On Friday I joined the board of directors of the Sonoma County Wine Library. I believe my term will expire in 2010, I’m not positive, but either way I’m in this for the long haul.

The annual meeting was held at the Kendall Jackson visitors center just off 101 and it was a pleasant affair. The speaker was Bob Johnson, former LA Times cartoonist and a noted wine label designer. He gave an interesting talk on the process of creating a label, and how he works through a project. Bob’s workflow revolves around him drawing everything by hand and then turning the results over to a graphic artist who digitizes it using Adobe Illustrator. At the end of the talk he gave away signed copies of this great print he did for the cover of Pacific Wine Company. Good times.

What the heck is the Wine Library anyway?

The Wine Library is a collection of around 5000 books, periodicals, journals, pictures, newspaper clippings and oral histories that date back in some cases almost 500 years. It is watched after by head librarian Bo Simons. The oral histories that they produce are especially interesting, and many of Sonoma County’s pioneer wine growers and vintners have been given the opportunity to share their stories for posterity.

I’m thrilled to be a part of this local treasure. The historical data on wine business in the county will be especially helpful for me as I’m writing my book. I can’t wait to spend a week or so getting lost in the dusty volumes and rich tradition of the county.

If you’d like to become a member you can download a brochure and an application here.