St. Francis Winery & Vineyards

In Sonoma’s Wine Country

When I was invited to experience St. Francis Winery & Vineyard’s top rated Wine & Food pairing I couldn’t have been more excited. I immediately starting planning a fun itinerary for a day in Sonoma’s Wine Country. First stop was St. Francis Winery & Vineyard followed by La Crema’s Tasting room concluding at Banshee Wines Tasting Room. Pretty rough day, right? I invited my dear friend and fellow blogger Sarah of The Aussie Who Ate The Big Apple to join in on the fun.

Going into the Wine & Food pairing I didn’t know what to expect. All I knew was it is rated the #1 Seated Wine & Food Pairing in America (by opentable users) so it was going to be fabulous!  According to the website at the pairing Executive Chef Bryan Jones creates an assortment of small dishes to pair with hand-selected artisan wines.  While enjoying the delicious food & wine you’re overlooking breathtaking views of the vineyards. Sounded right up my alley!!

Upon arriving to the Winery and checking in we were warmly greeted with a glass of Sauvignon Blanc. Check!  I love it when the moment you walk in the doors of a winery the warm welcome includes a drink. Why should that not be what you receive when visiting wine country? After just a few minutes we were escorted into the dining room with the rest of the group, approximately 14 others.

The dining room is quite spectacular.  There is a round donut like table that seats 16. This was not what I was expecting as I had recently enjoyed a Wine & Food pairing at the Kendall Jackson Estate where each party was individually seated.  Upon realizing this was going to be a group tasting I got excited as I always love meeting new friends. 

After getting seated we were welcomed by our hosts Brooke and Josh.  We immediately started the tasting. Please follow the below pictures to see the menu and wine pairings we enjoyed.

So, after eating the amazing food paired with the delicious wines, you’re probably wondering how it was all?  As you can tell from the pictures of the beautiful winery, delicious wine & food pairings, everything at St. Francis is gorgeous.  Aside from the beauty their wines & food is delicious as well.

I do want to point out a few things that are good to know going into the experience.  First, this is a group tasting.  This is good to know so you don’t expect you and your loved one to have a romantic meal by yourselves. It’s a lot of fun, but not that type of individualized experience. Second, there are various tastings throughout the day, each allocated an hour and a half. Because of this, the tasting moves along very quickly (maybe even a little too quickly). This is great if you have multiple wineries you’d like to visit. However, if you want to take your time and leisurely enjoy your meal, you may find this a bit rushed. Lastly, come prepared to enjoy amazing food paired with fabulous wine. I was very impressed with the fabulous pairings the Chef & the team created for our meal. Both, the food & wines were all delicious. It was so great, I can see myself opening up a bottle of St. Francis Wine at home and trying to re-create this delicious culinary experience once again.

Views of the vineyard from the tasting room

One of the Chefs welcoming us and explaining the menu

1st dish: Choucroute Garnie (Baby Back Ribs with Boudin Blanc Sausage & Smoked Bacon) paired with the 2013 White Wine, Estate Cuvee Blanc, Sonoma Valley.

2nd dish: Artic Char a La Barigoule (Celery Root-Yukon Gold Potato Puree, Saffron Preserved Lemon, Parsnip) paired with 2013 Chardonnay, Behley Vineyard, Sonoma Valley.

The potato puree in this dish was divine. So light, yet rich and decadent.

3rd dish: Roasted Trumpet Royale Mushrooms (Stinging Nettle Fonduta, Pine Nut Relish, Parmesan Frico & Saba) paired with 2012 Red Wine, Cuvee Lago, Sonoma County.

4th dish: St. Francis Meatloaf (Sweet Potato Tots, Creamed Spinach, Tomato, Black Garlic & Guajillo Chile Ketchup) paired with 2012 Zinfandel, Terra Rossa, Sonoma County

Dessert: Mexican Chocolate Pot Du Creme which may have been my favorite dish!

Thanks again to the St. Francis Winery Team for hosting me and my fabulous “sidekick” Sarah. We joke that we are a package deal. Follow us both on social media @JSFashionista & @SarahMcLellanNY and you’ll see for yourself!  100 North Pythian Road. Santa Rosa, CA. 95409. 707-833-0242.

DISCLOSURE: The JetSetting Fashionista and guest enjoyed complimentary tastings during this visit. However, The J.S.F. was not paid to write this post. The J.S.F. only write posts or features about food, hotels, wineries, products or destinations that she personally enjoys and proudly endorses and wants to share with her readers. All opinions expressed are her own.