Emtu Estate Wines & Labyrinth Foundation for Disaster Relief

Emtu (Russian River Valley) Estate Wines is an organic winery headquartered in Forestville. They are "Dedicated to organic farming, great wine and improving lives in communities worldwide." This last aspect grabbed my attention and soon learned  from their website that the winery's profits go to the Labyrinth Foundation for Disaster Relief. Here is part of the introduction to the Foundation:

The cycles of farming and winemaking have natural periods of decreased activity during the winter months. The grapevines are dormant and the wine is ageing in barrels. This creates an annual opportunity to work wherever we identify a need which matches our skills & where we believe we can make the most difference. The Labyrinth Foundation gives us the freedom to work independently or in cooperation with other aid organizations. The mission is to improve the living conditions of people and communities worldwide. This foundation is funded by the profits of Emtu Estate Wines as well as by grants and donations.

And the philosophy of the winemakers

We believe in the interconnectedness of all things.  What we do affects the lives of others and how we farm affects our environment.  Since we live within the vineyard, we have developed a heightened sense of awareness to  seasonal changes, the fauna and flora  essential  to creating  a vibrant and diverse ecosystem, and of our place within it.
Soil, wind, rain, and sunlight combine to create fruit that morphs into wines of distinction.  Wine, work,  and commitment combine to create a business model that  supports our needs and  the needs of communities around the world.

Visit them, purchase their wines or follow the Winery and the Foundation on Facebook

September 14, Fire tax third, final hearing

The third, final hearing about the property tax raise to cover the budget of the fire department's costs will be on Tuesday, September 14 at 6:00PM. (I posted about the first hearing, the second ,  and the article in the Press Democrat.) Below you can view the full announcement from the community bulletin board.

Corks and Mosaic by Reuters

Last week Steve James wrote an article for Reuters, a guide for a mini vacation in our area. The article got picked up by many news outlets and run under the title "Spend a couple days in Calif. wine country" or "48 hours in Sebastopol, California." Here is the section that mentions Forestville:

Aim to visit Russian River Vineyards in nearby Forestville around lunchtime where meals  are served in the restaurant, Corks, in an 1890s farmhouse. Try the Wine Country Charcuterie Plate, which including various salami and cheeses or soups and salads. The restaurant serves dinner Thursday through Saturday with dishes from the Pacific Rim, California, New Mexico and Thailand.

7:00 p.m. - After a day of tasting, dinner at Mosaic Restaurant & Wine Lounge at 6675 Front St, Forestville is a must for the discerning palate.

Chef/owner Tai Olesky uses fresh ingredients from local gardens, farms and ranches. The house salad highlights organic baby lettuces, apple, toasted almonds, celery heart and local blue cheese from Point Reyes. The cheese also features on the Coffee Encrusted Filet Mignon along with locally grown mushrooms and a chocolate Cabernet demi-glace.

Needless to say, they serve local Sonoma wines.

Here are some of the places you can read the whole article now, although it will disappear at some of these locations soon.

• MSNBC
• Express India 
• The Financial Express
• Canada.com
• Yahoo India
• TVN

Recent Random Videos

Found a few recently uploaded videos on YouTube shot in Forestville. Their quality and content is quite random, but taken together they give you an eclectic shot of the town.

Skateboarding downtown



Baseball in the YouthPark


Relaxing on the river


Amazing Grace, performed by vocalist Jess Foglesong at Mirabel Lodge Residential Care Community

Bergman Euro-National

Bergman Euro-National is "a wine country real estate brokerage that specializes in vineyards, vineyard land, wineries, estates, residential homes, and investment properties in Napa, Sonoma and Mendocino Counties."  The two people running it are John Bergman and David Ashcraft. Their website's contact page shows that they operate locally, hence the mention on this website. I learned about their existence from today's press release announcing that John Bergman joined the "Cambridge Who's Who Network".

Russian River Vineyards discounts

From the Facebook wall of the Russian River Vineyard:

We have some special discounts for the month of September to celebrate the upcoming harvest: purchase any 6 bottles of our award-winning wines and receive a 10% discount or purchase 12 bottles or more and receive a 20% discount!

The Tasting Room is open from 11:00 to 5:00 daily so come by before this deal, and Summer are over!

September 5, Phat Chance Jazz Ensemble @ Sarah's Forestville Kitchen

From the blog of Sarah's Forestville Kitchen

Sunday Live Jazz Brunch
The Return of Phat Chance Jazz Ensemble.
They were great last time!

September 4, Third Rail @ Foresvtille Club

Saturday night the Third Rail band will play at the Forestville Club from 9.30 PM.

Forestville on Facebook

I started to check what local businesses and organizations are on Facebook. I listed below in alphabetical order what I found so far. In the future I will keep adding to the list on its dedicated webpage here.

• Case Ranch Inn
• F. Fire Protection District
• Hollydale Community Club
• Lucky Mojo Curio Co
• El Molino High School
• El Molino Little League
• Mirabel Park
• Mosaic Restaurant
• Russian River Pub
• Russian River Vineyards
• Sonoma County Gazette
• Sunshine Organic Coffee Roasters
• F. Youth Park

September 5, The Jug Dealers @ Forestville Club

The Jug Dealers (MySpace  / Facebook ) will play Sunday night at the Forestville Club. Here is a song from them: