Healthy smoothies, return of VegFest and other fun food and wine news

PETALUMA

Clover Sonoma debuts kids’ smoothies

Clover Sonoma has launched a line of organic beverages for school-age kids called Clover The Rainbow.

The new line includes three organic yogurt smoothies for kids: Strawberry Carrot, Blueberry Beet and Strawberry Banana Butternut. The smoothies are bundled into packs of four 6-ounce bottles for $6.49 and are available at Whole Foods, and other independent retailers in California.

Over the next few months, Clover Sonoma will spotlight creative kids who demonstrate their talents and individuality on their website, clovertherainbow.com. Kids can find the “Go Shine” resource pages there, including nutritional education, arts and crafts activities, kid-friendly recipes and printable coloring pages.

Clover Sonoma is a third-generation family-owned and operated dairy company based in Petaluma.

SANTA ROSA

VegFest returns to celebrate compassion

The Sonoma County VegFest, a celebration of compassionate living and eating, returns at 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sept. 26 at the Santa Rosa Veterans Building.

The festival includes dozens of vendors from all over the Bay Area offering food, drinks, music and wellness and nutritional information, plus sustainable and eco-friendly products.

This year, there will be soft-serve vegan ice cream, a vegan taco truck, a fish rescue, carrot hot dogs and a CowHugger Vegan Boutique, among other vendors. The festival will be held outside in a socially distanced setting, and masks are required.

Paperless tickets are $10, available at socovegfest.org or at the door. 1351 Maple Ave.

PETALUMA

Stockhome menu at Griffo Distillery

Stockhome restaurant has partnered with Griffo Distillery to provide food for a Drinks & Chill pairing with the distillery’s cocktails in the new Barrel Room.

Visitors need to pre-order their food when they make a reservation for the tasting experience. Reservations are prepaid for parties of one to eight people. For parties of more than eight, reservations can be made by emailing gather@griffodistillery.com

To reserve, go to exploretock.com/griffodistillery.

Griffo Distillery is open for tours, tastings and barrel room experiences from 1 to 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. 1320 Scott St., Suite A.

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ST. HELENA

Heitz Cellar opens renovated hospitality center

The historic Heitz Cellar Winery is celebrating its 60th anniversary with the opening of a newly renovated hospitality center designed by architect Peter Fleming.

Located at 436 St. Helena Highway, the Hospitality Center features a grand tasting room, private tasting room, garden, veranda and chef’s larder. The Tasting Salon features a portfolio of wines paired with charcuterie and cheeses.

The winery will offer a few new tasting experiences. The Timeless Experience will include four wines and a special pour of Lot-C 91, a special cuvée that has not been produced for five decades. You can also order cheese and charcuterie.

The Lexus Vineyard to Bottle Experience is an ultra-luxurious tasting featuring single-vineyard wines paired with cheese and charcuterie, plus a tour through the Howell Mountain and Rutherford single vineyards via Lexus.

Reservations are encouraged. Go to heitzcellar.com/visit or call 707-963-2047.

The winery, founded in 1961 by Joe Heitz, has released the 2016 vintage of Lot-C 91, a one-off cuvée last produced by Joe Heitz in 1969 that is sourced from prized parcels across the estate’s single vineyards. The cabernet sauvignon is made with a blend of Rutherford, Oakville, Howell Mountain and St. Helena fruit. It costs $100 for a 750-ml bottle and is available through the website.

WINDSOR

Dinner to benefit Earle Baum Center

The Earle Baum Center, serving people with sight loss, and Notre Vue Estate will partner for a curated sensory food and wine pairing experience with newly released wines and a dinner at 5 - 9 p.m. on Sept 18.

Food and beverage expert Hoby Wedler, Winemaker Alex Holman and Chef Didier Ageorges of Pascaline will present the pairing and dinner. A percentage of the proceeds from the event will be donated to the Earle Baum Center.

The cost is $155, plus a $7 fee. To register, go to bit.ly/3tyJc6H. Notre Vue Estates, 11010 Estate Lane.

Staff Writer Diane Peterson can be reached at 707-521-5287 or diane.peterson@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @dianepete56