Travel
SONOMA VALLEY
Photo: Sonoma Visitors Bureau
Photo: Sonoma Visitors Bureau
Photo: Sonoma Visitors Bureau
IS RISING FROM THE ASHES TO RECLAIM ITS TOURISM PRIDE
By Timothy Rawles Known for its rolling, lush hills, Mediterranean microclimate, and culinary arts, Sonoma Valley is one of those destinations where blood pressures immediately decrease once you pass the city marker. Located in Sonoma County, which covers about 1,800 square miles, Sonoma Valley rests inland against Napa Valley to the east and 50 miles from San Francisco to the south. There probably isn’t a more relaxing or more beautiful drive in any direction through the California landscape than that of Sonoma. However, that environment was severely assaulted by wildfires both in 2017 and 2020; some of the worst in California history. The devastation took not only lives but property, severely altering some of the picturesque skylines. “Like many places that have gone through earthquakes or hurricanes or any natural disaster, Sonoma Valley has weathered the fires and come out with a renewed civic vigor to prepare as well as forward-thinking resilience strategies,” says Jennifer Sweeney, a public relations and communications consultant for Sonoma Valley. Those strategies couldn’t prevent the 2020 global pandemic however, which put California on lockdown, striking another blow to Sonoma’s once-bustling tourism industry. Sweeney says the lifeline that kept Sonoma fresh in the minds of people who were eager to return once the pandemic was over was far-reaching. “We’ve had to find creative ways to showcase Sonoma Valley that required a total community effort,” she explains. “At the Sonoma Valley Visitors Bureau, we upped our engagement on social media and supported our hospitality businesses through virtual events and one-on-one video interviews with business owners to keep the destination top of mind.” And those businesses, especially the wineries, are the very backbone of Sonoma Valley tourism. The Benziger Family Winery has graced the Sonoma landscape for many years. Nestled in the heart of Sonoma Valley’s bucolic serenity, the winery is the epitome of the area’s devotion to family, grape horticulture and wine making. Chris Benziger is not only a part of the estate’s bloodline, he is also its brand ambassador. Which means public representation of the company and, in essence, keeping its family crest well-polished is a full-time responsibility.
24
May 2021
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