The Sonoma Spiel

The Pumpkining! The Annual Pumpkin Spice Episode with Mark & Michelle

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 real listener questions in our “We Get Questions” segment:
We want to bring a group of corporate professionals to Sonoma Valley for a three-day meeting in November. What can we do besides sitting in a conference room?
Outside of wine tasting, what else can you do at a winery or vineyard?
Are the leaves changing colors in Occidental yet? (via text)
What can we do at night in Sonoma Valley?
Can I smoke cannabis when I go wine tasting?
We Get Questions is brought to you by the Sonoma Plaza Tasting Pass: Save up to 25% on tasting fees and choose three great wineries around the historic Sonoma Plaza. Details here.
Got your own questions about Sonoma Valley?info@sonomavalley.comText us at 707-996-1090Connect on Facebook, Instagram, or TikTokStop by one of our two visitor centers
Listen to The Sonoma Spiel – Sonoma Valley’s top podcast – wherever you get your podcasts:
🎥 YouTube
🍏 Apple Podcasts
🎧 Spotify

From Jazz to Circus: Inside the Green Music Center’s '25–'26 Lineup with Jacob Yarrow

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 performing arts hubs. We learn what makes GMC special, such as the acoustically famed Weill Hall, intimate Schroeder Hall, and the indoor-outdoor lawn experience, and how the rooms themselves become part of the music.
 
They then preview the upcoming 2025–26 season: a New Orleans-style jazz kickoff with an uptown big band vibe, mariachi and swing, adventurous new-music string quartets, and a can’t-miss appearance by a contemporary circus company from Australia. Holiday favorites return with touring ensembles and Broadway star power, plus community favorites like outdoor movie nights on the lawn. Jacob also shares how GMC partners with the Santa Rosa Symphony, supports student performances, and welcomes audiences whether they’re dressed up for a night out or dropping by post-hike.
 
Along the way we discuss pepperoni rolls, West Virginia, marching bands, moonshine lore, and why Sonoma is sneakily packed with live music.
 
More info & tickets: gmc.sonoma.edu
Plan your Sonoma Valley trip & events: sonomavalley.com
 
Every week our podcast guests answer YOUR questions about wine country and visiting Sonoma.
 
This week Jacob Yarrow takes on these important Sonoma Valley questions:
 
We are here for two days and we don’t have a car. How can we get around and see things?
 
We are visiting and are wondering what we should do and what is famous here?
 
Are there any wineries that have cabernet?
 
I’m supposed to be in Napa with a car, but instead I’m in Sonoma on foot. What should I do, and can it involve white wine?
 
We Get Questions is brought to you by the Sonoma Plaza Tasting Pass: Save up to 25% off tasting fees and choose three great wineries around the historic Sonoma Plaza. Details at https://bit.ly/SonomaTastingPass
 
Got questions about Sonoma Valley? You can email us at info@sonomavalley.com, text us at 707-996-1090 or contact us through Facebook, Instagram, TikTok or just walk into one of our two visitor centers.
 
It's Sonoma Valley's top podcast and you find it wherever you find fine podcasts, including
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiSa7rAVobsI8O_3xp7hIDPKRO9nBuvNF
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-sonoma-spiel/id1634467429
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4UuskGhmJ3EkWQk8DObR9b

Dorothea Lange’s California, Revisited — SVMA’s Linda Keaton on art, migration & a world-premiere inside the museum

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 adapted from poet Tess Taylor’s letters to Lange—plus a slate of talks and roundtables featuring photojournalists, scholars, and farming leaders. It’s a packed season that shows how a small, scrappy museum can convene big conversations.
Along the way: Sonoma Art Walk nights, how exhibitions are chosen, why memberships (and NARM reciprocity) are such a great deal, and a few beloved local bites for a quick lunch between art stops.
Highlights
Dorothea Lange’s legacy & why it resonates now
Contemporary artists in conversation with Lange’s work
Programs: immigrant workers, sociology, and sustainability in farming
Building a theater inside the museum; student performances
How SVMA curates, collaborates, and “punches above its weight”
Visitor basics: hours, free Wednesdays, tickets, memberships & NARM
Links• Sonoma Valley Museum of Art – SVMA.org• Exhibit: Last West: Dorothea Lange’s California, Revisited (opening after short changeover)• Oct 18 conversation (Eric Castro, Kin Ly/Light, Dr. Daniel Malpica) – tickets at SVMA.org• Sustainability in Farming roundtable – tickets at SVMA.org• Theater adaptation by Tess Taylor – performances Nov–Dec (including 2 free student shows)• Plan your trip: SonomaValley.com
Visit SVMAOpen Wed–Sun, 11am–5pm • Free on Wednesdays • General admission ~$10 • Members free (with NARM reciprocity to thousands of museums)
GuestLinda Keaton — Executive Director, Sonoma Valley Museum of Art. Former curator, art consultant, and adjunct professor of art history.
HostTim Zahner • Sonoma Valley Visitors Bureau – SonomaValley.com
CreditsRecorded in Sonoma Valley. Theme music by Bobbo Deablo.
If this episode moved you, share it, become an SVMA member, and bring a friend to Last West. Art + community = Sonoma.

Wrong intro, right guest! Matt Leffert from Jack London Park on museums, arts, poison oak & more!

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 ranch, where to go hiking, why pigs get their own palace, how to get poison oak (or how to avoid it) and how to participate in the upcoming trail challenge.
We also cover the wonder that is in-state tuition for UC and CSU universities and learn about New Mexico chiles which are a very important part of being a New Mexican.
Like all of the Sonoma Spiel podcast guests, Matt Leffert takes on real Sonoma visitor questions. This week he takes on:
Where’s the post office?
I’ve heard that there is a walk from Sonoma to Fort Ross called the Camino de Sonoma. Is this really a thing?
I put on Shakespeare plays and would like to find a spot to host some outdoor plays in Sonoma. Got any ideas?
My name is Asya and my friends and I bought sonoma valley tasting passes. We were wondering if we still had to call and reserve spaces at each place or if we could walk in? What is recommended that we should do? Thank you!
Can we watch the winegrape harvest?
We Get Questions is brought to you by the Sonoma Plaza Tasting Pass: Save up to 25% off tasting fees and choose three great wineries around the historic Sonoma Plaza. Details at https://bit.ly/SonomaTastingPass
Got questions about Sonoma Valley? You can email us at info@sonomavalley.com, text us at 707-996-1090 or contact us through Facebook, Instagram, TikTok or just walk into one of our two visitor centers.Find our more about Jack London State Park at https://jacklondonpark.com.
 
It's Sonoma Valley's top podcast and you find it wherever you find fine podcasts, including
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiSa7rAVobsI8O_3xp7hIDPKRO9nBuvNF
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-sonoma-spiel/id1634467429
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4UuskGhmJ3EkWQk8DObR9b

Angels with soiled faces: Great grapes don't grow in dirt! Sam Coturri of Winery Sixteen 600

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 also ramble (as we do) and cover The Grateful Dead, Stanley Mouse, what it's like being a top podcaster in Sonoma Valley, what the heck are tannins, Isabelle's idea for unconventional blends and why we are all harvesting grapes at night.
 
Like all of our guests Sam takes a turn answering YOUR Sonoma questions (and from real visitors!) This week he takes on:
 
Are there any wineries where we can watch grapes being harvested?
Are there wineries where we can have lunch?
We are visiting from Virginia and saw that this is the birthplace of the CA Republic. What does that mean? I thought Texas was the only republic?
I see fields of these lovely blue flowers everywhere. What are they? Are they planted or are they wild?
 
We Get Questions is brought to you by the Sonoma Plaza Tasting Pass: Save up to 25% off tasting fees and choose three great wineries around the historic Sonoma Plaza. Details at https://bit.ly/SonomaTastingPass
 
Find out more about Sam's winery at www.winerysixteen600.com.
Subscribe to The Wine Makers podcast at https://radiomisfits.com/podcasts/thewinemakers
 
 
Got questions about Sonoma Valley? You can email us at info@sonomavalley.com, text us at 707-996-1090 or contact us through Facebook, Instagram, TikTok or just walk into one of our two visitor centers.
 
It's Sonoma Valley's top podcast and you find it wherever you find fine podcasts, including
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiSa7rAVobsI8O_3xp7hIDPKRO9nBuvNF
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-sonoma-spiel/id1634467429
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4UuskGhmJ3EkWQk8DObR9b

Walking the Plaza, sampling wine and tasty pairings: Renee ReBell with Gourmet Food & Wine Tours

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 to starting a tour company, and even what to eat when in Tennessee.
 
Like all of our guests she takes a moment to answer YOUR Sonoma questions and this week she answered:
 
Where can I find some locally made ceramics and pottery? - Visitor from Alabama
 
We’re visiting from Austin, and want to come to Sonoma for a longer visit next year. We are looking for long-term rentals that are in walkable areas. Do you have any suggestions?
 
We’re visiting from San Francisco and just got here at 3:30 PM. Can we go wine tasting or is it too late?
 
We just got in and want to find a cocktail or a place to get a drink while we wait for our hotel to open. Any ideas?
 
We have our bikes with us - what are some nice places to ride bikes around here?
 
Can we bring our actual service dog to the Plaza for the Sunday concerts?
 
We Get Questions is brought to you by the Sonoma Plaza Tasting Pass: Save up to 25% off tasting fees and choose three great wineries around the historic Sonoma Plaza. Details at https://bit.ly/SonomaTastingPass
 
Got questions about Sonoma Valley? You can email us at info@sonomavalley.com, text us at 707-996-1090 or contact us through Facebook, Instagram, TikTok or just walk into one of our two visitor centers.
 
It's Sonoma Valley's top podcast and you find it wherever you find fine podcasts, including
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiSa7rAVobsI8O_3xp7hIDPKRO9nBuvNF
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-sonoma-spiel/id1634467429
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4UuskGhmJ3EkWQk8DObR9b

Super Bowl in Sonoma? World Cup in Kenwood? The Bay Area Host Committee Invites the World...

"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 California. As Adam notes, "only so many people are going to get into the stadium to see the Super Bowl or the World Cup - but the transformative power of these events should spread throughout the area."
 
A native of Oregon, a former avid soccer player and founder of the Portland chapter of non-profit that that aims to expand access to playing soccer by providing a free alternative to the pay-to-play model of club soccer.
 
In addition to talking logos, posters, sporting events and trying to name all the counties in the Bay Area, Adam explains how the Bay Area Host Committee has put together a resource kit for small businesses and groups to host public screenings of the games, available at their website: https://bayareahostcommittee.com/2026-bay-area-public-screening-playbook
 
Like all of the Sonoma Spiel podcast guests, Adam takes a turn answering YOUR Sonoma questions. This week he takes on:
 
We received a Sonoma Valley Visitors Guide, along with a personal  note from Ellie. We plan on flying into SFO from Edmonton, Alberta. Can you advise the best way to travel from the airport to Sonoma and return to SFO?  - Elizabeth 
 
I’m planning a visit from American Canyon to the following wineries:
Bartholomew Estate, Gundlach Bundschu, Jacuzzi
In this area, will it be easy to get Uber/Lyft to travel to, around & back? - via text
 
We just finished doing the Sonoma Valley scavenger hunt but I don’t know how to claim my prize. Where do I get my free wine glass?
 
We Get Questions is brought to you by the Sonoma Plaza Tasting Pass: Save up to 25% off tasting fees and choose three great wineries around the historic Sonoma Plaza. Details at https://bit.ly/SonomaTastingPass
 
Got questions about Sonoma Valley? You can email us at info@sonomavalley.com, text us at 707-996-1090 or contact us through Facebook, Instagram, TikTok or just walk into one of our two visitor centers.
 
It's Sonoma Valley's top podcast and you find it wherever you find fine podcasts, including
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiSa7rAVobsI8O_3xp7hIDPKRO9nBuvNF
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-sonoma-spiel/id1634467429
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4UuskGhmJ3EkWQk8DObR9b

Nick Ciccollela of Muscardini Cellars: Italian wines, live music & illicit mountain biking trails

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 about when they say there are off-map trails allegedly in the park. 
 
And, every week our podcast guests answer YOUR questions about wine country and visiting Sonoma. 
 
We Get Questions is brought to you by the Sonoma Plaza Tasting Pass: Save up to 25% off tasting fees and choose three great wineries around the historic Sonoma Plaza. Details at https://bit.ly/SonomaTastingPass
 
This week Nick answers:
 
Which wineries allow outside food in their picnic areas?
 
We did the Sonoma 200th scavenger hunt but I wanted to get my name on the list to win harvest fest tickets. How do I do that? 
 
We are not big wine drinkers, but we will drink sparkling wine. Where can we get sparkling wine? 
 
What are some good trails for mountain biking in Sonoma Valley?
 
Got questions about Sonoma Valley? You can email us at info@sonomavalley.com, text us at 707-996-1090 or contact us through Facebook, Instagram, TikTok or just walk into one of our two visitor centers.
 
Find out more about Muscardini Cellars and their music series: www.muscardinicellars.com
 
Get in line for Contessa, the Super Tuscan wine from Muscardini: www.muscardinicellars.com/contessa
 
It's Sonoma Valley's top podcast and you find it wherever you find fine podcasts, including
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiSa7rAVobsI8O_3xp7hIDPKRO9nBuvNF
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-sonoma-spiel/id1634467429
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4UuskGhmJ3EkWQk8DObR9b