2007-08-31
Tasting Room of the Week:
KUNDE ESTATE WINERY
by Millie Howie
Tt is a rare treat to visit a winery owned and operated by a single family and even more rare to be welcomed by a fifth generation member of that family. That possibility is only one reason wine buffs flock to Kunde Estate Winery and return again and again. For more than 100 years members of the Kunde family have farmed the 1,850-acre ranch in Sonoma County’s fabled Valley of the Moon.
The large bright, airy Kunde tasting room is the ideal place to sample the wines. Any four of the 10 or 12 estate wines may be sampled for a $5 fee and a tasting of the Reserve wines is $10 and visitors may take their logo glass home as a souvenir. A great many of the wines are available only in the tasting room or by becoming a member of the Kunde Estate Family Club, also known as i.n.k – I Need Kunde.
Almost always around in the tasting room is Jody Stewart, consumer direct manager. She could almost be called the consumer happiness manager so imbued is she with the spirit of fun and friendliness that fills the air all over the winery. Just walking from the parking lot a visitor finds occasion to smile. As you walk around the reflecting pools Blossom, the cow gazes at you with a welcoming glance. Of course, Blossom is not a milk-producing animal, but it is enough that she is a smile generator. So popular has she become that Jody and a team of artists reproduced her flower-bedecked body as a bobble-head, which may be purchased in the tasting room.
Before or after tasting a stroll might be in order. Walks through the caves are offered daily: Monday through Thursday at 11 a.m. and Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 11 a.m., noon, 1, 2 and 3 p.m.
For a more invigorating walk Jeff Kunde conducts Eco Tours, a four-mile hike around the estate that provides a stupendous 100-mile scenic view. Of particular interest historically are the stone ruins of the Dunfillan Winery dating back to the late 1800s. A picnic lunch and tasting are included with the tour, and information and reservations for walks or utilizing the events areas are available by calling Naomi Doherty at (707) 833-5501, extension 331. For further details check the website, www.kunde.com.
Tasting Room hours are 10:30 a.m. till 4:30 p.m. daily. Visit early and pick up some interesting souvenirs: books, Kunde-label foods, colorful accessory pieces of pottery, lead-free crystal ware or an original artwork by a local artist. There are pamphlets to pick up to read about the generations of Kundes and the marvelous salute to nature they have created, a concierge center with restaurant menus and descriptions of close-by lodging to help you complete your trip or plan the next one.
One place you’ll surely have on your list is a return to Kunde Estate Winery, 9825 Highway 12, in Kenwood.
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