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Family of Friends Newsletter

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Sonoma Wineries to Visit in 2023

By Averi Melcher | January 3, 2023

If you’re searching for the best wineries to book a Sonoma County wine tasting at, here’s our list of top Sonoma wineries, from the Russian River Valley to the Sonoma Coast, Healdsburg to Alexander Valley, and Sebastopol to Dry Creek.

Sonoma County, California – a 60-minute drive from San Francisco – is home to many of the top boutique wineries in the US.

All in all, there are 632 licensed Sonoma wineries,…

best wine for mediterranean food from Victoria Taylor

Best Wine for Mediterranean Food from Sommelier Victoria Taylor

By Scott Butterfield | December 2, 2022

Pairing the best wine with Mediterranean food is notoriously difficult. There’s a menagerie of spices and herbs that don’t mesh easily with white and red wine varietals. 

One of the best wines to pair with Mediterranean dishes is the Halleck Vineyard Hillside Cuvee Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir, according to Boulud Sud Head Sommelier Victoria Taylor, who pours the varietal at her Lincoln Center eatery.

Boulud Sud is owned by two-Michelin star celebrity chef Daniel Boulud,…

Sommelier Michael Dolinski with Chef Alfred Portale

Pinot Noir Food Pairing Tips from Michael Dolinski

By Joanna Hughes | November 30, 2022

Ready for some Pinot Noir food pairing tips from a true master? Sommelier Michael Dolinski at New York’s Michelin-star Portale restaurant recommends the Halleck Vineyard Three Sons Russian River Valley Pinot Noir.

Here’s a closer look at why this California Pinot Noir is Dolinski’s favorite for showcasing many menu items at Portale, along with Pinot Noir food pairing tips for what dishes to prepare with this award-winning, boutique California Pinot Noir.  …

Best Crab Cakes Recipe

Best Wine with Crab Cakes: Dry White Zinfandel

By Lenzil Hoaglund | November 21, 2022

If you’re searching for the best wine with crab cakes, you’ve come to the right place. This Dry White Zinfandel crab cake wine pairing (actually a Rosé) is complex, sophisticated, and refined. And it is the perfect wine for crab.

It’s rare to find a food and wine pairing this good. The crab cake recipe is simple, yet elegant. This pairing will undoubtedly earn you the respect of the most seasoned sommelier. 

This “Best-Ever Crab Cake”…

Best Wine with Salmon

Best Wine with Salmon at Mourad in San Francisco

By Scott Butterfield | November 14, 2022

Among the best wine with salmon pairings can be found at Mourad, a San Francisco Michelin-star restaurant that fuses the rich and vibrant style of Moroccan fine dining with the local, artisan ingredients of northern California.

Currently, on the menu is smoked salmon in a tart tomatillo sauce, which pairs perfectly with the 2021 Halleck Vineyard Little Sister Sauvignon Blanc. Inspired and surprising, this is a pairing you won’t be able to recreate at home.…

Best Wine with Duck Confit: Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir

By Eric Schwartzman | November 7, 2022

The best wine with duck confit and other duck dishes, according to wine aficionado Jennifer LaRue, is a little-known small-production Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir from Halleck Vineyard, which is not available in stores.

When LaRue hosted an intimate wine dinner at her Colorado Springs home earlier this year, she set out to find the best duck wine pairing to serve with  Duck Confit, Pear, and Fennel Bites, a recipe from Food52 that incorporates confit duck breast baked in crispy phyllo dough. …

Sonoma Wineries Help Sebastopol Charity Nourish Community

By Scott Butterfield | November 4, 2022

Donors, Sonoma wineries, local businesses, and community members rallied to help Sebastopol charity Ceres Community Project raise over $300,000 at this year’s Harvest of the Heart fundraiser on Sept. 18, 2022, at Gambonini Family Ranch in Petaluma. The money will be used to nourish community members and empower its youth.

Nearly 300 people attended what is the Ceres Community Project’s biggest fundraising event of the year. Partnering with celebrated chefs and local wineries,…

Guests enjoy the annual Wine Harvest Party at Halleck Vineyard's estate winery in Sebastopol, featuring live music, delicious food and wine pairings, and a chance to mingle with local winemakers. The event also included a silent auction of rare and collectible wines, as well as artisanal cheeses and fresh seafood from the nearby bay. Attendees were able to experience the earthy aromas of the vineyard and the stunning views of the surrounding valley, while sipping on the winery's award-winning wines, including their sparkling and white wine selections.

Inner Circle Gathers at Sebastopol Winery Harvest Party

By Eric Schwartzman | October 22, 2022

On Saturday Oct. 15th, over 100 Inner Circle Wine Club Members and their guests from across the US gathered at the Halleck Vineyard Sebastopol Winery Estate for their annual wine harvest party.

The Sebastopol estate winery – surrounded by a single-acre Pinot Noir vineyard whose maiden vintage in 2001 earned Best of Class at the Pinot Noir Summit – drew wine club members and their guests for a library tasting with local cheeses,…

The Barlowe in downtown Sebastopol offers an eclectic mix on wine tasting rooms, restaurants and shops.

Top 12 Sebastopol Wine Tasting Spots (with Map)

By Scott Butterfield | October 5, 2022

For over 150 years, Sebastopol was known as a farming and agricultural center of northern California. Once a plum and apple growing industry, the area is now a diverse paradise of flowers, fruits, vegetables, and of course, rolling green vineyards. Some of the wineries on our list are on Gravenstein Drive, which runs through the center of Sebastopol, which gives a sense of the town’s agricultural roots. Apples and wines like Pinot Noir and Chardonnay do well in a cool climate.…

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