Oh, one more thing...

I couldn't resist—a sight worthy of Easter Sunday

What kind of cover crop did you plant in your vineyard?

We were out on a walk on this glorious Easter Sunday—as was, it seemed, the entire town of Sonoma. After all, this was the first sunny and warm day we’ve had in ages, and there was an embarrassing amount of pale white, shorts-clad flesh on display. But in stark and beautiful contrast was a small, very old-vine Zinfandel vineyard on Lovall Valley Road, just across the street from Sebastiani’s fabled Cherryblock Vineyard.

In these parts we’re used to seeing beautiful cover crops (the nutrient-rich plantings in-between rows of vines) of condiment yellow mustard, white and pale pink wild radish, or even a medley of legumes and wild flowers. But today, I was thoroughly enchanted to come upon this extraordinary tiny vineyard of ancient, craggy Zinfandel vines emerging in rows of silhouetted sentinels from an ocean of… tulips!

Every car that drove by stopped, everyone walking oohed and aahed and reached for their phone camera, and for a brief moment the world felt relevant and beautiful again. The astonishing creativity of some inspired gardener (the vineyard sits on land now owned by a flower company) touched the hearts of all of us and ushered in spring perfectly. Happy Easter and chag sameach everyone. Enjoy!