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Alpen Cellars

Even with sustainable farming practices, modern winemakers face challenges in keeping their carbon footprint low due to the electricity required for equipment. However, the family-run Alpen Cellars, located in the Trinity Lakes AVA and covering over 1.2 square kilometers, has been independent of the grid since its founding in 1984. The entirely renewable energy-powered winery is known for Austrian grape varieties like Blaufränkisch, Riesling, Gewürztraminer, as well as Chardonnay, Merlot, and Pinot Noir.

Frey Wine

While most winemakers in Mendocino County now use organic grapes, Frey Wine was ahead of its time, being the country’s first organic winery over 30 years ago. Frey was also the first to produce biodynamic wines in the region.

Shannon Family of Wines

Located in Lake County, the Shannon Family of Wines is one of the largest certified organic wineries in the country. This summer, the winery received the California Green Medal Environment Award, given to the winery that demonstrates the greatest benefit to the environment through sustainable practices.

Wise Villa Winery

Wise Villa Winery in Placer County was one of the first wineries to implement a worm-driven wastewater treatment system from BioFiltro, which cleans wastewater from the winemaking process so it can be used in drip irrigation systems. The winery also employs a natural approach to weed, animal, and insect control in the vineyard.

Sonoma County

As one of California’s most famous wine regions, Sonoma County has taken a leading position in sustainability, with 99% of vineyards certified as sustainable. Silver Oaks Cellars in Sonoma was the first commercial winery to receive the prestigious LEED Platinum certification, while Anaba Wines was the first winery in Northern California to switch to wind energy. Many wineries in the region protect land for wildlife, including Jordan Winery & Estate, which was named the largest pollinator protection area among wineries in 2021, Medlock Ames Winery, which provides a wildlife corridor to Pepperwood Reserve, and Lasseter Family Winery, which has developed a natural ecosystem on-site.

Casto Oaks

Casto Oaks Winery, located in the Sierra Nevada foothills just a stone’s throw from Yosemite National Park, employs a variety of sustainable farming methods to produce intense Zinfandels and Bordeaux varieties. The vines are still hand-tended, and the same farming methods are applied each year, giving Casto Oaks wine its intense fruitiness, acidity, and deep color.

E&J Gallo Winery

The legendary E&J Gallo Winery in Fresno has been committed to environmental protection since the 1930s when the founders initiated the ‘50/50 Giveback Plan.’ Under this policy, for every hectare of vineyard land, another hectare is reserved for wildlife habitat. In 2016, its Dry Creek Building received Gold LEED certification.

Chamisal

Located in the Edna Valley, a wine region with the longest growing season in the state, Chamisal was the first winery to grow grapes in this fertile area. It was also the first SIP-certified winery, a stringent sustainability award in the wine industry.

Scheid Family Wines

With over 16 square kilometers of sustainably certified vineyards in the Salinas Valley of Monterey County, environmental stewardship has been a focus for Scheid Family Wines since its founding in 1972. Since 2017, the winery and bottling facility have been powered by 100% renewable wind energy generated by a 120-meter wind turbine, which produces enough energy for the winery and 125 homes in the local community.

Ponte Winery

Located in the Inland Empire, Ponte Winery was the first winery in Temecula Wine Country to receive the Certified California Sustainable Winegrower (CCSW) designation. Ponte also uses natural methods for pest control and employs strategies to reduce waste production, lower energy and water consumption, and package with recyclable materials.

Angeleno Wine Co.

While Los Angeles is not known for its wine production, Angeleno Wine Co. opened in downtown L.A. in 2019 as the city’s first winery. Its wines are 100% vegan, naturally processed, and hand-bottled on-site. The grapes come from nearby family vineyards where organic and sustainable viticulture is practiced.

Ramona Ranch Vineyard and Winery

In 2017, Ramona Ranch Vineyard and Winery became the first winery in San Diego County to be recognized by the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance (CSWA) as “Certified California Sustainable Winegrowing.” The winery adopts a natural approach to pest control, preserves natural habitats, and utilizes solar and wind energy to power its operations.

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Chef Robert Curry specializes in Mediterranean and French cuisine, leaving room for his own interpretation and American influence.

It is one of the first restaurants to elevate Napa Valley to greatness. The kitchen’s work is as impressive as the setting. Everything seems more beautiful from this unusual perch overlooking the vineyards and mountains. The chef’s tasting menu invites guests to control how their experience unfolds by choosing their dishes. Start with the exquisite sweet white corn soup poured onto the table; layered with bay shrimp and a cube of toasted brioche covered in tarragon crème fraîche, it is rich and creamy.

Set amidst a sunlit hillside overlooking lush vineyards and distant mountains, the breathtaking views from the cozy dining room or spacious outdoor terrace provide an idyllic backdrop for one of the wine country’s most renowned restaurants. The Mediterranean menu, featuring fresh, seasonal ingredients sourced locally, is complemented by a wide selection of international wines from the hotel’s award-winning 15,000-bottle cellar.

Enjoy a two or three-course fixed-price lunch or a choice of multi-course fixed-price set menu or a chef’s tasting menu for dinner.

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The menu is distinctly tailored to each micro-season in Sonoma County, thanks to the bounty provided by farmer and co-owner Katina Connaughton. Spring might bring delicately smoked Ora king salmon topped with Arctic caviar and miyogo; while winter showcases pumpkin tartare with Dungeness crab and miso-macerated lime foam.

What Makes It Special: Headed by Kyle and Katina Connaughton, SingleThread is a restaurant in Northern California’s wine country that combines Chef Kyle’s unique Japanese cuisine with fresh ingredients grown on Katina’s farm. Paying homage to ancient Japanese ryokans, or inns, the restaurant is an intimate setting where exquisite attention is paid to every detail. The restaurant is located in a luxurious boutique hotel where Kyle also serves Japanese in-room breakfast, which is not to be missed.

It’s all about omotenashi: SingleThread operates according to the Japanese concept of going above and beyond to anticipate the guest’s needs, with thoughtful extras such as complimentary charcoal toothbrushes in hotel rooms and gold-standard thin-lip glassware.

How the menu works: Starting with the first course, which consists of a variety of small bites beautifully arranged on a wooden board, the tasting menu at SingleThread then moves on to 10 subsequent kaiseki-style courses. Depending on the season, highlights might include black cod ibushi gin with burnt morels, purple barley pancakes and shio koji vinaigrette, or Sonoma cherry dessert with chocolate, yogurt, and vanilla bean.

Meet the Connotons: After starting his career as an apprentice at a Japanese restaurant in Southern California, Chef Kyle worked under renowned chefs including Michel Brasse and Gaston Blumenthal, and farmer and floral designer Katina lived in Japan and Europe studying culinary and agricultural techniques. The couple opened SingleThread in December 2016, winning the 2018 One To Watch award for the world’s 50 best restaurants, and have now led the restaurant to its debut on the Top 50 list.

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Chef Keller continues to combine classic French techniques with incredibly fresh ingredients in a setting that is a perfect storm of restaurant grandeur – we should all be lucky to book a table here.

For dinner, there might be the signature oysters with white sturgeon caviar in warm sabayon sprinkled with tapioca pearls, or the Pacific shima-aji tartare stacked with plump grains and bright tomatoes and chiffon jalapenos. The Wolf Ranch Quail is then served with white asparagus and dark cherries, and the Coffee and Donuts is the perfect ending.

The building was constructed as a saloon in 1896 by a Scottish stonemason for Pierre Guillaume. In the 1920s, the building was owned by John Lande, who used it as a French steam laundry, hence the name of the restaurant.

In 1978, Sally Schmitt and her husband Don purchased the building and renovated it into a restaurant. They kept the name “French Laundry” because the locals still referred to the building as such. The French Laundry was one of the first restaurants to offer what later became known as California cuisine. The Schmitts ran the restaurant continuously for seventeen years before selling it to Thomas Keller in 1994.

In 1999, Keller published The French Laundry Cookbook, which he considers his definitive book on the cuisine. That year, it won three awards from the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) for Cookbook of the Year, the Julia Child First Cookbook Award, and the Design Award.

In 2004, the restaurant installed a geothermal heating and air conditioning system.

In July 2014, the Napa Valley restaurant celebrated its 20th anniversary with a six-hour banquet for friends, locals and luminaries and temporarily closed for renovations until the end of the year.

In December 2014, when the French Laundry wine cellar was temporarily closed for renovations, it was robbed of approximately $500,000 worth of wine. Most of the wine was later recovered.

On April 7, 2015, the restaurant reopened after the demolition of a number of buildings on the premises. During the rest of the renovation project, the staff worked in a temporary kitchen.

Every day, The French Laundry serves two different nine-course tasting menus: one chef’s tasting menu and the other vegetarian vegetable tasting menu. During the winter holiday season, Thanksgiving, Halloween and other holidays, the restaurant may offer specials. Both menus cost 355 USD per person, including gratuity for the main course, but without additional additions such as caviar and truffles.

The food is mostly French with modern American influences, such as specialties such as smoked salmon cornets, which were inspired by a trip to Baskin-Robbins.

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