LOVE WINE

After four years of planning and renovations, plus delays due to the pandemic, students at Santa Rosa Junior College are finally making use of the newly-renovated Burbank Auditorium. The face of the original red-brick building is unchanged, but the interior has been transformed for 21st century learning, and a brand-new black box theater provides a home for smaller, experimental productions. This is a theater for the community, and in the months to come, it will be home to public lectures, performances, and festivals. -Karen Kizer

$28 million Total project cost

50 years ago The first time SRJC’s theater department requested a black box theater to produce smaller, experimental works

Very necessary first-time addition A dressing room

200 seats Capacity of the new black box theater 1939 The year of the original Burbank Auditorium, constructed as part of FDR’s New Deal

Most natural design element Sunlight filtered through oak trees, made visible through the theater lobby’s new north windows, giving the space a wash of diffused light

400 seats Capacity of the renovated main auditorium An element preserved Designers kept the stage’s original steel proscenium arch, with its college emblem and repeating relief pattern of oak leaves

400 feet Depth of the bores for a new energy-efficient geothermal heat pump

Three Number of ADAcompliant lifts added to access control booths and the orchestra pit

Most popular SRJC show The 2014 production of “Phantom of the Opera” 10,000 pounds Weight capacity of each panel of cable net that light operators walk on to access catwalks, 27 feet in the air

Coziest upgrades Wider seats for the audience and a green room lounge for performers

“Onion Rings” Students’ nickname for the lobby’s new chandeliers

By Stacy Briscoe

MIND THIS YEAR: Water. As we come off a second season of punishing drought, more and more Sonoma winemakers are looking to traditional dry-farming methods as a way to increase their vines’ resilience. What is dry farming? It’s a method of cultivating grapes without additional irrigation, a method no longer strictly relegated to old-vine plantings in Sonoma County.

“Dry farming is not an entirely new concept,” says sixth-generation vintner Katie Bundschu of Abbot’s Passage Winery, who recently purchased a block of 80-year-old, dry-farmed Zinfandel vines. “Prior to the 1970’s, all vineyards planted were functionally ‘dry farmed,” Bundschu says.

“We rely on the water that falls from the sky and gets absorbed into the soil,” says Mari Jones, president of Emeritus Vineyards in Sebastopol. Jones estimates that using no irrigation whatsoever saves 44 million gallons of water annually, compared to vines farmed with conventional irrigation. Dry farming works on their 140 acres of estate vineyard because of the local soil type. “The Goldridge topsoil is very well-draining, allowing water to fl ow through to the deeper clay, where water is absorbed and stored,” she explains.

In contrast, at Hamel Family Wines in Sonoma Valley, it’s in the rockiest vineyard where winemaker John Hamel says he sees the most success with dry farming. “We have the privilege of farming a vineyard that was planted in the 1880s that has been dry farmed during its entire history,” he says. “We’ve found roots are able to penetrate the fractures in the rocks and fi nd trapped water and nutrients within those fractures. Deep roots in well-drained soils are key for us in terms of wine quality. A vine must have deep roots in order to persist and carry a crop without irrigation.”

Vines that struggle to root more deeply are also more adaptable to weather fl uctuations, as they’re well-practiced at water conservation, according to William Allen, proprietor and winemaker of Two Shepherds Winery in Windsor. The technique also results in decreased yields, increasing grape quality: “It’s generally accepted that higher-quality grapes are grown by making vines struggle,” Allen says. “Lower yields produce higher-quality grapes—in contrast to irrigated, fertilized vines with high yields.”

In the end, dry farming is a choice that can not only off er increased resilience in the face of drought, but can also boost the quality of the crop. “We see an elevated complexity, texture and minerality in wines made from dry-farmed grapes,” says Hamel. “We ultimately believe that it yields higher quality grapes than those from irrigated vines.”

HAMEL FAMILY WINES 2018 Sonoma Valley Zinfandel Complex aromas of raspberry, cherry and orange peel complemented by floral, flint and spice. $64 / 707-996-5800, hamelfamilywines.com

ABBOT’S PASSAGE WINERY 2018 Makeshift A dry-farmed blend of Zinfandel, Petit Sirah, and Petit Verdot. Enjoy moderate tannins and a bright acidity, along with rich, bold black fruit flavors. $30 / 707-939-3017, abbotspassage.com

TWO SHEPHERDS WINERY 2020 “Blanc de Cinsault” Whole-cluster pressed Cinsault from the 135-year-old Bechthold Vineyard. Pair with light dishes, white fish, salads, chevre. $30 / 415-613-5731, twoshepherds.com

EMERITUS VINEYARDS 2016 Hallberg Ranch Pinot Noir Flavors of black cherry, cinnamon, and toasted almonds. A light-bodied red wine filled with subtle nuances. $45 / 707-823-9463, emeritusvineyards.com

At Emeritus Vineyards, dry-farmed vines show deep roots.