By Laura Ness

The last time I inquired about a vineyard bearing a woman’s name (Laura’s Vineyard in Paso Robles), it turned out the place was named after a cat.  More specifically, after a feline well over the limit on her 9 Lives credit card account. So, I wasn’t sure what to expect on this one.  Happily, Elizabeth Vineyards in the Redwood Valley of Mendocino County turns out to be named after a very vivacious and charming woman named Elizabeth Foster, who prefers to be called Betty. The first thing about Betty that you encounter is that smile – bright as a neon OPEN sign, and as wide as the grille of a vintage Pontiac. And then, there are her eyes: brilliant blue piercers that could match Paul Newman’s, lumen for lumen.

March 08, 2007
By Alastair Bland

In 1993 a salesman in the commercial printing business named Tony Magee began brewing beer in his home in the redwood forests of West Marin. This beer endeavor was just a hobby, but six months later Magee was producing a bit more than he could drink by himself, with 600 or so barrels in the tank. So he went into business. He designed his own label – recognizable by a patch-eyed dog and a short blurb of wisdom in fine print – and he named his enterprise the Lagunitas Brewing Company. Today the brewery dwells in Petaluma and has grown into one of the most successful beer producers in the state.