The weather and the winegrape crop

I don't usually write about crop yields, tonnage, brix readings, and those other technical things involved in growing and harvesting premium winegrapes. But for you wine wonks who want to hear a bit about the 2010 vintage in Napa Valley, I received a press release today from the Napa Valley Vintners association that puts a huge happy face on the harvest and our "unusual growing season." That's one way to spin it.

Even though the farmers admit it's been a crappy weather year (and I'm reading between the lines here), one grapegrower quipped, "This year was the year of the tiger...we had to be on our paws or claws." The board president of the NV grapegrowers group summed it up in this optimistic fashion: "In the Napa Valley, we have the best vineyard managers and the best field crews in the world –– they know what to do and they can handle anything."

Still, tonnage is down in some Napa Valley vineyards by nearly 20%, which is also the case in Sonoma County. We had an early rain over the region two days ago, and more sprinkles and clouds are expected this weekend. There are still many grapes to be picked, and those are not great conditions for bringing in the crop. Crews are working 24/7 to try to beat the precipitation, and nobody in the biz is getting much sleep this week (or last week, for that matter.... or the week before that).

Yet they're a cheery bunch, those farmers and winemakers. The NVV board president put it this way: "Every winemaker I've talked to is thrilled with what they are tasting in the initial stages." So the yield is down, but the quality of the berries being nibbled straight off the vine sounds pretty good.

Just a few miles away

Let's take a short drive south to San Francisco, shall we? The fabulous Blue Angels were astonishing the masses in The City over the weekend. Though I was not fast enough or close enough to capture most of their aerobatics on camera, I did watch from Twin Peaks, high over the city by the bay, and snapped this bicyclist taking his own picture of the remarkable view below us. All the while the Blue Angels were zipping to and fro, skimming the waters of the bay and buzzing the Golden Gate Bridge, but they didn't make it into this particular image.

And while we're in San Francisco, let's visit the Ferry Building, which just picked up an award for "Great Places in America –– Public Spaces of 2010," bestowed by the American Planning Association. One of only 10 public spaces given the honor, the Ferry Building is part of the APA's list of 30 Great Places, which also includes 10 winners in the Great Neighborhoods category and 10 in the Great Streets category.

The Slanted Door at the Ferry Building

But back to the Ferry Building: It is, indeed, one of the great spots to watch the world come and go, and to enjoy some fabulous food, too. At the peak of its use in the 1930s, 50,000 people passed through the Ferry Building each weekday to traverse the waters of the bay, a figure trumped only by Charing Cross Station in London at the time (and this was before the Oakland Bay Bridge and the Golden Gate Bridge were opened). Later, a bad decision to build a freeway practically on top of the Ferry Building –– and some unfortunate interior design choices –– kept the building in a sad state for several decades. Underappreciated and taken for granted, it continued to languish and deteriorate. Then in 1989, when the Loma Preita earthquake shook up San Francisco, that ugly and pointless Embarcadero freeway sustained enough damage to be demolished, and the Ferry Building could actually breathe again –– and be seen, too. And what a sight it is.

Cowgirl Creamery

Though it took a few years of planning to get the renovation underway and subsidized, the Ferry Building reopened in 2003 not only as a terminal for more than 10,000 commuters arriving and departing on ferries each day, but with a year-round Farmers Market, restaurants (The Slanted Door, for instance), a wine store, gourmet shops (such as Cowgirl Creamery), and specialty grocers.

Any trip to Wine Country should include a day or two in San Francisco (and if you've flown into SFO, it usually does). When you visit, make time to explore the Ferry Building.

All the colors of the rainbow at Farmers Market

One of the best shows in Santa Rosa, which happens every Saturday morning year-round (and Wednesday mornings, too), is the Farmers Market at the Veterans Building near the Sonoma County Fairgrounds. Sure, there are plenty of vegetables and fruits, and this time of year the color red seems to dominate (tomatoes, peppers, peaches, you name it). But there are also artisanal cheeses; breads of all sizes and types; jams and jellies; organic coffee brewed to order; a farmstand devoted entirely to fungus, with culinary mushrooms of every shape and flavor; a huge assortment of seafood and meats; bucket after bucket of fresh flowers; pottery, jewelry, and other handcrafted art; live, upbeat music; and food vendors (try the wild baby octopus souvlaki by Bobby the Greek, if you're up to it before noon).

The Market is a wonderful way to help support our local farmers, and their just-picked veggies and fruits sure beat the heck out of the bland not-so-fresh stuff offered at the corporate supermarkets.

Locals know all about this market, but visitors and vacationers to the area should check it out, too. Start your day at the market before heading out for sightseeing and wine-sipping. It's a people-watching and people-meeting bonanza, and there's plenty of free parking as well. Bring along at least one sturdy shopping bag –– you'll be glad you did.

And speaking of the harvest....

A good time can always be expected at the annual Sonoma County Harvest Fair, where the wine tasting event is a must, and worth the extra few bucks. Nowhere else can you get tastes all in one place of some of the most sought-after and small production wines from Sonoma County's many wine appellations, all distinctly different.

Table after table of wine producers –– small, medium, and large –– generously pour their finest. Sample some of the best wine found anywhere (small bites of food, too), and receive a free logo glass that you wouldn't be ashamed to use again at home among friends. Take it from me –– I have a whole cabinet full of them collected down through the years.

This year, Alexander Valley hit the jackpot in the wine judging, with all three sweepstakes-winning wines emanating from that region. The tables for Alexander Valley Vineyards, Stryker Winery, and Simi Winery were popular with the tasters, who may not have another chance to try or buy the 2007 Estate Viognier, 2006 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, and 2007 Late Harvest Riesling produced by these wineries.

Outside the wine tasting arena, the fair features exhibits, vendors, and creative displays using pumpkins, dried corn, and assorted other autumn-inspired crafts. And don't forget the wine barrel stomp, a competition open to anyone in the world, not just locals. It's too late to sign up for the 2010 fair (the last stomp took place this afternoon), but there's always next year! Plan accordingly to participate or watch.

Who knew? Film's special sounds came from Wine Country

It's not unusual for movies to be filmed in Wine Country –– there have been numerous popular and beloved films shot here over the years in various locations (read all about it on page 197 in my book), and another going on right now in Guerneville (called "Lawless," starring Ted Levine and Justine Bateman). But with the release of "Toy Story 3" this summer, the region was captured in a whole new way: the cacophony of recycling.

Skywalker Sound, one of those many divisions of the Bay Area-based movie-making empire run by George Lucas, worked with the animated film's creator, Pixar Studios, to record the sounds of tractors, recycling sorting lines, and recycling trucks unloading their payloads for use in key scenes in the film. Those sounds were captured in Santa Rosa at the Materials Recovery Facility operated by Redwood Empire Disposal. Skywalker's sound technicians spent a day here in Santa Rosa with their high-tech microphones to stockpile the hubbub of trucks raising and lowering their hydraulic arms, collecting and dumping assorted loads of recycled materials, and just driving around.

Besides using those various sounds for this particular film, Skywalker Sound files them away into a giant sound library to be distorted and combined with other sounds for use in future films. The trash company agreed to forgo financial compensation from Pixar in exchange for depicting the film's animated garbage and recycling trucks in the colors of the company's fleet: green and white.

I'll never look at my neighborhood garbage truck the same way again.

Note: Toy Story 3 is out on DVD in early November.

Waiting for crabs, watching for whales

Crab pots waiting to be filled

On a recent day at the Sonoma County coastline, I saw row after row of colorful crab pots neatly stacked near the water in Bodega Bay, waiting to be dropped into the sea and filled with delectable Dungeness crab. If you visit Wine Country in late autumn through early spring, you can expect to find fresh crabs caught off our shores in area grocery stores, specialty markets, and also featured on the menus at many inland and seaside restaurants. The coastal stores (such as The Tides) also carry fresh bread, cheeses, bottles of wine, and many other goodies for assembling a daytime picnic or after-dark dinner in the privacy of your hotel room.

As an appetizer, one two-pound crab easily satisfies two people; buy two crabs, some prepared salad, and a loaf of crusty bread and you have a substantial dinner or lunch for two or three. Ask the fish market to clean the crabs (a nasty job better left to the pros) and crack the shell lightly. Stock up on napkins or paper towels (mining the crabmeat can get messy, but that's part of the fun), and have your favorite cocktail sauce handy, if you so desire (I like my crab straight). Pour yourself a glass of Sauvignon Blanc (tastes great with crab) and then, dig, dip, and devour.

A choppy sea at Bodega Head on September 27

While waiting for crab season, scores of locals and visitors are perched high on Bodega Head, binoculars and cameras in hand, enjoying the sight of whales spouting and splashing. Just in the past week I witnessed numerous spoutings by the playful humpback and blue whales, which scientists say have been lured by a population explosion of krill, a shrimp-like crustacean. The whales seem to be taking their time feasting on the krill, the better to entertain the humans who are all jostling for the best viewing spot. Sometimes the wind on the Head can be brutal, with the meek running back to their cars to grab parkas. At other times it's glorious – calm, warm, and overcast. Word to the wise: try to make it there in the morning, when you don't have to squint into the sun to see some of the largest mammals on Earth.

If a restaurant door closes, another opens

Even in the best of times, restaurants come and go. A few featured in my book (The Insiders' Guide to California's Wine Country) have now closed, such as Bleaux Magnolia, Piccolino's Italian Cafe, Tuscany, Wappo Bar & Bistro, Deuce, Alice's Restaurant. They were victims of the recession or bad luck, or helmed by chefs who wanted to move on to other ventures. But several great new joints have opened that are worth mentioning. In Yountville is Bottega, the latest Italian-inspired eaterie from famed chef Michael Chiarello. There's also Norman Rose in downtown Napa. Smaller and more downscale (read: a favorite of locals) is El Coqui, on a busy corner in downtown Santa Rosa. It's Puerto Rican food –– bring on the Sangria and plantains!

Duskie

I'm pleased to report that Duskie Estes, a fabulous chef and genuinely nice person who co-owns two restaurants in Wine Country (Zazu and Bovolo) with her husband, John Stewart, will be competing on the upcoming season of "The Next Iron Chef" –– along with other serious-looking, driven contestants –– for that coveted title. I interviewed Duskie for my book and also featured one of her and John's tasty recipes suitable for any home cook to try (see page 100). The Iron Chef website misspells Zazu, but we'll forgive their blunder for the time being. Catch the season premiere of The Next Iron Chef on the Food Network on October 3, and tune in each week to root for Duskie. Please.

Guy in a familiar pose

Meanwhile, another Sonoma County chef who became famous a few years back for his domination of the Food Network is now more of a character than a cook. Guy Fieri's prime-time game show "Minute to Win It" on NBC has nothing to do with the restaurant industry, but people seem to dig his over-the-top, dude-on-steroids persona anyway. Go figure. Santa Rosans like myself are scratching our heads, wondering when Guy's long-closed Tex Wasabi restaurant downtown will reopen after major "remodeling." Or perhaps he's become too famous to return to Sonoma County for good. Even the master, Anthony Bourdain, told Guy to grow up and clean up his act, in front of a SRO crowd in Santa Rosa. Stay tuned.

Best art collection in Wine Country

Detail of an outdoor exhibit at di Rosa's main gallery

Expect the unusual at di Rosa, a phenomenal collection of contemporary art spread over 200 acres on a hillside in the Carneros region southwest of Napa. The first gallery you encounter up the stairs from the parking lot, called the Gatehouse, is open to drop-in visitors and features rotating exhibits. The permanent collection –– the best part, in my opinion –– is accessible only on a guided tour reached by a tram that takes you deeper into the property.

The first sculpture you encounter off the tram

Splurge on the two-hour-plus "Discovery" tour on a Saturday, if you can spare the time. Even then, you must pace yourself so you won't miss it all. Don't dawdle too long at any one spot in the main gallery, because the tram will be back before you know it. The breadth of the collection is vast, and photos just don't do the place justice. You have to see it up close to appreciate it. Reservations are strongly suggested to avoid disappointment.

So what or who is di Rosa? Rene and Veronica di Rosa began their personal art collection many decades ago, focusing primarily on Bay Area- and northern California-based artists, sculptors, and even a few scalawags. The collection now numbers more than 2,000 pieces by 800-plus visionaries. The bulk of the collection is in the main gallery, and the personal residence is also fascinating: artwork in every nook and cranny (even on the ceiling and in the bathrooms), and a kitchen with a tower that houses a huge bell you can chime.

This is a first-class destination for visitors to Wine Country, and a bargain, too (10 to 15 bucks per person).

The crush is on

See the pretty pinot noir grapes, freshly picked in the Los Carneros appellation of Sonoma County and ready for processing into a great vintage. I had the rare opportunity to follow the farmworkers in the dusty soil of an award-winning vineyard as they quickly and laboriously hand-picked these outstanding berries, then gathered them into bins for delivery to the crushing facility.

California's wine country has begun harvesting its thousands of acres of grapes, with the white varietals typically the first to be plucked from the vines for processing into sparkling wine. Depending on the weather, red wine grapes are left hanging on the vine as long as possible to develop the most flavor. It's been a challenging summer for winegrape growers in Sonoma and Napa counties: well-below-average temperatures and cloudy days went on for weeks, followed by super-hot weather, then a return to more seasonable highs and lows. There were also a couple of showers to add even more drama.

Despite the weird pattern, the 2010 vintage should be exceptional, though there may be fewer grapes harvested. Generally speaking, there are no bad years!

Recognize this?

Flags wave over the riverside patio at Morimoto

If you haven't been to the city of Napa in recent years, you might not recognize the newly re-energized downtown. There's a new hotel, new high-profile eating places, and some new stores and wine bars. Sure, some projects are on hold or no longer on the drawing board because of the recession (the Ritz-Carlton hotel proposal, for instance), but that hasn't stopped others from moving forward. A handful of must-try restaurants have opened their doors (can you say Morimoto?), and more are on the way. The renovated Uptown Theatre is booking big names in music and comedy, and the new Hotel Avia on First Street is catering to visitors seeking contemporary digs within walking distance of all the action. On the down side, it's distressing to see numerous "For Lease" signs in the older commercial buildings downtown, one more reminder that California's economy is sputtering.

When life gives you corks

So you've tried every way you can think of to reuse your wine corks, including some pointless and idiotic craft projects. Or maybe you're just not this clever and toss corks into the trash. Here's an alternative: Save up a sackful and drop it off at your nearest Whole Foods Market. This greenie store chain now has recycling containers for wine corks, which are ground up for making flooring and other products.

For some time now, the Napa Valley Wine Train has been donating garbage bags full of cast-off corks for recycling (they pour a lot of wine on the Wine Train), and the company received an award for its efforts last year from the California Integrated Waste Management Board. The fat from the train's food waste is also rendered and recycled. Altogether, approximately 71% of the train's garbage is diverted from landfills.

So many choices near Kenwood

There are so many winery tasting rooms along this stretch of Sonoma Valley's Highway 12, this pole isn't tall enough to show them all. It stands in Kenwood, just a shout away from a new store with an incredibly friendly proprietor. Daniel Green will warmly welcome you into the small but mighty space that is Victory Vittoria, a "collaboration of friends" that is packed with second-hand home decor gems, clothing, and great jewelry finds. Parking can be challenging right in front of the store (at 9255 Sonoma Highway – that's also Hwy. 12), but there's more space to the south of the building off the highway.

It's hip to be off the square

h2hotel's pop-art inspired lobby

h2hotel is the latest hip lodging in Healdsburg to pack 'em in. The name even sounds like a text message. On a recent Thursday night, each of h2's 36 rooms was spoken for, and the rates are not for the budget-minded. (Recession? What recession?) Located a bit south of the Plaza, the hotel is starkly elegant, but with colorful lobby furniture (wide-wide-wide-wale corduroy loungers with '60s-style upholstery prints) that would look appropriate in Austin Powers's flat. Another point in the hotel's favor: upstairs hallways left unadorned, with no tired and tacky watercolors of vineyards anywhere in sight. What a relief.

eeek! a Mouse!

The entrance to Stanley's gallery

Today I literally stumbled upon artist Stanley Mouse on a sidewalk in Healdsburg. He was unloading an SUV packed with some of his fine art portraits for a special show this weekend at his new gallery called Rockin Roses –– The Art of Rock and Roll. The gallery features a collection of Stanley's most famous skeleton-themed and Grateful Dead-inspired artwork, created when San Francisco was the epicenter of American rock music. Stanley was busy overseeing the installation of several large fine art pieces in a style far removed from the iconic rock images that made him a legend. Can't make it to the show? Check out the merchandise at www.rockinrosesart.com.

French toast and fishing worms

OK, so this photo was not taken in Wine Country. But this is why I love to travel America's state highways and leave the interstates to the big trucks. This sign/door greeted drivers in the parking lot of a busy cafe in a tiny Oklahoma town, along a lonely state road. I was intrigued that a plethora of fishing worms might be in such close proximity to the restroom, and be given equal billing as well. Are the worms perhaps in the restroom? I didn't ask. I did dine in this establishment, however, which had charming mismatched coffee cups bearing logos from other businesses and faraway hotels. Against my better judgment (this was also the back door into the restaurant's kitchen), but nearly faint from hunger, I enjoyed a delicious early-morning, stick-to-the-ribs breakfast. But did not have the fortitude to go looking for those worms.