Wine Country

SONOMA, Calif. -- Once a far-flung Mexican mission town, Sonoma has successfully transformed itself into a modern food and wine mecca, the epicenter of a grape-growing valley of the same name. It has a reputation for catering to an older, sophisticated set, with vineyard walking tours, spa-focused hotels, and annual film and jazz festivals. But younger people looking for a not-so-sedate wine country getaway will be happy to find pockets of culture in and just out of town with a livelier, hipper appeal.

Backstage with the rock band Train before a performance at San Francisco's hallowed Great American Music Hall may not be quite what you expect from a Grammy-winning, multiplatinum group. What's missing from the dressing room — groupies, bling and that we're-about-to-trash-this-place vibe. What you get instead — a small table set with a few glasses and a bottle of the band's Save Me San Francisco wine which they are making in concert with ACME Wine Movers, a newly formed division of The Wine Group.

HEALDSBURG, Calif. -- The small sign for Middleton Farm is as discreet as the place itself, yet it caught our eye as we drove along a winding road in wine country. We made a U-turn and doubled back to the dirt driveway, which we rolled along slowly to avoid the roaming peacocks. A solitary figure in front of a barn turned to look at the arriving strangers with a knowing smile. It was winter, the trees were going bare and the region's vineyards fallow, but Nancy Skall seemed none too surprised that we had happened upon her eight acres.

GEYSERVILLE, Calif. — Jess Jackson, founder of the Kendall-Jackson winery and a prominent thoroughbred owner, has died of cancer. He was 81. Caroline Shaw, a spokeswoman for Mr. Jackson’s company, Jackson Family Wines, confirmed that Mr. Jackson died at his home yesterday. In recent years, Mr. Jackson was one of horse racing’s leading owners. He campaigned two-time horse of the year, Curlin, and then purchased Rachel Alexandra, the sensational filly who was horse of the year in 2009.

Lainie Kazan doesn't need to try to be larger than life. She just is. So it can be a test watching her strain to act like a passionate Italian-American mama in "The Engagement Ring. " She's not merely playing stubborn in this TNT movie, she's playing the Olympic champion of universal stubbornness. She doesn't just deliver her vindictive lines with feeling, she rams them down everyone's throats, along with a stream of visceral Italian exclamations. She isn't just bossy, she becomes a screaming tyrant around whom even her strong-willed daughter, Sara (Patricia Heaton)

GEYSERVILLE, Calif. — Jess Jackson, founder of the Kendall-Jackson winery and a prominent thoroughbred owner, has died of cancer. He was 81. Caroline Shaw, a spokeswoman for Mr. Jackson’s company, Jackson Family Wines, confirmed that Mr. Jackson died at his home yesterday. In recent years, Mr. Jackson was one of horse racing’s leading owners. He campaigned two-time horse of the year, Curlin, and then purchased Rachel Alexandra, the sensational filly who was horse of the year in 2009.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Keith Knudsen, the longtime Doobie Brothers drummer who was part of the band during a string of hits that included "Taking it to the Streets" and "Black Water," died of pneumonia yesterday. He was 56. Mr. Knudsen had been hospitalized for more than a month, according to the band's longtime manager Bruce Cohn. "I just saw him Sunday, just before the Super Bowl," Cohn said. "He was in good spirits. He was weak, but he was OK. " Mr. Knudsen began drumming in eighth grade and joined the Doobie Brothers in 1974.

EZQUIEL MONTES, Mexico -- In the land of tequila and beer, some are raising a glass to a wine renaissance. Mexico is the Western Hemisphere's oldest wine producer, yet its wines are little known in this country or anywhere else. But accomplished wine makers who have worked toward restoring respectability to Mexico since the late 1980s are getting results. Their efforts have made everyday Mexican wines more drinkable, and their premium products are beginning to catch the eyes of European and US importers.

West of Western Culinary Festival PHOENIX March 15-16 In the world of wine festivals, this Arizona spectacular featuring 50 chefs and more than 70 wines is a relative newbie. Its fourth annual event will benefit the Phoenix Art Museum, site of the festival. Food and product exhibits, cooking classes for children and adults, chef demonstrations in an open kitchen, and wine tastings will be featured. Slow Food Phoenix will present the Desert Diversity Expo with presentations by Arizona growers and food heritage organizations.

Backstage with the rock band Train before a performance at San Francisco's hallowed Great American Music Hall may not be quite what you expect from a Grammy-winning, multiplatinum group. What's missing from the dressing room — groupies, bling and that we're-about-to-trash-this-place vibe. What you get instead — a small table set with a few glasses and a bottle of the band's Save Me San Francisco wine which they are making in concert with ACME Wine Movers, a newly formed division of The Wine Group.

PECONIC, N.Y. — The specialists were skeptical when the first vineyard was planted on the North Fork in 1973. Yet less than 40 years later, this narrow northern finger of eastern Long Island has become one of the world’s promising new wine regions. Easily reached by ferry from New London, Conn., the region is perfect for a “Sideways’’ road trip from New England. More than 35 wineries along a 20-mile stretch between Southold and Aquebogue court tasters and buyers — handy, since many of the wines are available only through direct sales.

FREDERICKSBURG, Va. - If you want a Civil War vacation, book a trip to Gettysburg. When wine country calls, Napa Valley and Sonoma lead the list. If you want history and chardonnay, try Fredericksburg. A short drive from Washington, this quietly hip city of 21,500 residents is a pleasing paradox of timeworn and trendy. Once you pass the commercial strip that feeds into Old Town, a network of brick sidewalks flush with independent bookstores, cafes, and a dozen chef-owned restaurants await.

VALLEJO, Calif. - We were hurtling down Sonoma Boulevard in the urban East Bay on a sun-struck Friday afternoon, hoping to find our own way across the wine-thick valleys farther north and to the ocean's edge beyond, when we spotted, parked at the corner of Ohio Street, a truck promising "Tacos. " Jim and I, two old friends reunited for a weekend, would use as inspiration for our road trip one part of a rough route recommended by another friend who had sung the praises, among other things, of a particular winery tucked on a quiet road at the southern edge of the Russian River...

West of Western Culinary Festival PHOENIX March 15-16 In the world of wine festivals, this Arizona spectacular featuring 50 chefs and more than 70 wines is a relative newbie. Its fourth annual event will benefit the Phoenix Art Museum, site of the festival. Food and product exhibits, cooking classes for children and adults, chef demonstrations in an open kitchen, and wine tastings will be featured. Slow Food Phoenix will present the Desert Diversity Expo with presentations by Arizona growers and food heritage organizations.

September is for getting back to school and back to work. But it's also a grand time for sipping wine in Central Europe, or sampling the glories of California's Sonoma County. And who could resist going wild in Wales, or munching on buffalo wings in upstate New York? Maybe this should be the year that you let that easygoing vacation state of mind ease you into autumn. BUFFALO Sept. 1-2 It sounds like a natural: a festival to honor one of Buffalo's most famous dishes.

STELLENBOSCH, South Africa -- It was Sunday afternoon, and we had just arrived in the heart of South Africa's rolling wine country. Would anything be open? The clerk at our inn pointed us in the direction of Spier wine estate, a veritable one-stop shop for those who love to eat and drink, and who have kids in tow. Off we went, gaping at the gorgeous landscape that unfolded around us: majestic mountains, terraced vineyards, and the stately Cape Dutch manor houses that anchor many of the "wine farms," as they are called.

WHO: Sarie Booy, 60, of Duxbury WHERE: South Africa WHEN: One month in November < "I went for my aunt's 90th birthday and to visit the aunts and cousins I have in South Africa," said Booy (pronounced "boy"). AFRICA FIRST: "My first six years were primarily in South Africa, in Johannesburg," she said. "My father is Dutch and my mother is Afrikaner. I was there last in 2001, and part of turning 60 was the promise I made to myself that I'm going back to Africa every year.

September is for getting back to school and back to work. But it's also a grand time for sipping wine in Central Europe, or sampling the glories of California's Sonoma County. And who could resist going wild in Wales, or munching on buffalo wings in upstate New York? Maybe this should be the year that you let that easygoing vacation state of mind ease you into autumn. BUFFALO Sept. 1-2 It sounds like a natural: a festival to honor one of Buffalo's most famous dishes.

BORDEAUX, France -- When the word "bordeaux" is mentioned, people immediately think of the wine, among the world's best, or the region in sou thwest France where it is produced. Rarely do they think of the city. But Bordeaux is a bustling burg with many charms of its own. Like a dowager down on her luck, it had fallen victim to neglect. Today, however, it is undergoing a facelift that has already restored its downtown park and is removing the grime and soot from its 5,000 stone neo classical buildings, the better to showcase their columns, arches, cornices, and carvings.

HEALDSBURG, Calif. -- The small sign for Middleton Farm is as discreet as the place itself, yet it caught our eye as we drove along a winding road in wine country. We made a U-turn and doubled back to the dirt driveway, which we rolled along slowly to avoid the roaming peacocks. A solitary figure in front of a barn turned to look at the arriving strangers with a knowing smile. It was winter, the trees were going bare and the region's vineyards fallow, but Nancy Skall seemed none too surprised that we had happened upon her eight acres.