This week’s class for the California Wine Appellation Specialist program through the San Francisco Wine School has a focus on Sonoma. We made three trips to wineries in the Sonoma region in 2010, 2011 and 2012. Our first impression of the wineries is their laid back attitude. We did not encounter any snobbish people amongst the winery staffs or visitors. We do have some fond memories of several wineries.

A Rafanelli is a family owned winery in Healdsburg. Father and daughter lead the wine making team. There is an impressive underground tunnel system used for aging wines in French oak barrels. Surrounding the winery building, vineyards cover the hilly terrain in patches forming a quilt-like scene. We had another patch-work quilt-like vineyard tour at Michel-Schlumberger in Healdsburg. The grapevine leaves were showing their colors in mid-November as we ambled through the vineyards on a guided walk.

A. Rafanelli tasting room is inside one of the barrel rooms.

We enjoyed our visit to Saint Francis Winery in Santa Rosa. Our tasting was accompanied by a three-course light lunch. Each course was paired with a wine. The chef visited and answered questions about pairing foods and wines. The tasting was set up in a circle conference table. Guests could easily converse with people next to them or across the circle.

Wine and food pairing at St. Francis Winery and Vineyards

We visited Trattore in Geyserville prior to completion of their winery. Although it was still under construction we were able to visualize what it would look like. The vineyards and olive orchards surrounding the winery were on rolling hills some rather steep. Different varieties were planted in alternating rows painting a row of gold followed by a row of red and so on. It was a beautiful site for a November day in Sonoma.

Autumn colors at Trattore Estate Wines

Cheers,
Terry