Christina Waters

More No-Nos: Please don’t swoop down on my table the minute we’ve sat down and ask, “Would you like something to drink?” Chances are we would, but how can we possibly know until we’ve had a minute to look at the wine list? (more…)

I can’t take it anymore! Surely this has happened to you. You are out dining, enjoying your main course and your server comes by the table and asks: “Are you guys still working on that?” (more…)

I give you two local reds, both roughly $16 a bottle, supple and complex enough to redeem even the driest roast turkey.

We love the Ridge Vineyards 2004 Three Valleys blend, from Paul Draper, whom the San Francisco Chronicle recently dubbed winemaker of the year (and many would agree). At 14.1% alc. it’s robust without aggression. The exquisitely balanced blend of zinfandel, carignane, syrah, petite sirah and grenache fills the cup with blackberries, cloves, brown licorice and a hint of gunpowder. The nose is abundant and this wine also loves pasta and lamb. . . . From Hallcrest comes a disarmingly delicate Pinot Noir, Santa Cruz Mountains 2002, Ciardella Vineyard, also weighing in at 14.1 % alcohol. This is a bright, ruby-colored vintage of extreme clarity, and loaded with pomegranate and plums, with a light licorice back. A beautiful wine with seafoods and, of course, that roast turkey.

Oral Update: It takes a dentist. And that’s not a book by Rick Santorum. Like my dentist, bon vivant William Christie, a guy who does lunch in a big way. So I checked in with the doc about the new place in the downtown Santa Cruz Art Center, Center Street Grill, right across from his office. (more…)

This is easily one of the most beautiful places on earth. Not convinced? Click on the image for a more sweeping vista of Wilder Beach, looking toward the Carmel Highlands and Monterey.

Our new house white wine is Southern Right Cellars from South Africa, a crisp dry beauty with a complex middle and a very precise finish that sells for $10.99 at Shoppers. This appealing wine is made one mile from the Atlantic Ocean in the stony shale soils of the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley. On African soil the grape takes on a noticeably complex character. Each sip offers a bouquet of lime, tangerine peel and wild gardenia with a flinty dose of mineral energy. With each bottle sold, a contribution is made by the winery to conservation of the rare Southern Right whale. An enlightened alternative to high alcohol, flabby oak chards.

Our favorite full-bodied, goes-with-everything red wine is the remarkable 2001 Carignane from River Run Vintners. Fueled by grapes grown in Corralitos, this is one appealing varietal — brilliant with cheese, soft enough for salmon and albacore, and intriguing enough to simply sip all by itself. You can find it at Staff of Life for around $10 and at the winery.

Don’t miss the chance to sample hard-to-find wines from the area’s celebrated-but-tiny wineries at the new, one-stop-shopping wine store - VinoCruz. The brainchild of Jeffrey Kongslie and former Barney’s buyer, J-P Correa, the sparkling new enoteca is located in Abbott Square off Cooper Street (in the Museum of Art and History building, just behind Annieglass). Open Mon - Thurs 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Fri-Sat, 11 to 8 p.m. and Sunday noon to 6 p.m.

Relax, food fans. Downtown’s cozy bistro Oswald is not going anywhere anytime soon. According to longtime staffer Janet Silverglate the restaurant will remain in its present location between Pacific and Cedar Streets for many, many months to come. “We don’t feel any immediate pressure to move,” she told me this week. “The only change for now is that we aren’t open on Sundays.” So now you know and should be making reservations for some of the finest dining in the area. Oswald - 1547 Pacific Ave., SC - 831/423-7427.

The Intimate Landscape:

Opening January 2 at the Mary Porter Sesnon Gallery on the University of California, Santa Cruz campus. (image by exhibition curator, Frank Galuszka.)

You are about to enter the uncensored, absolutely unrestrained world of observation and expertise known as ChristinaWaters.com. Fresh every week! (more…)