Taste of Travel: Sonoma : Almost Like a Day in Provence : Eating, drinking, pedaling in Northern California. Or is it France?

HEALDSBURG —  The day begins with croissant and coffee. We sit on a bench in the village plaza surrounded by cafes and bakeries, and eat while the cool morning air warms to the sun. Our bikes lean against a tree. A baguette pokes out of my husband’s backpack and I rearrange the fruit tart in my pack. We pedal to the Saturday morning market a block away and pick up a couple of apples and a few figs. Olive oil, mushrooms, baby lettuces fill the stalls. We linger over the produce, look at each other with wistful sighs and laugh.

The moment is strikingly similar to another day, another time, another place. We were in a village in Provence, where we lived for a short time. We were 10 years younger, with small children, no money and no cares. Instead, we are less than two hours from our Mendocino home, astride our bikes in Healdsburg, a vineyard-fringed market town in Sonoma County. The resemblance to Provence begins in town and rushes past us, carrying with it nostalgia with every push of the pedal, as we head west to Dry Creek Valley and through our 20-mile day trip biking through the vineyards.

There are differences. Here the moist morning sea air travels up the Russian River, not the Rhone. Fitch Mountain is no less a landmark than Mt. Ventoux near Avignon, though a fraction of the size. Buildings here are redwood, not limestone. But we don’t have to worry about the exchange rate. The signs are in English. We don’t need passports. Nor did we spend thousands on airplane tickets.

Otherwise, the similarities are enough to make us smile. Valley and tiered hillside vineyards are woven with orchards, wildflowers, vegetable gardens and farm animals, as in the Luberon region. Oak and olive trees, poppies and wild herbs edge the narrow winding lanes, reminding us of routes between Bonnieux and Apt and Avignon, in Provence. The main thoroughfare--Dry Creek Road--is a wide two-laner with a deli and a market along the way. Just past the market a major fruit drying company smells like a famous candied fruit factory near Apt. Family-owned vineyards and wineries are easy cycling distances apart. From across the valley one of Gallo’s wineries, with its red-roofed buildings, resembles the “cave cooperative,” a large community winery that handles grapes from a number of appellations in the middle of the Provencal valley.

Then there is the light. Anyone who has been to Provence knows about the magic of that region’s radiance, as it changes from the morning’s misty gray to a clearer steeliness; from the high noon glow to a purple-pink dusk. All the shades are muted, prompting you to open your eyes wider or squint them into slits to coax definition from colors and shapes that run into each other. The tree leaves spin into the grassy hillsides the way Van Gogh saw them. Pastel produce fills roadside fruit stands like a Cezanne still-life. Although comparatively more vibrant, perhaps because we are so far from Provence, when viewed from the closeness of a bicycle the scenery has for us similar appeal.

Our first stop out of Healdsburg is the Dry Creek Store, about 3 1/2 miles from the bakeries in town. Here we pack a picnic to eat at wineries along the way. Wheels of domestic Brie, chunks of Sonoma chevre and slices of Virginia ham are measured off and wrapped for our packs.

Stepping into the adjacent bar--dark and old, but not as old as the one we frequented at the restaurant de routiers near Lacoste--we split a beer served in a frosty glass as the noontime sun begins releasing its full force.

Mounting our bikes again, we ride a mile or so up the road to Timber Crest Farms, home of Sonoma’s famous dried fruit. Today, the last of the season’s tomatoes scent the air as they are sorted, sliced and readied for an initial 20 hours in the propane-fueled dryers before being finished in the natural air. We go inside to sample the excellent dried fruit. A bag of trail mix, some dried pears and dried tomatoes are added to our packs.

We decide to bike the next five miles to Lake Sonoma Winery at the top of the valley. Although this road is relatively wide and has a bike lane along the way, we appreciate the moderate speed of American drivers in sharp contrast with harrowing rides we’ve shared with France’s latent race-car drivers.

Lake Sonoma Winery can’t be seen from the road, but you know it’s close when you see the spillway from the dam at Lake Sonoma.

A road sign indicates the next sharp right is the winery. Strong legs propel us to the top . . . even if it means pushing the bike on foot for a bit. But the view from the porch of the tasting room is worth the effort.

The deli case displays French and American cheeses, salami from San Francisco and marinated vegetables, olives and condiments from Sonoma County producers. Rolls and baguettes are on hand, as well. We can’t pass up the jars of basil garlic mayonnaise and orange Cabernet mustard made by a kitchen in nearby Sebastopol for the winery. We taste a Chardonnay and a house wine called “Spillway Red” and purchase a reserve Zinfandel to drink with our lunch.

Outside on the porch, we lay out our baguette, cheeses, ham, apples, dried fruit and the fruit tart. A well-fed black lab named Rex pulls himself into a pathetic, half-hearted beg. His fat tail wags and fetching eyes try to catch our attention. We ignore him as long as possible, opting to look across the railing at the entire expanse of Dry Creek Valley. Fitch Mountain rises between the Russian River and Healdsburg to the south.

Between bites of bread, cheese and fruit we succumb stingily to Rex’s subtle solicitation and are impressed by his enthusiastic appreciation. Feeling stuffed we wrap up the remains of our repast and re-cork the wine to stow in our packs.

Bidding the hostess at the bar adieu, we give the dog a farewell pat and mount our bikes for the breakneck ride down the hill. Grapevines are trellised and canopied but without fruit while the leaves begin to dry and curl in the early autumn. They border both sides of the road as we head south on Dry Creek Road a couple of miles to the winery Ferrari-Carano’s Italian-style villa and gardens.

Olive trees, lavender and brilliant flowers that border the acres of gardens, ponds and waterfall could be on the Cote d’Azur, where this Italianate villa would be right at home. We park our bikes and walk to the visitor’s center with its terraced entrance, marbleized interiors and vinous frescoes. Before tasting we head down the stairs to view the magnificent cave. A vaulted room, softly lit by chandeliers, is home to thousands of French oak barrels aging the winery’s famed Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. We look out over the beautiful space and head up to taste the finished products. The price is $2.50 for tasting (applied to any purchases), but we put this off for another time since we are carrying one half-full bottle and we’ve only just begun our journey.

*

After another walk through the garden, we ride out through the stone and iron gates and turn right. About a mile later at the only stop sign on the road, we turn right on Yoakim Bridge Road. Along the way, intrigued by the various stages of grafting evident in the vines along the road, we pull over. A vineyard worker looks up and we ask him to explain grafting. We thank him and he goes back to his cultivating.

Just across the road we see the sign to Dry Creek Peach and Produce. Coming by here in the summer you can smell the ripe peaches and taste them at the roadside stand behind the white farmhouse. At other times of year, you must call ahead to find out if other garden produce is available.

We cross the simple highway-style bridge and stop to look down at Dry Creek, which has a year-round flow thanks to the Warm Springs Dam. As we turn right on West Dry Creek Road, my husband looks back at me with a grin and I signal a thumbs up. We don’t need to speak but simply immerse ourselves in our independent reveries while cycling along.

Preston Vineyards is the destination. Here, Rhone-style varietals offer a taste of the grapes we came to love. Proprietor Lou Preston adds his own Provencal touch with loaves of crusty bread he makes nearly every day for the tasting room. When we tell the genial staff member at the bar about our fondness for southern France, he directs us to the boccie ball court outside by the picnic tables.

We know the game as boules and the image of men in black jackets and berets standing near the village square, cheering each other, flashes nostalgically in my mind. Even though we brought home a set of steel balls our neighbor gave us, we never play. Today, we take time for a brief competition to see who can roll the heavy ball closest to the market. As we often did in Provence, we argue about whose ball is closest, leaving the winner a point we will debate again and again as we share details of this trip with our friends.

Following the oxbow in the river, the road from Preston makes sweeping turns before we are back on West Dry Creek Road. A diversionary slip back into pure Americana is irresistible and we turn right to stop at the Meeker Vineyard, with its magnificent tepee tasting room and robust Cabernet and Zinfandel wines. A mobile bottling plant is in operation and a young man sticks his head out of the truck to say he’ll be right with us. We mosey around and peek into the tepee, which isn’t yet finished. The flagstone floor is in and its projected opening is spring, 1995.

For the moment, tasting is done inside a weathered redwood building with a makeshift bar and laboratory table. Mike, one of the winemakers, pours us supple, rich wines. We promise to return with a car so we can purchase a few bottles.

Turning south for the next few miles we ride past the familiar small vineyard blocks and a row of olive trees. The thick afternoon warmth is trapped within the sloping valley. It scents the air with the aroma of hot foliage, earth and the compost of dropping oak leaves. The road dips and turns sinuously in the dappled shade. An occasional car or vineyard truck passes by. I’m glad we aren’t here during crush, when the mechanical movement of all these grapes could be a threatening intrusion on this bucolic stretch.

A large new redwood barn with a sailboat weather vane appears on a flat on the left. Just around the corner is Quivira Winery, a quintessential Sonoma-style winery, even with all the plantings of Grenache, a typical Rhone grape. In Provence, Grenache is often made into thin, dry roses, but here it is blended with Mourvedre, Syrah and Zinfandel to make Quivira’s prized Dry Creek Cuvee.

We find out in the tasting room that the barn we passed is on the site of an old Pomo Native American encampment. It lies on the bank where Wine Creek joins Dry Creek, once a bastion of salmon fishing until the fish were totally depleted, about 20 years ago. Just like the Romans, whose knack for seeking out pleasurable pursuits brought them in full force to Provence, the Pomos found this pleasant valley while establishing a route between the excellent salmon fishing on Russian River and Dry Creek and the warm springs in the redwoods to the west.

Leaving, we ride out past the rose-bordered vineyards that add more color to the scenery on this last third of our trip.

A. Rafanelli, one of Sonoma’s better-know wineries for Zinfandel, is open today (it isn’t always) so we pedal up the driveway to the rustic redwood cellar behind the residence. Dave Rafanelli is busy with a couple of men who are negotiating to buy more than the winery’s quota, a testament to the wine’s popularity. His daughter smiles sweetly and offers us a taste of the 1992 vintage. We are delighted to find this generous offer after admitting we are on bikes and won’t be taking any wine with us. “You’ll be back,” she replies with confidence. We will.

From here we turn east at Lambert Bridge Road after stopping to photograph the signpost with flags pointing out wineries in all directions. Lambert Bridge has been made famous by the winery of the same name with its advertisement touting the “Bridge of Sonoma County.” The trestled classic crosses Dry Creek at a wide point before the road makes a sharp S-turn past Robert Stemmler winery and on to Dry Creek Vineyard.

The prolific flower garden in front of Dry Creek’s simple French-styled stone winery is one of the valley’s most romantic and popular picnic sites. We walk past people seated at redwood picnic tables and on the lawn. Thirty-foot fir trees provide a shady respite today. The style is truly French, but inspired by the Loire Valley rather than the Rhone. Owner David Stare’s affection for that more northerly region inspired the architecture as well as his winemaking style, which includes a Sauvignon blanc called fume blanc and a dry fruity chenin blanc. With only 3 1/2 miles remaining in our ride, we feel we can handle the load and buy a bottle of fume blanc to stick in the pack as refreshment for later.

After we pull out of the winery, when we see Dry Creek General Store at the end of the road, we’ve come full circle. Here, we turn right and forge along and up the slight (but feeling steeper) incline in the full glare of the dropping sun. We take a bottle of mineral water out of my pack and wander out to the deck to sit a minute. We look out over the vineyards as the light casts a lavender-rose haze over the autumn colored vines. When we arrived in Provence it was also October. This late afternoon pause could have been from the terrace of our home there and we know we have been here before.

GUIDEBOOK

Wine Country Samplings

Wineries: Lake Sonoma Winery, 9990 Dry Creek Road, Geyserville 95441; (707) 431-1550.

Ferrari-Carano Vineyards and Winery, 8761 Dry Creek Road, Healdsburg 95448; (707) 433-6700.

Preston Vineyards, 9282 W. Dry Creek Road, Healdsburg 95448; (707) 433-3372.

The Meeker Vineyard, 9711 W. Dry Creek Road, Healdsburg 95448; (707) 431-2148.

Quivira Vineyards, 4900 W. Dry Creek Road, Healdsburg 95448; (707) 431-8333.

A. Rafanelli, 4685 W. Dry Creek Road, Healdsburg 95448; (707) 433-1385.

Dry Creek Vineyard, 3770 Lambert Bridge Road, Healdsburg 95448; (707) 433-1000.

Food purveyors: Dry Creek General Store, 3495 Dry Creek Road, Healdsburg 95448; (707) 433-4171.

Timber Crest Farms, 4791 Dry Creek Road, Healdsburg 95448; (707) 433-8251 (mail order available).

Dry Creek Peach and Produce, 2179 Yoakim Bridge Road; (707) 433-7016.

Bakeries: Cousteaux French Bakery, 417 Healdsburg Ave., Healdsburg; raisin and other breads, pastries, deli case with sandwiches and picnic items; espresso drinks; (707) 433-1913.

Downtown Bakery, 308A Center St., Healdsburg 95448; crusty bread, croissants, focaccia, sticky buns, tarts, cakes, ice cream; (707) 431-2719.