You can't beat the location. Taste of Sonoma takes place in a quiet corner of Sonoma County that’s nearly perfect for its beauty and solitude. For 364 days a year the historic MacMurray Ranch along Westside Road is peaceful and serene, then during one Saturday in late summer it’s transformed into the premiere food-and-wine tasting event in the nation, as about 3,000 hungry people meander around the roomy ranch in search of great cuisine and delectable reds and whites. 
One of my favorite bites was the meatball (pictured) from Rustic, the restaurant at Francis Ford Coppola’s winery. And possibly the best fried chicken I’ve had in years, courtesy of the new mobile restaurant known as Drums & Crumbs. Other gustatory highlights included ice cream by Nimble & Finn’s, Hopmonk Tavern’s stout-braised short ribs over garlic mashed potatoes, and pork tenderloin with red rice and cranberry beans whipped up by Olive & Vine.
Four enormous tents showcase the food and wine, and numerous other tents and cozy spots on the ranch provide entertainment and educational opportunities. This included chefs competitions and cooking demos, with foodie radio hosts and masters of ceremonies Clark Wolf and Marcy Smothers (wife of Tommy), shown here coaxing comments from the judges in a race-against-time cookoff between chefs Thomas Schmidt of John Ash & Co. and Steve Rose of Vineyards Inn, one of my favorite places to eat.
Hollywood royalty Fred MacMurray raised his family here when he wasn't making movies and TV shows in Tinseltown. He also raised cattle and opened his ranch to other big movie stars who came to visit (Clark Gable, for instance). The old house is still there, adding to the warmth of the historic property.Taste of Sonoma is the largest gathering of the annual Sonoma Wine Country Weekend, which culminates in a wine auction for charity.
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