2008-02-29
Tasting Room of the Week:
ST. FRANCES WINERY & VINEYARDS
by Millie Howie
nother dimension has been added to wine tasting at St. Francis Winery and Vineyards on Pythian Road in Santa Rosa, and it is a delicious one. Winemaker Tom Mackey and Executive Chef David Bush are the team creating several incredible pairings of Tom’s wines with David’s food. For those visitors with limited time to spend sampling the wines there is the Classic Tasting. For $10 guests may select four wines from a menu that frequently includes limited production wines and varieties only available at the winery.
A quartet of wines chosen from the current list of limited production wines, paired with a platter of David’s seasonal hors d’oeuvres, serves many visitors as a light lunch while providing a chance to become familiar with wine varieties not tried before. This pairing, at $25 per person, is available daily from 11 a.m. till 4 p.m. To make the presentation more delightful, the guests are seated at small tables, with white tablecloths in the dining hall. The flight of wines surrounds the small plates and there is always an educated member of the hospitality staff to discuss the vineyards and cellar practices which brought the wines into being.
Reservations for these pairings are accepted only from members of the
St. Francis Wine Clubs. Walk-in guests are welcomed on a first-come, first-served basis. There are other advantages to becoming a member of a club. Club members at all three levels: Patron Prestige, Patron Select and Zinfanatics enjoy generous discounts, informative newsletters and admission to special events.
Recently introduced are the Sunday Sommelier Insider Tours and Tastings conducted by Sommelier Adam Glatt starting with a look at the complete production facility and concluding with a sit-down exploration of the nuances of flavor and aroma in carefully paired mini-menus.
If time constraints do not permit a tour and tasting, guests will certainly find other attractions. A stroll around the flower-filled courtyard brings one face-to-face with the benign presence of St. Francis – in the form of a handsome terra-cotta statue. Across the walk is a plaque telling the story of the bell tower whose melodious voice is heard hourly every day.
Like many wineries, St. Francis is often the site for gatherings such as weddings and family reunions, but unique to this elegant spot is the “Planned Elopement.” Now this idyllic setting is being chosen for less formal but memorable celebrations of matrimony, and the person to help with those plans is Brad Schneider. Call him at (707) 833-0255.
The tasting room at St. Francis Winery is open daily from 10 a.m. till 5 p.m., but the website at www.stfranciswinery.com is always just a click away. To visit in person, turn off Highway 12, near Santa Rosa, at Pythian Road and enter the gracious grounds of St. Francis at 100 Pythian Road.
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