What's
New in Sonoma Valley This section highlights a sampling
of changes & additions in Sonoma Valley including wine tasting room openings,
new restaurants, hotels & inns, and featured things to do.
Sign up for a tour in a 12-person Pinzgauer vehicle & learn about the unique climate, character and history of their vineyards and the Bundschu Family philosophy of sustainable and intensive farming. Enjoy five wines, including the Vintage Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, our premier selection that best exemplifies the diversity and distinctiveness of the vineyard. May 1 to Sept. 26, Fri. through Sun. 10am; allow 2 hours $40/person. Reservations 707.938.5277
Sojourn Cellars Opens New Tasting Room
Sojourn Cellars is a partnership between Craig Haserot and Erich Bradley, two friends who met on the tennis courts of Sonoma, who shared a desire to create delicious, handcrafted artisanal wines. Visit their new tasting room by appointment at 141 E Napa Street by calling 707-933-9753.
Benziger Family Winery receives Endangered Species Coalition Champion Award
Benziger Family Winery, based in Sonoma, is receiving the first ever Endangered Species Coalition Champion Award for Land Stewardship. The winery is being recognized for its commitment to farming practices that promote sustainability and protect local wildlife. www.benziger.com
B.R. Cohn Winery releases new first-ever Kosher Cabernet Sauvignon
With Hanukkah just around the corner, B.R. Cohn Winery in Glen Ellen released their first ever Kosher wine. The 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon is limited to only 400 cases, and is the perfect gift for the upcoming holidays.
New Paradise Ridge Winery Tasting Room
Paradise Ridge Winery 's new tasting room and art gallery in Kenwood is now open. featuring Paradise Ridge’s highly acclaimed wines from the Russian River Valley and the exclusive Rockpile Viticultural Area. Open daily 10 am to 5 pm at 8860 Sonoma Highway (Highway 12) next to the Kenwood Village in the heart of Sonoma Valley. Call (707) 282-9020 for more info.
Things to Do
Leland Sonoma
Fly Fishing Ranch
Years of design, planning, and construction created a state-of-the-art fishing education facility situated in the Sonoma wine making valley. Now open, a few hundred yards from the steelhead running in Sonoma Creek, the Leland Fly Fishing Ranch has countless opportunities to offer all anglers, beginning, intermediate, and experts. 24120 Arnold Drive Sonoma CA 95476 707-939-6910 www.flyfishingoutfitters.com
Art Tours with Gwenda Joyce
BAY AREA ART TOURS with expert art advisor. Visit art galleries and museums in San Francisco or other cities on day trips. Longer tours are also being planned. Come along for a day of fun! Call (707) 938-8877.
Email gwenda@artandland.com
Second Tuesday Cinema Series
Second Tuesday of each week at 5:30pm to 9pm the Sonoma Valley Film Festival sponsors an Independent film screening & wine tasting at the Sonoma Community Center. Doors open at 5:30pm and film begins at 7pm. TIckets are $10 for General Admission. www.sonomafilmfest.org
Cuisine
Estate
Discover ESTATE in the former home of The General's Daughter restaurant at 400 West Spain St. in Sonoma, Estate offers dinner every evening from 5:30 to 9:30pm. Italian inspired menu by the folks from the girl and the fig has something for everyone. Call 707-933-3663 for reservations or reserve online at www.estate-sonoma.com.
Yeti Restaurant opens in Jack London Village in Glen Ellen
Yeti is a fine Indian and Nepalese restaurant offering big, bold flavors, good sized portions, and traditional exotic cooking. Located in one of the premier spots along Sonoma Creek with a large outside patio set with six glass-topped tables holding umbrellas, and a view down to the creek. Phone: 707-996-9930 Reservations not needed. Call for take-out at 996-9930.
BlueGrass Bar & Grill open in Jack London Village in Glen Ellen.
A Southern BBQ family restaurant with emphasis on service, consistency, and quality. This light, airy spot with outdoor seating, huge windows overlooking Sonoma creek for indoor diners and an almost hypnotic view of the spinning mill wheel from the full bar. Phone: 707-935-4488. Call 707-935-4488
Figone’s Olive Oil Company
Figone’s Olive Oil Company is Sonoma Valley’s first Italian olive oil company. Frank Figone’s olive orchard contains over 4,000 trees and boasts 7 different Tuscan varietals. The production press and tasting room are open 7 days a week from 10am to 5:00pm at Jack London Village in Glen Ellen. 14301 Arnold Drive. Call 800-495-4010 or 707-938-3164 for information.
The Girl and the Fig Launches a New Web Store.
Visit the girl and the fig's (lower case is intentional) new web store for everything FIG and then some. Log in for Sonoma Wine Country Fig Food recipes and serving tips. Specialty Wine Country Fig Food, Artisan Food Products, Clothing & Spa Product, Unique Gifts, Books & Art. Click here to visit the site.
Lodging
Kenwood Inn receives Reader's Choice Award
Conde Nast Traveler announced the results of its 2008 Readers' Choice Awards for Top Resorts- Mainland U.S. which included the Kenwood Inn & Spa. The awards are derived from the Conde Nast Traveler Readers Choice Survey, the largest independent poll of consumers' preferences in the U.S. This year, 32,633 readers voted. The Inn located at 10400 Sonoma Highway in Kenwood is owned by Kenwood Inn Holdings LLC and is managed by the award-winning Columbia Hospitality, Inc. (800) 353-6966. www.kenwoodinn.com
Services
Sonoma Valley Visitors Bureau at Cornerstone Gardens
The Sonoma Valley Visitors Bureau's second location is at Cornerstone Gardens, 13647 Arnold Drive. Stop in to pick up a Visitor's Guide and other information about the Sonoma Valley.
Sonoma
Dog Camp
All you need for your dog including day care is now available at a new business
right on Broadway across from Sonoma Valley High School. Hours are Monday through
Friday 10 am to 6:30 pm and 10 am to 4pm on Saturdays.1061 Broadway Sonoma, CA 95476 707.935.3645
Take a class at the rural Leland Fly Fishing Ranch in Sonoma Valley where good company, great food and wine, and swimming trout all come together.
The goal is to make learning fun, and, of course, highly effective, so that you can be prepared with the necessary skills to be self sufficient with a fly rod on any stream.
Find a fully-featured fly shop, open 10am to 6pm, Wed, through Sun. Behind the fly shop there is a 100-foot casting lawn, where guests can test-drive the latest in rod technology from Washington’s Sage Manufacturing.
Across the property, past the airy classroom, guests will notice the origins of two small, spring creek-like streams, each holding trout and emptying into well-oxygenated ponds.
Enjoy the opportunity to fish the streams and ponds at the conclusion of Sunday full-day Seminars, and hone presentation skills on these selective risers using special flies tied with tagging hooks, the lowest-impact method of fishing yet developed.
Farther back on the property, a large bass pond reveals itself. Largemouth bass are this water’s quarry. Bass fishing affords fantastic training in casting large flies accurately, and fighting powerful fish with minimal effort.
If you are considering visiting Sonoma Valley with your dog, please visit our Dog Friendly Sonoma page for tips and resources.
Horizon Air Sonoma
Wine County Flights
Horizon Air now provides direct nonstop service from Santa Rosa (Sonoma County), California to: Los Angeles, Seattle, Portland and Las Vegas! The easy way to fly to the Sonoma Wine Country.
Flights are operated with a 74-seat Q400 high-speed turboprop aircraft. The only direct flights to Wine Country are to Sonoma County Airport just north of Santa Rosa.
There is talk in securing additional commercial air service to other destinations in the future. Possible destinations include: Orange County, San Diego, Denver and Salt Lake City.
Horizon Air serves wines and microbrews at no extra charge as part of its regular in-flight service to passengers 21 years or older on all of its flights to Sonoma County.
