Wine and Gingerbread Houses Make a Good Pairing in Sonoma

Close your eyes for a moment and visualize with me: It’s a chilly December day, and the sun is shining brilliantly in a sapphire sky. We are hurrying down a stone path lined on one side with olive trees, and on the other with lemon trees laden with golden fruit. Huge evergreen wreaths smile a welcome on the massive, burnished doors ahead of us. As we scurry inside, the winery’s warm tasting room is filled with chatter and the lingering scent of red wine. But what’s that other aroma? Our minds cast back to childhood. It’s gingerbread! We look around for the source, and there, taking center stage amidst the wine bottles, vinegars and mustards, is an astounding three-story … well, gingerbread house certainly doesn’t do it justice.

We just made the first stop during one of my favorite events: the Sonoma Valley Winery Gingerbread Contest. This year’s theme is “In Sonoma Valley the Roots Run Deep with a Holiday Twist,” and the participants were invited to create gingerbread replicas of their wineries. Will you join me on this virtual tour of my favorite entries?

Our first stop is Chateau St Jean, an iconic winery whose grounds were inspired by formal estate gardens in the South of France. The winery is celebrating its 40th anniversary in Northern California’s Sonoma Valley.

Chateau St Jean’s gingerbread creation honors that anniversary with a three-story replica of the winery’s classical tower. (Click on the photo to see the entire structure.)


The roof shingles are gingersnaps, while the astounding filigreed balcony is made from gingerbread. The festive garland entrances me. How did they do that?


M&Ms and almonds cover the tower’s base, and icing roots run deep into the ground, like grapevines. (Did you know that a grapevine root can extend 30 feet deep or more?) I love the whimsical frolicking elves and reindeer.


A bit farther down the road sits the Deerfield Ranch Winery. Its tasting room is in a wine cave, so we get to walk past what seems like hundreds of thirst-inducing barrels to get to the gingerbread house. Squishy leather sofas and comfy chairs await us, and the exceptionally fine glass of 2012 White Rex that the tasting room staff pours us ensures a long perusal of their contest entry.


This gingerbread house was constructed by the daughter and grandson of the winemaker. It depicts the future winery, called the Lodge, which is going to be built on the hill above the wine cave. The daughter, Lake Tahoe caterer Christine Marsh, based the design on the actual architectural drawings.


Owners and founders Robert and P.J. Rex came to the Sonoma Valley town of Kenwood 31 years ago to make wine. Today they source grapes from more than 30 Sonoma County vineyards. These “deep roots” are represented by the gingerbread winegrowers who surround the building — each one bearing a sign with the name of his or her vineyard. These growers have become part of the Rexes’ extended family.


The Mayo Family Winery is known for its commitment to single-vineyard, small-batch wines. It is celebrating 20 years of deep roots in the valley.


Reva Hawk, a longtime Mayo wine club member, built this charming replica of the winery with her children. Gumdrops, ribbon candy and chopped pecans adorn the festive gingerbread tasting room.


Do you remember The Doobie Brothers? Bruce Cohn, the owner of B.R. Cohn Winery, was their longtime manager. The winery has celebrated that fact for 27 years with an exceedingly popular outdoor charity concert.


Cohn’s gingerbread house depicts the tasting room, pool, gourmet shop (the winery also produces olive oil and a stellar balsamic vinegar), 150-year-old Picholine olive trees and 45-year-old vineyard.

“This is the first time we ever made a gingerbread house, or even baked gingerbread,” says Christina Danner of Occasional Cakes, who concocted this creation. “However, we always love a challenge!”


Cohn’s entry includes a flashback of owner Bruce Cohn with his pals, The Doobie Brothers. In the early years, the band played on a flatbed truck, which is re-created here in edible glory.


The rollicking humor that GlenLyon’s tasting room exudes makes perfect sense when we are told that the owner, Squire Fridell, portrayed Ronald McDonald for many years. He explains that he is now in a wine witness protection program.


The tasting room staff, along with their friends Vito and Guido Vino of Two Amigos Wines, partnered to create this gingerbread replica of GlenLyon’s winery. It includes the signature old truck (you might have noticed that these are really popular here in the Wine Country) and candy cane renditions of the estate’s syrah grapevines, which have produced GlenLyon and Two Amigos wines for more than 20 years.

I tasted the 2012 Two Amigos Vino Rosato and promptly bought a bottle. Yum.


One of the things I love most about this stunningly beautiful wine-growing region is the wonderful architectural variety. World-class wines are made in wineries large and small. Some places are sprawling Italianate or French mansions, some are ultrasleek modern structures and some, like the Larson Family Winery, are historic barns. To get to Larson, we turn off the main drag and proceed on a dirt lane punctuated with potholes and handmade wooden signs urging us to keep driving.


Larson’s gingerbread creation is the work of winemaker Carolyn Craig and her mother. It showcases the historic barn-turned-tasting-room, which once housed racehorses. The property was originally home to the Sonoma Rodeo and was a working horse ranch. Posed smartly in front of the gingerbread doors are gingerbread re-creations of the winery’s dogs, Bubba, Pete and Buster. Images of the canines also adorn the labels of several Larson wines.


If you look closely, you can see the winery’s bocce ball court (we once spent a marvelous summer afternoon playing with our grandchildren on the real one). The horses hark back to the property’s equestrian heritage.


Finally, we drive through the gates and up the long, curving drive to Gloria Ferrer, where world-class méthode champenoise wine is made.


The gingerbread house depicts the Gloria Ferrer front entrance and terrace, set in a lovely (but highly unlikely) snowy winter wonderland. Brittany Herrara, Ferrer’s special events captain, confesses that this is her first-ever attempt at a gingerbread house. It’s certainly a home run.


Christmas trees made from Rice Krispies flank a fondant sleigh, in which a miniature Mr. and Mrs. Ferrer bring sparkling wine to the people of Sonoma — just like Santa with his toys.

After a long, isn’t-life-hard day touring wineries, I am ready to fill our bungalow with music and cozy up to my Christmas tree … perhaps with a glass of that wonderful rosé I purchased. Won’t you join me?

More: Get an Eyeful of a Life-Size Gingerbread House

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