Posts Tagged ‘Women-owned businesses’

Working in California

Friday, October 10th, 2008
Cabernet Grapes at the Hanna Winery

Cabernet grapes at the Hanna Winery

I spent a very enjoyable week in California as the guest of Chris Hanna who welcomed me to Hanna Wineries in Sonoma Valley for the fall harvest. Together with a friend, we toured Hanna’s vineyards, tasted their award-winning estate-grown Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon wines, and accompanied Winemaker Jeff Hinchcliffe on a tour of Hanna’s production facilities, learning first-hand about the art of winemaking.  The highlight was a harvest lunch with Chris and the winery staff. We appreciated the scenic beauty of the Sonoma Valley and particularly its authentic cuisine. We dined at the Dry Creek Kitchen and Cena Luna and enthusiastically recommend both. And if you ever need accommodations in the Sonoma Valley, I recommend the Healdsburg Inn, where we stayed. In addition to visiting eight wineries and one olive oil press in Sonoma, we also attended the Harvest Fair, which was great fun. I particularly enjoyed seeing the fruits of the harvest, such as this impressive array of apples.

A Bountiful Harvest at the Sonoma Fair

A bountiful harvest at the Sonoma Fair

Our stay with Hanna Wineries was a particular delight for me as I have completed four certificate programs at the French Culinary Institute, including study with Master Somnelier Andrea Immer Robinson. Chris Hanna is also writing a cookbook and I look forward to reading about her special cuisine and suggested food and wine pairings. And as Chris Hanna and I are both women business owners, I related to her choices and her values. I also envy her quality of life in Sonoma Valley! Photographs of our visit will be published in a future issue of Gourmet magazine; I will provide the link as soon as it will be available.

We enjoyed the hospitality of Hanna Wineries

We enjoyed the hospitality of Hanna Wineries

We then went to San Jose where we visited the Museum of Technology and its impressive exhibit devoted to the work of Leonardo da Vinci. The presentation focused on da Vinci’s work as an inventor and engineer and featured facsimiles of his notebooks. If you have the opportunity to see this exhibit, do so, as it will leave San Jose in a few months’ time. And before you think I had all fun and no work in California, I should tell you that I did work in San Jose, including doing a book signing at the local Borders Bookstores, although that was fun, too. This photograph below shows two copies of the book remaining after the signing; I guess this is the author’s experience of the harvest and it is very rewarding.

Technology museum in San Jose

Technology museum in San Jose

Don't miss the Leonardo da Vinci exhibit

Don't miss the Leonardo da Vinci exhibit

Fruits of your author's labor

Fruits of your author's labor