A special time of year

When fall slides down the California coast, preparing the land for winter, it turns the wine country into quilts of autumn color. The harvest begins at this time, by picking the grape vines of their precious fruit, the grape leaves then turn crimson and burgundy, bright yellows and rusty reds, each variety with their own unique color blend.

The wineries, loaded with the season’s new crop, take the grapes to crush and ferment; they will bottle the new wine in the coming years. You can smell the fermentation process in the air, especially in the morning. It’s like someone baking plum pudding on a frosty day.

At this time of year, wine lovers come from all over the world by the hundreds in tour buses or weekend getaway excursions booked early that spring. They will enjoy the foods offered at some of the best eateries on the West coast, and use the spas and mineral baths that dot the valleys. It’s why the cost of lodging in the wine country has soared. Healdsburg, Calistoga, St. Helens, to name a few, command a hefty price from the traveler’s pocketbook, but not in one forgotten area, the Russian River Valley.

Located just outside Santa Rosa in Sonoma County, the narrow valley borders a glassy jade-colored river. The slow moving waters of the Russian River flow in the center of this valley on its course to Jenner by the sea. Coast Redwoods tower over highway 116, the main two-lane road that connects the hamlets and villages along the way. Korbel champagne winery sits alongside the highway, just before the road enters the village of Guerneville. You can stop for a tour of Korbel’s flower gardens and facilities along with tasting their excellent sparkling wines. The deli at Korbel offers a wide variety of dishes to eat on premises, or take with you where just a few miles away, Armstong Redwood forest with its old growth giants, some as old as 1,400 years wait for a champagne picnic.

Why this time of year has the best rates

The valley is home to artists and musicians that inhabit the villages of Duncan’s Mill, Cazadero, Guerneville, Forestville and Monte Rio. They offer a rich variety of pleasures. Music festivals, artist flea markets and galleries abound. Various eateries are liberally sprinkled about that can accommodate anyone’s budget. Motels, hotels and campsites offer prices unheard of just a few miles inland where the bulk of tourists are jammed into expensive quarters and overcrowded cafes.

It’s because the valley, known as a summer resort for San Francisco and the Silicon Valley, flock to the campsites and resorts along the Russian river to canoe, fish, and hike the primitive forests of this coastal mountain region. After September, the area is practically deserted of vacationers and many establishments offer discounts when the counties of Mendocino, Napa, and Sonoma, where the bulk of the wineries are located, command premium rates.