{"id":21977,"date":"2012-04-06T07:00:56","date_gmt":"2012-04-06T12:00:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/?p=21977"},"modified":"2018-03-06T14:24:23","modified_gmt":"2018-03-06T20:24:23","slug":"the-sonoma-coma-food-wine-and-hot-springs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2012\/04\/the-sonoma-coma-food-wine-and-hot-springs\/","title":{"rendered":"The Sonoma coma: food, wine and hot springs"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Our kind of country: Sonoma, where it’s perfectly acceptable to crack open the wine at 1 p.m. Credit: star5112.<\/p><\/div>\n

By Valerie Moloney<\/em><\/p>\n

Having broken through the wrong side of 35 a few years ago, I owed it to my aging self to add a new experience to my travel lexicon: wine getaway. I\u2019m no oenophile \u2013 in fact, I couldn\u2019t tell the difference between a Pinotage and Cab Franc \u2013 but I do love any opportunity to day drink and actually fall into bed at a reasonable hour.<\/p>\n

The time is ripe for another trip to Sonoma County.<\/p>\n

Chiller than Napa, this pastoral beauty is effortless in its appeal. In 17 miles, there are enough family-owned vineyards, sprawling ranches and windy roads to fuel any escapist tendencies, and tease the palates of chefs regardless of their knife skills.<\/p>\n

Sonoma\u2019s marquee event is the Sonoma Wine Country Weekend 2012, to be held over Labor Day weekend (tickets go on sale June 1, with a Visa pre-sale on April 23) at various sites including the Taste of Sonoma at picturesque MacMurray Ranch. \u00a0And talk about a perfect pairing: The 3-day festival brings together locally sourced food with sips from hundreds of wineries.<\/p>\n

For foodies and foodie wannabes, it\u2019s a chance to pose questions that you might have been too afraid to ask directly to chefs and winemakers: What is a tannin? What wine goes best with red snapper?<\/p>\n

While the event is a few months down the road, it\u2019s never too early to start booking flights to San Francisco or scoping out Sonoma hotels<\/a>. My early pick: the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn and Spa<\/a>, an eco-friendly property perched on a natural artesian hot spring.<\/p>\n

Guests treat themselves like gods and goddesses here, lounging in two outdoor mineral pools, and finishing with a perfectly prepped meal at Michelin-star rated Sante, the French word for health.<\/p>\n

Is it us \u2013 or do the locals know something that we don\u2019t?<\/p>\n

Related resources<\/strong><\/p>\n