Sonoma Valley ideas for Valentine’s Day

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Need ideas? Yeah, Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, and like me, you probably haven’t put a shred of thought into it. Take a moment to feel sorry for my wife. Okay, with that done, take a look below at 16 Valentine’s Day ideas all involving travel to the Sonoma Valley. Wine, vineyards, resorts … there’s no need to keep thinking!

Now, you have choices. Resorts, restaurants and hotels are putting together the most interesting ideas they have for the most romantic day of the year. Montecito Heights has a 50-minute rose petal massage on the menu, and Zazu has put together a fantastic meal. The provocatively named Wild Jungle Love Romantic Safari, which is for adults only, introduces you to the mating habits of a variety of exotic animals … and sets the scene for you to explore your own!

[Thanks, Sonoma County Tourism Bureau, for the list you’ll find after the jump]Winter Romance Getaway at Cypress House in Valley of the Moon
Enjoy time away this winter in the Valley of the Moon. This three-bedroom, two-bath home in Kenwood sleeps six and features a pool, hot tub, beautiful vegetable and cutting gardens, and roomy outdoor area for you to experience true wine-country living. The kitchen is a “foodie” haven, with lots of counter space and an open dining area.
Winter Romance Getaway Special (up to six guests)
$385 per night with two-night minimum
$350 per night for three to five nights
$1,900 special weekly rate (six nights)
Rates inclusive of all tax and fees
Valid through Feb. 28, 2009

20th Annual Wine & Chocolate Fantasy 2009 at Rodney Strong
Rodney Strong Vineyards celebrates its favorite pairings: rich, Sonoma County chocolates with delicious Rodney Strong wines. The event is from 1 to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 7. This year, even more local chocolatiers will offer samples of their delectable confections. Festivities also include music by Earl Thomas. Treat yourself and your Valentine to an afternoon of indulgence!
Tickets are $40 for general public or $35 for Rodney Strong Collector’s Circle members, and include a commemorative logo glass. Make your reservations in advance; no tickets will be available at the door.
Rodney Strong
11455 Old Redwood Highway, Healdsburg.

Valentine’s Day Chocolate and Reds at B.R. Cohn
Bittersweet chocolate is rich enough on its own, but pair it with B.R. Cohn’s equally rich 2006 Olive Hill Estate Cabernet Port, and it’s a match made in heaven. On Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 14 – 15, guests will be treated to a complimentary wine and truffle pairing at the winery tasting room.
B.R. Cohn
15000 Sonoma Highway, Glen Ellen
11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Cupid comes to The Spa at Montecito Heights
The Spa at Monetcito Heights will be giving Cupid a hand this Valentine’s Day. Tell Cupid exactly what you would like by sending a postcard. Simply fill out your gift choice, name and address of your Cupid and let The Spa do the rest. Visit the website for more information.

Inspire love and romance at The Spa this Valentine’s Day with a little something special. Indulge your body and your senses with a day of pleasure. Select from any one of our romance inspired treatments and relax with a glass of sparkling champagne and chocolate truffles: 50-minute Couple’s Rose Petal Massage, 50-minute Chardonnay Massage, 50-minute Rose Petal Facial, 50-minute Sweetheart Manicure or Pedicure, 50-minute Rose Petal Sugar Scrub, or 50-minute Chocolate Sugar Scrub.
The Spa at Monetcito Heights
2777 4th Street, Santa Rosa
(707) 526-0529

Aphrodisiac Dinner at Tolay Restaurant
Enjoy a three- or four-course pre fixe Valentine’s dinner on Friday or Saturday, Feb. 13 and 14. Choose your starter, choose your entree, and choose your dessert from items including Liberty duck two ways, lobster avocado salad, pan-seared foie gras, Hog Island oysters, grilled rack of CK lamb, veal sweetbreads, diver scallops, and more. Dinner per person is $55 for three courses and $65 for four, and includes a complimentary glass of champagne and amuse bouche.
Sheraton Sonoma County – Petaluma
745 Baywood Drive, Petaluma
(707) 283-2900

Valentine’s Romance Package — Sheraton Sonoma County – Petaluma
Your overnight stay will include one night in a traditional room (upgrade to deluxe if available), breakfast for two (room service or in Tolay), champagne and strawberries delivered to your room, and a late checkout of 4 p.m. Rates start at $139.
Sheraton Sonoma County – Petaluma
745 Baywood Drive, Petaluma
(707) 283-2900

Seeing Your Sweetie in a New Light — Driving Tours Offered
You and your Valentine can spend the day exploring Bodega Bay and Sonoma County‘s more than 50 miles of Pacific coast. Until Feb. 16, Sonoma County Tours is offering its Bodega Bay tour audio CD for half price, or $9.99. Enjoy a private tour of Bodega Bay. Take in all the sights while driving at your own pace. Relax as your “tour guide” directs you where to go, how to get there, what to do and see.
Sonoma County Tours
(707) 824-1304
rsvp@sonomacountytours.com

My Sparkling Valentine at Vintners Inn
Your Valentine’s Day will sparkle at the Vintner’s Inn. Offered Feb. 13 – 14, the package includes two nights in a fireplace room overlooking the beautiful winter gardens, a bottle of sparkling wine and six chocolate-covered strawberries.

Indulge your taste buds at the renowned John Ash & Co., by using the included $100 certificate for dinner. Relax and unwind with two 50-minute therapeutic massages. A continental breakfast is offered each morning, homemade cookies are left at turndown and a half bottle of Fume Blanc awaits you upon arrival. The two-night package for two is $800.
Vintners Inn
4350 Barnes Road, Santa Rosa
(800) 421-2584

Get Hot in the Kitchen — Turn up the Heat at Landmark Vineyards
Get hot in the kitchen with the one you love. Landmark Vineyards is offering an interactive Valentine’s Day experience. Cook with your sweetie on Valentine’s Day, then sit down to a romantic meal paired with Landmark’s finest wines. Appetizers and wine will start flowing at 5 p.m. on Satur
day, Feb. 14.

Working with professional chefs from Hands-On-Gourmet, couples will create a gourmet three-course meal. The menu for the evening includes buckwheat blinis with cedar planked trout, steak au poivre with potato puree and heirloom carrots, and milk chocolate pot de crème with burnt orange chantilly. After working up an appetite in the kitchen, couples will be served an elegant dinner in Landmark’s dining room. Each course will be paired with Landmark’s wines. Dinner tickets are $125 per person. Reservations are required; you must reserve your place no later than Feb. 6.
Michael Baughman
(707) 833-0228
michaelb@landmarkwine.com

Romance among the Vines at Landmark Vineyards
What is more romantic than two nights at a vineyard with a romantic dinner for two at the winery? Landmark’s cozy cottage, nestled at the base Sugarloaf Mountain, is offering the perfect romantic weekend get-away in wine country.

On your first night, settle in and explore the surrounding Sonoma Valley. The next day, Landmark will pack a picnic lunch for your docent-led hike in Sugarloaf State Park where waterfalls abound, brooks babble, and the views are divine. After an exhilarating hike return for an in-room, couple’s massage. Later Landmark’s viticulturalist will take you on a private tour of the estate vineyard and teach you about the vines and the art of wine making.

In the evening, you and your companion will sit down to a private romantic candle light dinner in Landmark’s elegantly appointed dining room for the ultimate gastronomic experience that will dazzle your taste buds with perfectly paired wine country cuisines with limited production and library Landmark wines. After dinner, you can retire to your cottage by simply walking around the vineyard to your room.

On your final day at Landmark, Proprietor’s Mike and Mary will schedule appointments for you with some of their favorite local wineries where you will receive the VIP treatment. You and your companion will be chauffeured in a 1950s Cadillac convertible. The cost for one couple for the entire package is $2,500.
Landmark Vineyards
101 Adobe Canyon Road, Kenwood

Be Mine, Be Fresh at Zazu
Zazu dishes it up fresh from the farm with lots of love for this special Valentine’s dinner on Saturday, Feb. 14. Dinner, before beverage, gratuity or tax, is $63 a person for three courses and $73 a person for four courses.

Choose from: Kusshi oysters on the half-shell — three tobikos; ginger mignonette
Hamachi tartar — grains of paradise cracker, coconut, lime, chilies; hearts of romaine – green goddess dressing, avocado, watermelon radishes, boccorones; marinated pig heart – tiny potato salad, mustard seed aioli; Italian wedding soup — black pig sausage meatballs;
Bellwether sheep milk ricotta gnudi – spinach, pomodoro; or seared foie gras — yeasted waffle, passion fruit syrup.

Choose from: bone-in rib eye steak (for two) — backyard marjoram salsa verde, red bliss mashed potatoes; coriander- and fennel-crusted ahi tuna — hot and spicy cappellini puttanesca; ruby beet ravioli — backyard fava leaves and white truffle butter; or breast of guinnea hen — dirty farro, red crimson pear, quince saba.

Choose from: Mexican hot chocolate and “just fried” churros; red velvet cake and rosewater cream-cheese frosting; citrus, citrus, citrus — blood orange sorbetto, lime curd, and lemon cooler cookie; or a good old-fashioned root beer float, bourbon gelato and two straws.

Zazu restaurant + farm
3535 Guerneville Road, Santa Rosa
(707) 523-4814

Extended Valentine’s Day Excursion at Dawn Ranch
Stay two nights and receive the third night free. Have a special dinner in the Roadhouse Restaurant Friday or Saturday, Feb. 13-14, for just $99 for two. Price includes a three-course meal (your choice from four entrees) two glasses of sparkling wine and a beautiful floral arrangement on your table from Nexus Organic for you to take home.
Dawn Ranch Lodge
16467 River Rd., Guerneville

Drive Your Sweetheart Wild in Wine Country — Wild Jungle Love Romantic Safari
On Saturday, Feb. 14, indulge your wild side at Safari West’s Valentine’s sex tour and dinner party package, for $150 (tax and gratuity not included). Adults only are invited and reservations are a must. Only 90 adults can be accommodated on the sex tour.

This hot ticket begins at 2:30 p.m., with a wine and chocolate reception followed by a safari in an open-air vehicle among some of the world’s most exotic creatures. You’ll learn intimate details about the mating habits of African mammals and birds including bongo, giraffe, gazelle, zebra, warthog, cheetah and more. Yes, love is in the air!

Then, it’s time to kick up your hooves (or paws) and party into the night with your very own two-footed animal! Can a holiday get any more wildly romantic? An overnight package is available for $450 for two adults. This includes the sex safari, dinner and dancing, and lodging for two adults. (Tax and gratuity not included.)

Private sex safaris are also available during the entire month of February. Costs are $800 for up to 10 guests and include a wine, chocolate and cheese basket.
Safari West Wildlife Preserve and African Tent Camp
3115 Porter Creek Road, Santa Rosa
(707) 579-2551; (800) 616-2695

Ah … Romance is in the Air at the Flamingo
Stay at the historic Flamingo Conference Resort and spa for Valentine’s Day, Saturday, Feb. 14. The package includes couple’s spa treatments; a special gift; dinner for two at the Terrace Grille; two cocktails in the lounge or a bottle of sparkling wine in the room; continental breakfast in the Terrace Grille or room service; and passes to the Montecito Heights Health Club. This all-inclusive package is $499 for a deluxe room, $549 for an executive king, or $599 for a suite.
Flamingo Conference Resort & Spa
2777 Fourth Street, Santa Rosa
(707) 545-8530

Will You Be Mine … at the FountainGrove Inn?
Retreat to the newly renovated FountainGrove Inn and Equus Restaurant for a romantic Valentine’s Day weekend. This package includes one night’s accommodation for two in a deluxe king room; complimentary tasting vouchers to local wineries; sparkling wine and chocolates upon arrival; a three-course dinner in Equus Restaurant for two; a full breakfast buffet for two; and late checkout, for $335 for two adults, including tax and gratuities.
Fountaingrove Inn and Equus Restaurant
101 Fountaingrove Parkway, Santa Rosa
(800) 222-6101

Pure Indulgence in Luxury
Tour the Sonoma Valley town of Glen Ellen in luxury, for a decadent, sumptuous and stress-free experience. On your tour, you will visit three mouthwatering, innovative establishments for tastings in Jack London Village: Figone’s of California Olive Oil, Wine Country Chocolates, and Raymond & Company Cheesemongers. Delight in the lush valley of Glen Ellen surrounded by the hillsides of the Sonoma and Mayacamas Mountains while gratifying your palette. The tour is offered Wednesday through Sunday only. Maximum group
size is 10 guests. Pricing begins at $79 per person for five-hour package, minimum six guests. Add-on options for $95 per person — more wine tasting at Benzinger Family Winery.
Pure Luxury Limousine Service, Inc.
(800) 626-5466

[Thanks, Sonoma County Tourism Bureau]

Budget Travel: The Lake Effect Wine Trail

by Annie Scott on


Summary: In the heartland of our very own United States of America, “lake effect weather” has given birth a strip of wineries along the southeast coast of Lake Michigan.

Lake effect weather is a well-documented phenomenon which results in far more precipitation, especially snow, on the southern and eastern sides of large lakes than the northern and western sides. More precipitation means lots of grapes, including ice wines and varietals that can withstand the midwest’s strong heat and bitter cold.

Have a look at these resources which make for a much more budget friendly wine country tour than a trip to France (or even Napa Valley). Did we mention that most tastings at Indiana and Michigan wineries are free?

Getting in: You can start your eastern midwestern wine revelry in Michigan by flying into the Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport (they have a snappy song on their airport website — who could resist?), serviced by Northwest, Conair/Delta Connection, American Eagle, and DirectAir, or in Indiana at South Bend Regional Airport, serviced by Allegiant Air, Continental Connection, Delta Connection, Northwest/KLM, and United Express. Of course, we are talking about the middle of the United States here, a.k.a. prime road trip territory. You could tack it onto a trip to Chicago, or a pass through Big Bone Lick or Santa Claus, Indiana if you’re coming from the south.

We recommend you drive. You’ll have to rent a car to get to all the wineries if you fly, but if you’re coming from far away, Kalamazoo and South Bend do have all the usual car rental companies handy.

Where to stay: There are plenty of cheap hotels all along the wine trail. You can find gads of them on ChoiceHotels.com, but here’s a tip: Don’t make your reservations in advance. Even hotel chains will haggle with you. If you walk in the door of a tricked-out Comfort Suites and tell them you can only stay there if they’ll give you a suite for $40, they just might give it to you! Be sure and mention if you plan to stay multiple nights; it’ll help them give you a lower price.

Another suggestion? Lee’s Inns. There a nice Lee’s Inn in Kalamazoo.

What to see: Sometimes we forget to look in our own backyards for the finer things in life. You don’t need to go somewhere fancy to find beauty, hard-working people, terrific stories, and darn good wine. What’s more, the wineries along Lake Michigan’s shores come with a little less snobbery than you might find in California. It’s a great place to go to learn about wine.

Tastings at most Indiana and Michigan wineries are free. The bottles of wine vary in price, naturally, but you will always be able to find something affordable.

The best online resource for scouting wineries along Lake Michigan is the Lake Michigan Shore Wine Trail. Not every winery in the area is listed, but if you hit a couple in person, you’ll find other brochures that lead you to the rest. Talk to people in the area, ask at your hotel. The reason nobody goes around broadcasting information about these great wineries is that nobody knows they’re a secret!

Our favorite is The Round Barn Winery. The scenery is spectacular — and yes, there’s a big round barn. Round Barn specializes in wine but also makes fruit infused liqueurs and cordials and their very own range of beer! Definitely something for everyone.

A close runner up is Contessa. Be sure to try the merlot, and, if the weather’s nice, sip it out on their stunning terrace and gaze across the rolling hills of your very own America.

Low-Brow Wine-Cellar Hopping in Moravia

by Iva Skoch on

Getting away from cities. Folks in costumes. Plenty of cheap wine to go around. If this concept frightens you already, you might as well stop reading now.

Most people visiting the Czech Republic–some 8 million annually–come only to Prague. For those trying to get away from all those tourists, I suggest heading to the south eastern part of the country: the wine growing region of Moravia. September is a great month to go because the wine harvest is in full-swing and wine-tastings readily available.

I am not going to lie to you. Don’t expect Napa Valley or Bordeaux. Don’t even bother with the red wines. Too cold for them. The whites, however, range from Pinot Blancs to Rieslings, and are generally very good. Above all, the wine cellars are all different and their owners tend to be generous, eclectic types.

You can also do a bicycle tour of Czech/Moravian wineries. Just remember as of last year, you can actually get a ticket when riding your bicycle drunk in the Czech Republic. Thankfully, no “open container” laws, yet.

Some Wineries are Banning Buses to Avoid ‘Limo Lushes’

by Martha Edwards on

Some California wineries are taking action against ‘Limo Lushes’ — those uncouth hooligans who head for wineries for the purpose of getting drunk, rather than sampling wine. The nerve! Who would have the audacity to go to a winery to get drunk. Um …. well, me, for one. Call me crazy, but I think one of the appeals of visiting a winery is the chance to get a buzz on in the afternoon for free, provided you’re not driving and you don’t get too obnoxious or out-of-control. But then again, I don’t have the most sophisticated palate (I think that much is obvious)

Some wineries are going to start banning tour buses, and they’ll even start charging for samples too. In Long Island, some wineries even have a policy in which they can kick out too-rowdy tasters. Here are suggestions for following proper winery etiquette:

  • Don’t treat the tasting room like it’s happy hour. You’re there to sample, not go crazy
  • Don’t monopolize the tasting counter — let someone else have a try.
  • And for the love of pete, don’t get rowdy and obnoxious. Stealing is not funny. This isn’t your neighbourhood pub.

Perhaps in the future, I’ll choose brewery tours over wineries. I think it’s more my style.

(via Reuters)

Warwick: Sip Wine at Applewood; Dine at Ten Railroad

by Kelly Amabile on

I meant to write about Warwick last week, so you’d still have enough advance notice to make a visit for the Shawangunk Wine Trail Festival. But it’s too late now, so you’ll just have to make note for next year. The event has a really cool travel theme — every year for Around the World in 80 Miles each of the 11 participating vineyards represent a different country. They serve international cuisine that complements the local wines, and provide cultural entertainment about each country.

Two weeks before this annual event I visited one of the participating locations, Applewood Orchards and Winery, where for just three bucks you can taste six wines. The actual space where the tastings take place is fairly small, but the scenic grounds include a rose garden, barn with rotating art exhibits and a few token sheep and chickens.

We snacked on oyster crackers while sipping wines, but decided to head into downtown Warwick afterward for a late lunch/early dinner. The village was much quieter than Rhinebeck, partially because it was a Sunday afternoon, but also because Warwick is tucked away in a different part of the Hudson Valley — still accessible by train to NYC, but located on the opposite side of the river in more rural Orange County.

An artist at the winery told us to try Ten Railroad, which serves a well-done mix of Spanish, Italian and American dishes. The waitress told us that the chef was fairly new — I’m not sure how new, but it didn’t matter. The food was delicious and very affordable. Portions were generous and tasty — calamari, shrimp scampi, salmon — and service was excellent. The owner is originally from Asturias in Spain, so there is paella on the menu too. I’m guessing it’s pretty darn good.