Sonoma County: A Colonial Spanish Remnant
(Among the grape-laden vineyards of Sonoma County)
The beauty of the Sonoma Valley came to me as a huge surprise. So much is written about Napa, so little about its equally stunning twin. In fact, Sonoma has far more history and Spanish culture than it’s better-known counterpart. Our entry into the area was heralded by the presence along the highway of extensive vineyards heavily laden with rich purple and jewel-like green grapes. In the distance, occasionally, one spied passing wineries with their showrooms presenting a Tuscan façade—red tiled roofs, adobe walls, heather, lavender and rosemary amidst their fragrant gardens. It was truly heavenly and I couldn’t wait to explore a few.
But since it would be foolish to indulge in ‘tastings’ on an empty stomach, Tonus, our tour guide, cleverly took care of our appetites first, driving us to Sonoma Plaza which immediately reminded me of the grand plaza in Santa Fe, New Mexico—and for very good reason indeed.
The Plaza with its handsome theater(left) was the outcome of the creation of a Spanish mission in the area, the last one built by the industrious Fr. Junipero Serra, who traveled throughout the Californian coast setting up his missions. The Sonoma Mission House still stands today and may be visited for it is run as a museum. Right next door to it is the Toscano Hotel, a two-storey wood frame building that dates from the 1850s and which the visitor can tour if time permits. The plaza itself, a square shaped patch of lawn with a sprinkling of sculptural monuments, was full of visitors picnicking on the pickings they had obtained from the famous Sonoma Jack Cheese Factory where Tonus took us to find sustenance.
And what a treat that turned out to be! While I foraged for a packaged sandwich, made fresh on the premises, I wandered around to the Cheese section where there were any amount of Jack cheeses available for sampling. You name the Jack cheese, they had it—Jalapeno Jack, Black Pepper Jack, Mild Jack, Extra Sharp Jack, etc. The store also thoughtfully provided slices of pepperoni and salami and a delicious cheese spread with a vast bin full of cubed bread, any number of toothpicks and loads of waste bins to toss them away. For cheese lovers, this was heaven, and being a cheese lover, I thought I had died and gone up there as I ate my fill, my sandwich going untouched in my bag. The Sonoma Cheese Factory has been producing Jack cheese since the 1930s and visitors can watch the process through a window in the back.
I, however, preferred to explore the town, making a complete circle on foot around the square (if such a thing is possible) and browsing freely in the many chic shops that line the plaza. As might be expected, there were gift stores galore competing with food and wine stores, upscale restaurants, and even a very old theater.
At one end of the plaza is the lovely stone City Hall (left) , a Mission Revival Building that sports a clock on its façade and proudly flies the Star Spangled Banner—a far cry, of course, from the days when California was Spanish colonial territory and home to thousands of Mexicans. Once gold was found in the region, boom—it became US territory. Down came the Spanish flag and up went the Stars and Stripes.
Once we clambered on to the bus again, our serious discovery of Sonoma Wine Country began. Tonau, a wine connoisseur himself, took us to two wineries that afternoon—what he called “a boutique” winery and a “mass-production” one. The boutique winery is called Homewood Wineries and is the brainchild of David Homewood who produces no more than 3,000 bottles per year from vineyards that lie just beyond his oak barrels.
It was such a delight to move into the tasting room where Pierre, David Homewood’s PR Man, gave the ten of us a wonderfully enlightening lecture/demonstration/tasting that lasted over an hour during which time we tasted, compared and rated about ten wines produced on site.
I am amazed at how much I learned in that single afternoon.
Next stop: The mass-production winery called Viansa, a totally lovely Tuscan-style villa perched high up on a hill and surrounded by picturesque gardens and vine-ripened fruit ready for the picking (left) . We piled out of the bus and made our way to the main home where the oak barrels are kept ageing in underground caves, then made our way to the ‘loggia’ or back of the house. There, picnic tables were thoughtfully laid out for the pleasure of visitors who trooped into the adjoining deli where a true cornucopia of delights awaited.
As in Napa, so too here, I wound my way through the appetizing aisles sampling every manner of olive, mustard, salsa, cheese, horseradish dip, and for dessert, chocolate sauce, cookies and biscotti, all made fresh on the premises and bottled or packaged for easy carry-home convenience. I had just eaten such a vast selection of cheeses at the Sonoma Jack Cheese Factory but that did not stop me from nibbling at leisure through these amazing food aisles. I decided to give the wines a miss, though I’m sure they were quite wonderful. I felt that three full glasses an afternoon was about as much as I could handle and having had my fill at Homewood, I couldn’t sip another glass. Outside, on the patio, the sun shone warmly, a slight breeze stirred over the vineyards and wafted towards the distant hills. Blue skies dotted with fluffy clouds completed the picture of my Italian idyll and if I closed my eyes, I could have easily transported myself to a tiny village in Umbria or Tuscany—it was that seductive.
Make a visit to Sonoma not just for the wines but for the history and culture preserved, as if in aspic, in this part of Northern California that is a true Colonial Spanish remnant.
Bon Voyage!