Romance in Sonoma's Wine Country

. January 27, 2009

SONOMA COUNTY, CA, January 27, 2009 - The silky texture of luscious dark chocolate sliding down your throat, followed by a sip of a full-bodied Zinfandel that plays on your taste buds. You've discovered the perfect pairing for a romantic retreat in Sonoma's wine country.

Sonoma Country is just 30 miles north of San Francisco with easy access from the San Francisco, Oakland and Sacramento International Airports. The Charles M. Schulz Sonoma County Airport in Santa Rosa, the county's largest city, has direct daily flights from Los Angeles, Seattle, Portland and Las Vegas.

This bucolic region is America's premier wine, spa, and coastal destination. Design your own romantic getaway with accommodations from luxurious hotels to historic inns, romantic B&Bs and modern campgrounds. Stay along the winding Pacific coast, among the redwoods, on a vineyard-lined lane, or in a casual urban setting. Build your own romantic getaway by visiting www.sonomacounty.com.

Feeling romantic, but you don't have time to research the possibilities of a Sonoma wine country romantic weekend? Below are packages several resorts, attractions and restaurants have created for couples.

Winter Romance Getaway at Cypress House in Valley of the Moon

Enjoy time away this winter in the Valley of the Moon. This three-bedroom, two-bath home in Kenwood sleeps six and features a pool, hot tub, beautiful vegetable and cutting gardens, and roomy outdoor area for you to experience true wine-country living. The kitchen is a "foodie" haven, with lots of counter space and an open dining area.

Winter Romance Getaway Special (up to six guests)

$385 per night with two-night minimum

$350 per night for three to five nights

$1,900 special weekly rate (six nights)

Rates inclusive of all tax and fees

Valid through Feb. 28, 2009

www.winecountryharmony.com

20th Annual Wine & Chocolate Fantasy 2009 at Rodney Strong

Rodney Strong Vineyards celebrates its favorite pairings: rich, Sonoma County chocolates with delicious Rodney Strong wines. The event is from 1 to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 7. This year, even more local chocolatiers will offer samples of their delectable confections. Festivities also include music by Earl Thomas. Treat yourself and your Valentine to an afternoon of indulgence.

Tickets are $40 for general public or $35 for Rodney Strong Collector's Circle members, and include a commemorative logo glass. Make your reservations in advance; no tickets will be available at the door.

www.rodneystrong.com

Rodney Strong

11455 Old Redwood Highway, Healdsburg.

Valentine's Day Chocolate and Reds at B.R. Cohn

Bittersweet chocolate is rich enough on its own, but pair it with B.R. Cohn's equally rich 2006 Olive Hill Estate Cabernet Port, and it's a match made in heaven. On Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 14 - 15, guests will be treated to a complimentary wine and truffle pairing at the winery tasting room.

B.R. Cohn

15000 Sonoma Highway, Glen Ellen

11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

www.brcohn.com/events

Cupid comes to The Spa at Montecito Heights

The Spa at Monetcito Heights will be giving Cupid a hand this Valentine's Day. Tell Cupid exactly what you would like by sending a postcard. Simply fill out your gift choice, name and address of your Cupid and let The Spa do the rest. Visit the website for more information at www.montecitoheights.com.

Inspire love and romance at The Spa this Valentine's Day with a little something special. Indulge your body and your senses with a day of pleasure. Select from any one of our romance inspired treatments and relax with a glass of sparkling champagne and chocolate truffles: 50-minute Couple's Rose Petal Massage, 50-minute Chardonnay Massage, 50-minute Rose Petal Facial, 50-minute Sweetheart Manicure or Pedicure, 50-minute Rose Petal Sugar Scrub, or 50-minute Chocolate Sugar Scrub.

The Spa at Monetcito Heights

2777 4th Street, Santa Rosa

(707) 526-0529

www.montecitoheights.com

Aphrodisiac Dinner at Tolay Restaurant

Enjoy a three- or four-course pre fixe Valentine's dinner on Friday or Saturday, Feb. 13 and 14. Choose your starter, choose your entree, and choose your dessert from items including Liberty duck two ways, lobster avocado salad, pan-seared foie gras, Hog Island oysters, grilled rack of CK lamb, veal sweetbreads, diver scallops, and more. Dinner per person is $55 for three courses and $65 for four, and includes a complimentary glass of champagne and amuse bouche.

Sheraton Sonoma County - Petaluma

745 Baywood Drive, Petaluma

(707) 283-2900

www.tolayrestaurant.com

Valentine's Romance Package - Sheraton Sonoma County - Petaluma

Your overnight stay will include one night in a traditional room (upgrade to deluxe if available), breakfast for two (room service or in Tolay), champagne and strawberries delivered to your room, and a late checkout of 4 p.m. Rates start at $139.

Sheraton Sonoma County - Petaluma

745 Baywood Drive, Petaluma

(707) 283-2900

www.sheraton.com/sonomaoffers

Seeing Your Sweetie in a New Light - Driving Tours Offered

You and your Valentine can spend the day exploring Bodega Bay and Sonoma County's more than 50 miles of Pacific coast. Until Feb. 16, Sonoma County Tours is offering its Bodega Bay tour audio CD for half price, or $9.99. Enjoy a private tour of Bodega Bay. Take in all the sights while driving at your own pace. Relax as your "tour guide" directs you where to go, how to get there, what to do and see.

Sonoma County Tours

(707) 824-1304

[email protected]

www.sonomacountytours.com

My Sparkling Valentine at Vintners Inn

Your Valentine's Day will sparkle at the Vintner's Inn. Offered Feb. 13 - 14, the package includes two nights in a fireplace room overlooking the beautiful winter gardens, a bottle of sparkling wine and six chocolate-covered strawberries.

Indulge your taste buds at the renowned John Ash & Co., by using the included $100 certificate for dinner. Relax and unwind with two 50-minute therapeutic massages. A continental breakfast is offered each morning, homemade cookies are left at turndown and a half bottle of Fume Blanc awaits you upon arrival. The two-night package for two is $800.

Vintners Inn

4350 Barnes Road, Santa Rosa

(800) 421-2584

www.vintersinn.com

Get Hot in the Kitchen -- Turn up the Heat at Landmark Vineyards

Get hot in the kitchen with the one you love. Landmark Vineyards is offering an interactive Valentine's Day experience. Cook with your sweetie on Valentine's Day, then sit down to a romantic meal paired with Landmark's finest wines. Appetizers and wine will start flowing at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 14.

Working with professional chefs from Hands-On-Gourmet, couples will create a gourmet three-course meal. The menu for the evening includes buckwheat blinis with cedar planked trout, steak au poivre with potato puree and heirloom carrots, and milk chocolate pot de cr`eme with burnt orange chantilly. After working up an appetite in the kitchen, couples will be served an elegant dinner in Landmark's dining room. Each course will be paired with Landmark's wines. Dinner tickets are $125 per person. Reservations are required; you must reserve your place no later than Feb. 6.

Michael Baughman

(707) 833-0228

[email protected].

www.landmarkwine.com

Romance among the Vines at Landmark Vineyards

What is more romantic than two nights at a vineyard with a romantic dinner for two at the winery? Landmark Landmark's cozy cottage, nestled at the base Sugarloaf Mountain, is offering the perfect romantic weekend get-away in wine country.

On your first night, settle in and explore the surrounding Sonoma Valley. The next day, Landmark will pack a picnic lunch for your docent-led hike in Sugarloaf State Park where waterfalls abound, brooks babble, and the views are divine. After an exhilarating hike return for an in-room, couple's massage. Later Landmark's viticulturalist will take you on a private tour of the estate vineyard and teach you about the vines and the art of wine making.

In the evening, you and your companion will sit down to a private romantic candle light dinner in Landmark's elegantly appointed dining room for the ultimate gastronomic experience that will dazzle your taste buds with perfectly paired wine country cuisines with limited production and library Landmark wines. After dinner, you can retire to your cottage by simply walking around the vineyard to your room.

On your final day at Landmark, Proprietor's Mike and Mary will schedule appointments for you with some of their favorite local wineries where you will receive the VIP treatment. You and your companion will be chauffeured in a 1950s Cadillac convertible. The cost for one couple for the entire package is $2,500.

Landmark Vineyards

101 Adobe Canyon Road, Kenwood

www.landmarkwine.com

Super Surprises for Singles at Zazu

Don't be alone. Come hang with us at the bar at Zazu Restaurant and Farm and we will give you a special surprise.

Zazu restaurant + farm

3535 Guerneville Road, Santa Rosa

(707) 523-4814

www.zazurestaurant.com

Be Mine, Be Fresh at Zazu

Zazu dishes it up fresh from the farm with lots of love for this special Valentine's dinner on Saturday, Feb. 14. Dinner, before beverage, gratuity or tax, is $63 a person for three courses and $73 a person for four courses.

---|-Choose from: Kusshi oysters on the half-shell -- three tobikos; ginger mignonette

Hamachi tartar - grains of paradise cracker, coconut, lime, chilies; hearts of romaine - green goddess dressing, avocado, watermelon radishes, boccorones; marinated pig heart - tiny potato salad, mustard seed aioli; Italian wedding soup - black pig sausage meatballs;

Bellwether sheep milk ricotta gnudi - spinach, pomodoro; or seared foie gras - yeasted waffle, passion fruit syrup.

---|-Choose from: bone-in rib eye steak (for two) - backyard marjoram salsa verde, red bliss mashed potatoes; coriander- and fennel-crusted ahi tuna - hot and spicy cappellini puttanesca; ruby beet ravioli - backyard fava leaves and white truffle butter; or breast of guinnea hen - dirty farro, red crimson pear, quince saba.

---|-Choose from: Mexican hot chocolate and "just fried" churros; red velvet cake and rosewater cream-cheese frosting; citrus, citrus, citrus - blood orange sorbetto, lime curd, and lemon cooler cookie; or a good old fashioned root beer float, bourbon gelato and two straws.

Zazu restaurant + farm

3535 Guerneville Road, Santa Rosa

(707) 523-4814

www.zazurestaurant.com

Extended Valentine's Day Excursion at Dawn Ranch

Stay two nights and receive the third night free. Have a special dinner in the Roadhouse Restaurant Friday or Saturday, Feb. 13-14, for just $99 for two. Price includes a three-course meal (your choice from four entrees) two glasses of sparkling wine and a beautiful floral arrangement on your table from Nexus Organic for you to take home.

Dawn Ranch Lodge

16467 River Rd., Guerneville

www.dawnranch.com/reservations

www.dawnranch.com

Drive Your Sweetheart Wild in Wine Country - Wild Jungle Love Romantic Safari

On Saturday, Feb. 14, indulge your wild side at Safari West's Valentine's sex tour and dinner party package, for $150 (tax and gratuity not included). Adults only are invited and reservations are a must. Only 90 adults can be accommodated on the sex tour.

This hot ticket begins at 2:30 p.m., with a wine and chocolate reception followed by a safari in an open-air vehicle among some of the world's most exotic creatures. You'll learn intimate details about the mating habits of African mammals and birds including bongo, giraffe, gazelle, zebra, warthog, cheetah and more. Yes, love is in the air.

Then, it's time to kick up your hooves (or paws) and party into the night with your very own two-footed animal! Can a holiday get any more wildly romantic? An overnight package is available for $450 for two adults. This includes the sex safari, dinner and dancing, and lodging for two adults. (Tax and gratuity not included.)

Private sex safaris are also available during the entire month of February. Costs are $800 for up to 10 guests and include a wine, chocolate and cheese basket.

Safari West Wildlife Preserve and African Tent Camp

3115 Porter Creek Road, Santa Rosa

(707) 579-2551; (800) 616-2695

www.safariwest.com

Ah ... Romance is in the Air at the Flamingo

Stay at the historic Flamingo Conference Resort and spa for Valentine's Day, Saturday, Feb. 14. The package includes couple's spa treatments; a special gift; dinner for two at the Terrace Grille; two cocktails in the lounge or a bottle of sparkling wine in the room; continental breakfast in the Terrace Grille or room service; and passes to the Montecito Heights Health Club. This all-inclusive package is $499 for a deluxe room, $549 for an executive king, or $599 for a suite.

Flamingo Conference Resort & Spa

2777 Fourth Street, Santa Rosa

(707) 545-8530

www.flamingohotel.com

Will You Be Mine ... at the FountainGrove Inn?

Retreat to the newly renovated FountainGrove Inn and Equus Restaurant for a romantic Valentine's Day weekend. This package includes one night's accommodation for two in a deluxe king room; complimentary tasting vouchers to local wineries; sparkling wine and chocolates upon arrival; a three-course dinner in Equus Restaurant for two; a full breakfast buffet for two; and late checkout, for $335 for two adults, including tax and gratuities.

Fountaingrove Inn and Equus Restaurant

101 Fountaingrove Parkway, Santa Rosa

(800) 222-6101

www.fountaingroveinn.com

Pure Indulgence in Luxury

Tour the Sonoma Valley town of Glen Ellen in luxury, for a decadent, sumptuous and stress-free experience. On your tour, you will visit three mouthwatering, innovative establishments for tastings in Jack London Village: Figone's of California Olive Oil, Wine Country Chocolates, and Raymond & Company Cheesemongers. Delight in the lush valley of Glen Ellen surrounded by the hillsides of the Sonoma and Mayacamas Mountains while gratifying your palette. The tour is offered Wednesday through Sunday only. Maximum group size is 10 guests. Pricing begins at $79 per person for five-hour package, minimum six guests. Add-on options for $95 per person -- more wine tasting at Benzinger Family Winery.

Pure Luxury Limousine Service, Inc.

(800) 626-5466

www.pureluxury.com

Delight Your Love this Valentine's Day with a Gift of Roses, Sparkling Wine and Chocolate.

Valentine's may only be for one day but at Hyatt Vineyard Creek Hotel and Spa you're encouraged to enjoy "Sweethearts Indulgence" romance packages any time in February and March. (No other discounts apply with this package.)

60-Minute Romance Package: $250 or $365 with one-night stay Enjoy a flute of sparkling wine and a "Heart's Desire" truffle while indulging in the warmth of an herbal neck wrap. Next, complete the romance with a 50-minute couple's massage that saturates the senses in rose body butter and chocolate-scented aromatherapy oil.

90-Minute Romance Package: $300 or $415 with one-night stay Enjoy a flute of sparkling wine and a "Heart's Desire" truffle while indulging in the warmth of an herbal neck wrap. Next, enjoy a romantic 20-minute lavender and rose tub soak for two. Complete the romance with a 50-minute couple's massage that saturates the senses with rose body butter and chocolate-scented aromatherapy oil.

Hyatt Vineyard Creek Hotel and Spa

170 Railroad Street, Santa Rosa

(707) 284-1234

vineyardcreek.hyatt.com

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