SANTA ROSA
Thetown formerly
known for housing
theregion’sairport,
brothels, tattoo parlours
and not much else is in the
midstofarenaissance.Originally
builtin1963,mid-centurymodernmotel
The Astroisleadingthecharge,offeringa
youthful, design-forward alternative to the
region’s traditional B&B stays, each room
styled with an eclectic mix of vintage art
andfurniture.Withbikesforhire,youcan
cruise toTheSpinsterSisters–thecasual
eateryfromthesameteam–foranepic
brunch of mod-American flavours that
spansclassicsandsurprises–thinkkimchi
andbacondevilledeggs,andgranola
waffleswithwhippedlocalbutter.
A 15-minutedriveoutoftowntakesyou
to the newBurlow Market Districtin
Sebastopol,ahubforlocalfood,art,craft
beer and independent wine labels. Sip the
first gamay planted on the Sonoma coast
and site-specific syrah at Pax Mahle’s
new-schoolPax Wines.“Gamayhas
no pressure on it, it’s a new frontier for
California,” says Mahle. Stick on the road
less travelled
with two Mahle
alumni. Scott
Schultz’s
unconventional
Jolie-Laide, which translates
to ‘pretty-ugly’, brings forgotten
andoddballgrapestotheforein
surprisingwineswithartfulbottleswhose
design changes each year, whileJaimee
Motleyis a young winemaker producing
highly drinkable and elegant natural wines.
HeadtoKendall-JacksonWineEstate,
whereyoucancheckouttheworkofatop
culinarygreenthumb.Mastergardener
Tucker Taylor has worked with the best,
formerlyrunningthegardensatThomas
Keller’s acclaimed The French Laundry.
AtKendall-Jackson,thefruitsofTaylor’s
laboursmakeitintothecellar-doorkitchen
each day. When we tour the expansive
garden, he is picking baby radishes and
oyster leaf (a briney-tasting plant from
Scotland) ahead of lunch service.FORRESTVILLE
Russian River Vineyardsis one of only
two Sonoma vineyards with a cellar doorrestaurant (the other isFrancis Ford
Coppola Winery). While the property
datesbacktothe1890s,atastefor
experimental varieties defines fourth-
generationwinemaker Gio Balistreri’s
style. “I like to do new wines,” he says,
referringtohisunconventionalline-up
that includes barbera, gewürztraminer and
riesling,whichhemakes“asclosetobone
dryaspossible”.Theresult,adangerously
drinkable wine that flows throughout a
long lunch in the sunny courtyard.
Bed down atFarmhouse Inn,an
upscalepropertythatperfectlycaptures
the rural idyll. With vaulted ceilings, open
fireplaces and neutral linens, there’s a
pared-back luxury to the spacious suites
androoms,plusahottubandon-sitespa.
Another option for pampering isOsmosis
Spain nearby Freestone with forest
massage huts and calming zen gardens.
Theirsignaturecedarenzymebathisa
novel way to experience fermentation
outside of the bottle.delicious.com.au/travel
Formore inspiration to plan
your next foodie adventure.124 delicious.com.au