Just 90-minutes north of San Francisco, you’ll find Sonoma County’s Russian River Valley, land of ample vineyards (the cooler climate is ideal for Pinot, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc) alongside farm-to-table spots, general stores and verdant nature in the form of towering redwood trees and its winding namesake river.

After you’ve cruised the legendary back roads of California, and explored the great northern outdoors, head to the Sonoma Coast where a craggy stretch of land meets rugged cliffs, pine-covered peaks and salty ocean fog. To start your adventure, weave through the quaint fishing port of Bodega Bay.

Today, The Family Coppola acquired Vista Hills Vineyard to reinforce its commitment to high-quality winemaking and Burgundy style wines. This high-end acquisition and presence in Willamette Valley broadens The Family Coppola’s geographical diversity and adds to its existing ownership of reputable vineyards in California American Viticultural Areas (AVAs) also famed for wines made from Burgundian varietals including Russian River Valley, Anderson Valley and Santa Rita Hills.

Don’t let the name fool you – this is not a healthy dish. It is, however, what I would classify as healthy-ish, as in it does use all fresh and whole ingredients. But alas the pound of bacon make it less than truly healthy in my book.

Risotto is one of those dishes that takes a little bit of elbow grease but is in fact insanely easy. It’s also a true crowd-pleaser and a guest-impresser!

While the temperature is getting cold outside this time of year, the kitchen should just be heating up. It’s a busy time with Thanksgiving turkeys, Christmas hams and all sorts of desserts in-between.

Some nights call for takeout and some nights call for a little something special. With the season change comes the daylight change. Sometimes on a chilly, dark Tuesday night, it’s nice to make something that’s warm and luscious, yet herbaceous and bright all at once. This chicken is spatchcocked, or de-backboned, for a quick cook.

The last few weeks of summer are so precious; you want to take it all in. Get in that last lake swim, one final camping trip, and probably one more al fresco dinner party - the kind that lasts from late afternoon to well past sunset, consists of multiple bottles of wine and lots of things to nibble on.

In 2008, we debuted our first vintage of Votre Santé wines, developed as an homage to Francis’s Grandmother who toasted “a votre santé” with every meal. Votre Santé wines have represented off the grid vineyards throughout up and coming regions, dubbed “the other California.” We are excited to announce the addition of a single AVA (American Viticultural Area) tier we are calling our Votre Santé “Micro Cru” wines. We could not think of two better regions to represent the debut vintage of these boutique wines than Santa Barbara and Anderson Valley. 

So…all of a sudden your best friend called her boyfriend who called his buddies and now you’ve got about 15 people arriving to your small backyard in just under two hours. There will be plenty of wine, of course, but you want to make sure that your hostess skills are on point. Although tradition might say that it’s not in the best taste to invite friends to a friend’s house without notice, we say the more the merrier.