Of COURSE one wants to try Californian food and wine when visiting, but where to start when there are so many options available? The Sonoma Food Tour is a solid bet because it offers many innovative tastings and does so in a manageable timeframe. Moreover, guests will walk the town streets and receive a history lesson between tastings.
Mia, the enthusiastic and knowledgeable tour leader, starts everyone off with short personal introductions in front of the historic Depot Hotel before plunging inside for some terrific thin-crust pizza and a couple of wines. Next it is off on a short stroll along the town's rails-to-trails path to Vella Cheese, located in a former brewery that didn't make it through prohibition in the 1920s. All was not lost, though, because it became a cheese factory about 10 years late and began producing delicious cheeses. About 6 cheeses were on offer, and if that wasn't enough, others could be sampled on request.
The tour then heads to Sonoma Plaza (the town square), passing a paddock filled with gorgeous Clydesdale horses and the Mission San Francisco Solano, which was the northernmost mission on the El Camino Real, California's historic mission road. Mia pauses briefly at the square to note the Bear Flag Revolt that gave birth to the California state flag and then steers the group into Figone's, an olive oil and balsamic vinegar establishment, where everyone tries a selection of amazing unflavoured and flavoured oils and vinegars (hint: try the Cinnamon Pear balsamic and think of all the things it would go with).
Next is a stop in the the very attractive Bump Wine Cellars tasting room to wade through some of their terrific wines (we tried some great Sauvignon Blanc, Zinfandel and a Cab/Zin blend) and to learn how hard small vineyards have to work to produce a quality product. Geordie, the proprietor, also showcases local art in the shop.
At this stage only two more stops remain: La Casa restaurant for some amazing pollo encebollado - seasoned, shredded chicken over salsa verde and black beans with a good blast of lime and cilantro - and then around back to Wine Country Chocolates for a truffle filled with wine-flavoured ganache, an intriguing peanutty offering called an "Elvis," or, for traditionalists, mint, flour de sel or orange.
So, If you want something more intriguing than bouncing around from winery to winery, this is definitely the trip for you. The high TripAdvisor score is there for a reason.
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Nov 2016
Wow! Thank you for the amazing, detailed review of Sonoma Food Tour! I really appreciate you taking the time to share your experience with others and I love that your review is written in such an eloquent, intriguing manner. All the best, Mia