Feature Article

The ambiance was slow and easy, with teens stretched out on the grass by the bandstand, retirement-agers on park benches chatting with young mothers pushing strollers, and merchants standing in doorways waving greetings to drivers in battered pick-up trucks.

But the shops facing the plaza were far from the dry goods/feed store variety. I saw art galleries, book stores, antique dealers, organic food places, a variety of restaurants-and lots of wine shops. Healdsburg (pop. 10,000) is the heart of Sonoma County wine country, within a l0-minute drive of 60 wineries in the Russian River, Dry Creek and Alexander valleys.

It goes with the territory that the spiffy Healdsburg Regional Library shares its quarters with the Sonoma County Wine Library, where anybody from scholars to TV script writers to tourists can learn anything they ever wanted to know about the local wine and the people who make it.

That one brief stop for lunch at the Oakville Grocery (the ultimate gourmet deli with a patio where you can watch the townsfolk in action) convinced me I wanted to see more of Healdsburg. Two more lunch-break visits weren't nearly enough, so when I was invited for a weekend in Sonoma Wine Country with a stay at the Honor Mansion, Healdsburg's AAA Four Diamond Bed and Breakfast located within walking distance of the plaza, I jumped at the chance.

Cathi and Steve Fowler had never stayed in a B&B when they bought a rundown 1883 Italianate Victorian house and began converting it into Honor Mansion, a luxury inn in a garden setting. Steve, a much-traveled food supplier executive, and Cathi, an interior designer and inveterate shopper, did things "their way."

No two of the nine guest accommodations, each with private bathroom, are alike as each has its own distinct character. The former garage is now the romantic Squire's Cottage with an overstuffed sofa in front of a gas log fireplace, stereo sound system, wet bar and king-size, four poster bed with lush linens. The Tower Suite, overlooking the swimming pool, has an outdoor spa tub for two adjacent to the first floor bedroom, and a winding staircase leading up to a cozy aerie with a vineyard view. Large rooms in the house look out onto 100-year-old magnolia trees or the garden deck with its waterfall and koi pond.

Guests start the day with three-course Epicurean breakfasts served on china and crystal, then may return for fresh baked cookies at tea time, followed by sophisticated hors d'ouevres and wine a bit later.

Cathi knows most of their guests have come to visit the nearby wineries, so she starts them off with hearty breakfasts to sustain them for tastings at three or four stops each day. She (or her staff) welcome back the tired celebrants with tea, coffee and cookies. Then there's time for a nap or a dip in the pool before they return for more wine and substantial hors d'ouevres that will hold them over until a late dinner reservation at one of several excellent restaurants in the area.

Our weekend wine adventure started with dinner at Zin Restaurant and Wine Bar, a minimalist-decor kind of place where the focus is on good food and 60 different choices of zinfandel.

That was the night I first heard about the locals' boundless pride in their earthy red wine. The next day, at the Dry Creek Winery tasting room, Assistant Manager Ron Hayes, said today's zinfandel can be traced back to the l9th century when Italian immigrants planted zin vines in the northern Sonoma County area, using the grapes to make house wines for Italian restaurants in San Francisco. When Prohibition took its toll on the other Sonoma vineyards, the zin vines were spared "for personal use and sacramental purposes."

"Thank God we've learned about the zinfandel grape and identified some of the vines from the old vineyards" Hayes laughed. "We've used them to make some wonderfully complex wines." (One of the best-selling items in the Dry Creek gift shop is a royal blue tee shirt with the gothic-lettered message, "Forgive me for I have zinned.")

Hayes said northern Sonoma's interest in bringing back zinfandel as a grape variety started in the 1980s and accelerated in the 90s. "It's a local passion," he admitted, "But people catch it when they come here. It's a lovely infestation that seduces you, and people go out and become missionaries for zin. I think it's just a matter of time until zin will be more popular than merlot. Merlot is a lovely wine but zinfandel has so much more personality."

Cathy Seghesio, marketing director of Seghesio Family Vineyards, was pouring a variety of zins at the winery tasting room a block or so down Grove Street from Honor Mansion. Her advice: "It's smart to drink what the winemakers drink-and out here we drink zin."

Well, it depends. Over at J Winery, the elegant winery that Judy Jordan owns and operates, the red of choice was pinot noir, as prized as J's sparkling wine. The winery offers "J flights" of food and wine pairings ($8). Think osetra caviar on a new potato with the bubbly, crescenza on a wafer with the chardonnay, duck rillette with the pinot noir. Yes!

The best reason to visit Ferrari-Carano Winery is to be awed by tours of its eight formal gardens on five acres surrounding an elaborate version of an Italian villa. (The winery owners also own a hotel in Reno and it shows.) The gardens are planted with 100 different species, with replacements according to the season, but our guide said their roses bloom from June through November. Daily tours, by appointment only, are at 10 a.m. and limited to 15 visitors. Would-be participants are cautioned to reserve well in advance.

It all added up to a delightful weekend in wine country. I'm not sorry I zinned. My only regret is I ran out of time before I could test-run one of those benches in the plaza.

Pat Hanna Kuehl, a freelance food and travel writer based in Denver, was a staff writer at The Rocky Mountain News for 25 years.

IF YOU GO:
For assistance planning your northern California vacation, call or visit your nearest AAA Travel office. Also, pick up your free a copy of AAA's California/Nevada TourBook.
Info on Honor Mansion: 800-554-4667 or 707-433-2377; Fax 707-431-7173; Web site: www.honormansion.com.
Info on Healdsburg and free Russian River Wine Road map: 707-433-6935; Web site: www.ci.healdsburg.ca.us or www.healdsburg.org.
To make appointment for the Ferrari-Carano garden tour, call 707-433-6700, Web site: www.ferrari-carano.com.

Healdsburg Calendar June - October


Healdsburg, surrounded by 60 wineries in the Dry Creek, Alexander Valley and Russian River Valley areas, also has its own attractions for summer visitors. Among major events scheduled from June to October.

June June 3 and every Sunday through August-Free Summer Concert in the Historic Plaza Park, 2 to 4 p.m. Bring a picnic.

June 5 and every Tuesday through fall: Healdsburg Certified Farmers Market, (Matheson St. bordering the Plaza), 4 to 6 p.m. Also on Saturday, 9 a.m. to noon.

June 17: Spring Stroll Through Healdsburg's Past-Healdsburg Museum and Historical Society members lead guided tours of historic homes. Information: 707-431-3327.


July

July 14: Healdsburg Certified Farmers Market 23rd Birthday-live music, birthday cake, wool spinning, sheep exhibit, North & Vine streets, 9 a.m. to noon.

July 21: 15th annual Healdsburg Harvest Century Bicycle Tour-Road and mountain bikes welcome on 60, 37 or 25-mile options on routes winding through Alexander, Russian River and Dry Creek valleys. Telephone: 707-433-6935.


August

Aug. ll: Dancin' in the Street, street dance on the Plaza with live music and food, benefit for Healdsburg Boys and Girls Club. Telephone 707-431-4479

Aug. 18: Zucchini Festival: Zucchini car races, zucchini bake, Giant zucchini contest and zucchini poetry, 9 a.m. to noon, Healdsburg Certified Farmers Market, North & Vine streets. Telephone: 707-431-1956.


September

Sept. 2: Labor Day Weekend Antique Fair-Healdsburg Plaza, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Telephone 707-431-4310.

Sept. 30: Wine and Art Festival-Healdsburg Museum sponsors wine tastings, food, art sale and entertainment in the Healdsburg Plaza. Telephone 707-431-7940.


October

Oct. 27: Pumpkin Festival-Pumpkin car races, pumpkin carving, pumpkin bake and scarecrows, 9 a.m. to noon, Healdsburg Certified Farmers Market, North & Vine Streets.

The K-J Center -- Learn how to taste wine at wine center garden

Northern California's Sonoma County brims over with appeal for wine fanciers, but the Kendall-Jackson (K-J) Wine Center is unique. In one stop at the multi-use complex about halfway between Santa Rosa and Healdsburg on Highway 101, visitors can sample the product, shop for distinctive gifts, stroll through handsome culinary gardens and pick up tips on which wine to serve with what menu along the way. It's not your father's "white with fish, red with meat" anymore.

K-J's French-inspired chateau in a 120-acre garden, orchard and vineyard setting is visible from the highway. Just inside the mansion door there's a soaring, sunlit space, with the tasting bar along one side of the big room and the rest filled with upscale wine-oriented merchandise, from elaborate bottle openers to sportswear, cookbooks to cocktail napkins.

For some the most fascinating item in the gift area is a collection of sparkling goblets half-filled with red (or white) wine of gorgeous color. Obey the urge to pick one up to take a sip and you'll discover it's an op art display piece-not real and not for sale.

Management considers them "teasers" to move shoppers on to the long wine bar where servers pour a variety of vintages, not only Kendall-Jackson standards, but artisans affiliated with the K-J label. (Tastings start at $2 per person for a flight of four wines.)

Visitors are encouraged to carry their tasting glasses out to the organic vineyard exhibit of 26 varietals where they can sample the grapes that were used in making their favorite wine. Bonus for the trivia collector: Those vivid roses at the end of each row of vines are sacrificial offerings, there to provide first warning of infestation that might be headed for the grapes.

It's worth timing your visit to the Wine Center to coincide with one of the thrice-daily garden tours, especially if it's led by Patricia Rossi, K-J's garden liaison. She teaches wine/food pairing the easy way, strolling through the perfectly kept gardens pointing out what goes in and tastes great with that wine you're sipping.

She is especially proud of the White Wine Sensory Garden and the Red Wine Sensory Garden that feature fruits, flowers and herbs sophisticated palates can detect in one taste. She helps us make sense of those flowery descriptions in wine literature, showing how a cabernet-merlot could have "a hint of oregano, black currant, dill, bell pepper, black cherry or chocolate." A sniff here, a taste there, and you begin to understand the lingo.

Both sensory gardens are centered with vegetable patches that provide ingredients for dishes that pair well with the various wines. If a hobby cook is lucky, Chef Ed Walsh might make a sudden appearance in the garden to snip lavendar sprigs or fresh basil leaves for something simmering in his kitchen. He's a talkative type who reels off recipes at the drop of a suggestion. Just ask.

Extensive gardens and orchards provide Walsh and his staff with ingredients for various events at the Wine Center ranging from food and wine pairing for private parties to 4,000 hors d'ouevres at the upcoming Sonoma Wine Barrel Auction (July 13).

Another popular event, the Kendall-Jackson Tomato Festival (Sept. 8) features 100 different varieties of tomatoes grown in trial gardens in collaboration with Santa Rosa Junior College. It draws thousands of visitors eager to sample the fruit of the harvest-and to taste appropriate wines to go with tomatoes, of course!

Kendall-Jackson Wine Center is located at 5007 Fulton Rd., Fulton, CA 95439. 707-571-8100; Web site: www.kj.com. It is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Garden tours are offered at l1 a.m., l p.m. and 3 p.m. Getting there: Northbound on Hwy. 101 - take River Road exit, turn left over the freeway. Turn right at Fulton Road then turn left at the Wine Center. Southbound on Hwy. 101 - Take Fulton Road exit, make quick turn right into the Wine Center.
--PHK

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