Heaven? No. Just the Green Valley, as seen from Iron Horse
The Green Valley is one of those places on this fine planet where everything is as it should be: bucolic, vibrant green vistas; good, down-to-earth people; fantastic wines.
There is no place to better enjoy all of the above than at the Iron Horse winery in Sonoma County.
Some of the best sparkling made in America (if not the best, in my mind), along with fabulous still wines of red, white, and rose varieties to please every palate. In fact, Iron Horse made a sparkling wine that may have helped end the Cold War (Russian Cuvee), so it’s definitely a must-stop if you’re up in the Wine Country.
Though Iron Horse has played a role in history and on many a White House table, the winery stays true to its roots. The tasting room is outdoors, overlooking the blissful, Shire-like Green Valley. The tasting table embodies rustic charm at its best: simple planks on barrels. The wine’s the real star.
The staff at Iron Horse shine just as brightly, however. The people who take you through the tasting and share their knowledge with you are some of the friendliest, warmest folks you’ll ever meet. They’re serious about wine while still having fun with it and all that wine culture entails.
Iron Horse’s harvest party is exceptional, and other events are always amazing– with great food and wine pairings and fun people. (If you live in San Francisco, become a member immediately if you ever enjoy a visit to the Wine Country.)
They do a lot of things year-round, so be sure to check out their Web site before you go to see if you can time your visit with one of their events. Or, just go when it’s only you and a few other wine-lovers, soaking up some sun while drinking sparkling and taking in the truly green Green Valley. Call first if you’d like a tour.
For info, including driving directions: http://www.ironhorsevineyards.com/ Iron Horse is physically located at 9786 Ross Station Rd. (Postal address is Sebastapol, but it’s just a stone’s throw from the delights of Graton.)
Sometime around July in San Francisco, you begin to wonder if the yellow, life-giving disc in the sky is ever going to return. I once spent a 4th of July steps from where they shoot off fireworks unable to see them because of the San Francisco fog. When this happens to you for too long, as a San Francisco city dweller, you know you’re in need of a sunny escape.
Fortunately, the urban conglomeration of San Jose is not too far from San Francisco, and the sun always seems to shine over the capital of the Silicon Valley. So, rent your car and head out on the highway, humming “Do You Know the Way…” all the while. (To reduce your carbon footprint, this weekend jaunt, omitting the wineries I mention, can also be done on the train, as there’s Caltrain Service from San Fransciso to San Jose.)
Day 1: Do You Know the Way to San Jose? If you wake up fairly early in San Francisco on a Saturday morning, you can have a light breakfast of toast/coconut/espresso over at Trouble Coffee, over on Judah, between 45th & 46th. Then, cruise down the Great Highway over to Skyline Drive, heading south through some beautiful forested areas, and the lovely town of Woodside.
On your left, a few miles outside of Woodside, your first wine stop will be Thomas Fogarty, which makes some great vino– especially their barberas if you’re a fan of those. You can see how much the fog that plagues you in San Francisco contributes to some fine wine production when you taste the many varieties at Fogarty. (You can find Fogarty, along with the best driving directions to find them, online at: http://www.fogartywinery.com/)
Keep meandering down Skyline, one of the world’s great drives. You’ll pass through redwoods, see scenic vistas of the Bay below, and a variety of flora and fauna.
When you get to Highway 9, turn, and head toward Saratoga. (Highway 9 is also known as Big Basin Way.) Your next stop will be the Savannah-Chanelle winery, a maker of some very nice wines, particularly reds. You can also snack on some salami and cheese for sale there, as the winery has a nice picnic area in front. (For some info online, see: http://www.savannahchanelle.com/) From Savannah-Chanelle, you’re just a stone’s throw from San Jose, your final sunny stop.
If you left early enough and were leisurely enough at the wineries, you should be arriving in San Jose around 2 or 3 in the afternoon. Maybe earlier. You’ll be checking into the Fairmont, in downtown San Jose, which has great rates on weekends when the Valley’s business activities grind to a halt. The pool at the Fairmont is a fabulous place to soak in the sun. You will forget that the fog ever plagued you after an hour or two here.
Irish musician at O'Flaherty's
After your swim, hit the showers and leave the hotel for the evening. (You won’t need to drive, which is nice if you plan to imbibe.) O’Flaherty’s Irish Pub at 25 N. San Pedro Street is a good time with good pub grub. The staff make you feel at home. There’s often music too. Visit online for more info: http://www.oflahertyspub.com/
Should you tire of the flavors of Ireland, you can head around the corner to the Brit, or Brittania Arms, at 173 W. Santa Clara. The Brit’s a big pub, and often, has some DJ action and/or a BBQ on a nice back patio (http://www.britanniaarmsdowntown.com/) Once it’s time to hit the hay, you’re just a few blocks away from your comfy bed at the Fairmont.
Day 2: Sunshine & Science Sunday morning, have breakfast in bed with the Fairmont’s excellent room service, or head downstairs to the plaza between the Fairmont’s main building and adjoining tower for some excellent European-style pastries and coffee. Then, hit the pool until you can’t stand the sun any more. (Though fleeing from the fog the morning before, the sun is hot enough in San Jose that you will soon tire of it. Or at least, your skin will.)
Once you do need some shade after your poolside stint, cool down across the street at the San Jose Tech Museum of Innovation. In addition to some great exhibits about the business of Silicon Valley (clean rooms for micro-chips, body scanning, & more), there’s an IMAX theater with a variety of shows. You can even make your own customized Web page as a souvenir by using the museum’s special scanner system. To get the most out of your visit, plan prior using the museum’s Web site: http://www.thetech.org/
At the end of the day, hop on the 101 and get back to San Francisco in around an hour and a half. After so much sunshine, you may even be happy to see the fog.
Back in the day, San Francisco’s Ocean Beach housed “Playland,” an amusement area like so many beachside fun zones of yester-year. Today, Ocean Beach has some beige clonish condos and apartments where Playland once stood, which may or may not represent progress depending on your attachment to “It’s It” ice cream sandwiches, arcade games, and skeeball.
You can recapture this golden era of seaside fun at the Musee Mecanique, over at Fisherman’s Wharf. The museum houses a collection of the penny arcade games that were over at Playland. (Along with some skeeball and more recent arcade games from the 1980s.) The best part is that, unlike a museum, you can still touch and play everything on exhibit!
It is worth a special trip over to the Wharf to see if you’re still good at Millipede, to watch a penny-pantomime called “Opium Den” from the early 20th Century, and of course, to hear the demonic, creepy cackle of the legendary Laughing Sal.
Cruise over to the Musee Mecanique at Pier 45, at the end of Taylor Street. If you want a preview of Sal’s demonic cackle, check out the Musee Mecanique’s site online at http://www.museemechanique.org/
Just outside of bustling Santa Rosa, on a lovely road that showcases all that is good and rural about Sonoma County, sits Matanzas Creek. Matanzas has been a leader in efforts to preserve the beautiful Bennett Valley and get the area declared its own viticultural region. For this alone, they’d be worthy of support. The high quality wine has always been another reason to keep coming back for more.
For many years, Matanzas’ winemaker was a remarkable Frenchman, Francois Cordesse. M. Cordesse’s creations remain for sale at Matanzas and should definitely be snapped up when you visit. Apparently, Francois is now at Coppola which should result in some fine creations at that winery.
Representing the best of French technique with some of America’s best fruit, Francois’ wines for Matanzas are all great, embodying the unique terroir from which they grow. Francois’ sauvignon blancs and merlots (in particular merlots from the Jackson Park vineyard) always delight. (The 2006 Jackson Park merlot drinks very nicely; I also just sampled a 2006 cabernet sauvignon that was pretty darn good, particularly with full-bodied cheeses.)
The winery’s higher end productions from their “Journey” label are worth trying and showcase Francois’ best handiwork for the vintages he produced. The 2007 chardonnay is everything a chardonnay actually should be: a balanced, delectable sipper with a pleasant creamy, roundness to it that plays off the light tang of the fruit. (Sorry to report, but I am not a fan of the extremely bad habit California producers have gotten into over the past decade, in which chardonnay tastes like an old, wet oak plank smeared with butter flavoring.)
The 2007 Journey Chardonnay is darn near perfection and has cellared well. The really nice lady at the tasting room said that Francois, the wine’s maker, thinks it could be put away very nicely for up to 4 years. (That is, if you can avoid the obvious temptation of drinking it now, but as we’re in 2011, you have an incentive to drink it now, given the tasting room lady’s guidance). My mom and my step-dad enjoyed it as they’re both fans of French white bordeaux.
Though there’s no longer a Frenchman at the helm, Marcia Monahan is now creating for Matanzas. In August 2011, I tasted the fruits of her labor in the form of a highly drinkable and pleasantly crisp sauvignon blanc. It’s nice to know that the winery has a history of featuring female winemakers; the incomparable Merry Edwards also once created for Matanzas. I look forward to seeing what Marcia creates from the amazing fruits of Matanzas terroir.
Though some things have changed behind the scenes at Matanzas, others remain the same on the front-end. The staff are always friendly and really helpful. There’s none of the pretention that, sadly, permeates so many other wineries, particularly those in Napa. The folks at Matanzas like and enjoy wine. They want you to like and enjoy it too.
Enjoyment is further enhanced by the beauty of the Matanzas property. The deck is a great place to sit and sip surrounded by lovely greenery, with sweeping views of the lavender gardens and the mountains across the way. The bocce ball court is another fine spot, perfect for a picnic and a glass or 2 of one of the refreshing whites or roses made at Matanzas. There are a few additional picnic tables and benches tucked away around the gardens as well, should you wish to enjoy your wine outdoors in a more secluded way.
In keeping with enjoying the Wine Country lifestyle, Matanzas hosts many events for the public and for members throughout the year, most notably, their legendary Lavender Festival. Be sure to take a look at their Web site for the events schedule and plan your visit so you can take part. If you live in San Francisco, Matanzas is also one of the best wine clubs to belong to, both because of the excellent wine and the great member events throughout the year.
Matanzas is located at 6097 Bennett Valley Road, on the outskirts of Santa Rosa. More info, including listings about events is at: http://www.matanzascreek.com/ Get there quick so that you can get a bottle or two of Francois’ divine creations and eventually say, “I got this wine before he became truly famous….” (That is, if you can manage not to drink these delightful wines now.)
You have to buy a gift. You want it be as unique, special, and delightful as the person you’re buying it for. A chain store’s gift certificate will not suffice.
If you happen to be passing through San Francisco, the Ferry Building has many exciting offerings, but none that will grow on you as much as the items available at Far West Fungi. For just around $25, you can purchase a log pre-seeded with chanterelles or shitaki mushrooms that will yield multiple harvests.
Even if the recipient is not a foodie, getting to grow fresh (typically, expensive) mushrooms within a very short period of time at home is pretty amazing…and fun!
Taste the difference for yourself at Far West Fungi, 1 Ferry Building, Shop 34. You can check them out online at www.farwestfungi.com as well.
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