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Sonoma County: A Casual California Wine Adventure

Locations in this article:  London, England San Francisco, CA Santa Rosa, CA

Sonoma has a tradition of iconoclasts

The next day, it was time to move on. Before we left Forestville, we stopped at Screamin’ Mimi’s. The no-frills interior doesn’t do justice to the inventive homemade icecreams.

Continuing on to Santa Rosa , we stopped for lunch at Josh Silver’s Jackson’s Bar and Oven, an unpretentious, neighborhood hangout.

Farther north on Highway 101, picture-perfect Windsor evokes the qualities of a small 1960’s town. The park in the center of town hosts concerts, special event picnics and weekly farmers markets, complete with made-to-order food.

On the day we visited “made-to-order” included freshly caught lobsters, halibut and oysters from Santa Rosa Seafood cooked on an open grill as well Uncle Bill’s corn dogs on a stick.

We took an early morning tour of Green String Farm in Petaluma to see what a sustainable farm looks like.

As the sign in front says, “Beyond Sustainable,” Green String Farm doesn’t use fertilizers or pesticides. It also doesn’t plow or till the earth for cultivation.

Owners Fred Cline and Bob Cannard are legendary in the world of organic farming. Chickens and other livestock are moved around the farm to provide natural fertilizer. The farm’s produce is highly prized by local chefs and is offered for sale in their outdoor store on location.

At Jack London Village in Glen Ellen , we asked John Raymond to give us a taste of his cheeses. He told us the personal history of each cheese – who made it, where the milk came from, and how it was cured.

Also in Glen Ellen, the Benziger Family Winery is a family run vineyard that follows the strict tenants of biodynamic, organic and sustainable agriculture.

Guided tours of the property are available several times a day. They are worth the price of admission ($40), which also includes a wine tasting. The tour explains the specifics of biodynamic farming methods, which include using natural insecticides, planting under a full moon and the burying of a female horn filled with a special mixture of green manure and herbs.

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