Virtuoso Life - September/October 2007 - (Page 40)

LUXE REPORT | CITY TO GO Savoring Sonoma Come harvest time, historic Sonoma teems with celebrations and tasting parties. rabbit rotisserie. Dine on inventive, fresh cuisine amid Spanish mission-inspired decor at Deuce (691 Broadway; 707/933-3823). Steak is the thing at Saddles Restaurant at MacArthur Place (29 E. MacArthur Street; 707/933-3191), but the seafood and pasta – as well as a lively happy hour – should not be overlooked. » Drink The gardens and libations at Chateau St. Jean (8555 Sonoma Highway; 707/833-4134) are a lovely oasis along this busy road lined with estates and vineyards. Escape the fray and relax at Robledo Family Winery (21901 Bonness Road; 707/939-6903), a charming and friendly family-run operation where both Mexican Independence Day (observed September 15) and a Harvest Festival (October 20) are celebrated with full fanfare. At Larson Family Winery (23355 Millerick Road; 707/938-3031), a former river port and rodeo grounds, the estate’s history is taken as seriously as the wine. One note: Most Sonoma wineries are open daily, but reservations are needed at some smaller operations. » Shop On the downtown plaza, Sonoma Wine Shop (412 First Street E.; 707/996-1230) ships the wines you wish you’d bought at wineries (as well as wine-related accoutrements) to your home. California olive oil makes a fine contender as the state’s most savory export at B.R. Cohn Olive Oil Company (15000 Sonoma Highway; 877/933-9675). Tired of tasting? Find authentic French antiques, furniture, and elegant odds and ends for the home at Chateau Sonoma (153 W. Napa Street; 707/935-8553). » Stay A stay at the 226-room Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa through Viviani Tours provides a quiet retreat amid the bustle of California wine country. In the bathhouse-style spa, thermal mineral springs in large soaking pools soothe the body and mind. Between sampling the bounty at area wineries and restaurants, guests tour Quarryhill Botanical Garden and Sonoma’s historic plaza. Through 2008; four days from $4,621 for two, including accommodations, transfers, guided tours, and some meals. BY ALI BASYE » Go For Crush, the wine grape harvest season. During September and October, you can’t throw a grape in Sonoma without hitting some kind of celebration honoring the tiny fruit’s most exquisite metamorphosis. Among these: the 32nd annual Sonoma County Harvest Fair (October 5 through 7; Sonoma County Fairgrounds, Santa Rosa; 707/545-4203), where more than 500 wines are paired with food made by awardwinning local chefs. The sleepy town itself – a former Spanish colony complete with a historic plaza and mission – offers several wineries and myriad restaurants. » Eat Rub elbows with local vintners and feast on rustic Provençalinspired cuisine at The Girl & the Fig (110 W. Spain Street; 707/938-3634), an airy restaurant on the plaza serving a signature – what else? – fig salad. Della Santina’s (133 E. Napa Street; 707/935-0576) Tuscan fare includes Sonoma goes to town (clockwise from top): Tasting at the Robledo Family Winery, dining well at The Girl & the Fig, and the 74-year-old Sebastiani Theatre. 40 V I RT U O S O L I F E LUIS GARCIA

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Virtuoso Life - September/October 2007

Contents Editor’s Note Contributors Luxe Report Bon Voyage Suite Talk City to Go Vanity Case

Virtuoso Life - September/October 2007

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