North Bay Woman

22 NORTH BAY WOMAN | F A L L 2 0 1 9 After all the work that goes into a party, sometimes, a hostess just wants to put her feet up, sip on tea and enjoy a good cookie while she basks in the afterglow. That's when Flour Craft Bakery's festively packaged 16-piece assortment of gluten-free miniature cookies ($15) comes in handy. Maybe she'll ask you to come and join her! Flour Craft Bakery, 702 San Anselmo Ave., San Anselmo (415-453-3100) or 129 Miller Ave. at the Mill Valley Lumberyard, #300, Mill Valley (415-384-8244), fl ourcraftbakery.com Heidrun Meadery serves up mead, the adult beverage of fermented honey, featuring an array of sparkling mead varietals "with unique botanical aromatics, that are perfect for the pickiest of palettes," says Heidrun's Courtney Caldwell. "We think some of the best gifts are ones that are purchased locally, made simply and are unexpectedly delicious," she adds. Her suggestion? A bottle of Heidrun's Marin County Wildfl ower sparkling Mead ($40). It also offers a 4-ounce jar of Tiburon Wildfl ower honey for $9. Heidrun Meadery, 11925 State Route 1, Point Reyes Station, 415-663-9122, heidrunmeadery.com Sal Putrus of Ludwig's Fine Wine & Spirits in San Anselmo says he and his staff taste, and must agree upon, almost every wine the store carries. In the last three weeks of November, when party season is in full swing, their well-curated collection of pinot noir fl ies off the stores shelves. If you want a good pinot noir at or under $40, he suggests Kastania Vineyards 2015 Pinot Noir ($22.99) or Walter Hansel Winery's "Cahill Lane" 2016 Pinot Noir ($41.99). Have a bigger budget? He'd point you to the 2017 Maxem UV Vineyard Pinot Noir ($84.99) or 2015 Peake Ranch John Sebastiano Vineyard Pinot Noir ($64.99). Ludwig's Fine Wine & Spirits, 431 San Anselmo Ave., San Anselmo, 415-456-1820, ludwigsfi newine.com You know you can't go wrong when you give the "Everybody's Favorite" selection from Marin's Cowgirl Creamery. It includes Cowgirl's most popular cheese, the triple-cream Mt. Tam, Artisan Crisps from Rustic Bakery, and a wooden cheese board ($45). You can order the gift online for overnight delivery Monday through Wednesday or shop the components individually at either of Cowgirl's shops. Cowgirl Creamery at Tomales Bay Foods, 80 Fourth St., Point Reyes Station, 415-663-9335, or at the San Francisco Ferry Building, 415-362-9354, cowgirlcreamery.com Surprise your hostess with a box of hand-crafted artisan chocolates from Coa Chocolate and you'll be sure to be remembered gratefully after the party ends and the guests have gone home. Choose Coa's most popular gift, the nine-piece Paris Round ($25) in your choice of a red, white or black box in any of four options (original, all dark, no nuts or no caramel) or the 24-piece box ($62). Coa also has more than 100 premium and decadent chocolate bars (starting at $8 each) for the hostesses that prefer vegan, organic, sugar-free or non-GMO options. Coa Chocolate, 707 Bridgeway, Sausalito, 415-729-9557, coachocolate.com Thompson's Chocolates, one of the fi rst chocolatiers in America, hand molds and hand foils its all-natural chocolates. You can pick up a bag of chocolate "leaves" at Diana's of Tiburon ($9.95) and leave your hostess happy. Diana's of Tiburon, Boardwalk Shopping Center, 1550 Tiburon Blvd., #F, Tiburon, 415-435-7448 Luscious award-winning olive oils from McEvoy Ranch on the Marin-Petaluma border are always welcome hostess gifts. Try the company's new Olive Oil Gift Set ($50). Your hostess can try Traditional Blend Olive Oil, blended from seven Italian olive oils harvested from the estate. It's medium-bodied, complex and balanced, certifi ed organic and certifi ed extra virgin. She'll also get a bottle of Lemon Olive Oil, created by simultaneously crushing four varieties of olives and whole Eureka lemons together for a crisp freshness. She'll say "Bravo!" McEvoy Ranch, 5935 Red Hill Road, Petaluma, 707-778-2307, mcevoyranch.com. Her suggestion? A bottle of Heidrun's Marin County Wildfl ower sparkling Mead staff taste, and must agree upon, almost when party season is in full swing, their Noir ($84.99) or 2015 Peake Ranch John Sebastiano Vineyard Pinot Noir ($64.99). You know you can't go wrong when you give the "Everybody's Favorite" selection Heidrun Meadery's mead made from honey in West Marin; cheese selections from Point Reyes Station's Cowgirl Creamery; fi nd Thompson's Chocolates at Diana's of Tiburon; Coa Choco- late's nine-piece round; Ludwig's Fine Wine & Spirits has seasonal favorites to choose from; Coa Chocolate's 24-piece box. – Photos courtesy Heidrun Meadery, Sara Remington, Thompson's Chocolates, Coa Chocolate, Kastania Vineyards

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