I was thrilled to spend a little time with some wonderful ladies from the Sonoma County Master Gardeners at the Sonoma County Fair, which runs through August 12.
Putting the Grandkids to Work
Sonoma with the Grandkids: Part 2
Sonoma with the Grandkids: Part 1
A Brush with Greatness
His garage was a home gourmet’s dream. He had three big barrels of ageing wine. He let me have a sample. A glass-lined refrigerator ran along one wall of the garage and in it were homemade hams and sausages, curing. I came to learn later that this wasn’t any regular guy. This Paul, who invited a complete stranger into his food and wine laboratory, was chef Paul Bertolli, Alice Waters’ chef at the world-renown Chez Panisse and co-owner and chef at Oliveto.
Freeing the Rootstock
When we decided to plant an additional space with Pinot Noir grapes, we opted to plant bare rootstock and then, after a year, graft on the grape clone in the field. The rootstock is buried under a mound of dirt to keep it moist and protected from the elements. Once the rootstock begins to bud and grow leaves, it is necessary to uncover the plant from the mound to prevent mildew. This job is normally contracted through our vineyard manager to be done by vineyard workers. But Clay and I decided that this was a job that not only we could do, but should do.
Family Donates to a Worthy Cause
A Note from the Winemaker
This adventure started because Clay is a passionate and talented small-batch winemaker who loves to share his efforts with friends and family. Here is a note he’d written to accompany 12 cases we’d bottled in 2009. I always thought it was wonderful and felt it deserved a bit of immortality on the Internet.