Viognier 2010—Sweet Smell of Success

A trip to Loma Prieta Winery is well worth a visit. Situated at about 2,600 feet in the Santa Cruz Mountains, it is like being on top of the world—and the view of the Monterey Bay is spectacular. Loma Prieta’s wines are pretty spectacular, too, which makes it even more worthwhile to take a jaunt to their tasting room.

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Half Moon Bay Food & Wine Fare
Get away to the Oceano Hotel & Spa in Half Moon Bay, known for its beautiful views and great food, to an annual food and wine event organized by the Santa Cruz Mountains Winegrowers Association.

Sauvignon Blanc 2011—A brand new release from Soquel’s Hunter Hill

I first tasted Hunter Hill’s Sauvignon Blanc at the Capitola Art & Wine Festival in September. On a particularly hot day for our neck of the woods, this was perhaps one of the lightest and most refreshing wines around, and I went back for another tasting.

Syrah 2009—A Beautiful Wine to Savor

Aptos resident Fred Scherrer is very involved in the wine business—both making it and marketing it, but it was a long path that led to that point. Scherrer so loved good wine and wanted to make it under his own label that he volunteered at Kathryn Kennedy Winery for two years, working with one of the best winemakers in the Santa Cruz Mountains, Marty Mathis. “Marty taught me to make wine and emphasized the key issues when doing so, and some common pitfalls to avoid,” says Scherrer.

Solaire Restaurant in the new Hotel Paradox  

I am so excited about the opening of Hotel Paradox. I was taken on a tour about two weeks before it officially opened by Executive Chef Ross McKee and Food & Beverage Outlets Supervisor Guy Freshwater and was greatly impressed. 

Albariño 2009

Trying a lovely bottle of wine in a new restaurant is always high on my list of things to do. My husband and I spent a night in Carmel at the Hofsas House, a delightful boutique hotel about five minutes’ walk from the center of town, and as we were looking for an interesting place to eat, the hotel recommended Mundaka—an upbeat little tapas restaurant with a terrific vibe.

Pinot Noir 2010

We picked a good day to go on a wine-tasting trip to Soquel Vineyards. The winery had released their Estate Pinot Noir Partners’ Reserve 2010 ($40) that very day, and I immediately fell in love with it.