Summer in Sonoma! Jump in the pool, get the BBQ going, have a Sonoma Spritz and don't forget to scream for ice cream. Luckily, Ramie Hencmann from Sweet Scoops is here to talk about her delightfully wonderful shop right on the Sonoma Plaza, making homemade ice cream with local fruits and flavors. Ramie's husband Joe has been making ice cream since he was 19, and in Ramie's words he is always thinking about new flavors. "Joe loves making ice cream. He's always thinking about the flavors, and he h...
Jun 24, 2025•58 min•Season 1Ep. 126
Mark Bodenhamer of the Sonoma Valley Chamber of Commerce has good news for all you late-night wine tasters: the new "Friday Night Flights" wine tasting program will make sure you can find a wine tasting room open past 5 pm! And there are even restaurants pairing with them to offer corkage deals. But before we get to that, we have to talk about how proud we are of our kids for graduating high school (very) and try to remember our own high school graduations (go Santa Rosa High Panthers!) Like all...
Jun 11, 2025•1 hr 10 min•Season 1Ep. 125
Fred Parker has been painting Sonoma Valley for years - vineyards, mountains, oaks and more. But he started his professional career as a photographic curator at a Southern California museum (now the Norton Simon Museum of Art.) In addition to talking about his methods and inspirations, Fred brings along his friend and patron of the arts, who is also the local small-town Sonoma lawyer, Mary Piasta. Find Fred Parker Fine Art at www.parkerfineart.com Get all your local legal needs met with Mary Pia...
Jun 06, 2025•1 hr 3 min•Season 1Ep. 124
There's a new tour in The Springs at the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa, the Agua Rica comedic history tour , and we had such a good time at it that we forgot to write an intro for our podcast with returning guest Gretchen Schoenstein from the Napa to Sonoma Half Marathon and Rose 5K. Gretchen takes a pause from running (she's now doing 5Ks, having retired from running more than 130 half-marathons) to tell us about the big race, what to expect and how to sign up. PLUS, she listens to our ...
May 29, 2025•53 min•Season 1Ep. 123
Robyn Sebastiani is back on the Sonoma Spiel to talk about the Sonoma 200 anniversary celebration AND to help us make a Sonoma Spritz- the hot drink of the summer - live on the podcast. Robyn talks about the summer of celebrations of the 200 years of Sonoma winemaking, from the Sonoma Spritz month, to the scavenger hunt around Sonoma Valley and culminating in the community-wide celebration at the famous Valley of the Moon Vintage Festival. And the Sonoma Spritz - made with Sonoma Valley wine and...
May 21, 2025•49 min•Season 1Ep. 122
The l-o-n-g-e-s-t running wine podcaster in the country just so happened to be near Sonoma Valley, so we tricked him into coming onto our podcast. Ray Fister with Life Between The Vines has done more than a thousand interviews with winemakers from around the world with a simple premise: he sets up the microphone and the camera and hits record. Everything else just comes out of conversation as it flows. "Wine shouldn't be scary," says Ray, who's background as an audio engineer and musician is pai...
May 07, 2025•1 hr 2 min•Season 1Ep. 121
Rod Marymor from Music In Place brings professional musicians to the Sonoma Plaza for free concerts for the community to enjoy. What started as a way to keep musicians working during the pandemic has grown to a movement bringing concerts to the people in the Grinstead Amphitheatre at the Sonoma Plaza. Rod goes over the schedule for the summer and highlights the diversity of the concerts, with performers coming from all over the Bay Area to entertain. Oh - and there will be wine, because this is ...
May 01, 2025•59 min•Season 1Ep. 120
Cows make chocolate, right? Otherwise why would one of the favorite chocolate stores in Sonoma be called "The Chocolate Cow?" Known for shaved ice, ice cream, gelato, hot chocolate, truffles and an incredible candy selection, the Chocolate Cow is a must-stop for visitors to the Sonoma Plaza. In this episode we learn about the types of chocolate, how to hand-dip treats, what it takes to run a candy store in a wine country town and why it's always important to have plenty of fresh, cold water for ...
Apr 24, 2025•50 min•Season 1Ep. 119
Daedalus Howell is the editor of the North Bay Bohemian, "an award-winning alternative newsweekly serving Sonoma & Napa counties." And he's a poet. And a self-taught filmmaker. And an author. And a musician, because that's a thing in Sonoma. Some quick notes we pick along the way: Philip Marlowe, the fictional, hard-boiled noir detective, was born in Santa Rosa. Daedalus left high school early and turned to a life of writing and performing, and then became a free lance writer for a local new...
Apr 09, 2025•54 min•Season 1Ep. 118
It's always fun when Malia Anderson of Style my Malia riffs on fashion, image and style. Malia roundly rejects the "Costco Dad" look as as a "personal look," while extolling her youthful desire to be Dominique Devereaux from Dynasty. (And really, who wouldn't?) In a free-wheeling conversation we talk about when to wear cut-off jeans ("jorts"), how to define your personal style and what, exactly, constitutes "Wine Country Casual" when one is invited to such an event. Before we got to Sonoma quest...
Apr 03, 2025•57 min•Season 1Ep. 117
Splish splash in Sonoma- we're talking about the new Sonoma Splash Aquatic Center in Sonoma Valley with Jane Hansen and Allyson Etherington. Tidbits include that Allyson's mom is a long-distance open water swimmer who took photos of other swimmers while swimming away from Alcatraz (and recently swam the Maui channel,) that Jane has been swimming for most of her life and still coaches, and that the proper term for the big puffy coat that the swim coach wears, even though she doesn't yell while do...
Mar 27, 2025•57 min•Season 1Ep. 116
There's no physical bridge between Maui and Sonoma, but there is a spiritual one. Our friends from the Maui Visitors & Convention Bureau just happened to be in the San Francisco Bay Area to talk about why you should go visit Maui now, and we tricked them into coming onto the podcast. (We told them they would be our Very Special Guests, and This Time We Mean It.) Sherry Duong and Leanne Pletcher brought their spirit of aloha to talk about where to visit in Maui, food trucks to try, adventures...
Mar 21, 2025•53 min•Season 1Ep. 115
Rancher, hay baler, contractor, winemaker... if Steve Ledson sat in our podcast studio any longer he probably would have admitted to several other jobs he has had over a varied life in and around the Sonoma Valley. This week on the Sonoma Spiel podcast he talks about growing up in the northern Sonoma Valley area of Kenwood and exploring the woods that would become public parks like Annadel and Sugarloaf. In a wide ranging interview we also hear about the vaunted Moon Mountain AVA, one of the top...
Mar 18, 2025•50 min•Season 1Ep. 114
Ginny Krieger with the Sonoma International Film Fest is back on the Sonoma Spiel podcast (three-peat!) to talk about the upcoming film festival (March) and the more than 100 films showing during the big event. Like all the SIFF events there is a curious culinary component and this year it's a fiesta of Italian cooking with "Marcella's Italian Dinner," celebrating legendary Marcella Hazan. (This intimate four-course wine dinner, crafted by Sonoma’s award-winning female chefs—Domenica Catelli (Ca...
Mar 11, 2025•50 min•Season 1Ep. 113
You can't swing a cat without knocking over a baby sheep in Sonoma Valley in Spring - and Paul Giusto, a three time repeat guest, is back on the Sonoma Spiel to talk Highway 12 Winery and Sonoma Sips. While we get the important words out of the way - namely the ones we aren't supposed to say on the radio- we then dive into winemaking, what it's like running a small winery and how to make wine in a fancy, metal-sided warehouse on the outskirts of town. Paul also talks about what Highway 12 Winery...
Feb 25, 2025•57 min•Season 1Ep. 112
Kathy Witkowicki stumbled into setting up a wildly successful public speakers program when she failed at being retired (life got boring) and Gavin Newsom couldn't make it to an event, but his interesting, film-making wife could. The outcome was the Sonoma Speakers Series, an all-volunteer organization that puts together a world-class program with experts on arts, politics, media, science and sports. This week she talks about her journey from retiring from the Mentoring Alliance to starting the S...
Feb 11, 2025•53 min•Season 1Ep. 111
Of course we started the podcast with a report from our trip to the Sonoma Farmers Market, because this week we had a very special guest - and this time we actually mean it- Clark Wolf, the energetic, food-obsessed, speaking-a-mile-a-minute food consultant and radio show host. And cheesemonger. And writer. Clark rips rapid-fire into tales about Ig Vella, MFK Fisher, Alice Waters, Anthony Bourdain, Ruth Reichl and any and all other chefs, producers and food writers. And opines about Gravenstein a...
Feb 03, 2025•1 hr 7 min•Season 1Ep. 110
Dennis & Diane Mitchell won the Sonoma County "Visitor Center Volunteers of the Year" award and in spite of that pedigree, still came on the Sonoma Spiel podcast. Though they haven't been volunteering for a long time (two and a half years), they have deep experience working in the wine industry, starting in the Livermore Valley. But wait, they've also worked for several dot-com companies (in the 90's when it was the first wave,) a school bus manufacturer and even ran their own day care busin...
Jan 29, 2025•53 min•Season 1Ep. 109
The Napa to Sonoma Half-Marathon is one of the top runs in the United States, and includes the half-marathon and a 5K fun run, in addition to a food and wine celebration. Local runner Gretchen Schoenstein talks about the race and the route that takes runners from the vineyards of Napa (where you might see a hot air balloon!) past rustic barns to the farms and wineries of Sonoma Valley, ending up in the historic Sonoma Plaza. Gretchen says it is one of her favorite half-marathons, and she should ...
Jan 14, 2025•1 hr 3 min•Season 1Ep. 108
"Wine supported my France habit..." Lori Varsames started in Vermont, studied French, ended up in France doing bike tours, learning about wine, then selling French wine, then moving to New Mexico in search of change, met her husband, and then landed in... Sonoma Valley. Not to strike it rich, but to strike it well. This week on the Sonoma Spiel podcast, Lori talks Sonoma Wellness, especially as it relates to visiting the famed wine country in the winter. Looking for ideas? Lori has more than 100...
Jan 06, 2025•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 107
He performed the intro music, he did the outro music, he edited the podcast AND he makes sure the mics are plugged in: Bob Taylor from Sonoma TV and KSVY is our Very Special Guest (this time we actually mean it) and we review the year passed and the year ahead. We debate whether or not chocolate chip cookies are actually Christmas cookies (no) and if Bob should eat cookies with nuts (also no, as he is allergic.) He also plugs his band, the Illegitimate AC/DC, which is available for gigs like wed...
Dec 31, 2024•54 min•Season 1Ep. 106
George Rose is an award-winning photographer whose career has taken him from hard news in LA and celebrity portraits to in-house PR and photographer for some of the best wineries in California. He stops by the Sonoma Spiel podcast to discuss the convoluted way California allocates water and how many communities rely on shipping it from wet Northern California to drier Southern California through a series of canals, rivers, pipes and aqueducts. Every week our podcast guests answer YOUR questions ...
Dec 17, 2024•1 hr•Season 1Ep. 105
Angie Sanchez started the Hola Vida Collective to showcase unique gifts and foods from and inspired by Mexico. Located "right next to the Red Grape (Sonoma's go-to pizza place)" the store has handicrafts and gifts and art that with a Latino flair. "Sonoma Valley is Michoacan, Oaxaca and Jalisco," Sanchez notes, rattling off the home regions for the majority of Mexican immigrants to Sonoma. In addition to finding out about the classes offered in the arts at her studio, Angie goes through some of ...
Dec 10, 2024•56 min•Season 1Ep. 104
Hey everyone - not your typical podcast this week. This is the recap of the brightest night in wine country: The Lighting of the Sonoma Plaza. Enjoy! If you want to watch the whole show, or some of the segments, find them on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiSa7rAVobsKpmmTmnfOjx5_W9mqu6xJq Sponsors for the Lighting of the Plaza: Sonoma Tourism Improvement District City of Sonoma Sonoma Valley Visitors Bureau Sonoma International Film Festival: https://sonomafilmfest.org Pang...
Dec 05, 2024•23 min•Ep. 103
More than fifty years ago, forward-thinking farmers in Sonoma County created Farm Trails, the oldest organization of it's kind in the United States, dedicated to promoting local farms directly to customers. Carmen Snyder of Sonoma County Farm Trails talks about the origins of the group, their beloved Gravenstein Apple Fair and how visitors can best interact with their seasonal programs. Farm Trails: https://www.farmtrails.org/ Every week our podcast guests answer YOUR questions about wine countr...
Nov 19, 2024•56 min•Season 1Ep. 102
Jose Luciano oversees the visitor centers operations in Sonoma Valley and knows where to eat and drink. He started his schooling at Purdue with plans of becoming a veterinarian, but took a detour into hospitality and a career with Marriott Hotels. In this edition of the Spiel he talks about the joys of fried Puerto Rican treats (alcapurrias), as well as where to eat in the Springs (Sante at the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn, Sonoma Eats, and Spread Catering to name a few.) Jose is also in charge o...
Nov 13, 2024•49 min•Season 1Ep. 101
"It's very stressful and I don't know what I'm doing." Everest, DJ for Sonoma K-pop Hour , thinks this applies to both life in high school as well as being a first time voter. While she is indeed a "very special guest star" and this time we actually, actually mean it, she is also a smart, witty and introspective young woman. In this episode she talks about her popular radio show, the Sonoma K-pop Hour , which may be the only K-pop show on the radio in the San Francisco Bay Area. She also covers ...
Nov 06, 2024•52 min•Season 1Ep. 100
We're doing a pomme reading this week on the Sonoma Spiel with Rick from wine country's best cider shop - Pomme Cider. French for apple, Pomme has a selection of gluten-free ciders as well as champagnes and "pet-nat" wines. We taste three ciders of the 125 we has available, and go through his journey from beer-lover to cider-swiller and what makes his shop special. Rick also answers YOUR Sonoma questions during "We Get Questions." This week he answers: We are visiting from Germany, but we’re her...
Nov 01, 2024•57 min•Season 1Ep. 99
Susan Gorin has been in political office for several decades (from school board to city council to county supervisor) and is nearing the end of her elected career. What's her take on California's crazy politics where we entrust voters with multiple ballot initiatives.? What did she want to accomplish and what was she able to get done? And does she know that one guy she just ran into at the restaurant who asked if he knew her? Susan is ready to let 'er rip as she only has a few months left in her...
Oct 24, 2024•1 hr 15 min•Season 1Ep. 98
While most of our guests on the Sonoma Spiel podcast are well-versed in what to do during a three to four-day visit to Sonoma Valley, this week's guest has customers that stay a bit longer. Forever, even. Carolyn Fulton got her start working in restaurants in Healdsburg after high school, and has had stops at Agilent and others before she came to the city of Sonoma as the new cemetery manager. She oversees Sonoma's three cemeteries: Mountain, Valley and Veteran's. During a wide ranging interview...
Oct 17, 2024•48 min•Ep. 97
