An Eccentric History of Sonoma & Napa from Amicis Tours
Ralph & Lahni de Amicis, Napa, Sonoma, San Francisco
Sonoma Means Food
The name Sonoma means Valley of the Moon, in Astrology the Moon symbolizes the Mother and your Mother feeds you. Therefore Sonoma means food, and apparently it always has. Sonoma is made up of narrow, diverse locations that promote a shockingly wide variety of species. As compared to many of the waterways in Northern California, where rivers irrigate narrow slices of land, Sonoma Creek and the Santa Rosa Laguna share their water over very wide areas, winding their way into small and fertile places.
While oak and bay trees dominate the inner valleys, redwood and sequoia carpet the rolling hills closer to the sea. There is such a natural wealth of forests in this northern region that it is known as the Redwood Empire. Even though Sonoma is farther north from such famous locations as Monterey and San Francisco, most of it is nestled away just enough to give it a Mediterranean climate, with three growing seasons, although only one for grapes, its most important crop.
At the heart of Sonoma, in centrally located Santa Rosa, you find the green houses and farm of Luther Burbank. In the nineteen fifties and sixties every school child knew who he was, one of the great heroes of botany and plant science. It was here in Sonoma that he selected and developed hundreds of popular fruits, vegetables and flowers that would feed and please a growing nation.
To the west of Santa Rosa, winding through the hills of the Russian River Valley is Gravenstein Highway. For many years it was bordered on both sides by apple orchards growing Gravenstein apples. Now there are more pinot noir and chardonnay vineyards alongside the road, but you can still find a good glass of cider on a hot day.
Even historic downtown Sonoma has its foodie claim to fame. Just minutes from the Plaza a turkey farmer revolutionized the industry. This area had always been famous for its poultry, over the hills to the west the town of Petaluma produced wonderfully tasty chickens. But, in downtown Sonoma this farmer noticed that while most turkeys were dark breasted, a small percentage of white feathered turkeys were also white breasted. He selected until he was able to produce the standard American turkey. There were once hundreds of turkey sheds in Sonoma and Lovall Valleys. Even today in route from Sonoma to Napa you pass turkey sheds among the vineyards.
We can’t forget Fort Ross, the Russian encampment where for thirty five years the Russian American company grew food to ship to their bases in Alaska. We also need to mention Sonoma’s very significant contribution to the world of wine grapes. Wine is food after all. As the Franciscan Monks set up their missions they planted gardens for food and vineyards for wine. That small bit of alcohol was very helpful for making local water sources safer to drink. The mission grapes they planted were not equal in taste to the modern varietals we enjoy now. It was a Hungarian Count who first brought two hundred European varietals to California. They were planted at his winery, Buena Vista, just outside downtown Sonoma.
The first important Cabernet vineyards in California were planted up valley, on top of the mountains overlooking Glen Ellen and Kenwood. The state’s first Pinot Noir vineyards were planted in the 1930’s on the hillsides overlooking downtown Sonoma, many of the original vines are still there. When Prohibition began and vineyards were torn out in Napa, the Italian Americans in Sonoma planted more and shipped grapes to their countrymen back east. You could make wine, you just couldn’t sell it.
The American organic farming movement began in Sonoma and Mendocino, the county to the north. America’s largest organic dairy cooperative has its home here. Throughout the county there are many small farmers, vineyard owners, wine makers, beekeepers and hunters. Years ago sailing ships released pigs near Monterey which went feral and migrated north, finding a home in Sonoma. There is quite a little industry in wild boar hunting, because while they can be nasty and troublesome, they are also very tasty.
The coast line here is rich in seafood and many amateur divers hunt conch in the rocky shallows along the Sonoma coast. During the salmon runs fishermen are brought into remote locations by helicopter and those wild caught delicacies show up in local stores. Salmon swim up the streams in downtown Sonoma and the Dry Creek Valley miles from the ocean. The regions newest cash crop is marijuana and even in this Sonoma excels. Beyond the illegal industrial growers there is a legal cottage industry of people, with prescriptions, selling to the dispensaries. According to popular opinion, this region produces America’s best cannabis. One of the benefits of cannabis is that it improves the appetite, so this is just one more way that Sonoma is all about food. Side note: Why does California law permit cannabis cultivation even though Federal law prohibits it? From the Sonoma point of view, Washington DC is very far away both in miles and mindset. Additionally, a little known fact that explains a lot, is that California has more Judges and courts (and attendant attorneys) than the federal government. Anytime there is a legal issue between America’s most populous state and the federal government it leads to a lengthy discussion, in court, with all of those attorneys, billing on an hourly basis. It can be very frustrating and Sonoma is so far from Washington DC.
Call 707-235-2648 for Tours, Books & Seminars Copyright Ralph & Lahni de Amicis 2011 All tasting fees, hours, wine lists, etc are subject to change.