The cheese and the weekend has finally digested -- what a time I had in Sonoma over Labor Day weekend, drinking the best beers and wines in the country and sampling some of the best food goodies of my life. MacMurray Ranch was the scene of the Sonoma Showcase. This beautiful ranch is set about 15 minutes west of the town of Healdsburg. Driving down the winding road between lush vineyards and simple homesteads, I felt transported back in time; this scene does not exist in mainstream America anymore. MacMurray Ranch was purchased by Hollywood actor Fred MacMurray in 1941, and sold to the Gallo family many years later. They have kept the ranch on it's original charming state, and you couldn't have asked for a more beautiful setting for the Sonoma Showcase Weekend.
Saturday, August 30th started out as a very early morning; Sheana and I had to arrive at MacMurray Ranch sometime around 7:00am. Sheana's assistant Alexis arrived around 9:30 to serve 1000s of samples of fresh Sonoma cheeses to the happy attendees.
Alexis manned the Epicurean Connection table in the center of the Sonoma tent. She served Delice de la Vallee to 1500 cheery folks on lovely fresh bread topped with a drizzle of saba, a super yummy concoction imported into the States made of concentrated, reduced grape juice. Wow. The Delice de la Vallee certainly pops on its own, and the saba adds that extra zing. The other cheese on the table was Franklin's Teleme, a rich complement to the Delice, indeed. The table was decorated with Mason jars full of culinary harvest items and even Mardi Gras beads, a tribute to New Orleans for the careful observers.
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