Lady Gaga Does Sonoma
Flamboyant pop singer surprises fans, but what wine does she drink?
Posted: Feb 29, 2012 11:00am ET
Sonoma is
one of the last places I'd expect to see Lady Gaga, that flamboyant goddess of
pop music. We're a little light on paparazzi and six-inch stiletto heels around
these parts, but last week Gaga and her modest entourage were repeatedly
spotted at restaurants around the county, as well as Napa and Marin.
For the
unenlightened, Lady Gaga is a 25-year-old singer who is recognized around the
world, in part because of catchy dance hits such as "Bad Romance" and "Born
This Way," but also because of her edgy live performances, savvy social media
skills and willingness to pull outrageous stunts like wearing a dress made
entirely of meat to the MTV Video Music Awards. Saturday Night Live fans caught Gaga in an outlandish wine-themed outfit in a musical number with Justin Timberlake last year.
So she's
obviously more Vegas than Sonoma, but perhaps she simply needed a quiet getaway
before she kicks off her latest world tour in April. She reportedly had dinner
at the French Laundry on Friday, then was spotted having lunch at Nick's Cove
on Tomales Bay on Saturday. That night she had dinner at Catelli's in
Geyserville with her actor-model boyfriend Taylor Kinney, then on Sunday ate
lunch at the bar of the Girl & the Fig in Sonoma.
She happily
snapped photographs with fans, if all the photos on Facebook and Twitter are
any indication. There's no clue what brought her to Northern California wine
country, but according to published reports, she told the staff at one
restaurant that she was shopping for a house.
"The valley
would never be the same!" Sondra Bernstein, owner of the Girl
& the Fig, said of Gaga's potential move to Sonoma. Bernstein
reports that she ate mussels, a beet salad and a croque madame.
As for
wine, I wasn't able to confirm a single glass. She skipped the all-Rhône list
at the Girl & the Fig and drank something called a Fig Kiss, a cocktail that
includes Limoncello, St-Germain liqueur and cranberry juice.
If she ends
up calling Sonoma County home, let's hope she experiments with something less
Gaga-ish: perhaps a nice local wine? Of course, knowing her reputation, they
couldn't be just any wines. In the spirit of Lady Gaga's fondness for grandeur
and showmanship, I've selected a few wines that just might suit her style.
With its
bold aromas and festive flavors, the Schramsberg J. Schram Rosé 2004 (92
points, $130) is a perfect choice to start her off. Then we could move on to
something like Martinelli Chardonnay Russian River Valley Zio Tony Ranch 2008
(94, $50) with its ripe and fleshy flavors and exotic, floral aromas. Gaga
could follow that with La Follette Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast Sangiacomo Vineyard
2009 (93, $40), with its intense, rich and plush texture, which would logically
lead to ripe and fleshy Merlots like Pahlmeyer Napa Valley 2008 (91, $75) and
finally to a collectible Cabernet Sauvignons like Lewis Napa Valley 2009 (94,
$90), which turns up the volume with bold dark berry and melted chocolate
flavors.
I'm fairly
certain she could afford whatever Lady Gaga-friendly wine I could recommend. Can you imagine what it would be like stocking her wine cellar?
This is great PR for the wine country if she indeed bought a place! I think the world of her artistic take on pop music and being avant garde. She certainly took a very well rounded approach to see what region she would reside. Where ever she chooses will potentially create more excitement for wines with her audience than any other pop star has done. The implications are a huge positive. Keep our fingers crossed. Way to go Lady Gaga!