Christina Waters

At a table set for two dozen people, the pinot noir flowed freely. Well of course it did - after all every other person at the table was a winemaker specializing in Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot Noirs.

Jeff and Andrea Emery (SCMtn Vineyard), Nick Guerrero (Vine Hill), Jim and Judy Schultze (Windy Oaks), Jerold O’Brien (Silver Mountain), Ryan Beauregard (Beauregard) David and Anne Moulton (Burrell School), and a few other leading names in local wine had gathered for dinner at the Hallcrest estate of John and Lorraine Schumacher - the night before the big Pinot Paradise weekend tasting event in Campbell.

In addition to meeting media and growers, I discovered a few special attractions among the many samples - predominantly vintage 2005 - being poured before dinner. I was already converted to the wines of Windy Oaks, and of course the wide range of varietals made by Schumacher in his historic cellar. So I helped myself to a few lesser-knowns. Burrell School, for example. And the new Cumbre label from Wines of Vine Hill, which also makes the Gatos Locos label. The Cumbre, Raffaelli Vineyard, was just edgy and tannic enough to make it perfect for big foods, even at its tender age.

After grazing my way through a lovely smoked salmon, artichoke and tomato primavera salad appetizer, and some sliced pork loin with salsa, I fell hard for the stupendous Branciforte Creek estate Pinot Noir 2005 made by Emery at Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard. The sleek new label replaces the one made famous by founding winemaker Ken Burnap - the one with the bobcat. Emery’s latest is a masterpiece (more…)

The pick of the week at Vinocruz just happens to be the mighty 2005 Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyards Pinot Noir, Branciforte Creek, which won Double Gold Medals in the recent San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition. Kudos to winemaker Jeff Emery.
Come test drive this amazing wine - loaded with blackberries, earth and spice. Voluptuous yet buttressed with enough acid to take you all the way home.

The Branciforte Creek Vineyard, incidentally, occupies the original site of the first European vineyards in this area, planted by Henry Jarvis in 1863. 2005 was a mighty year for Pinot Noir, in the Santa Cruz Mountains as well as in Burgundy. Get some now before it disappears.

And by all means get on over to Vinocruz for those Saturday tastings - 3-5pm. The deck is now open! Vinocruz, 725 Front Street, just behind Abbott Square and next to the Octagon Lulu’s. Open M-Th 11-7, Fri & Sat 11-8, Sun noon-6pm.

Wine pundit John Locke recently demystified the emerging world of biodynamic wines at one of his extraordinary Soif wine classes. And to illustrate some of the agricultural principles of biodynamic theorist Rudolph Steiner, Locke brandished a cow horn, sans the manure that is required for true biodynamic practice.

There are simply too many horn jokes already loose in the world, so let’s not go there. Shall we? The entire presentation was simultaneously esoteric, rewarding, delicious and down-to-earth. And everything you’ve heard about John is true - this is not a man to lock horns with.

What would Jesus eat? we asked as we thought about a special Easter dinner this year. Well, obviously lamb, yogurt, onions, rice pilaff, pine nuts, something with lemons and olive oil. Garlic, absolutely garlic. Lamb grilled over wood found in the desert, like mesquite.

With Middle-Eastern spices and ingredients in mind, we pulled together a truly delicious dinner of elements, that with a few exceptions — tomatoes, asparagus and red bell peppers on our skewers, and a Meyer lemon pie with crème fraiche - might have easily been found in the markets of Nazareth.

Okay, so the apostles didn’t have Peeps. But had they, they surely would have enjoyed them. Our pink peeps this year were genuine añejo - aged for over one year in a top cupboard of my kitchen. Just dessicated enough to give a unique depth to each bite. (more…)

If Sean Baker gets any better at what he does, Gabriella could wind up with a Michelin star one of these days.

We were blown away on the first evening of Spring by a few choice appetizers from what is becoming the top kitchen in the area. Certainly for sheer creativity, sex appeal and culinary chance-taking — it sets the pace.

From an amuse of pastured lamb on aioli and heirloom tomato glaze, to the long fingers of grilled bread topped with green garlic — okay, the Grüner Veltliner and Morgan Pinot Noir certainly didn’t hurt — it was one of those matchless hours in a lovely dining room.

Surrounded by the new show of oil paintings by Tom Maderos, Katya and I split two appetizers that show chef Baker’s continued exploration of the fresh, the wild and the organically-grown.

A dish of grilled wild shrimp arrived on a bed of warm marrow beans that had been tossed in something spicey with flashes of sweetness. Crimson nuggets of pomegranate seeds joined the sensuous beans, and a marmellata of spring onions and garlics added depth. As conceptually smart as this dish is, it was effortless to enjoy. The flavors soared.

The special appetizer of the evening proved another huge hit. (more…)

It was a moment of matchless synchronicity. I met my great and good friend Rita Bottoms, former empress of UCSC Special Collections, for lunch at Au Midi in Aptos. There we were, surrounded by colorful impressions of Parisian cafe life, thanks to a display of oil paintings by Rita’s husband, Tom Bottoms — when our host Michel Loubiere brought a few bottles of wine to our table.

“You have an admirer,” he revealed. And we looked over at a happy foursome - one of whom was winemaker Ryan Beauregard, a savvy young talent who knows an opportunity when he sees one. So we sampled some brand-new releases from Beauregard Winery, including a notable Sauvignon Blanc 2006, loaded with crisp structure and a long, solid middle - made from grapes harvested in Lake County. Our lunch began with tableside greetings from chef Muriel Loubiere, some fragrant francese and a velvety soup of sunchokes.

My Daube provencale entrée of Kobé beef, carrots and polenta showed off the chef’s miraculous reduction sauce of wine, herbs and a topnote of orange. (more…)

Confession. I’d walk a mile for a cupcake. A residual daydream from childhood, where the cupcake was Queen. An ornamental, hand-held device that can transport you to immediate comfort — ah, the cupcake! Creamy, layered with complex sweetness, spice, tender texture — the cupcake has it all. Plus it’s affordable and can be eaten by a single person in a single sitting.

So can I really be blamed for ordering one of these dangerously delicious carrot cupcakes - topped with my weight in perfect vanilla cream cheese frosting - at my new favorite coffeehouse? The cupcake is from Black China Bakery, which makes a habit of pushing all my satisfaction buttons.

The place? Find out in the March 26 issue of Metro Santa Cruz.

Bonny Doon Vineyard has no peer when it comes to self-reinvention. The oenological shape-shifting continues with this week’s preview of the first all-biodynamically produced, Demeter-certified bottlings from BDV’s Ca’del Solo Vineyard in Monterey County. And there is much to like.

The immediate eye appeal, for one thing (see image). Note the fresh green graphic design on the Stelvin screw cap, quoting the crystallization image which now adorns all estate vintage labels. The 2007 Albariño visually proclaims its heightened sensitivity, an opening salvo of the new, improved, downscaled Empire of Doon. But that’s not all.

From the branding genius of founder Randall Grahm - a man who continues to set the pace when it comes to value-added consciousness - comes new labelling transparency. Not only are the grapes grown according to the terroir-nurturing practices of biodynamic farming, but the labels now list every last blessed ingredient (all of them benign, naturellement) involved in the making of these wines. To whit: “Indigenous yeast, organic yeast hulls, bentonite, tartaric acid.” How evolved of our local heroes! It would seem that no other winery is offering to let it all hang out, contents-wise. And this, once again, separates Grahm’s crew from the rest of the pack.

Marketing, schmarketing — how does it taste? (more…)

Relax, it’s gonna happen. I spoke with Oswald co-owner/chef Damani Thomas yesterday and he’s definitely on the project. “We’re just trying to get the construction going,” he said. Everything is taking longer than expected, but Thomas is looking toward Oswald opening, “hopefully this summer.”

And yes he will be doing the cooking. “That’s what I was born to do.”

The view from the front door of Riva Fish House is enough to induce instant serenity. The big-shouldered seafood menu at Riva is always a reason to drive out onto the water and enjoy all those huge, oceanic views. The gelato selection alone is legendary. But now there’s another reason to drift on down to the Wharf — a handsome show of hand-printed black and white photographs by Katy Cater, lining the walls of Riva with soothing images of interior landscapes and sculptural botanicals — as if Cater were the love child of Brassai and Imogen Cunningham.

For the life of me I couldn’t produce a decent snapshot of one of Cater’s haunting photographs - I especially love the one looking across the rumpled bed, through the open window, looking at the windows of an apartment across the way. So you’ll need to get down to Riva all by yourself - the show’s up through May.

And speaking of Riva, it’s all true — says restaurant czarina Germaine (Red, 515) Akin. Attorney Martin Drobac —one of the original Riva partners —is now the sole owner. The place always feels welcoming — especially on a grey spring afternoon when the view of the water over a mojito looks especially serene.

You know where the Wharf is, don’t you? Riva Fish House - 500 Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf. Call 831.429-1223 and ask about the catch of the day.