Gather in Sonoma County for a slower-paced getaway, while enjoying a world-class welcome and unforgettable experiences. New tasting rooms, taprooms, and eateries are open – by both new and well-established companies.
Take several days to explore this world-renowned destination without the crowds. Wineries offer behind-the-scenes tours, and you may discover your tasting room attendant is the winemaker. The Pacific coastline is also in season: Fishing fleets are active with Dungeness crab season. The whales are migrating and there are several overlooks to see them.
Sonoma County not only inspires you to uncover new experiences — it will inspire you to uncover something new within yourself. A fresh sense of adventure. A renewed connection to nature. And maybe even a rejuvenated approach to living life, which in turn, will inspire others to come and seek out the same. Sonoma County is where Life Opens Up.
Here’s a quick look at just a few of things that are new in Sonoma County in December 2019.
WINERIES
Emeritus Vineyards taps Mari Jones as president
After seven years as the winery’s chief operating officer, second-generation family member Mari Jones is now president of Emeritus Vineyards in Sebastopol, in western Sonoma County.
As president, Jones is responsible for overseeing all aspects of Emeritus Vineyards, with the goal of building on the winery’s two-decade track record as one of California’s foremost producers of Pinot Noir.
Jones guides a team that includes renowned winemaker David Lattin (formerly of Merus and Kuleto Estate), and acclaimed vineyard manager Kirk Lokka. Her father, legendary vintner and Emeritus founder Brice Cutrer Jones, will transition from president to chairman, and will remain actively involved with the winery.
Founded in 1999, Emeritus Vineyards is exclusively dedicated to making estate-grown Pinot Noir from its two vineyards: Hallberg Ranch in the Russian River Valley and Pinot Hill in the Sebastopol Hills. Totaling 150 acres of dry-farmed vines, these vineyards have emerged as two of California’s most revered winegrowing sites, and the source for some of California’s most complex and elegant Pinot Noirs.
Emeritus Vineyards
2500 Gravenstein Highway N.
Sebastopol, CA 95472
707-823-9463
www.emeritusvineyards.com
Media Contact
Miriam Pitt, J.A.M. PR
510-280-5795
Miriam@jam-pr.com
Saini Vineyards adds tasting room
Savor the results of four generations of winegrape-growing expertise in the new tasting room at Saini Vineyards in northern Sonoma County.
Great-grandfather Michele Saini came to the United States from Italy in 1908, and in 1917 he bought a ranch in the Dry Creek Valley with his brother-in-law. They raised pears, apples, prunes, and wine grapes, and bought another ranch in Alexander Valley in 1934.
The farming tradition continued into the second and third generations, as the family built a solid reputation as grape growers with a passion for quality and impeccable farming skills, selling to some of the best wineries in Sonoma County. In 2008, fourth-generation family member Mike Saini launched Saini Vineyards, making wine under his own label from grapes grown on his family’s land.
Saini Vineyards crafts Zinfandel, Sauvignon Blanc, and Rosé. The new tasting room is open 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Thursday to Sunday, and by appointment; reservations are appreciated for groups of eight or more. Tours are available by appointment only.
Saini Vineyards
2507 Dry Creek Road
Healdsburg, CA 95448
707-433-8477
www.sainivineyards.com
Media Contact
Saini Vineyards
707-433-8477
info@sainivineyards.com
BREWERIES AND BREWPUBS
Parliament Brewing opens Rohnert Park taproom
Sip craft beer at its peak freshness, on the other side of the wall from where it is brewed, at the new Parliament Brewing Company taproom in Rohnert Park, in central Sonoma County.
Tucked away in a small commercial area just off Highway 101, the modern and minimalist taproom serves a variety of small batch beers. Recent offerings have included Whatchamacallit IPA, Friend From Vermont New England Pale Ale, Berry Pie Sour, Goes Uh, Brown Cow brown ale, and a brown ale infused with coconut and chocolate.
A parliament is a group of owls, and Parliament Brewing, founded in 2016, represents three important things: community, contemplation, and celebration.
Parliament Brewing
5865 Labath Ave., Unit 9
Rohnert Park, CA 94928
707-776-6779
www.facebook.com/parliamentbrewing
Media Contact
Alan D. Bosch, Bosch Family Brewing
707-776-6779
boschfamilyb@gmail.com
RESTAURANTS & EATERIES
Ovello Salumeria brings exquisite artisan salumi — and more — to Sonoma
A shiny red Van Berkel International slicer from Milano was the last detail needed to get everything up and running at the new Ovello Salumeria in Sonoma, in eastern Sonoma County.
Owners Andrea and Doreen Marino wanted everything just so for this new venture, which includes a climate-controlled salumi fermenting room and a salumi aging room. Salami in the styles of several Italian regions hang on racks, along with Spanish and Italian hams.
The shelves hold tins of Italian and Portuguese sardines and tuna, preserves, Italian hazelnuts, and more. Chef Andrea also bakes several different types of focaccia daily, as well as pizzettes (small pizzas), Italian cakes and desserts, breadsticks, and delicate, thin, and long house-made crackers dusted with herbs.
A native of Piemont in Italy, chef Andrea worked in more than 20 restaurants in Europe before opening his own restaurant in Barbaresco, Italy, where he earned a Michelin Star for 10 of the 15 years that his place was open. After meeting Doreen in Italy, Andrea moved to the United States, got married, started a family, and began planning Salumeria Ovello.
Ovello Salumeria
248 W. Napa St.
Sonoma, CA 95476
707-721-1478
www.ovellosonoma.com
Media Contact
Andrea Marino
707-721-1478
hello@ovellosonoma.com
Trattoria Roma features authentic Italian fine dining
Long-held family recipes are showcased on the lengthy menu at the new Trattoria Roma in Petaluma’s downtown theater district, in southern Sonoma County.
It’s a thoroughly family-run operation, created by Edward and Josephine Pizzutti, their two children AnnMarie and Tony, and Tony’s wife Rosa. Edward and Josephine both grew up in Tuscany, settling together in the United States in 1958. The Trattoria Roma menu also draws on popular dishes from other restaurants the Pizzuttis have owned over the years, including Viking’s Giant Submarines in San Francisco, Baci Café in San Rafael and Mill Valley, Caffe Giostra in Petaluma, Chianti in Novato, Don Antonio Trattoria in Tiburon, and Chianti Cucina in Sarasota, Florida.
House-made pastas are a specialty, including daily ravioli; lasagna layered with meat sauce, mozzarella, and Parmesan; and spaghetti carbonara tumbled with pancetta, egg, Parmesan, and Pecorino Romano. Entrées include pollo piccata with chicken sautéed in lemon, caper butter, and white wine; char-grilled rib-eye steak with sautéed spinach and Gorgonzola butter; and calamari steak Doré sautéed abalone style with parsley-butter-lemon sauce. The vegetables and herbs come fresh from the Pizzutti garden.
Trattoria Roma
140 Second St.
Petaluma, CA 94952
707-981-7807
trattoriaromapetaluma.com
Media Contact
Trattoria Roma
707-981-7807
restaurant@trattoriaromapetaluma.com
Baker & Cook cooking up breakfast, lunch in Sonoma Valley
Jen (the baker) and Nick (the cook) Demarest use local, sustainable ingredients to create delicious pastries, breads, and more at Baker & Cook, their new casual neighborhood bakery and café in the Sonoma Valley, in eastern Sonoma County.
The bakery menu varies daily, with offerings like croissants, muffins, morning buns, brioche filled doughnuts, braided brioche, coffeecake, gluten free beignets, gluten-free coconut almond cake with chocolate glaze cookies, brownies, lemon bars, cakes, cheesecake, sweet and savory galettes, and scones.
The simple breakfast menu includes items like biscuits and gravy with scrambled eggs, quiche, house-made bagel with smoked salmon, bacon, breakfast potatoes, fruit, salad, toast, and shoestring potatoes. Lunch choices can include soup, a sandwich, bruschetta, hummus, and salads. A variety of coffee and tea drinks are available, as well as hot chocolate, juice, seasonal smoothies, bellinis, mimosas, and wine.
The Demarests have been delighting diners in the Sonoma Valley for more than 13 years at their former Harvest Moon Café on the Sonoma Plaza. They are both graduates of the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York (where they met). Their past culinary adventures include a biodynamic farm in upstate New York, a private lodge in the Texas hill country, the island of Cyprus (Nick was personal chef to the American ambassador) and San Francisco Bay Area jobs at Chez Panisse (Nick) and BayWolf and Downtown Restaurant (Jen).
Baker & Cook
18812 Highway 12
Boyes Hot Springs, CA 95476
707-938-7329
bakerandcooksonoma.com/
Media Contact
Nick and Jen Demarest
707-938-7329
bakerandcooksonoma@gmail.com
Village Bakery reopens at two new sites
Fans of Village Bakery can once again savor the smell of their fresh baked breads, pastries, and more at not just one but two new retail stores, both in Santa Rosa, in central Sonoma County.
Owners David and Melissa Codding are bouncing back after having to close their large production bakery and café in Sebastopol because of flooding last February. Without working ovens, they had to close their retail doors and put more than 200 wholesale accounts on hold.
The new location in the Montgomery Village Shopping Center (2404 Magowan St., Santa Rosa, 707-978-5892) is a retail bakery, a café, and a gluten-free baking facility; while the site on Sebastopol Road (2851 Sebastopol Road #109, Santa Rosa, 707-829-8101) features their breads, pastries, and coffee, with a traditional bread-baking kitchen. The Montgomery Village café offers a more extensive menu, with pastries, skillet dishes, sandwiches, and seasonal specials from chef Zack McClintock.
Village Bakery
2404 Magowan St.
Santa Rosa, CA 95405
707-978-5892
villagebakerywinecountry.com
Media Contact
David and Melissa Codding
707-829-8101
vbakery2@gmail.com
Kenwood Inn offers guests Saturday night dinners
The Kenwood Inn & Spa is now offering multi-course Saturday night dinners with wine pairing, available exclusively to overnight guests of the elegant Sonoma Valley inn.
The new dinners are the creation of Chef Sam Badolato, who has developed a loyal following in Wine Country with his farm-to-table dinners at wineries and other venues over the years. The Saturday night feasts at Kenwood Inn & Spa are priced at $85 per person, and include a multi-course meal, featuring a different menu each week and wine pairing with each course. Dinners will be offered every Saturday through March 14, 2020.
Kenwood Inn and Spa
10400 Sonoma Highway 12
Kenwood, CA 95452
707-833-1293
www.kenwoodinn.com
Media Contact
Sharon J. Rooney
707-838-1637
sharon@foursisters.com
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Experience Sonoma County, where Life Opens Up. Just as wine “opens up” when it’s allowed to breathe, Sonoma County inspires visitors to open up to new experiences. Just 30 miles north of San Francisco, Sonoma County is one of California’s top food and wine destinations, home to more than 425 wineries ranging from rustic to regal. Hike among towering redwoods, cruise along rugged Pacific coastline, and get to know inviting small towns. Or, just sit back and take it all in. Because here, you’re free to go your own way.
Sonoma County was named Wine Enthusiast magazine’s Wine Region of the Year. Discover why by visiting it yourself. Start planning today at www.sonomacounty.com or call 707-522-5800.
Birgitt Vaughan
Director of Global Media Relations
Sonoma County Tourism
400 Aviation Blvd., Suite 500
Santa Rosa, CA 95403
707-522-5826
bvaughan@sonomacounty.com
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