.com.

Going Viral

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Going Viral

What is ozone therapy, what does it have to do with the Ebola virus—and what’s the connection between Sierra Leone and Santa Rosa?

Answer: Dr. Robert Jay Rowen.

The Santa Rosa–based Rowen recently traveled to Sierra Leone to fight the Ebola virus and, he says in an interview with the Bohemian, to “salvage and save the front-line workers, protect the doctors and nurses in that country who are fighting this.”

At the invitation of the Sierra Leone president, Rowen went to West Africa with New York doctor Howard Robins, and soon thereafter announced “the first cure of the Ebola infection in the world with a safe treatment” that costs less than $40.

In doing so, Rowen put his own life on the line, but says that he did so because of his absolute faith in the Ebola-fighting method he devised.

The doctors created the Rowen-Robins Ebola Treatment Protocol, which involves the direct intravenous infusion (DIV) of ozone gas into the anus. The super-oxygenation regime kills Ebola dead, he says. He says it both protects one against contracting Ebola in the first place and treats it effectively if you’ve got the virus.

The treatment has longtime proponents and detractors, but Rowen is adamant about its efficacy.

The Sierra Leone trip was quite an adventure, by his account—and left some of DIV-trained doctors who could offer the treatment, if only the government would let them.

Rowen recounts that a physician there stabbed himself with an Ebola-contaminated needle. That doctor had been trained in the Robins-Rowen protocol and called on another Sierra Leone physician, Kojo Carew, who was “in charge of maintaining the program and equipment/supplies brought and taught by Rowen/Robins,” according to a Nov. 22 press release from the doctors.

The doctors had previously arrived in Sierra Leone, “at the invitation of President Ernest Bai Koroma,” says Rowen. But the welcome apparently wore out, at least within the echelons of the nation’s health ministry.

The Americans reported that the infected doctor had developed Ebola symptoms within two days, but that “after two days of treatment, all symptoms were gone.”

The doctor opted out of taking an Ebola test in official Sierra Leone medical channels. A positive result would have landed him in an Ebola-confinement facility. That would have ended the ozone therapy, and probably led to his death, says Rowen.

According to their statement, “DIV ozone therapy is considered ‘experimental’ for Ebola at this time, and thus is not permitted in the treatment centers as yet.”

Meanwhile, Rowen gave an interview to radio host Alex Jones on Nov. 7, where he detailed the DIV pushback from Sierra Leone officials.

Rowen told Jones that “the medical staff at the Ebola center jockeyed, they vied to get treatments to protect themselves.”

“A call came in when we were there from the minister of health,” says Rowen, “and then a second call came in from the deputy minister of health telling the military major—who was in charge of the government facility—’If you value your job, there will be no ozone treatments at the facility.'”

Rowen confirmed that version of events in his interview with the Bohemian. He left the country after that. “I blew up,” he says. “I lost it. I could have been arrested.

“We left there feeling very rejected.”

The Ebola-buster doctors put out a statement when they got back to the States. The infected Sierra Leone doctor, they report, “is in apparent good health and completely symptom-free.”

Teachable Moment

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Teachable Moment

Petaluma teachers are ramping up efforts to try and push the Petaluma City School district to increase their pay, seven years after the district froze cost-of-living adjustments at the outset of the Great Recession.

There’s a big meeting on Thursday, at the Woman’s Club Building on B Street in Petaluma. Teachers and others will take their case before the North Bay Workers’ Rights Board. The goal is to try and kick-start contract negotiations that stalled in July, and going before the board puts this issue, and the teachers, within the larger “Jobs with Justice” movement in the North Bay.

Educators, parents, students and leaders from the local and state teachers’ union—and, perhaps, the elected Petaluma school board, which has been invited—will come before the workers’ rights board to make the argument about why they need and deserve a raise.

Carrie Caudle is an 11-year veteran of the school district who teaches kindergarten and first grade. She’s a point-person in the Petaluma Federation of Teachers’ efforts to get the Petaluma school administration to budge from their proposed 2.5 percent cost-of-living increase (COLA).

Negotiations ground to a halt over those increases this summer. “We went in asking for 7 percent, the administration said 2 percent, our team went to 4 percent, and they came back with 2.5 percent,” says Caudle.

Wages have been stagnant for teachers since 2007, and while Wall Street is now swinging fast and bulbous in the aftermath of the near-total collapse of the global economy, teachers are still struggling to make ends meet.

And there’s a basic question of management-worker equity to consider. According to the three-year contract signed in 2012 and reviewed by the Debriefer this week, the superintendent of Petaluma City Schools’ base pay is $162,000 a year.

By contrast, according to a union contract spreadsheet dated July, 2013, teachers’ pay in the district ranges from $39,566 to $75,911 (wages are based on experience and longevity).

“It doesn’t seem fair to me,” says Caudle, who insists that the money is there for a cost-of-living adjustment that’s fair to teachers.

“Of course [the administrators] have to look at the budget,” she adds, “but people give their heart and soul to this profession, 50 to 60 hours a week, to serve the children. And look at San Francisco. They’ve offered a 12 percent salary increase to teachers there over three years, and teachers asked for 20 percent. It’s heartening, and yet disconcerting to see that. San Francisco is expensive, but it is also very expensive to live here. What we are asking for is very, very meager—and to ask us to beg for a 4 percent increase, it’s incredibly insulting.”

Contract negotiations were afoot in July, but talks ground to a halt. “An impasse has been declared,” she says. “There has to be a creative way to help teachers meet their needs.”

Thursday’s meeting is open to the public. Doors open at 5:30pm, and the meeting kicks off a half-hour later.

Leading the Way

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Leading the Way

In the story of California politics,
Gov. Jerry Brown benefits from the widely held notion that he is a leader on climate issues. But over the last four years, Brown has not delivered on his promise to put our water and health first in order to carry California into a new clean-energy economy. Instead, he’s chosen to expand extreme oil and gas extraction, which harms our communities and undermines his own greenhouse-gas-reduction goals for California.

Brown continues to allow hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” to extract oil in California, even in the face of clear and abundant scientific evidence warning against this method’s dangers. There is little to no safety oversight around fracked wells, even those located just yards from elementary schools and next to farms that feed the nation and the world. If Brown really cares about climate issues, how can he ignore the emissions from fracking, the billions of gallons of oil-industry wastewater injected into aquifers and the health problems associated with fracking in the Central Valley, Los Angeles and beyond?

The sunset of Brown’s career coincides with two key crises: a historic drought that threatens California communities; and, tied to the drought, climate change, the biggest challenge of our time. Yet Brown continues to allow the oil and gas industry to waste 2 million gallons of fresh water a day on extreme oil extraction in California. He continues to support these toxic methods that sabotage the goals of Senate Bills 1204 and 1275, which he signed in September to address air pollution in at-risk communities by cutting emissions that threaten respiratory health.

That’s not climate leadership.

As he prepares for his final term as governor, Jerry Brown must choose: Will he stand up and do right by our water, our health and our communities by ending extreme oil extraction, or will he claim his legacy as the governor who chose not to protect Californians from oil- and gas-industry greed?

The people want Brown to do the right thing, and the momentum is clear. Last March, 4,000 people rallied in Sacramento urging Brown to end fracking. Over the last year leaders across California have pushed back on fracking in their hometowns, and people in directly affected communities are rising up every day to send a roaring message: Californians don’t want fracking, and climate leaders don’t frack. During this fall’s election, voters in two California counties, San Benito and Mendocino, passed local bans on fracking.

Join this fight. On Saturday, Feb. 7, 2015, join thousands of Californians marching through the streets of Oakland, Brown’s home city. March to demand that he use his last term in office to truly become the climate leader who helped protect California’s water, health and communities for generations to come. Go to marchforclimateleadership.org to register, to learn about bus transportation or to learn how your organization can become a partner. Together, we can make the Feb. 7 March for Real Climate Leadership a game-changing moment for California and Brown’s legacy.

Written by the organizational partners hosting the March for Real Climate Leadership.

Open Mic is a weekly feature in the ‘Bohemian.’ We welcome your contribution. To have your topical essay of 350 words considered for publication, write op*****@******an.com.

Green Tunes

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Green Tunes

Now in its 11th year, the Emerald Cup prides itself on being the world’s longest running outdoor, organic cannabis competition, and every year the event grows in scope and size.

The Emerald Cup once again calls the Sonoma County Fairgrounds its home, and this year boasts a wider array of panels and workshops. The lineup of festive live music is worth the ticket price alone.

On Saturday, Dec. 13, the outdoor stage offers an afternoon of eclectic jams. Southern California beach bums the Wheeland Brothers kick it off, with appearances by the island-inspired group Hirie, Santa Cruz pop rock and reggae hybrid Thrive and upbeat roots rocker Stick Figure. The action moves inside for the evening’s headliners. Slightly Stoopid and Tribal Seeds, both from San Diego and both insanely popular in their own right, bring their equally infectious mix of funk, folk, punk rock and roots-infused music to the cup.

Sunday brings another crop of top live acts to the fairgrounds. Acclaimed poet, recording artist, actor and activist Jon Trudell opens with his experimental and expressive spoken-word project Medz Hawk. The afternoon also features the hypnotic beats of Nahko and Medicine for the People, and the culture-bending music of Ozomatli (pictured). Between bands there are hundreds of vendors and popular guests and speakers throughout, assuring this year’s cup is a celebration of culture as well as cannabis.

The Emerald Cup happens on Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 13–14, at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds, 1350 Bennett Valley Road, Santa Rosa. Gates open at 11am. $45–$80. 707.545.4200.—Charlie Swanson

Democratic Vistas

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Democratic Vistas

Scott Traffas prepares a cup of jasmine tea for a visitor to the Western Gate Revolutionary Tea House and Book Commons during a break in the rain last week.

The newly opened space, a combination cafe, community center and bookshop, is located in tiny downtown Lagunitas, the proverbial and literal “gate” to the greater wilderness of West Marin.

“It’s a potent medicine spot,” says Traffas, a yogi and writer. He pours tea as the conversation swings from Walt Whitman to Guy Debord and beyond, all in pursuit and in celebration of ecstatic affirmations—and an engagement with politics that’s focused on a deep-dive into ones’ surroundings.

Western Gate soft-opened in November, and Traffas says he hopes it becomes a place where “threshold consciousness” can manifest, a zone for self-expression and cross-pollination. And tea.

The aim is to bring people together in a sprawling West Marin community filled with artists, permaculturalists, free-thinkers, wood-workers, hippie survivalists and various mystics, weirdos, writers and freaks of all flag-waving variety. They don’t always want to come out of the hills or beaches to hang with like-minded souls over tea and radical books. Traffas hopes they will.

Western Gate is as representational as it is geographical. The West in literature and lore is a place of death and rebirth, of transformation, a cultural crossroads where East meets West, the past meets the future.

And the Lagunitas teahouse is at the literal edge of a vastness of natural beauty. “In bio-systems, that’s where all the creative energy and action is,” Traffas says.

The community space, says Traffas, sprung up out of a question he and his partner, Juliana Birnbaum, had puzzled over. She’s a doula and midwife, and a writer on permaculture and sustainability. The question: “What would it mean to live integrated, ecstatic lives in third-millennium America, rooted in the particularities of West Marin?”

Beyond the gate, politics is harsh and governed by the imperatives of the spectacle, as the Marxist critic Debord wrote in his landmark

Society of the Spectacle. Western Gate, Traffa says, aims to “draw people back from their hyper-level of idealism and see that there’s something much more politically potent in your local community and culture. What can you do to help the people who are right around you? I don’t know the answer, but we want to foster a conversation.”

And the tea? It comes from renowned leaf grower and importer David Lee Hoffman, who lives up the hill. Jasmine tea and Walt Whitman, it turns out, are a perfect rainy-day combination.

Whitman celebrated the “essence of Democracy and the essence of the American enterprise,” says Traffas, with a vision of a shared American spirit grounded in its grand experiment.

Within the shared vision, says Traffas, “we are set free to express our radical individuality.”

Western Gate Revolutionary Teahouse and Book Commons. 7282 Sir Frances Drake Blvd., Lagunitas.

Beware the Babadook

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Beware the Babadook

Australian filmmaker Jennifer Kent’s sensitive yet terrifying horror film The Babadook has a realistic explanation for everything that happens, right up to the point where reality starts bending, curving into a finely built finale that transforms the horror into metaphor.

Amelia (Essie Davis) was widowed by a car crash on the day her son Samuel was born. As the boy’s seventh birthday approaches, the air in their dark house is starting to get a little thick. Amelia works in an old folks’ home, and the routine tasks are becoming too much for her. Even after these many years, she’s caught in the fork of deep grief.

Her relationship with Samuel (the remarkable Noah Wiseman) is not quite in sync. The boy lives three-quarters in a fantasy world, and when he hugs her, he’s maybe a little too ardent for his mother’s liking. And he’s in trouble at school. One day, a children’s pop-up book titled Mr. Babadook turns up on the porch, and Samuel grows obsessed over the monster in it, a top-hatted, knife-fingered boogeyman. Finally, Amelia examines the book, and learns what the Babadook is going to do to her—or rather, what it proposes to make her do.

Kent knows that maternal madness is a subject for prime cinematic terror, and Davis conveys that terror with a power worthy of Cate Blanchett. Either placidly succumbing to insanity with heavy eyelids and a half-smile, or roaring, caught in its vortex, the brave Davis is completely convincing.

We can tell what Kent has studied, because of the TV the sleepless Amelia watches: unnerving clips from old film masters Georges Méliès to Mario Bava. But The Babadook isn’t derivative—it’s in good company with The Exorcist and Carrie. Kent does a good job building the foundations of this story before she turns the screws, and the pity we have for this lonely mother-and-son pair makes the coming of the Babadook all the more frightening.

‘The Babadook’ opens Friday, Dec. 12, at the Rialto Cinemas, 6868 McKinley St., Sebastopol. 707.525.4840.

Ultra Brut Battle

This holiday season, we're taking it down a notch. Brut? That's yesterday's dry. Extra dry? That's a category of sparkling wine that's actually sweeter than brut, possibly designed to confuse the credulous. This year, we're going "ultra brut." Also called "extra brut" and "brut nature," this is a style of sparkling wine with a whiff of the fresh breeze to...
Read more

Cante y Baile

Those only casually familiar with flamenco may think of it primarily as a dance, yet that's only one piece of the whole; at its heart, flamenco is Spain's traditional folk music, which dancer and producer Savannah Fuentes is dedicated to sharing. Fuentes' upcoming show, Noches de Invierno ("Winter Nights"), combines her dancing with the voice of renowned flamenco singer Jose...
Read more

Pizza Perfection

Have you even been on a hike or mountain bike ride that was much longer and harder than you thought it would be? After you've eaten through all your Clif bars and gorp, and started to get weak with hunger, you begin to fantasize about what you'll eat once you're finally off the trail and back in civilization. It's a...
Read more

Letters to the Editor: December 10, 2014

Rock On Very nice article, Johnny ("Carry On," Dec. 3)! It hasn't been easy losing Jimmy. Rock on! Jimmy would want that! —Suzy Barrett and Leilani Frick Via Bohemian.com Helping the Homeless The Federal Real Property Council lists nearly 80,000 properties as unused or underutilized. The annual upkeep of these facilities costs taxpayers approximately $1.7 billion annually, without a return on that investment. In the...
Read more

Going Viral

What is ozone therapy, what does it have to do with the Ebola virus—and what's the connection between Sierra Leone and Santa Rosa? Answer: Dr. Robert Jay Rowen. The Santa Rosa–based Rowen recently traveled to Sierra Leone to fight the Ebola virus and, he says in an interview with the Bohemian, to "salvage and save the front-line workers, protect the doctors...
Read more

Teachable Moment

Petaluma teachers are ramping up efforts to try and push the Petaluma City School district to increase their pay, seven years after the district froze cost-of-living adjustments at the outset of the Great Recession. There's a big meeting on Thursday, at the Woman's Club Building on B Street in Petaluma. Teachers and others will take their case before the North...
Read more

Leading the Way

In the story of California politics, Gov. Jerry Brown benefits from the widely held notion that he is a leader on climate issues. But over the last four years, Brown has not delivered on his promise to put our water and health first in order to carry California into a new clean-energy economy. Instead, he's chosen to expand extreme...
Read more

Green Tunes

Now in its 11th year, the Emerald Cup prides itself on being the world's longest running outdoor, organic cannabis competition, and every year the event grows in scope and size. The Emerald Cup once again calls the Sonoma County Fairgrounds its home, and this year boasts a wider array of panels and workshops. The lineup of festive live music is...
Read more

Democratic Vistas

Scott Traffas prepares a cup of jasmine tea for a visitor to the Western Gate Revolutionary Tea House and Book Commons during a break in the rain last week. The newly opened space, a combination cafe, community center and bookshop, is located in tiny downtown Lagunitas, the proverbial and literal "gate" to the greater wilderness of West Marin. "It's a potent...
Read more

Beware the Babadook

Australian filmmaker Jennifer Kent's sensitive yet terrifying horror film The Babadook has a realistic explanation for everything that happens, right up to the point where reality starts bending, curving into a finely built finale that transforms the horror into metaphor. Amelia (Essie Davis) was widowed by a car crash on the day her son Samuel was born. As the boy's...
Read more
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