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PODCAST

The Sonoma Spiel

Sonoma Valley Visitors Bureau

California’s Sonoma Wine Country is known as a feast for the senses - amazing food and wine, beautiful mountains and redwood forests, and charming small towns. Go deeper into the best of Sonoma Wine Country with the Sonoma Spiel, where we talk about what’s happening in and around Sonoma Valley with guests like farmers, chefs, wine makers, artists and interesting guest stars. Plus, we answer YOUR questions about visiting California’s famed wine country during our recurring feature, ”We Get

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All Episodes

67:53

Sonoma Spiel: Craft Cocktails & Community with Liz...

The Sonoma Spiel ·

2025/10/14

Fall in Sonoma means harvest, friends—and great drinks. Tim sits down with Liz Takeuchi-Krist, co-owner of The Starling, a beloved neighborhood cocktail bar in Sonoma, to talk about building a welcoming, safe space (yes, even for solo guests) and the magic behind a truly great drink. Liz shares her path from Chicago music venues and wine auctions to bartending at the girl & the fig and finally opening The Starling, plus why the bar’s name gives grape growers a playful wink.Expect plenty of

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70:01

Harvest, Homecoming & Highway 12 Winery with Paul Giusto

The Sonoma Spiel ·

2025/10/08

Welcome back to The Sonoma Spiel from the Sonoma Valley Visitors Bureau! We kick things off fresh from a festive homecoming pep rally (electric-guitar National Anthem, tractors, the works—Go Dragons!) and welcomes returning guest Paul Giusto of Highway 12 Vineyards & Winery. We talk all things Sonoma Valley harvest—why 2025 is running a little late, what “crush” actually means, how rosé saignée works, and what happens when everything ripens at once (spoiler: 🚜🍇 organized chaos). Paul also

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74:34

The Pumpkining! The Annual Pumpkin Spice Episode with...

The Sonoma Spiel ·

2025/10/01

You might groan when you see it, but deep down you know you love it: Pumpkin Spice Season. Born from Starbucks’ skunkworks, this cinnamon-nutmeg-allspice sensation has become a fixture in America’s culinary calendar—and Sonoma Valley is not immune.This week, Michelle Lacy and Mark Bodenhamer return to talk all things harvest, fall, and autumn—while taste-testing pumpkin spice treats ranging from pretzels and nuts to cupcakes and even Twinkies. Along the way, we share upcoming events and dive into

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58:16

From Jazz to Circus: Inside the Green Music Center’s...

The Sonoma Spiel ·

2025/09/17

Jacob Yarrow joins Tim to unpack Sonoma State’s Green Music Center: World-class halls, wildly diverse ’25–’26 season (jazz, mariachi, contemporary circus, holiday shows & more), and how the venue keeps Sonoma County listening.Fresh from moving the Sonoma Valley Visitors Bureau into its new HQ at the Toscano Hotel (come visit!), Tim sits down with Jacob Yarrow, Executive Director of Sonoma State University’s Green Music Center (GMC), for a lively tour of one of Northern California’s premier

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43:57

Dorothea Lange’s California, Revisited — SVMA’s Linda...

The Sonoma Spiel ·

2025/09/10

This week, Tim sits down with Linda Keaton, Executive Director of the Sonoma Valley Museum of Art (SVMA), to preview Last West: Dorothea Lange’s California, Revisited. The exhibition pairs Lange’s iconic documentation of Dust Bowl migration with contemporary artists exploring today’s migrant labor, agriculture, climate, and community—revealing what has (and hasn’t) changed.Linda also shares how SVMA is transforming a third of the museum into a theater to present the world premiere of a stage work

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56:17

Wrong intro, right guest! Matt Leffert from Jack...

The Sonoma Spiel ·

2025/09/03

Matt Leffert from Jack London Park Partners wasn't running on a trail at Jack London State Park long enough to come to the Sonoma Spiel podcast. He told us who this Jack London guy was (evidently he owned the ranch that became the park, but turns out he was also a world-famous writer and adventurer) and why the park that bears his name is really multiple parks in one. During the conversation we cover Jack and Charmian London, their innovations in farming and their fun parties and events on the

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01:05:29

Angels with soiled faces: Great grapes don't grow in...

The Sonoma Spiel ·

2025/08/28

Don't call it dirt - grapes need soil. Sam Coturri comes from a long line of farmers, and the don't just grow grapes, they grow soil. His pathway to farming started when he left the family business to go to college, work in the cannabis and marketing fields, and then coming home to his calling to help run the family businesses. Their wine label, Winery Sixteen 600, specializes small batch, single vineyard wines, exclusively from certified organic vineyards. And while we taste three of his wines we

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53:42

Walking the Plaza, sampling wine and tasty pairings:...

The Sonoma Spiel ·

2025/08/19

Let's take a walk around Sonoma - and do some wine tasting and food pairing along the way. This week our Very Special Guest is Renee ReBell from the award-winning Gourmet Food & Wine Tours, a local company that offers relaxed walks around the Plaza to Sonoma wineries and restaurants. Like her tours, our interview is a gentle amble that covers the beginning of the winegrape harvest in Sonoma Valley (ring that bell!), how she moved from helping homeowners better their curb appeal to selling wine

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55:04

Super Bowl in Sonoma? World Cup in Kenwood? The Bay...

The Sonoma Spiel ·

2025/08/13

"Unite the Bay Area Through Sport" is the motto of the Bay Area Host Committee, the region’s first long-term sports entity that partners with local teams, civic leaders, and businesses to bring world-class sporting events to iconic Bay Area venues—driving lasting economic, cultural, and social impact.This week on the Sonoma Spiel podcast, Adam Lewis of the BAHC talks about how the totality of the San Francisco Bay Area can be part of the ongoing project to bring large events to Northern

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01:03:41

Nick Ciccollela of Muscardini Cellars: Italian wines,...

The Sonoma Spiel ·

2025/07/29

Nick Ciccollela of Muscardini Cellars popped open a bottle of fabulous, limited edition wine (Contessa - get in line, people) and we were off... talking "Italifornian" wines, live music during the summer at their Kenwood tasting room for "Simmer Down Saturday," whatever happened to MTV and "Pimp My Ride," and what the wine industry can do to appeal to new customers. Nick also talks mountain biking at Annadel State Park in Sonoma Valley and confesses that he has no idea what people are talking

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01:00:05

Down in The Laugh Cellar with Lisa Pidge: Wine...

The Sonoma Spiel ·

2025/07/22

Lisa Pidge, founder of the Laugh Cellar (since 2014) and actual certified pickleball pro, is back on the Spiel with updates on new comedy shows around Sonoma County during the Wine Country Comedy Fest. She talks about how she finds her comedians (this year's lineup includes Chase O'Donnell, Aiko Tanaka, Lisa Gilbert, JJ Barrows, Helen Chu, Vien Phommachanh, Amanda Cohen and Solange Castro) and why her wife is a great gardener.She also decries the supposed "Gen Z Stare", what it was like being a

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50:29

The best chamber music festival in California?...

The Sonoma Spiel ·

2025/07/02

We don't know if they're dangerous, but we do know they sound good. This year, "Liaisons" is the theme for the Valley of the Moon Music Festival. In this week's podcast we have an engaging and informative liaison with Tanya Tomkins and Eric Zivyan, cellist and pianist and wife and husband, and co-directors of the popular chamber music festival that takes place around Sonoma Valley. This year they discuss "Liaisons"—a celebration of artistic and personal connections spanning centuries. "Whether

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58:25

The latest scoop: We scream for ice cream with Ramie...

The Sonoma Spiel ·

2025/06/24

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

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01:10:17

Return of the Mark: Late Night Wine Tasting in Sonoma...

The Sonoma Spiel ·

2025/06/11

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 of

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01:02:38

Sonoma County Artist Fred Parker and a lawyer walk...

The Sonoma Spiel ·

2025/06/06

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 Piasta

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52:46

You get a medal! You get a medal! Everyone gets a...

The Sonoma Spiel ·

2025/05/29

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 very

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49:06

Spritz-O'Clock! Celebrating Sonoma 200 Years of...

The Sonoma Spiel ·

2025/05/21

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

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01:01:50

Vine Life: King of Wine Podcasts "Life Between The...

The Sonoma Spiel ·

2025/05/07

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

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59:03

Free Summer Concerts in Sonoma: Rod Marymor Talks...

The Sonoma Spiel ·

2025/05/01

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

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49:48

Max Pond : Chocolate Maker and Football Coach Talks...

The Sonoma Spiel ·

2025/04/24

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

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