Sonoma-tober: October in Sonoma Wine Country

Many wineries offer food and wine pairings.

Everyone loves a celebration and wine regions are no different. Sonoma has declared October to be its month. Sleepy Sonoma - it’s routinely in the shadow of its muscular elder brother, Napa, and while the Napa Valley is the de facto region for Cabernet Sauvignon, the vast Sonoma Valley offers greater diversity of grape varieties, specific growing regions and price points.

Sonoma City Hall.

Sonoma County is notoriously large, in spite of the fact that just 7% of all wines made in California come from here, and any visit requires some planning to fully appreciate the region. From mega-large to boutique, to ultra premium to celebrity-owned wineries, Sonoma is known for its unencumbered pace set in a beautiful rustic backdrop. The Sonoma County Airport, also known as the Charles Schultz Airport (named after the Peanuts comic strip author and long time Sonoma resident) is the only regional airport with direct flights from Los Angeles and San Francisco.

At the biggest party in Sonoma, the wine auction.

It is Pinot Noir and Chardonnay that is the calling card for Sonoma. “If those high-end Napa guys want to try their hand making Pinot Noir they come to Sonoma first,” says Mark McWilliams, owner of Arista Winery in the Russian River Valley.

A Few Numbers About Sonoma County Wine Country

60 different grapes are planted in Sonoma.

17 appellations.

85 % of the wineries are still family-owned.

425 wineries operate in Sonoma.

60,000 acres of grapes grow here.

1812 – the first grapes went into the ground at Fort Ross.

54,000 – people are employed fulltime in the wine biz.

$5.2 – million dollars raised for local charities.

There is a staggering diversity of wines made in Sonoma and I’ve included a few below to give a sense of that diversity. This by no means is a comprehensive list, but hopefully gives you a taste of what Sonoma offers. The best thing is to check it out for yourself - SONOMA.

J Vineyards Russian River Brut Rose’

Made from Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier, the bubbles are light and bright and the acidity is ideal for a sparkler. This salmon colored wine is radiant strawberry, kefir lime, plum, rhubarb, rose water, raspberry with back note of tangerine and nectarine. This is a lively, vibrant wine ideal with a variety of foods. ($45)

Migration 2015 Russian River Valley Chardonnay

The Russian River Valley is the de factor growing area for Pinot and Chardonnay in Sonoma and this Migration shows why Chardonnay is so expressive here - great tropical fruit and nice acidity. There is kiwi, lime, lemon custard, graham cracker crust, nectarine, and honeysuckle. This Chardonnay saw time in stainless steel, new and neutral French oak. ($55)

MacMurray Ranch 2015 Pinot Noir

Actor Fred MacMurray started his own ranch in the 1940s, and today the ranch is home to wine grapes. This wine offers rounded flavors of black cherry, blueberry and mild strawberry, with a medium acidity running through it, complementing the side notes of boysenberry and plum, mild vanilla and an earthy finish. ($38)

Frei Brothers 2014 Zinfandel Dry Creek Valley: This is all Zinfandel except for 2% Petit Sirah and is an easy drinking Zinfandel without being a jammy one-trick pony. The barrel aging of this wine for 6-months helps mellow it out and give it some depth. You’ll get a mild acidity with plenty of blueberry compote, blackberry jam, rhubarb, macerated plum with backnotes of clove, vanilla and black pepper spice. ($20)