Kevin grafting vines, Sonoma, Calif.

Sonoma County Wines (109)
The California coast is all sun and surf, and up the coast a bit, also wine country. In Sonoma, rolling fog cover from the Pacific causes grapes to ripen slowly and retain flavor and sugar, which produces peerless Sonoma wines, from Cabernets to Sauvignon Blancs. Come see the place that crushes more than 113,000 tons of grapes per year and has more than 150 wineries, half of them younger than 20.

• The Sonoma Fisherman's Festival is held every April, just before the salmon season begins.
  
• Sauvignon Blanc has an herbaceous quality as a wine and works well with dishes highlighting herbs.
  
• A Sonoma Chardonnay is nutty and buttery with apple and coconut tones, which pairs well with provolone cheese.
  
• Sonoma's Cabernet Sauvignon is high in sugar content and tastes of currants and cedar. Serve with lamb and beef dishes including Stroganoff, or duck, pheasant or grilled salmon.

Wild Hog Winery, Cazadero, CA
707-847-3687, wildhog@mcn.org

Foppiano Vineyards, Healdsburg, CA
707-433-7272
lfoppiano@aol.com, www.foppiano.com

Saralee's Vineyard, Inc., Windsor, CA
707-546-3276, vella@vellacheese.com, www.vellacheese.com/

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Recipes featured in this episode are listed below.