Congratulations to winemaker Richard Alfaro, whose 2010 Alfaro Family Lester Family Vineyard Pinot Noir is among a choice few local wines included in the SF Chronicle’s pick of Top 100 Wines of 2012. The wine, from their Deer Park vines, is a moderately affordable $38 and a spot-on 13.7% alcohol, loaded with terroir, black currants and forest tones.
Posts Tagged: wine
Q&A: Andre Beauregard
Emerging winemaker Andre Beauregard has just released a Syrah and a Rose of Syrah 2010 under his new West Cliff Wines label. Part of a prominent family of local winemakers, he made his name locally as wine buyer at Shopper’s Corner.
Q&A: Robert Marsh
Robert Marsh is a well-known Central Coast wine rep whose portfolio includes the top Santa Cruz Mountains wineries. He spoke to me about breaking into the business, changes in the industry and some of his own favorites.
A Great Year for Grapes
Winemaker Jeff Emery of Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard is thrilled with his grapes this year. “Twice as much pinot noir as last year,” he revealed, in the midst of forklifting grapes into his cellar.
Q&A: Leslie Fellows
The winemaker learned everything in the business from scratch. Now her hard work is paying off big time.
Kendra Baker Offers Ice Cream Course
Lots of events erupting at this busy wine store in downtown Santa Cruz. A Wargin Wines pouring on Sept. 29 for example. Mikael Wargin is a Soquel native who majored in biochemistry at UCSC.
Top 10 Santa Cruz Mountains Wines
We fed Christina Waters a truth serum so she’d name her top 10 Santa Cruz Mountains wines. Here’s what we got, from the summeriest whites to the most profound pinots.
Clouds Downtown to Reopen as Cajun Restaurant
Once upon a time there was Sea Cloud, a dreamy, waterfront restaurant and saloon that helped us all ride the wave of the economic Happy Hour several decades ago. And then there was Clouds, Lou and Kristi Caviglia’s gift to downtown diners and cocktail fans. Wow, it’s hard to believe that Clouds has been with us for almost two decades, but all good things must change.
Odonata Wines Makes Itself at Home
New Odonata Tasting Room Cozily located right next door to Companion Bakers, in the former New Leaf/Beckmann’s strip, Denis Hoey’s spiffy new Odonata Tasting Room offers plenty of tasting, fun food ops and sleek vintage woodwork. Hoey, who still makes his wines in the Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard space near Kelly’s, is still finetuning his new tasting space.
Gourmet Goodies in the Picnic Basket
Artisanal food impresarios Zach Davis and Kendra Baker continue their handmade roll through the tastebuds of Santa Cruz. It wasn’t enough that this entrepreneurial duo gave us downtown’s Penny Ice Creamery, and plenty of national coverage for the little shop’s innovative hand-made desserts. They needed to bring us more. Much more. And so there is the delightful, beachfront Picnic Basket, facing the Boardwalk and seaside volleyball courts. Yes, the same Picnic Basket that got yet another shoutout in this month’s Sunset Magazine.
