by Janice Neider

Even though I’ve lived in the Bay Area for over ten years and thought I had experienced the best of Sonoma, I found out I was sorely mistaken after joining Access Trips for a one-day sample of their new five-day, Wine Country Culinary Tour.

Signing up with Access, guarantees you access to the areas area’s most accomplished chefs, biodynamic farmers, legendary winemakers, fascinating historians knowledgeable historians and local guide, artisanal cheese makers and chocolatiers.

MacArthur Place Hotel & Spa- a total delight
Our tour started at MacArthur Place Hotel & Spa, a just-off-the-beaten-track luxury hotel, rated as one of the “World’s Best” US hotels in Conde Nast Traveler’s annual Reader’s Choice Awards, which is your “homeâ€� for the next five days.

Originally a 19th century estate in the middle of a 300 acre vineyard and working ranch, MacArthur Place has been transformed into country-chic accommodations consisting of the historic main house and a handful of Victorian-style cottages, surrounded by spectacular flower and herb gardens, original flagstone paths, abundant fruit trees, whimsical sculptures (including a life-size chess set and chair swings made from repurposed ski lifts) and original flagstone paths leading to an inviting outdoor swimming pool and whirlpool.

Each of the 64 rooms and suites has its own individual “sense of place� featuring sumptuous feather beds, designer linens, cozy fireplace, comfy seating areas, eclectic paintings by local artists, a mini bar with refrigerator, premium coffee maker and a thoughtfully laid out bathroom with European walk-in showers and a fab assortment of their special grape seed bath amenities.

Note to self: next time plan on spending some quality time at the tempting Garden Spa, which offers dozens of “Farm to Massage Table” facial and body treatments utilizing the inn’s home-gown flowers and herbs. One of their signature treatments, named Red Red Wine – 100 blissful minutes of a Red Wine Grapeseed Bath, Grapeseed Body Polish, topped off with a Grapeseed Essential Oil Massage, was shouting my name.

Cooking with the all-stars at Harvest Moon Café
But no time for that now, because we’re off to a private cooking class, at the Harvest Moon Café, one of the hottest restos in town, where co-owner, Chef Jen Demerest and her trusty sous-chef, Shawn Henton, patiently spent the next three hours sharing their culinary expertise. Amazingly enough, our rather culinary -challenged group managed to produce a ridiculously good meal including a marinated beet salad with avocado relish, handmade ricotta raviolis (Shawn politely suggested that I might have added too much Parmesean cheese in my filling but to my way of thinking, a girl can never have too much Parm!) topped with a tangle of sautéed greens and an addictive nut pesto, followed by a Frangipane-Red Wine Poached Pear Tartlette for dessert.

Stuffed to the max, we were happy to work off some calories (at least one ravioli’s worth) on a fascinating cultural heritage walking tour led by a Sonoma historian and author, Arthur Dawson. When asked what Sonoma meant, he explained that there were several meanings but that in the native Wappo language, Sonoma means a “good place to live� and from all the smiling locals we encountered, I’d vote for that one.

Insider’s tour of Stone Edge Farm
It’s a vicious circle but after our walk we were thirsty again and more than ready for our visit to the shangrila-ish Stone Edge Farm, a private artisanal winery with organic vineyards, olive groves, and a holistic farm complete buzzing with honeybees, happy chickens and a one-acre heirloom veggie garden that supplies local restaurants. The striking landscape blends harmoniously with the dramatic tasting room (only open to their collectors) and other buildings including an observatory housing a 20-inch telescope.

The incredibly knowledgeable (and hunky) head gardener, Colby Eierman, walked us around the property, enthusiastically explaining the principles of sustainable farming, stopping to point out the baby asparagus stalks that were just poking out of the dirt, which would be delish simply roasted in a little Stone Edge Farm Manzanillo olive oil.

A waft of chocolate filled the air as we headed to the garage-turned-kitchen, where we found the Culinary Director of Stone Edge Farm, Chef John McReynolds, pulling out a sheet pan of chocolate cookies from the oven.
“Have one while they’re hot,� he encouraged. We didn’t need a second invitation.
John’s farm-fresh appetizers were waiting for us in the classy, minimalist tasting room. They paired perfectly with a couple of their organic, estate wines: a newly released 2008 Stone Edge Farm Cabernet Sauvignon, a complex Pepper Spice girl, loaded with berry flavor as well as the Farm’s first release, the 2006 Stone Edge Farm Cabernet Sauvignon (only 200 cases produced) a lushly layered wine with big tannins that should soften beautifully with age.

Sadly, our wonderful day came to an end. I was happily stuffed but not sated and will definitely be returning for the full five day itinerary.  For more information on this (and many other exotic learning vacation) visit Access Trips website.