The Sonoma Spiel

San Francisco is an hour from Sonoma Valley and the majority of visitors to Sonoma Valley usually make a stop in "The City" before heading up to wine country. This week, Lynn Bruni-Perkins of SF Travel talks what makes San Francisco special, from the culture of social movements, Burning Man, and the technology that brought us the iPhone, to the next phase of technology like AI and self-driving cars (Waymo, for good or ill) as well as social movements coming on the horizon. She also directly answers critics who deride San Francisco, offering some common-sense ideas and points about the City by the Bay. Before she good-naturedly answers visitor questions, she opines on the fact that "Dutch crunch" bread - a northern California invention - is making it's way south to LA, and reacts to a travel blogger's contention that you should choose your next destination by your astronomical sign. (We look forward to seeing all you Taureses/Tauri soon...) And when she does answer YOUR Sonoma questions, as all our podcast guests do, she takes on: What are all those yellow flowers in the fields? Can I just buy tickets to Alcatraz at the wharf? Can I get married at San Francisco’s City Hall? Do I need a car to get around San Francisco? Where can I find Pliny the Younger? (The beer, not the first century Roman author) How can I get to San Francisco Airport without uber or lyft? Got questions about Sonoma Valley? You can email us at [email protected], text us or contact us through Facebook, Instagram, TikTok or just walk into one of our two visitor centers. To plan your next visit to San Francisco, start with the official San Francisco Travel website here: www.sftravel.com Then get your wine country details from the Sonoma Valley website: www.sonomavalley.com It's Sonoma Valley's top podcast and you find it wherever you find fine podcasts, including Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-sonoma-spiel/id1634467429 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4UuskGhmJ3EkWQk8DObR9b Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiSa7rAVobsI8O_3xp7hIDPKRO9nBuvNF

Molly Spencer is with the Sonoma Community Center, a school building turned arts and culinary center complete with galleries and theater programs. She hops on the Sonoma Spiel podcast to talk ceramics, chili recipes, fiber arts happy hour, ballet and a secret garden that isn't that secret because we are talking about it. She then says that yes, the movie "Scream" was filmed at the Sonoma Community Center in 1996, thanks to Santa Rosa High School backing out of the production at the last minute. Yeah, "No thanks whatsoever to the Santa Rosa city school district governing board." And like all of our Very Special Guests, she answers YOUR Sonoma questions during "We Get Questions." This week she takes on: Where is a beautiful winery? – Visitor from the UK What is that building that looks like a church over there? – Canadian visitor at the Plaza visitor center Looking for recommendations on wineries with tastings and paired lunches. (More than just charcuterie/snacks.) TIA!- - Facebook Sonoma County Wine Imbibers I’m going to be staying in Sonoma in March with five other gals. Would love some recs for restaurants for dinner in Healdsburg and anywhere back down to Sonoma. Also any bakeries or places to grab sandwiches or pastries before hitting the wineries would be great( prefer closer to downtown since staying down that way). We are very mixed in what we like for food but would be looking for more Italian, seafood and burgers or mix with most prices $20-40 for entrees. TIA! - Facebook Sonoma County Wine Imbibers Got questions about Sonoma Valley? You can email us at [email protected], text us or contact us through Facebook, Instagram, TikTok or just walk into one of our two visitor centers. It's Sonoma Valley's top podcast and you find it wherever you find fine podcasts, including Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-sonoma-spiel/id1634467429 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4UuskGhmJ3EkWQk8DObR9b Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiSa7rAVobsI8O_3xp7hIDPKRO9nBuvNF

He was inspired to start cooking because his great aunt's awful Thanksgiving dinner spurned him to action, his first restaurant job was with three Lebanese brothers in Pennsylvania, and he left Manhattan for the excitement of Sonoma Valley: Ari Weiswasser of Glen Ellen Star talks his journey to having two restaurants and a catering company in California's wine country. And like all guests on the Sonoma Spiel, he answers YOUR Sonoma questions including: “Hello! We are planning a trip and I have a lodging question. Is there a local alternative to booking vacation home lodging that avoids using national websites like Vrbo and Airbnb? Trying to spend our dollars locally. (Via text to 707-996-1090 from Kathy) What do you know about the Hood house? (Via phone) Best places to go that offer free corkage for Sonoma county wines? Don’t mind paying corkage just interested to know what’s out there. (SoCo Wine Imbibers Facebook) Four of us (adults) will be in Sonoma 3/27-4/1. Are most wineries open on Easter Sunday? Are there other events (special brunches or lunches?) happening that day? (Via website form) Got questions about Sonoma Valley? You can email us at [email protected], text us or contact us through Facebook, Instagram, TikTok or just walk into one of our two visitor centers. It's Sonoma Valley's top podcast and you find it wherever you find fine podcasts, including Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-sonoma-spiel/id1634467429 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4UuskGhmJ3EkWQk8DObR9b Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiSa7rAVobsI8O_3xp7hIDPKRO9nBuvNF Find Ari cooking at: Glen Ellen Star: https://glenellenstar.com Park Avenue Catering: https://parkavecater.com

Heidi Geffen founded Tiddle E. Winks just off the Sonoma Plaza as a place to find items of whimsy, fun and happiness. She stops by the Spiel to talk her journey from a rubber stamp saleswoman in LA to a sticker designer in Petaluma to the bringer of happiness to Sonoma. She also talks a bit about wellness and how being happy is part of the experience, and even brought in some home-made kale chips from her secret recipe. (Brewer's yeast is the secret, so saved you a click.) Like all our guests she also takes a turn answering YOUR Sonoma questions, during "We Get Questions," including: Any ideas for romantic and/or fun restaurants for Valentine's Day, which don't have jacked up prices?- via Facebook Where do the ducks go in the winter? - H. Caulfield via text Do you allow weddings in the park with less than ten people and no chairs? Guests just standing? Thank you – via email Got questions about Sonoma Valley? You can email us at [email protected], text us (707-996-1090) or contact us through Facebook, Instagram, TikTok or just walk into one of our two visitor centers. It's Sonoma Valley's top podcast and you find it wherever you find fine podcasts, including Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-sonoma-spiel/id1634467429 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4UuskGhmJ3EkWQk8DObR9b Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiSa7rAVobsI8O_3xp7hIDPKRO9nBuvNF

Lauren Feldman (Valley Bar + Bottle and Valley Swim Club) joins us in the new year to talk all things food, wine, wellness and how she ended up leaving fashion for running front of the house at her restaurant, that she started with her husband Tanner and two friends. In between running a new restaurant, Valley Swim Club which is a west coast take (vegan tartar sauce!) on an east coast clam shack, she also has a young child and teaches spinning classes at the local health club. And like all our podcast guests, she answers YOUR Sonoma questions during "We Get Questions." This week she tackles: A friend is doing a retreat at Westerbeke Ranch, and before I drop her back at Sonoma County Airport, we’re looking for some good places for lunch in Sonoma Valley. Any recommendations? – via email I'm planning a visit around a concert in Santa Rosa on March 20th. Not my first trip to Sonoma so want “off beaten trail ideas”. Suggestions for wineries that have great white (not oaky chards), sparklers, interesting tours or settings. Other ideas for things to do as solo traveler welcome! – From Facebook I’m bringing a group of senior couples to Sonoma for a day and looking for an activity that doesn’t require too much walking, but incorporates history, or culinary classes or nature. Ideas? - From a phone call Oysters! Where is a good place to get oysters! - Via text Every week our podcast guests answer YOUR questions about wine country and visiting Sonoma. Got questions about Sonoma Valley? You can email us at [email protected], text us or contact us through Facebook, Instagram, TikTok or just walk into one of our two visitor centers. Go to Valley Bar + Bottle at https://www.valleybarandbottle.com/ Find Valley Swim Club at https://www.valleyswim.club/ It's Sonoma Valley's top podcast and you find it wherever you find fine podcasts, including Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-sonoma-spiel/id1634467429 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4UuskGhmJ3EkWQk8DObR9b Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiSa7rAVobsI8O_3xp7hIDPKRO9nBuvNF

Lisa Carlsson with Euphoria Retreats brings people around the world to find wellness- and she even made us take some calming breaths before we started the podcast. Then she tells us about how she approaches wellness and health and brings wellness and adventure to travelers in Sonoma Valley and beyond. She also spends time answering YOUR questions during WE GET QUESTIONS where she helps us with: Hello. Friends are planning an event in Sonoma for Sept 28, 2024 and asked me to research if that’s a busy weekend in Sonoma, including if hotel rooms will be hard to come by. Do you have that information? I need a place for Birthday brunch! What do you recommend? Where’s a good place to find a whiskey distillery around here? Got questions about Sonoma Valley? You can email us at [email protected], text us or contact us through Facebook, Instagram, TikTok or just walk into one of our two visitor centers. It's Sonoma Valley's top podcast and you find it wherever you find fine podcasts, including Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-sonoma-spiel/id1634467429 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4UuskGhmJ3EkWQk8DObR9b Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiSa7rAVobsI8O_3xp7hIDPKRO9nBuvNF

Ceja Vineyards makes high-end wines from world-class vineyards, but Amelia Ceja is remarkably approachable in her turn on the Sonoma Spiel podcast. She talks her journey from a young immigrant to America in 1967, following her father who worked in the fields, to her education at UC San Diego, to starting a Latino family-owned winery with her husband Pedro and his brother Armando and his wife Martha. Now a grandmother, and with her children in the business, Amelia talks about the tasting experiences and showcases two of her wines, all the while keeping up a patter of stories about wine, farming, cooking and how fortunate she is to have settled in the North Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area. And like all of our guests, she takes a turn answering questions from visitors. This week she takes on: Can I use Uber or Lyft to go between wineries in Sonoma Valley? What if I don't drink wine - are there things to do? I would like to buy locally-made crafts. Where can I find a place? We are going to a preview movie for the Sonoma Film Festival at the Sebastiani Theatre. We need to find a hotel nearby – any suggestions? Got questions about Sonoma Valley? You can email us at [email protected], text us or contact us through Facebook, Instagram, TikTok or just walk into one of our two visitor centers. Find out more about Ceja Vineyards at www.cejavineyards.com. It's Sonoma Valley's top podcast and you find it wherever you find fine podcasts, including Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-sonoma-spiel/id1634467429 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4UuskGhmJ3EkWQk8DObR9b Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiSa7rAVobsI8O_3xp7hIDPKRO9nBuvNF

Margo Lowe moved her jewelry store from Berkeley (just outside the gates of Cal - Go Bears!) to Sonoma (just across from the Plaza - Go Dragons!) On a wide-ranging podcast she talks about her journey from Pittsburgh (good bagels) to Berkeley (neighbor to Alice Waters' Chez Panisse) and then to Sonoma. Then she takes on answering YOUR Sonoma Valley questions during "We Get Questions." This week she answers: 1) We are from Michigan, visiting our son who is stationed at Travis Air Force Base, and we heard about this place called the Plaza, but we don’t see a mall anywhere. What is a Plaza in California and where is it? 2) Where can I get a good hamburger? 3) Hi this is Brent here from San Diego. We will be up in the Sonoma County area for two weeks this winter. Are there any wine passes or are there any 2-for-1 coupons available for Bedrock and Kunde wineries, or a few others in the area? 4) Winter means fruitcake! Where can I buy a fruitcake? Got questions about Sonoma Valley? You can email us at [email protected], text us or contact us through Facebook, Instagram, TikTok or just walk into one of our two visitor centers. It's Sonoma Valley's top podcast and you find it wherever you find fine podcasts, including Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-sonoma-spiel/id1634467429 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4UuskGhmJ3EkWQk8DObR9b Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiSa7rAVobsI8O_3xp7hIDPKRO9nBuvNF

This week on the Sonoma Spiel we are looking back at some of the best of "We Get Questions" where we make our guests answer the questions we get from visitors. Featured guests include Michelle Lacy from Sonoma Valley Visitors Bureau and Mark Bodenhamer of the Chamber of Commerce, Chef Lauren Kershner from Songbird Parlour, and Laura McGilley of the Sonoma Valley Vintners & Growers Alliance and Bart Hansen of Dane Cellars. The know stuff, and they are ready to share it with you! Every week our podcast guests answer YOUR questions about wine country and visiting Sonoma Valley, California. Got questions about Sonoma Valley? You can email us at [email protected], text us or contact us through Facebook, Instagram, TikTok or just walk into one of our two visitor centers. It's Sonoma Valley's top podcast and you find it wherever you find fine podcasts, including Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-sonoma-spiel/id1634467429 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4UuskGhmJ3EkWQk8DObR9b Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiSa7rAVobsI8O_3xp7hIDPKRO9nBuvNF

We've got goldengroves unleaving, as fall is here and the vines are changing colors and winter is coming and the holidays beckon. Luckily to help us navigate the change and talk about Sonoma Valley is Ryan Lely, the creative force and eye behind Pangloss Cellars and Repris Wines. He also knows about the secret winery, that is hiding - in plain sight mind you- at Pangloss. Ryan talks about how to create a unified look for a winery, photography and some of his favorite places in Sonoma Valley, some of which seem to employ his cousins and siblings, of which there seem to be many. He then lies and says that when he worked for Francis Ford Coppola's winery, which was cleverly named Francis Ford Coppola Winery, that his buddy Frank never asked him tips on photography or set design. So humble, Mr. Lely. Then he takes a turn in the hot seat, answering questions that we get from visitors during our segment, "We Get Questions." This week he tackles: Hola. We are visiting from Puerto Rico. We would like to get a fun t-shirt or hat that says Sonoma. Where can I find this? We have a whole lot of people coming for Thanksgiving – the inlaws, the cousins, the college kids, the college kids’ friends, that one neighbor who is angling for an invitation- and really I need to know- what are the best wines to serve for Thanksgiving? We just got here from Minnesota. Any recommendations on what to do today? Looking for a brunch spot with bottomless mimosas that can host a large group on a Sunday & wouldn’t be annoyed to do so. Got questions about Sonoma Valley? You can email us at [email protected], text us or contact us through Facebook, Instagram, TikTok or just walk into one of our two visitor centers. Thanks to Patricia & Scott from Stockton for listening! It's Sonoma Valley's top podcast and you find it wherever you find fine podcasts, including Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-sonoma-spiel/id1634467429 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4UuskGhmJ3EkWQk8DObR9b Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiSa7rAVobsI8O_3xp7hIDPKRO9nBuvNF

Kelly Bass Seibel from Sonoma County Tourism joins the Sonoma Spiel podcast to talk about the great and wonderful world that exists beyond the borders of Sonoma Valley, and disavows us of the notion that there be dragons there. Actually, there's a river, some beaches and a place called Rohnert Park. Kelly got her start in tourism via a circuitous route, but her start in Sonoma began with Sea Ranch and then a degree from Sonoma State University (Go Seawolves!) While we hear about her family drives up from LA, we also find out what there is to see and do in Santa Rosa, Petaluma, Guerneville, Jenner, Healdsburg and more. She also admits that her dad specialized in capturing sound for movies, so maybe we can hire him to help with our podcast. Every week our podcast guests answer YOUR questions about wine country and visiting Sonoma. This week she answers: Next week, we'll be doing a split stay between Downtown Napa and Healdsburg. I'm looking for recommendations on a winery to stop at on our drive to Healdsburg. We're thinking of visiting a tasting room and having lunch in Downtown Sonoma, but we're open to all suggestions! (via Facebook) Does anyone have any favorite bakeries and places to get cheese? I like going to farmers markets but would love to know of a good local place that i can always go to. Thanks! You keep trying to hand me booklets and information when I walk by here – are you Jehovah’s Witnesses? I have purchased a number of bottles of olive oil from Green String Farm, over the years. Suddenly, with their closing I am jonesing for a fix. Who has found an acceptable, and locally sourced alternative? Got questions about Sonoma Valley? You can email us at [email protected], text us or contact us through Facebook, Instagram, TikTok or just walk into one of our two visitor centers. Want more info about Sonoma Valley - go to www.sonomavalley.com Dare to go beyond the Valley into the greater, wider Sonoma County? Go to www.sonomacounty.com It's Sonoma Valley's top podcast and you find it wherever you find fine podcasts, including Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-sonoma-spiel/id1634467429 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4UuskGhmJ3EkWQk8DObR9b Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiSa7rAVobsI8O_3xp7hIDPKRO9nBuvNF

Kaleigh Rhoades came to Sonoma's Charlie's Acres from San Diego via a stint at UC-Berkeley (Go Bears!), an orangutan rescue in Borneo and a chimpanzee sanctuary in Oregon. The mission at Charlie's Acres is two-fold: save farm animals as a sanctuary, and introduce plant-based alternatives to the more traditional American diet. But in an approachable way. "It's not a bunch of vegans yelling at you," says Kaleigh. "We have fun picnics and tours and education, including local wines. It can be a luxury wine country experience that's totally friendly to animals." She is also very understanding about how coop-dwelling vegetarians in Madison all ate protein pucks from the Moosewood Cookbook, and how far we've come. Like all Very Special Guests on the Sonoma podcast, she takes a moment to answer YOUR questions during our segment, "WE GET QUESTIONS." This week she answers: Hiii! Looking for recommendations for about 30 employees for a work holiday party that isn't SUPER expensive but worth it! Thank you in advance :) Where can I get dried grapes? Is that really the original Williams-Sonoma store? Does anyone know if strawberries are still being sold on Watmaugh? Every week our podcast guests answer YOUR questions about wine country and visiting Sonoma. Got questions about Sonoma Valley? You can email us at [email protected], text us or contact us through Facebook, Instagram, TikTok or just walk into one of our two visitor centers. It's Sonoma Valley's top podcast and you find it wherever you find fine podcasts, including Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-sonoma-spiel/id1634467429 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4UuskGhmJ3EkWQk8DObR9b Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiSa7rAVobsI8O_3xp7hIDPKRO9nBuvNF

Rob Lorenz was going to be a sports journalist, but covering Atascadero high school sports as the writer, editor and photographer pushed him to slingin' juice, selling wine. A native of San Jose, he knows the way to Sonoma and how to find good wine. At Talisman wines we helps wine tasters find excellent wines ("all Pinot Noir, all the time") that show their pride of place, whether from the Russian River Valley, Sonoma Valley's Carneros region and even into Napa Valley. In addition to discovering that we grew up near each other in the "old neighborhood" of Almaden in San Jose, Rob talks about an upcoming wine dinner that will feature nine different wines from three different vineyards. And he details the tasting experience at the Glen Ellen tasting room, which is near of the three stop signs in town. As always he jumps in the hot seat to answer YOUR questions during "We Get Questions." This week he takes on: What’s the weather like in December? Is Glen Ellen a village, a hamlet, a townlet, or an outpost? What is a vertical tasting? Looking for a good place for a QUIET meal. We don’t like loud places. Children at wine tastings – yes or no? (From Sonoma County Wine Imbibers Facebook) Got questions about Sonoma Valley? You can email us at [email protected], text us or contact us through Facebook, Instagram, TikTok or just walk into one of our two visitor centers. It's Sonoma Valley's top podcast and you find it wherever you find fine podcasts, including Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-sonoma-spiel/id1634467429 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4UuskGhmJ3EkWQk8DObR9b Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiSa7rAVobsI8O_3xp7hIDPKRO9nBuvNF

It's not often we get to talk to a mayor, a commissioner of a football league, a political organizer and a bilingual math teacher. But when we sat with Sandra Lowe, mayor of Sonoma, we got all of that in one package. She came to the Sonoma Spiel podcast to talk about her journey from LA math teacher (via Cal - Go Bears!) to Sonoma Valley High bilingual algebra specialist (Vamos los Dragons!) to teacher organizer and mayor of Sonoma. In addition to talking the ins and outs of ballot initiatives in California (good and bad) she talks about her favorite places in Sonoma Valley. Then she takes on YOUR questions during our segment, We Get Questions. This week she takes on: Where would you recommend wine tasting for out-of-town visitors? (From Facebook) Are the redwood trees on the plaza, redwood trees or sequoias? Do these redwood trees lose their leaves? Where can we see redwood trees around here? - Visitor from Minnesota I'm fascinated by the ducks in the Plaza. There were a group of 5 misfit ducks who were always in the round fountain in front of the City Hall. They've left that fountain, and I haven't seen a duck in there in at least a month. Anyway, there are a lot of ducks, but never any ducklings? Why? Predators? Duck birth control? (via email) Got questions about Sonoma Valley? You can email us at [email protected], text us or contact us through Facebook, Instagram, TikTok or just walk into one of our two visitor centers. It's Sonoma Valley's top podcast and you find it wherever you find fine podcasts, including Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-sonoma-spiel/id1634467429 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4UuskGhmJ3EkWQk8DObR9b Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiSa7rAVobsI8O_3xp7hIDPKRO9nBuvNF

Nicole Whitaker started out doing cold calls for AT&T back when customers leased their cell phones, and Erin McVicar has been in the wine and hospitality business around Sonoma Valley. They both are now at the Lodge at Sonoma, a recently renovated resort within biking distance of the Sonoma Plaza. They stopped by to chat about the return of Martini Madness (huzzah!), the unique food experiences at The Lodge, and all the wellness options available at the spa. Then they dish on the famous VW Microbus that is both a photo backdrop and occasional shuttle for guests, some of their favorite ways to celebrate events at the Lodge and we talk about how to deprogram Nicole since she has been working over in Napa, whom we love dearly. They also tell us what a concierge actually does and why they are a valuable part of a full-service hotel experience. And it wouldn't be the Sonoma Spiel without taking a turn at answering YOUR Sonoma Questions during "We Get Questions," where our guests answer queries we get in the visitor center. This week: -Hello, we are going to Sonoma soon and are very excited! We are interested in significant nature areas that we shouldn’t miss, specifically water related. Any suggestions would be appreciated! TIA! (via Facebook) - We’re planning a visit to Sonoma in a few weeks. Our agent booked a hotel for us in Rohnert Park, which looks to be about a 30-minute drive from Sonoma. Would there often be a lot of traffic between the two areas? (From “Bill” via email) - I’m taking my girlfriend to an event at a winery, and then looking for a special dinner spot to celebrate her birthday. Where should we go? (Via text to 707-996-1090) -We will be in Sonoma Valley to celebrate our 20th anniversary (we honeymooned here in 2003)... Where should we be having dinner? Is there something we should not miss? We will be there Oct 15-20. (From Facebook- Sonoma Valley Local) More info on the Lodge at Sonoma, An Autograph Collection resort: https://www.thelodgeatsonoma.com It's Sonoma Valley's top podcast and you find it wherever you find fine podcasts, including Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-sonoma-spiel/id1634467429 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4UuskGhmJ3EkWQk8DObR9b Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiSa7rAVobsI8O_3xp7hIDPKRO9nBuvNF

Brad Day knows a thing or two about getting outside in California. For almost two decades, Brad and his wife Holly have helped locals find the right trails for hiking and biking and the best lakes for kayaking and camping. Weekend Sherpa, an award-winning website, email newsletter and a podcast, details great places to get outside in Northern California. Brad stopped by, fresh from the trails it seems, to talk about his favorite hikes in Sonoma, Marin and Napa counties, as well as what it was like growing up in the Central Valley of California near Sequoia National Park, the lesser-known Sierra Nevada park that is often upstaged by the every-popular Yosemite. Brad also hops in the hot-seat and answers YOUR Sonoma questions during our segment, "We Get Questions." This week he takes on: The six of us just got here from Australia. We are looking for a winery that offers a luncheon, and a tour and a tasting. What do you suggest? Where can I take my dog in Sonoma Valley? What’s a good way to identify a bug I found in Sonoma Valley? Every week our podcast guests answer YOUR questions about wine country and visiting Sonoma. Got questions about Sonoma Valley? You can email us at [email protected], text us or contact us through Facebook, Instagram, TikTok or just walk into one of our two visitor centers. Find out more about Weekend Sherpa: https://www.weekendsherpa.com It's Sonoma Valley's top podcast and you find it wherever you find fine podcasts, including Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-sonoma-spiel/id1634467429 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4UuskGhmJ3EkWQk8DObR9b Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiSa7rAVobsI8O_3xp7hIDPKRO9nBuvNF