Food & Wine at Seghesio Family Vineyards

No tour of Seghesio Family Vineyards, in the Sonoma Valley, would be complete without a visit to the tasting room where a weathered piece of wood under glass forms a sort of 'centerpiece' for the table. "When we created this tasting room, we incorporated Angela's pasta board into this table, to preserve it," says Rachael Ann Passalacqua Seghesio, the company's matriarch, as she affectionately pats the board used by her mother-in-law, Angela. Rachel Ann then leads us to our wine and food pairing while regaling us with more family history and recipes.

The 400-acre family-run winery began in 1895, and the Seghesio name adorned five wine bottle labels by 1983. Today, half of all Seghesio vines grow zinfandel grapes, and the winery's 80-percent Sonoma zinfandel has been ranked among the nation's top 100 wines.

The family built their first wine tasting room - including Angela's pasta board - in 1997, and added a private tasting room 10 years later. Private food and wine pairings have become so popular that they are available every Friday, Saturday and Sunday, with walk-ins welcome. For $25 ($15 for wine club members) visitors enjoy a meal that uses many organic and local ingredients, and changes every month. And, with enthusiastic family members available to answer questions, this food and wine pairing is a delightful wine country experience.

Baking in Healdsburg

It has been 85 years since Costeaux French Bakery opened in the sleepy Sonoma, California village of Healdsburg, and nearly 30 years since the Seppi family made it their own. Today, the bakery is renowned for its sourdough and specialty breads that have won numerous gold medals and sweepstakes, as well as irresistible desserts and pastries.

But there's more to Costeaux Bakery than baked goods. Stop by for a bowl of French Onion Soup, a thick brown broth with plenty of pepper and three small medallions of sourdough floating near the top, large onion chunks and mozzarella gratings. Or try their grilled turkey sandwich, with tangy cranberry, pungent aioli, creamy Brie, crisp microgreens, and ultra-fresh avocado, on multigrain bread.

Residents also turn to Costeaux for great-grandmother's anise-flavored biscotti, decadent pastries and amazing custom wedding cakes. It could take several luscious weeks to try all of their 1,000+ products.