Alsace in America: Mendocino Memories

So, what if there were a wine festival which was unpretentious, fun, not the least bit crowded, where international winemakers and their wines congregated together, all set in beautiful surroundings and was, well, just way cool? Well there is. The International Alsace Varietals Festival arrives each February in Mendocino (slightly north of Sonoma), and with it, a die-hard contention of Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Muscat, Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris enthusiasts. And we’re not talking flabby sweet wines which taste like packets of Equal mixed with water. We’re talking serious non-sweet, semi-sweet and luscious sweet white wines which will literally change your mind about what a white wine can be. There has long been a belief that these kinds of wines are simplistic and that “serious wine drinkers drink red,” but that is nothing more than a short-sighted, myopic view, plagued by insecurity. All wines, white, sweet, red and bubbly, have a place on your table.

Life is not all Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc, it can be, but frankly, aromatic white wines should be part of what you are drinking on a regular basis. This is a small conference but it packs a mighty punch. It begins with a technical conference; a kind of wine-geeky gathering of detailed, though interesting, information on these wines with about 100 people. This is followed by a grand tasting, with winemakers on hand to pour and talk about their wines. And this is the inherent beauty of this particular festival; it’s small, accessible and dedicated to, not to a wide variety of wines, but a focused presentation of a select few, which gives you the chance to really hone your understanding of these varieties. The technical conference also presents unique one-of-a-kind opportunities. For 2012, the New Zealand Riesling Challenge allowed attendees to sample 12 different iterations of Riesling, made by 12 different winemakers from New Zealand who each made Riesling from grapes from a single vineyard. Given there were so few cases produced, and the majority of those were kept inside the country, this was a rare and very cool chance to taste how 12 people interpret one wine made from one plot of land.

Fresh made pizza is at the Festival

But Mendocino is not just aromatic whites. Many of the wineries which line Highway 128 are making some killer juice. Foursight Wines, located in Boonville, is a prime example of this. Making Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon and Pinot Noir, their bottle prices range from $20 to $46 and since this is a family-owned operation, one of the family always staffs the small tasting room. They are fourth-generation farmers, producing fewer than 2,000 cases of wine, and the tasting room sits on the site of an old farm house when this land used to be a sheep ranch. Probably an anomaly for the region in terms of aromatic whites, they don’t often produce one. Owner Kristy Charles and her husband Joe Webb started by making wine for themselves at first, just one barrel actually, sharing it with their friends, then slowly expanded to a commercial venture. They are the first tasting room in Boonville and a highly recommended stop. The tasting fee is a mere $5.

Kristy Charles at Foursight Wines

Up the road, just passed the blink-and-you-miss-it town of Philo in what is called the “deep end” of the Anderson Valley (a cooler more fog-laden area) Handley Cellars has been making wine for three decades here. Chardonnay, Riesling and Pinot Noir are their strong suits and with diurnal swings of 50 degrees (the extreme highs and lows of a daily temperature flux) there is a clear acidity in their wines which is crucial for wines which work well with food. I was fortunate enough to taste 10 year-old Rieslings with co-winemaker Kristen Barnhisel, and I mention this because the Rieslings held up stunningly well. They make 12,000 cases a year, using a dedication to a restrained style of wine. These are not big alcohol bombs, but, true to the region, are delicate wines, both whites and reds. I also barrel tasted through several Pinot Noirs. Their bottle prices range from $15 up to $52. Both Handley and Foursight farm their vineyards as certified organic and are definitely worth a visit when you head to the Anderson Valley.

Kristen Barnhisel of Handley Cellars

For additional info on the Mendocino wine region, get a paperback copy, or download an e-book copy of my travel book, “California Wine Country.” Copies are available nationwide, and at: http://www.amazon.com/Moon-California-Wine-Country-Handbooks/dp/1598805959

www.AVWine.com

www.FourSightWines.com

www.HandleyCellars.com

Fresh shucked oysters are always a hit at the Alsace Festival

Say Cheese: The Sonoma/Marin Cheese Trail

I like cheese. Scotch that, I love cheese. I’ve been on wine trails, hiking trails, even a bourbon trail, but nothing is quite as sensual as a cheese trail. Sonoma and West Marin Counties, north of San Francisco, are returning to their roots as dairies and creameries flourish with tours and tastings of artisanal cheeses from cows, sheep and goats with unique flavors and a definite sense of place.
Peta-Where?

The cheese trail is spread out (pun intended) covering nearly 30 dairies and creameries, so the easiest thing for cheese trail ingénues is to drive from Petaluma to Point Reyes which can be easily accomplished in a weekend.



At the Weirauch Dairy

Petaluma, off Highway 101, just west of Sonoma, is home to Weirauch Farm & Creamery who focus on sheep cheese, though they make some cow cheese too. Carleen and Joel Weirauch have a farmstead operation; they make cheese from their own herds. Their farm tours are $15 per person and are for cheese club members (so join up!) and you’ll see the entire cheese-making process, and hang out with the sheep in the pasture. They’re cool people and they love cheese – who else would aspire to make sheep cheese for a living? The tour ends with a cheese tasting of which their Harissa-spiced sheep cheese is amazing. Dedicated to sheep, (Carleen tells me one of their wedding presents was their first two sheep – all I got were crappy placemats and weird-o serving trays) Joel spent a year with cheese makers in France learning the ropes. Available at local farmers markets, if you see Weirauch cheese, get some.


Jana McClelland milks a cow...wow!

For McClelland’s Dairy it’s all about milk, butter, cheese and ice cream…and cows. McClelland’s offers a terrific 1.5 hour tour, and allows you to see firsthand the entire process of running a dairy, complete with sustainable design, as well as sampling their terrific butter, and you get to milk a cow by hand (insert joke here_____). Jana McClelland tells me that milk is 87 percent water (no wonder it looks translucent), whereas her golden-hued butter is 85 percent butter fat, making it rich, creamy with a deep yellow color and a slight nuttiness. A great product and wonderful tour, this is perfect for the kids. McClelland’s is Animal Welfare Certified.

The cool Metro Hotel in Petaluma

While in Petaluma, a surprisingly pretty Victorian town, there are plenty of restaurants, art galleries and antique shops, and the Metro Hotel is a cool place to hang for the night. The building was part of an old estate, formerly the maid’s quarters. The Metro is funky, colorful and off-beat with a decidedly Parisian theme. Rooms have claw foot tubs, hardwood floors, free wireless and it’s within walking distance to downtown. There’s a small continental breakfast every morning which can be enjoyed inside, or on the side garden patio. Or visit Della Fattoria, the best known bakery just up the street with fresh baked breads, scones, croissants, and they use McClelland’s butter in their pastries.



A multitude of cheese at Cowgirl Creamery

Get to the Point

The drive to Point Reyes from Petaluma is less than 30 minutes. Once there Cowgirl Creamery is one of the well-known cheese makers in the region and they are distributed nationwide. Their creamery is the de facto stop for not only sampling Cowgirl cheeses but other locally made cheeses. They also have a cantina on site making sandwiches and salads using their cheese. True to their original vision of supporting local dairies and creameries, you’ll also find organic ice cream from dairies like Strauss. Cowgirl sources their milk (they don’t own cows) from local farmers who produce organic milk, in which to make organic cheese, of which their Red Hawk truly represents a specific sense of place, since it’s only made in Point Reyes due to the large concentration of a specific bacteria in town. There’s a large window to watch the cheese making, frankly a rather dull process since milk is poured into stainless steel vat and it churns away.



Getting Point Reyes cheese ready for shipping

At Point Reyes Farmstead, their tours are something of an event, usually running about four hours, but include an hour long tour of the property, tucked away unseen above Tomales Bay, a visit with the baby calves and ending with a cheese and wine pairing and a chef prepared four course meal utilizing Point Reyes cheese, so you get the farm to table experience. Events begin at $75 but you’ll be immersed in a world you probably didn’t know existed. They are known for their blue cheese, but also make an award winning cheese called Toma, which I adore. The Point Reyes Vineyard Inn is an ideal choice for lodging while there. First off, it’s a house (not a B&B, nor hotel), and you have reign of the kitchen, a TV room and spacious living room. The second reason is that they make wine on the property and the tasting room allows you to sample a variety of wines, including Pinot Noir grown just steps from the rooms. If you stay there, you get a complimentary tasting, otherwise its 5 bucks per person and it’s the only winery in the area.


Street grilled oysters from Tomales Bay

In Point Reyes there’s plenty of hiking, kayaking in Tomales Bay, and visiting the famed lighthouse. It’s quiet here, well, except for the weekends when the small town of 350 more than triples. You’ll find live music and plenty of oysters being grilled outside, harvested from several of the local oyster fisheries in the bay. While on the cheese trail, be warned that tours mean you want comfortable shoes that can get dirty (watch out for them cow patties), you’re on a farm, not a red carpet.

EAT & TOUR

Weirauch Farm & Creamery (http://www.weirauchfarm.com/)

McClelland’s Dairy (http://www.mcclellandsdairy.com/)

Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Company (http://www.pointreyescheese.com/)

Cowgirl Creamery (http://www.cowgirlcreamery.com/)

STAY

Metro Hotel (http://www.metrolodging.com/)

Point Reyes Vineyard Inn (http://www.ptreyesvineyardinn.com/)