When a group of Franciscan missionaries arrived in California in the early 1770's, they found a community vastly different than that they had left behind in Spain. The houses in the village of Sonoma were built primarily from blocks made from mud and even though they had windows, none of those windows had glass. The streets were unpaved, there were no sewers and only the wealthiest man in town had a bathroom in his house. The monk in charge of the delegation, Fra Cosimo, decided that he would civilize the local barbarians. With the help of the Spanish soldiers that accompanied the missionaries, the locals were convinced not only to adopt Christianity but to learn to read and write, build toilets, install running water in their homes, and even to put glass in their previously open windows. The monks even convinced the locals that bathing was not bad for their health. To make the revolution complete, the monks planted thousands of the grape vines that they had brought with them from Spain. The red, sweet, strong and coarse wine that the Franciscans made was probably not very good but it was those European vines that started California on the long road to becoming one of the great wine producing areas of the world.

Since those early days, California vineyards have gone through several upheavals. During the 1880's the vineyards were devastated by an attack of phylloxera, a blight that destroys not only the grapes but the roots and the vines and in 1933 the passage of Prohibition outlawed the sale of alcoholic beverages in the United States and send most California winemakers into the bankruptcy courts. It was only in the 1970's when Americans became truly interested in wines that new wineries began to appear everywhere, especially in the Sonoma and Napa Valleys, and that finally, instead of the truly mediocre wines that the state had been producing, winemakers started making wines that met the highest international standards.

Travelling through California wine country is to travel through history. One can start, for example in Sonoma at the Franciscan Mission where the original 18th century winery still stands, a low orange and peach colored adobe building, with wood beams and an orange tiled roof, heavy wood doors, all sitting in the still sleepy town of Sonoma, with a view of the vineyards and the nearby Russian River. Standing outside the long, low building is the original bell installed by the monks, the bell meant to serve two purposes - to call the brothers from the fields for lunch and to warn the community in case of Indian attacks. Happily for the monks and Sonoma county, no Indians ever felt that it was worth attacking them. From here one can make a leap in time and space to the Napa Valley winery of Opus 1, the $27 million joint venture of Californian Robert Mondavi and the late Baron Philippe de Rothschild (of Bordeaux's famed Chateau Mouton-Rothschild). Constructed in 1988 with the idea of producing California's first Bordeaux style wine, and with architecture that has been justifiably compared to a cross between a Mayan temple and a rocked launch-pad, this stunningly beautiful winery rises majestically from the valley floor, almost calling out to be recognized as California's calling card to the 21st century.

Although nearly every part of California is now planted in vines, the two leading areas remain Sonoma and Napa. The Napa Valley, a long, lazy arc with its foot in San Francisco Bay and its head on the shoulders of Mount St. Helena, is barely 32 kilometers from end to end, and sometimes less than two kilometers in width. What is amazing is that within this miniscule area one can find an enormous range of climates, winds and soils that allow for the growth of Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc and others of the world's great wine grapes including Zinfandel, the grape most often thought of (incorrectly) as "Californian".

For many years, Californians gave credit to Agoston Haraszthy for bringing this grape from his native Hungary. Only a few years ago, relying on DNA tests, did the researchers at the University of California at Davis realize that the credit for introducing it to California had to go to mid-19th century Italian immigrants who brought with them (quite illegally) Primitivo grapes from their native land in order that they could drink the same wine in the New World as they had in the Old.

Californians like to say that "as Napa developed, Sonoma fell under its shadow". It is true that until the mid 1970's Sonoma wines were overshadowed by those of Napa, but as investors realized that the large, sprawling Sonoma county held an enormous potential for producing fine wines, the catch-up has been remarkable. Located north of San Francisco, and far larger and even more geologically and climatically diverse than Napa, it was Sonoma that was the first county to introduce the use of French oak casks in which to ferment and age wines. Steep hills on both sides of the valley make the area physically beautiful and among others of the grapes that portray the diversity of the county are Zinfandel, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon.

Countrified Elegance and Fine Dining

In addition to ever-present vineyards and wineries, wherever one travels in Sonoma or Napa one can expect to travel along countrified roads and come across sleepy villages and even today, a few one-room schoolhouses in which a single teacher holds forth for pupils from the age of 5 - 15. The small city of Napa still boasts a stable at which the blacksmith will re-shoe horses or fix wagon-wheels and Sonoma houses several cobblers, the descendents of the town settlers who still make leather boots and saddles entirely by hand. What amazes in all of this is that these towns and back roads house some of the most exciting restaurants in the world today, for along with the awareness of wine that developed in the 1970's and 80's, Californians also discovered a passion for adventurous and unusual food.

The first years of the California culinary revolution were not so much successful as they was outrageous, reflecting the daring-do and freedom of life style that began to develop during the heyday of the Hippies. During those early days it was not at all unusual to find restaurants offering absolutely outrageous dishes such as walrus sushi with raspberry sauce or whale blubber steaks on a bed of sweet corn and hot peppers. California's name for excess did very well in the culinary field until a few chefs, notably Jerimiah Tower and Alice Waters, who began to realize that California's potential strength lay not in outrageous imitations of French cuisine but on using local ingredients in ways that were truly American. The next leap forward was when chefs in San Francisco, Berkeley, Napa and Sonoma realized that they could use their imagination freely to blend together native American ingredients with French, Mediterranean, Far Eastern and Latino cooking styles to evolve a new genre that while not always exquisite invariably makes for exciting dining. At first it was called California Cuisine. It then came to be known as "fusion cuisine" but, as that term became hackneyed and overused, it settled in and today is known as American cuisine at its very best. To fill out the revolution, the most inventive and best chefs of Napa and Sonoma loaded their menus with the best wines that California has to offer, and many of the meals and wines at these places are indeed superb.

Today, with increasing attention to the relationship between health and dining (one might think of this as a California obsession), chefs are focusing more and more on the use of Mediterranean ingredients such as fresh herbs, garlic, couscous and olive oil. To show how far this movement has gone, perusing Napa, Sonoma and San Francisco menus it becomes clear that the most popular Californian side-dishes these days are tabbouleh, couscous and taramaslata, the first originating in the Middle East, the second in North Africa and the third in Greece, but all with a uniquely American twist all reflecting imaginative and talented chefs, fresh ingredients, healthful combinations and sophistication. Following are several highly recommended Napa and Sonoma Valley restaurants. Keep in mind that reservations are invariably required at these places and that dress, while it should be fashionable does not call for ties and jackets.

The French Laundry: 6640 Washington Street, Yountville. Tel 800 944-1224. Chef-owner Thomas Keller has made this charming establishment one of the most exciting and very best restaurants in the world today. If you're on a budget order the degustation menu and for $80 per person, not including wine and you will receive a meal of ten different courses. Designed so that each course compliments the preceding one and predicts the one to follow, many have compared this Keller specialty to a symphony. For a mere $70 per person you can dine on a meal based entirely on vegetables and fresh herbs. If you're feeling large, order a la carte but be aware that your bill, before wine, can easily come to $120 per person. If you do opt for a la carte dining, don't miss trying Keller's raviolis filled with been puree and topped with black truffles! So popular is the place that there is no sign in front and it has been said that not even Bill and Hillary Clinton can come here without reserving at least three days in advance.

Brava Terrace: 3010 N. St. Helena Highway (Route 29), Saint Helena. Tel 707 963-9300. Time your visit here so that you can visit the neighboring Freemark Abbey Winery at about eleven in the morning and then make you way here for lunch. Among chef Fred Halpert's best known dishes are his grilled pork tenderloin with mustard greens and shitake mushrooms, and his osso buco. Including a good but reasonably priced wine, lunch will cost about $75 per couple.

Mustards Grill: 7399 St. Helena Highway (Route 29), Yountville. Tel 707 944-2424 . So taken for granted is this eatery that some Napa Valley residents think it has been there forever. The truth is that it has been here only since 1983, but it remains one of the most popular restaurants in the Napa Valley. Among the best known offerings are the squash raviolis served with smoked salmon and a corn and chili pancake and the grilled, herbed meats. An overall good wine list and one of the best collections of Zinfandel wines you will find anyplace. Meals here will come to between $25 - 50 per person plus wine.

Terra: 1345 Railroad Avenue, St. Helena. Tel 707 063-8931. A fashionable but fun place that gives fusion cuisine its best name. Try the smoked salmon and potato latkes, tataki of tuna with wasabi, the ragout of sweetbreads with white truffle oil or the tripe stew with spaghettini. For dessert be sure to try the orange risotto. Go along with the wine water and try a different wine with every course. $50 - 70 per person before wine.

All Seasons Cafe: 1400 Lincoln Avenue, Calistoga. Tel 707 942 9111. An informal but chic meeting place that offers often exquisite Mediterranean style dishes. Better yet, there is a wine shop on the premises that offers some of the very best California wines (and a few excellent Burgundy wines as well). Depending on your choice of dishes, meals will cost between $25 - 50 per person plus wine. Wines selected from the shop are competitively priced and if you open one with your meal you will be charged a reasonable $10 corkage fee.

Auberge du Soleil: 180 Rutherford Hill Road, Rutherford. Tel 707 967-3111. Set on a hillside, and with an exquisite view of the vineyards, this is the ideal place for a sunset dinner. Sophisticated and beautifully designed in ways that will call to mind Nice, Cannes and Monte Carlo, the cookery here is a fascinating blend between Spanish, Italian, French, North African and Far Eastern. Also a good choice to visit for wine tastings, where selected wines are available by the glass. Whatever, very, very good and very, very expensive.

Wineries Open For Visits

When visiting wine country, few experiences are as pleasant or rewarding as visiting wineries. In Napa and Sonoma, as in Burgundy, Tuscany or Bordeaux, the areas in which grape vines grow are among the most beautiful of any country and the roads that wind through the vineyards are as scenic and idyllic as one could want. Wherever one travels, the plains and hillsides that are patterned with vines are a delight for those with an eye for landscape. They are also marvelous areas for hiking or bicycling and, for those with a love of nature, there is a fascinating variety of wildlife and plant life to observe. Equally important, the people you meet as you stop to ask directions tend to be a warm and friendly lot, many of whom will patiently take time to explain which grapes they are growing, how long a wine takes to mature or simply how to find a good place to eat. Best of all, one need not be a wine expert to make the best of such outings. Following is a partial list of Sonoma and Napa wineries, all of which offer tastings, the chance to purchase wines and that are equally open to visitors of either great or little sophistication. The list was devised so that those wanting to could visit those in Napa in a single day and those in Sonoma on a second day. In the case of the Napa wineries, it is considered courteous to phone in advance to let them know when you are arriving. The Sonoma wineries are less formal, and those listed are open to visitors between 10:30 - 16:00 every day except Sunday.

Napa

Robert Mondavi Winery: Saint Helena Highway (Route 29), Oakville, Napa: Tel 707 944-9442. Housed in a stylized and Spanish style hacienda and with an exquisite view of the vineyards and surrounding hills, this is one of the most welcoming of all wineries, offering an extensive tour, intelligent dialogue and broad tastings.

Opus One: Saint Helena Highway (Route 29), Oakville, Napa: Tel 707 944-9442. Directly across the road from the Robert Mondavi winery, and producing one of the best (and most expensive) wines of California, a place definitely worth visiting, but expect to be charged $15 for the tour and a tasting.
Tours only by advance appointment.

Joseph Phelps Vineyards: 200 Taplin Road, St. Helena. Tel 707 963-2745. Tucked in to an oak-try forest this simple but architecturally lovely winery has an exquisite view of the Mayacamas Mountains in the background. Tours start with a glass of wine on the terrace, a tour of the winery and then a more serious tasting of several wines. Tours by advance appointment only, and be sure to pack a picnic lunch and reserve one of the picnic tables on the grounds.

Rombauer Vineyards: 3522 Silverado Trail, St. Helena. Tel (707) 963-5170. Situated on a richly forested hill, this is an excellent place to see the entire winemaking process as well as to have a tasting. Simple tastings are free, more complex tastings cost $5.00.

Sonoma

Gloria Ferrer: In the town of Carneros. Operated by the Spanish family that operates Freixenet, this lovely winery produces only sparkling wines. Designed beautifully and in a lovely setting of vineyards and low hills, an ideal place for tasting sparkling wines.

Jordan Vineyard and Winery: Healdsburg, Sonoma A Bordeaux style chateaux that happens to find itself in California. Interesting Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and a fascinating sparkling wine called "J".

Lytton Springs Winery: Healdsburg, Sonoma. Producing some of the best California Zinfandels an wines (under the Ridge Label), this charming winery offers a complete tour, wide tastings and the opportunity to buy the wines of some of their better vintage years.

Dry Creek Vineyard, Healdsburg, Sonoma: An old fashioned winery but with distinctly modern wines including some of California's best whites (be sure to taste their Fume Blanc). Also sometimes exquisite Cabernet Sauvignon Zinfandel and Chardonnay.

To read about a dream list of wines to purchase during your California travels, click here:

© Daniel Rogov