sonoma

About eight months ago, Dave and I attended a Hospice fundraiser and purchased a Sonoma Wine Weekend. It included a 2 night’s stay at Benovia Winery’s Vineyard Hideaway, a great house in the middle of their vineyard. As luck would have it, the night before we left, I assisted at a cooking class with Chef John Ash, an expert in all things Sonoma/Napa. He suggested what wineries to visit and where to eat and shop, we honored each of those suggestions and it made for a perfect trip!

First stop, Benzinger Family Winery, where they practice certified Biodynamic, organic, and sustainable farming methods. The result of all that love for mother nature is a gorgeous vineyard and delicious wines. If I could only go to one winery in Sonoma, it would be this one.

Not everything John recommended was as upscale as one might suspect. He told me two “must-haves” in the town of Sonoma were Michocacna Natural Ice Cream (18495 Highway 12) and El Molino Central (17999 Highway 12). After having the pure goodness of that ice cream and two out-of-this-world Butternut Squash and White Cheddar Tamales, yes, in that order, any doubt that his recommendations would be stellar, were crushed. (not that I ever had any doubts!) Those were THE best tamales I ever had!

In downtown Sonoma, we walked around the square and picked up some bread,  cheese, and sausage to go with our Benzinger wine, and headed back for our “Hideaway”.  We picked up some sweet cherries from a roadside stand to end the day perfectly while looking out from our front porch.

Tomorrow – serious fine dining and more vineyards …