Taking it slow through Anderson Valley - California

Sunset, July, 1988

Taking it slow through Anderson Valley Outsiders used to think of the Anderson Valley as little more than a relatively straight stretch of State Highway 128 where you could pick up your pace on the way to the Mendocino coast. It was a pleasant drive, with sheep-dotted pastures and undulating rows of apple trees. But with the coast not far ahead, travelers tended to press on to the last series of redwood-lined bends.

Lately, however, there are more and more good reasons to slow down and enjoy this region's own charms. The most significant change is apparent in the landscape itself. For the last 20 years, vineyards have been slowly supplanting the apple orchards. Certain grape varieties, such as Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Gewurztraminer, thrive in the shallow soil of the fog-cooled valley. Sparkling wine is emerging as a local specialty. And many of the wineries are eager to offer visitors tastes of their highly regarded products.

There's more to Boonville

than funny talk

The small town of Boonville anchors the valley's southeast end. For years, its main claim to fame was its residents' dialect. Here and there around town, you can still see words in "Boontling," a patois originated by local hop pickers and elaborated upon by townspeople, partly as a joke.

Then, in 1981, the opening of the New Boonville Hotel brought gastronomes flocking into town to dine on dishes prepared from ingredients grown in a backyard garden. But fame turned to infamy five years later: the restaurant's owners abruptly fled town, leaving a trail of debt and disappointment.

After standing vacant for two years, the restaurant is due to reopen June 15. The new owners will grow their own herbs but rely on local suppliers for other produce. Lunch and dinner will be served Wednesdays through Sundays; more casual fare will be offered in the bar from 11 to 11. Call (707) 895-2210.

Across the street from the New Boonville, the fledgling Anderson Valley Brewing Company, housed in the basement of the Buckhorn Saloon, brews four types of beer. Brewery tours are given between 3 and 4 daily. You can wash down a portersteamed sausage with a brew in the restaurant upstairs, open daily from 11:30 to 2:30 and 5:30 to 8:30 (to 9 Fridays and Saturdays).

Hot-weather relief is dished out at the Cream Pump, an old-fashioned ice cream shop in a newly reconstructed Victorian. Or try a cinnamon roll or apple fritter from the Upper Crust Bakery, at the other end of the building. You'll find basketfillers for a picnic at one of the valley's parks or wineries in a nearby country store, Boont Berry Farm.

If you're interested in things more lasting than food or drink, check the Rookie-To Gallery (named for the Boontling word for "quail") for imaginative woodworking, weaving, pottery, and other crafts from the region; it's open 10 to 5:30 daily except Tuesdays.

Artifacts from the valley's past are on view in the Anderson Valley Historical Museum, in a quaint one-room schoolhouse just northwest of town. Hours are 11 to 4 Fridays through Sundays; free.

Wine tasting: a half-dozen choices

Recently, tasting rooms have been sprouting like wild mustard among the vineyards along State 128. Like the mostly family-run wineries themselves, Anderson Valley tastings have a relaxed quality; crowds are rare, and it's fairly likely the winemaker will be on hand to answer questions in a casual way. Hours for all facilities are roughly 10 to 6 daily.

Traveling northwest on State 128 from the hamlet of Philo, you'll first come to Scharffenberger Cellars' fashionably spare new tasting room. Although its production facilities are in Ukiah, the Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes from which they make their sparkling wines are grown here.

A little farther down the road, Navarro Vineyards makes some of the finest and most varied Gewurztraminers in California. Greenwood Ridge Vineyards recently opened a striking concial-roofed tasting room next door. Because the grapes grow on a ridge above the fog and frost that affect lower elevations, Greenwood has had success with estate-bottled Cabernet Sauvignons as well as White Rieslings.

Continuing northwest on State 128, look for Husch Vineyards on your left. In a rustic ivy-covered cottage, you can taste wines made from Anderson Valley grapes as well as warmer-weather varietals from Husch's Ukiah vineyards. Visitors are encouraged to bring a picnic and stroll through the vineyards to a pondside gazebo.

Next comes Handley Cellars, whose new hillside winery offers a superb view of the valley as well as samples of Chardonnay and sparkling wine. A Burmese Buddha, Tibetan lion, and other Asian artifacts keep watch over the picnic tables.

Call 895-3623 to arrange a stop at Lazy Creek Vineyards, a husband-and-wife operation that embodies the personal approach to winemaking.

At the other end of the spectrum, Roederer U.S. has a production capacity several times that of any other local winery. Its first sparkling wine release and tours by appointment should be available this fall.