What’s new in Sonoma County

Fall in Sonoma County is known for show-stopping foliage, with natural woodlands and vineyards brimming with picturesque hues of oranges and yellows. This fall sees a return of events, including the Wine & Food Affair, the Día de los Muertos exhibit at the Museum of Sonoma County, pumpkin patches, guided hikes, and more. Check out www.sonomacounty.com/sonoma-events.

What’s new in art, culture & outdoors

EARTHseed farm is Sonoma County’s first Afro-Indigenous farm. Owner Pandora Thomas practices permaculture, which designs ecological systems based on Indigenous wisdom to curate healthy and resilient natural systems. Over 4,000 fruit trees, native and medicinal plants, and wild critters call EARTHseed home. On Saturdays, the farm is open to the public for U-Pick by appointment, which are offered week-to-week.

Paradise Ridge Winery is home to a sculpture garden filled with large-scale art, and the family-owned winery welcomed new pieces to its 155-acre property and vineyards. The Empyrean Temple is a new 40-foot sculpture on the property, originally meant for the cancelled Burning Man Festival in 2020. A new 30-foot Welcome Tower stands tall to welcome visitors with a gold leaf crown and 24 reclaimed doors scavenged from San Francisco’s neighborhoods. While on private property, the site is open and free to the public on a simple walk-in basis daily 10am to 4:30pm.

The Sonoma County Regional Parks is previewing their newly acquired property set on 335 rolling acres on the Sonoma Coast, Carrington Ranch Park. On preview days, the public is invited to enjoy a self-guided hike on the property and learn more about the master planning process that will lead to the park’s permanent opening. At that time, the park will provide a critical segment of the 1,200-mile California Coastal Trail and link to public lands to the north and south.

The Sonoma County Regional Parks have completed a new trail that leads to the top of Taylor Mountain Regional Park and Open Space Preserve: The Sky Lupine Trail. As part of ongoing improvements to the park, the new route replaces the much-used Eastern Trail’s straight-up climb with a pleasant meander, which reduces erosion, provides greater ease of travel, and offers a more scenic trip to the 1,400 foot summit. The park’s 1,100 acres include sweeping grasslands, oak woodlands, several creeks, and provide a habitat for a variety of wildlife. From the summit, visitors can see central Sonoma County, the Laguna de Santa Rosa, the Coast Range, the Mayacamas Range and other North Bay Landmarks. The parkland was used for ranching for many years and cattle grazing continues in the park

 New in food & wine

New Michelin Restaurant

A somewhat surprising one-star addition is Barndiva, a Healdsburg barn and restaurant popular for weddings, only because it’s been open since 2005 without gaining significant attention from Michelin. Single Thread in Healdsburg holds onto its three Michelin Stars.

New Michelin Bib Restaurants

Three Sonoma County restaurants are the latest additions to the California Michelin Guide’s Bib Gourmand category, restaurants recognized for value and high-quality food. Khom Loi in Sebastopol and Sonoma’s FolkTable and Valley restaurants — all opened during the pandemic — were tapped for the culinary honour. They join Sonoma County Bib Gourmand recognized restaurants and eateries including Glen Ellen Star, Ramen Gajin, El Molino Central, Bravas, Chalkboard, Ribisi, Stockhome, and Diavola.

SingleThread’s Wine Spectator Magazine’s Grand Award

The 3-Michelin star restaurant, SingleThread, received the prestigious Wine Spectator Magazine’s Grand Award for its 2,600-bottle wine list. Joining only 96 other restaurants in the world that ‘show an uncompromising, passionate devotion to the quality of their wine programs,’ Single Thread’s sommeliers include Alexandria Sarovich, Christopher McFall, Jonny Bar, Spencer Chaffey and Kelly Eckel. In its fifth year in business, SingleThread has cracked the Worlds50Best restaurants list, coming in at number 37 this year.