Wine & Spirits
Sonoma Portworks
in Petaluma—
How Sweet It Is
By Ed Schwartz
H
ere’s a wine
surprise. Petaluma has a
winery right in town that
makes some of the best port-style
wines and sweet variants that are
delicious all across the product line. I
have tasted and enjoyed these wine
wonders and have them as part of
my bar stock. Sonoma Portworks
(SPW) is in an industrial zone south
of the main part of town. It is a
destination easy to get to from
anywhere in Marin and it is easy to
park once you arrive.
More than 20 years ago, Bill Reading,
founder of Sonoma Portworks,
was experimenting with a wine
that might match with chocolate.
He and a winemaking friend took
some port wine and added some dark
chocolate essence. The result of this
sweet marriage was baptized Deco.
It tasted great, so Bill developed a
label that was as unique and jazzy
as the elixir inside. Buoyed by this
success, they created Duet, a sweet
sherry-style wine with notes of pure
hazelnut extract—and a unique wine
business was formed—and prospered.
Reading’s creativity extends to other
drinkable delights. In addition to
Deco and Duet, they now offer
Aris Cask Reserve Port, Maduro, a
reserve tawny port aged 11 years,
Aris Petit Sirah Port, made from petit
verdot grapes and Fig’n Awesome, a
grappa nuanced with figs and aged
in port barrels, making it exceedingly
smooth. They recently introduced
DYNA, a refreshing chardonnay-
based aperitif.
The ports are the highlights of
the portfolio and each one is
distinctive. Here is news hot off
the wine press—Sonoma Portworks
soon will be coming out with a
new port made from the rare Horton
grape, America’s oldest, native
variety. Norton’s origins go back to
Thomas Jefferson and his attempt
to find a grape that could produce
a wine similar to those produced in
Europe. The grape is named after
Dr. Daniel Norton who worked on
creating it in his Richmond, Virginia,
lab way back when.
I also love Sonomic, “almost
vinegars.” Sonomic red is made with
cabernet sauvignon and the gold
from the muscat grape. Be assured
that you have never tasted anything
like these two innovations. The taste
of Sonomic is less acidic than vinegar
and richer than balsamic.
38 MARIN ARTS & CULTURE
Use a bit of Sonomic in a salad
dressing to give it a lovely
complexity—same idea with grilled
meat. And when I make my great
red pasta sauce, just a glug of the
red adds amazing flavor and the
sweetness counteracts some of the
acidity of the tomato sauce. Any
Italian grandmother would envy this
secret touch. Just remember to use