The cream of the crop in Wine Country

<p>Prepare your pucker and put your licker on alert, because it's ice cream season in Wine Country. Whether you prefer your scoops in a cup, cone or piled high in a sundae, we've rounded up the tastiest frozen treats around.</p><p>Best Bets</p><p>Bovolo/Zazu: "If you can't make good vanilla, you can't make good gelato," says John Stewart, part of the duo behind Zazu and Bovolo restaurants. With a flair for Italian, John and his wife, Duskie Estes, are committed to doing gelato authentically.</p><p>Starting with Clover milk, they don't use a pre-made base like many others, but create the dense flavors with just cream, sugar, seasonal fruits, chocolate or other flavorings (including local wines like pinot noir).</p><p>There are between 10 and 12 varieties at their Healdsburg cafe, changing up as they experiment with different ingredients. Most recently, a flavor gone wrong (Thai coconut milk) became a candy-lover's delight: Almond Joy studded with coconut and almonds.</p><p>What is gelato? This soft, creamy Italian version of ice cream is actually made with less butterfat than normal American ice cream, but less air, giving it a richer quality. Bovolo, 106 Matheson St., Healdsburg, 431-2962.</p><p>Del Secco: With 40 flavors on the menu, Del Secco's gelateria's has the scoop on Sonoma County's sweet tooth. The Rohnert Park shop features exotic sorbet and gelato flavors including blood orange, cantaloupe, gingerbread, 50-50 (think Creamsicle) and snowflake -- a mixture of white chocolate and coconut. The gelato's not made on site, but by the uber-popular, flavor-savvy Gelateria Naia folks from the East Bay.</p><p>Hungry yet? Grab a spoon.</p><p>6285 Commerce Blvd., Suite 308, Rohnert Park, 585-1100, open daily.</p><p>Screaming Mimi's: Both social hub and bike-path destination (for those heading from Santa Rosa along the Prince Memorial Greenway), this homegrown scoopery dishes up ridiculously rich and creamy treats that rotate through owner Maraline Olson's 300 recipes.</p><p>And though Mexican chocolate or plain old vanilla may float some boats, the occasional appearance of olive oil ice cream is a special treat. Wrinkling your nose? The grassy, green flavor of olive oil is a perfect foil for the sometimes cloying sweetness of ice cream. 6902 Sebastopol Ave., Sebastopol, 823-5902.</p><p>Healdsburg's Snowbunny (312 Center St., 431-7669) is also a fan of the olio d'oliva, serving up a Fleur de Sel soft serve with a pinch of salt and a drizzle of local green gold. They also, of course, have the usual suspects, including fruit and candy toppings for their heavenly frozen yogurt.</p><p>Yogurt Farms: Despite a rather nondescript exterior, this Mendocino Avenue soft-serve emporium is cute as a cupcake inside, with a resident plastic cow and more flavors than you can shake a spoon at.</p><p>Purists laud the tart, yogurty quality of this local frozen treat purveyor. Plus, the nicest yogurt slingers in town. 1224 Mendocino Ave., Santa Rosa, 576-0737</p><p>Honeymoon Frozen Yogurt: Self-serve fro-yo with an eye toward alternative diets, including a vegan mix. Priced per ounce, so fill your cup with a bit of restraint unless you're breaking the bank. 7108 Bodega Ave., Sebastopol, 829-9866.</p><p>Three Twins: Organic ice cream with serious conscience. Neal Gottlieb, his twin brother and his wife focus on sustainable, environmentally thoughtful treats that also happen to taste pretty darn good. Oxbow Public Market, Napa.</p><p>Laloo's: Laura Howard's ultra-gourmet goat's milk ice creams and frozen yogurts have become the darling of the dessert set after only two years of business.</p><p>Studded with brownies, local figs or whatever tickles her fancy, Laloo's frozen goat's milk treats also pack a healthy punch of protein and probiotics. Best bets: Low-fat Rumplemint mint-chocolate chip and Cajeta De Leche frozen yogurt with Mexican caramel and toffee bits. Available at Whole Foods, Oliver's and Pacific Market.</p><p>Worth a lick . . .</p><p>Powell's Sweet Shoppe: The local sweet emporiums pump up the sugar quotient with gelato from the Bay Area's Gelato Classico. Monthly flavor specials recently included a zingy limoncello poppyseed. 322 Center St. Healdsburg; 720 McClelland Drive, Windsor; 151 Petaluma Blvd. S. No. 113, Petaluma.</p><p>Golden Spoon: This heatwave hot spot dishes nearly a dozen frozen yogurt flavors at any one time, from peanut butter cup to monthly featured flavors including peach, coconut, cookies and cream and Heath Bar.</p><p>Give a royal wave with your glittering spoon. 90 Raleys Towne Centre, Rohnert Park; 1791 Marlow Road, Santa Rosa; 8828 Lakewood Drive, Windsor.</p><p>Brownies from Rohnert Park's Killer Baking Company were my top reason to visit Santa Rosa's Wednesday night market through the long hot summer, but doubly so since Chef Michael recently released his new maple, brownie bit and pecan ice cream. Also available at Oliver's Markets.</p><p>Lala's Creamery: This family-run ice cream parlor offers up homemade ice creams using Straus Family Creamery organic milk. 134 Petaluma Blvd. N., Petaluma, 763-5252.</p><p>You can reach Heather Irwin at 521-8544 or heather.irwin@ pressdemocrat.</p><p>com.</p>