A SEASON OF PROMISE

Spring arrives in this, the most tentative of months. There is the sense of

renewal in the buds and the mustard and of course the green that exists at no

other time of year. But there are also the gray days, the rain and the

unexpected wind. In the vineyards, it is an uncertain time as well, with the

promise of beginning again always edged by a threat of frost.

It's an in-and-out season, some days warm enough to invite you outdoors with

the certainty of summer and others forbiddingly chill with showers. Whatever

the natural backdrop, Wine Country in spring offers options. Try one of the

region's cooking schools that play to the spectrum of food and wine expertise.

This issue we step inside Ramekins, a place for the home chef eager to

experiment. It's perfect for those days when winter lingers and the first

produce of the season is on the shelf, hinting of what will follow.

On the back roads of Sonoma and Napa the crowds are gone, and it is the ideal

season for those who are loath to be mistaken for tourists. Dry Creek, a

Sonoma County appellation known around the world for its zinfandel, this time

of year is dusted with lilac and then lupine. It seems more the rural

California landscape of a half century ago than a destination on the

international wine map. Our insider's picks for the best of spring - bicycling

to a picnic under the oaks, riding horses on the beach, or discovering a ghost

winery - remind us all why the tourists come to Wine Country.

-- Catherine Barnett, Executive Editor