“Welcome to Sonoma County!”
April 25, 2023 | by Ryan Budlong
St. Francis Winery & Vineyards was honored to host NBC’s 3rd Hour of the Today Show (Opens in new window) on April 21st, as the show shined a spotlight on Sonoma County and all of its “wonder lust.”
It was a breathtaking day in the Sonoma Valley with blue skies, warm sun, cool breezes and emerald green surroundings. Attendees included celebrity hosts Al Roker, Sheinelle Jones, Dylan Dreyer and Craig Melvin and a select group of special guests and Sonoma County superstars.
The focus of the show was to highlight wellness, drawing attention to the show’s “Start Today” program. There was also some attention given to lifestyle, fashion, food, and, of course, wine in the hour-long segment as well.
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The cast kicked off the show with an inaugural ride on the winery’s brand-new, fully sustainable pedal trolley. It was an amazing way to “roll out” the ‘Tour de St. Francis’ Tour and Tasting Experience for its third year touring through Wild Oak Estate Vineyard. This experience starts again on May 5th and reservations may be made on the winery’s experiences page.
photo credit (Beth Schlanker / The Press Democrat)
St. Francis Winery & Vineyards’ leadership team opened the segment with a celebratory “Sabering” of some of their limited 50th Anniversary Sparkling Wine. Sword-waving participants included Winemakers Katie Madigan and Chris Louton, Executive Chef Peter Janiak, Director of Vineyards Jake Terrell, COO Bob Aldridge and President Rick Bonitati.
The Today Show talent enjoyed some of the winery’s popular “Old Vines” Zinfandel and a delicious pairing prepared by Chef Janiak, created especially for the show (get the recipe here). The unmistakable backdrop of our Wild Oak Estate Vineyard made for a “jaw-dropping” display of Sonoma County’s grandeur, prompting multiple hosts and guests to exclaim that it was truly authentic and not a green screen behind them.
The show went on to feature other experiences and businesses from around the region, such as hot air balloon rides, wine blending courses, olive grove bathing and a premier line-up of Sonoma County Chefs. Executive Chef Peter Janiak welcomed Chef Ari Weisswasser from The Glen Ellen Star(Opens in new window), Chef Casey Thompson of Folk Table(Opens in new window) in Sonoma, and Chef Stéphane Saint Louis of Table Culture Provisions(Opens in new window) in Petaluma to the winery. After the show’s spotlight on Sonoma’s gastronomic diversity(Opens in new window), Chef Peter gave a tour of the winery’s Culinary Farm to the visiting chefs. St. Francis Winery & Vineyards has recently launched a new program providing fresh seasonal produce from their farm to other fine dining establishments in the area.
The show also welcomed local celebrities such as Brie and Nikki Garcia(Opens in new window) (AKA the Bella Twins of WWE stardom), Olympic icon Allyson Felix(Opens in new window) and lifestyle contributor Jill Martin Brooks(Opens in new window). Interviews and interactions with the guests took place in front of a large crowd of sign-waving attendees who had purchased tickets to the taping via the Today Shows website.
photo credit (Beth Schlanker / The Press Democrat)
Taking the 3rd Hour Today Show on the road was sponsored by Sonoma County Tourism(Opens in new window) and St. Francis Winery & Vineyards is elated and grateful to have been selected out of the hundreds of wineries in Sonoma County to be the featured location for the show.
Visitors and members are well aware that the winery’s breathtaking surroundings and legacy of excellence in the region are woven into the fabric of Sonoma County’s community – a community that the winery is forever indebted to.
In June, the winery plans to give back to the community by dedicating the time of its entire talented team to a local non-profit for its day of service, known as ‘Joe Martin Day,’ after the winery’s founder.
The resounding attention this airing of The Today Show has brought to the winery and the region is well-deserved and because of it, St. Francis Winery & Vineyards happily anticipates increased visitation and new fans of their unparalleled wines and experiences.
