Wine Country Goes Hollywood

The Sonoma Valley Film Festival offers the ultimate film-and-food getaway

THE SONOMA VALLEY FILM FESTIVAL, which marks its 10th anniversary this month, is a cinematic smorgasbord for food, wine, and film lovers. The five-day festival offers a schedule of more than 75 independent features, shorts, and documentaries, and is called Cinema Epicuria for good reason: Sonoma’s wealth of great restaurants and wineries ensures no shortage of incredible food and wine at the parties and dinners. In fact, this is the only film festival in the world with its own sommelier.

The event gives attendees the chance to mix and mingle with movie stars and big-name filmmakers, without the red carpet separation that most Hollywood events enforce. In the past, I’ve chatted with young actress Jena Malone about her cult smash Donnie Darko over gourmet cheeseburgers at a backyard barbecue, then clinked glasses with screen legend Blythe Danner at a pouring party next to the town’s historic Sebastiani movie theater.

This year’s festival will kick off with the Danish film After the Wedding, which was nominated for an Oscar this year. Other films will include the dramas Snow Cake, starring Sigourney Weaver, and Canvas, starring Marcia Gay Harden and Joe Pantoliano (who will attend the festival), as well as the outrageous Ten Commandments satire The Ten, starring Winona Ryder and Jessica Alba.

On Saturday night, Sonoma native son John Lasseter, founder of Emeryville’s Pixar Studios, will be honored. Lasseter’s Saturday night shindig will be hosted by actor John Ratzenberger (Cliff Claven from Cheers). Featured guests Bonnie Hunt and Cheech Marin (who both did voicing for Cars) will add big laughs to the proceedings.

The festival is held April 11 through 15. Tickets are $10 per screening—but the $225 festival pass is recommended, as many shows sell out fast. A pass to all films as well as parties is $450; the all-inclusive VIP experience (access to all events, plus invitations to private parties and no waiting in food lines) is $1,200. Tickets for the April 14 Festival Gala with John Lasseter are $100. For tickets and program information, go to www.sonomafilmfest.org.

WINE AND MOVIE PAIRINGS
This year’s complete film lineup won’t be finalized until early April, but we still wanted festival sommelier Christopher Sawyer to give us a taste of his wine and movie combinations. Sawyer, who is something of a cinema-vino savant, recommended these Sonoma wines with some of Diablo’s favorite movies.

Little Miss Sunshine/2006 Pinot Grigio-Chardonnay from Cline Cellars. For viewing last year’s comedy smash, Sawyer immediately names a bright, lively Chardonnay. “[Like Sunshine’s characters], Pinot Grigio and Chardonnay seem to have nothing in common,” he says. “But when you bring them together, there’s a great finish—cheery and refreshing.” Tastings daily, 10 a.m.–6 p.m. Cline Cellars, 24737 Arnold Dr./Highway 121, Sonoma, (707) 940-4000, www.clinecellars.com

The Incredibles/Moon Mountain’s Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. Because he moonlights as the personal sommelier to John Lasseter, Sawyer has had some practice pairing wines with Pixar films. “Just like The Incredibles’ family of superheroes, Moon Mountain’s Reserve Cab Sauvignon has four main characters,” Sawyer says. “It’s not just the Cab that makes the wine, it’s the other touches—there’s some [Cabernet] Franc, Merlot, and Petit Verdot.” Tastings by appointment and set tour times daily at 10:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Moon Mountain Vineyard, 1700 Moon Mountain Dr., Sonoma, (707) 996-5870, www.moonmountainvineyard.com

Gigi/Carneros Cuvée 1996 from Gloria Ferrer. Sawyer pairs the 1958 Oscar-winner with a bubbly that Gloria Ferrer ages for eight years before releasing. “Carneros Cuvée is an elegant sparkling wine. It still seems young but has a priceless style and class.” Guided winery tours available daily; call for times. Gloria Ferrer Champagne Caves, 23555 Hwy. 121, Sonoma, (707) 933-1917, www.gloriaferrer.com

The Name of the Rose/Nicholson Ranch’s Ramona Rosé. For those film buffs who adore sleepers, Sawyer suggests a bottle of Nicholson Ranch’s Ramona Rosé for this Sean Connery cult classic. The rosé offers smooth relief to the shocking twists of the movie. Tastings daily 10 a.m.–6 p.m. Nicholson Ranch, 4200 Napa Rd., Sonoma, (707) 938-8822, www.nicholsonranch.com

Sideways/Pinot Noir. This neo-classic comedy has turned Pinot Noir into a movie star—while giving Merlot the Ben-Affleck-in-Gigli treatment. “We are the county with the most Pinot Noir acres in the United States,” says the Sonoma County native. “It’s very easy to have a Sideways weekend.”

WHERE TO STAY
Many of Sonoma’s fine hotels and inns offer package deals for festival attendees.

The Lodge at Sonoma. This six-year-old luxury property has 182 rooms, including 102 private cottages. The Raindance Spa offers a range of treatments, and the lodge’s outstanding restaurant, Carneros Bistro and Wine Bar, features the sommelier services of the aforementioned Christopher Sawyer. Rooms are $189–$409 per night, and the hotel has packages for film festival attendees. The Lodge at Sonoma, 1325 Broadway, Sonoma, (707) 935-6600, www.thelodgeatsonoma.com

MacArthur Place. This 19th-century estate has been transformed into a 64-room inn and spa. The inn hosts Cinema Epicuria events during the year, including outdoor screenings and wine tastings in its charming backyard gardens. Rooms are $300–$575 per night. MacArthur Place, 29 E. MacArthur St., Sonoma, (800) 722-1866, www.macarthurplace.com

Vineyard Cottage at Landmark Vineyards. As its name suggests, this elegant private cottage is smack-dab in Landmark’s vineyards, offering guests a magical way to wake up in Wine Country. You’ll want to taste Landmark’s Overlook Chardonnay, which Martha Stewart called her favorite white wine for a wedding. Rates are $150–$220 per night. Landmark Vineyards, 101 Adobe Canyon Rd., Kenwood, 707-833-0053, www.landmarkwine.com ■