Kathleen Hill: ‘Liquid arts,’ pink bubbly and refillable carafes...

Fairmont to pour ‘liquid arts’

Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn launches an innovative outreach program, its Wine Country Liquid Arts Summer Series, on Thursday, June 30 when Sonoma Springs Brewing Co. shares its best at the resort’s main pool and Water Tower Bar.

Sonoma Springs will pour NomaWeiss Hefe, Subliminal Gold IPA, Kolsch, and FSMI’s new Saison Ale and Chef Andrew Cain’s A3. Cain’s culinary crew will serve jumbo pretzels, wagyu beef hot dogs, sliders and Drake’s Bay oysters. No cover charge. Cash bars. 6 to 8 p.m.

The new series includes monthly Splash parties, other beer garden take overs, and Santé winemaker dinners. For more info and schedule call 938-9000 or Fairmont.com/Sonoma.

Doug Thompson to Poseidon and Obsidian

After three years managing the Hawkes Family tasting room on First Street West, Doug Thompson is leaving Hawkes for Poseidon Vineyard and Obsidian Ridge at Cornerstone. Besides his substantial photographic talents and credits, Doug is married to Jennifer Gray Thompson, assistant to Supervisor Susan Gorin.

Pink bubbles for Cavs

According to firstwefeast.com the Cleveland Cavaliers toasted their NBA finals victory over our Golden State Warriors with some of the 350 bottles of Moet & Chandon Nectar Rosé that lined their locker room, every bottle stamped with the team’s logo. Someone’s estimated value of the champagne was $21,000. Real men drink pink?

Boisset Collection continues to grow

Jean-Charles Boisset’s ever-growing wine empire now includes the Alexander Valley’s Wattle Creek Winery, which just opened a tasting room in Ghirardelli Square in San Francisco. Winemaker Matt Michael stays on as consulting winemaker. Tastings at the Ghirardelli location will cost $15 for the “classic tasting” or $25 for the “reserve tasting.” Boisset also has a tasting room in the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, as well as at DeLoach, Raymond, Lyeth Estate, Buena Vista, Yountville, St. Helena and at Lockwood Vineyard in Monterey County.

Latest on lavender

This just in from Sonoma Lavender: “Due to traffic and safety issues, the Sonoma Lavender Open House is canceled in Kenwood June 25 and 26. The fields are closed for viewing. No cars or pedestrians will be allowed near the fields. We are sorry for any inconvenience. Products can be purchased at www.sonomalavendershop.com.”

New tastes at Cornerstone and Ramekins

In chronological order, Chateau Sonoma presents author and blogger Sharon Santoni of France with her books, “My Stylish French Girlfriends” and “My French Country Home,” on Thursday, June 30 with wine and hors d’oeuvres from Ramekins. Learn how these women really live in their adopted country, including fun, food, friendship and even hardships.

Starting Sunday, July 3, you can purchase grilled sausages and homemade potato chips from Ramekins every Sunday in the Sunset Test Kitchen from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. If you have ever attended one of Sarah Anderson’s Chateau Sonoma French Flea Markets, you will know that these taste authentically French and fun.

Then on Monday, July 4 Ramekins will host its annual Fourth of July BBQ starting at 7 p.m. with a large buffet, live music and Sonoma’s fireworks. Guests might expect grilled corn and vegetables, potatoes, barbecue baby back ribs, grilled chicken, cornbread, Early Girl tomato arugula Caprese salad, potato chips, melons, grilled sausages, a candy bar, desserts, lavender lemonade and sangria, cash bar. Adults $65, kids 6 to 12 $25, age 5 and under free. 7 p.m. ramekins.com.

Starting Friday and Saturday, July 15 and 16, the sensational upstart Sweet Scoops Ice Cream Cart will be at Cornerstone every Friday and Saturday from noon to 5 p.m.

Prohibition era returns

Fred and Amy Groth’s Hello Prohibition Spirits Distillery Experience finally opened at Cornerstone last Sunday and sold its very “first bottle of Limoncello di Sonoma to a sweet couple from Napa” during their Father’s Day soft opening at Cornerstone. Their salon joins Sunset’s Cocktail Garden, so you can see the herbs you might want to grow or use in drinks or cooking.

Tidbit updates on Howard Costello

Hundreds of us know Howard Costello as the man who first planted roses in memory of his activist wife, Marge, along the bike path block west of Fourth Street East. Since he created that first beautification next to Sebastiani Vineyards, we have watched him wheel his wagon loaded with six watering jugs filled with plain water or a fertilizer mixture along the bike path to water his and other people’s roses, mostly planted next to memorial benches.

Then he started the “Charlie Brown tree,” originally a spindly little pine that several people help him decorate every Christmas. And his walks to yoga at Vintage house, more recently with his walker and his yoga mat across the walker’s seat. Keep going, Howard, please.

Meadowcroft starts refillable carafe program

Meadowcroft wines will launch a new refillable wine carafe program Friday, July 1 at its Cornerstone tasting room. At the release party, the carafes will only cost $10, whereas after that they will cost $16. At the party you can taste their Sonoma County Chardonnay and Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir and then fill your new liter carafe with chardonnay ($22) or pinot noir ($28). Plus you can purchase pizzas from neighbor Park 121. Then you just bring your carafe back for a refill when you need it. 3 to 7 p.m. 934-4090.

Greenbelt at Beltane

Beltane Ranch’s Spring Sauvignon Blanc launch party under its ancient oak trees and the ultimate beauty of the iconic Sonoma Valley property was its usual elegant success.

Third generation steward Lauren Benward Krause announced to their wine club and other friends that they planted their whole vegetable garden to prepare vegetables for this party, resulting in loads of radishes, carrots, peppers and a fabulous bagna cauda dip made of Beltane Ranch olive oil, homegrown garlic, and not-homegrown anchovies that was out-of-sight delish.

House chef Lauren Kershner prepared smoked salmon on her own flatbread and topped with her own crème fraiche and barbecued chicken and nopales kabobs, accompanied by Glen Ellen firefighters’ barbecued oysters. The cheese table featured regional cheeses, such as Central Coast Gouda, Bellwether Farms sheep’s milk Pepato and cow’s milk Carmody, and Deer Creek White Cheddar.

Then came the elegant dinner sponsored by the Greenbelt Alliance at the architecturally friendly and interesting home of Maribelle and Stephen Leavitt.

Here is what we can learn from the Alliance:

Sonoma County’s Greenbelt Alliance works to create and preserve “community separators as green buffers between cities and towns, contain urban development, and preserve the rural charm of Sonoma County’s landscape. The county’s eight community separators cover 17,000 acres of natural and agricultural lands. These policies complement the cities’ urban growth boundaries by safeguarding adjacent unincorporated lands.”

Wild Thyme events catered the dinner on the lawn with all ingredients from Sonoma County farms. Dinner started with a salad of white beans, Paul’s Produce greens, Wild Thyme herbs, and Blue Skies organic olive oil. The main course was Sonoma County lamb chops with a tagine of farmers’ market vegetables and couscous, followed by an olive oil-polenta cake with Watmaugh Road strawberries.

Jeremy Madsen, CEO of Greenbelt Alliance explained the organization’s goals, followed by Teri Shore’s short description of her efforts as North Bay Regional Director, and Laney Thornton, who made good on his promise to match gifts up to $25,000.

Everyone was treated to the sublime musicianship of Valley of the Moon Music Festival’s cellist Tanya Tomkins and Marc Teicholz on guitar.

Grin and bear it

Hundreds of happy Sonoma residents flocked to the annual Bear Flag reenactment and chicken and hot dog barbecue in Sonoma Plaza on June 12. A perfect day, especially for beer tasters and fans.