by Christina Waters | Nov 23, 2011 | Wine |
Saratoga by Candlelight — that’s what’s in store for you if you walk off your Thanksgiving feast at the 2nd Annual Holiday Wine Stroll, Friday, Nov. 25, 4pm til 7pm.
You can walk through charming Saratoga, enjoying strolling carolers, take a carriage ride, hear live music by The Ones, take in some vintage tree lighting and sample the wares of 18 local wineries at stores and restaurants.
Bring a non-perishable food donation for 2nd Harvest Food Bank, and don’t orget to purchase your $5 raffle ticket for special dining and shopping offers.
Raise a glass to the holidays in Saratoga, a California surrogate of Santa’s own village. Christmas Village in the Valley!
Tickets are $40 til Nov 23; $45 thereafter; 408-867-0753.
by Christina Waters | Nov 21, 2011 | Home, Wine |
The countdown is on for a December 2-3 opening of the area’s newest wine tasting room, lodged—logically enough—in the midst of a suite of popular tasting boites at Ingalls & Swift, aka Surf City Vintners by way of Kelly’s.
Arms still aching from a marathon session of sanding, staining and hauling barrel staves down to the new facility, Lore James—Vine Hill’s marketing director—was happy to give me a tour of the emerging tasting room.
“This is where I hope the entire Westside will come and spend their weekends,” she said showing me the clever zig-zag counter design that architect Mark Primack devised to aid in conversation flow and space sculpting. “A stainless steel top will be set in place along the wood top,” James explained.
The new wall sconces were one of her finds on a website called barlights.com. “I wanted something that would be rustic industrial, but not too industrial,” she explained. (more…)
by Christina Waters | Nov 20, 2011 | Home |
An unbelievable deal awaits at Shoppers Corner in the form of a 2006 Pinot Noir Anderson Valley from Demuth Winery that drinks like $45 but costs only (better sit down) $9.99.
Details. This garnet-hued baby is accessible yet complex, immediate but not superficial. Salted plums, licorice, a hint of star anise all bound up with licorice and cherries. Perfect with a big bird (turkey perhaps) or salmon. Go get some before I buy it all myself!
by Christina Waters | Nov 17, 2011 | Art |
The soaring quartets, orchestra and choral passages of Beethoven’s mighty Mass in C Major join Mozart’s Symphony No. 40, in an evening of definitive musical bravura— with maestra Nicole Paiement at the helm—for two concerts, Friday November 18 and Sunday November 20.
Concerts begin at 7:30pm at the UCSC Music Recital Hall—an acoustical gem worthy of soloists—tenor Brian Staufenbiel, soprano Patrice Maginnis, baritone Daniel Cilli and mezzo soprano Elana Cowen.
Don’t miss this chance to be enfolded in the sort of life-altering harmonies, fugues and canons that made life, before the Beatles, sweet indeed. UCSC Ticket Office – 831.459-2159; or online.
This is the deal of the week. The month!
by Christina Waters | Nov 17, 2011 | Home, Travel |
The excuse was the outstanding de Kooning retrospective at New York’s Museum of Modern Art, a sleek exhibition setting that lives up to its classically modern name. But the first thing we did was head up to the 5th floor Terrace cafe for a delightfully civilized early lunch. Armed with an appropriate regional wine – a Merlot from Pellegrini Vineyards, North Fork, NY 2006 – we dove into beautiful plates of seasonal flavors.
For my sweetie, slices of organic chicken with marinated squashes and hearts of romaine lavished with mustardy vinaigrette. For me this warm eggy tart of roasted cauliflower and Bayley Hazen blue cheese, (more…)
