Corralitos Wine Trail – May 9
I'll keep this simple. Corralitos - gorgeous countryside, wines dripping with terroir. Wines from Windy Oaks (where you will probably get to sample the new Estate Terra Narro), Alfaro, Nicholson and Pleasant Valley. Vineyards, winemakers, tastes, tours, cheese and...
Scallops @ Soif
The kitchen of Chris Avila just continues to provide comfort to serious foodies and adventurous winos. Take the other evening, for example. Armed with a glass of four-dimensional Sangiovese, I feasted on one of those amazing scallops appetizers Soif does so well. The...
Lunch @ Au Midi
Pissaladiere, ratatouille, pistou - just some of the luscious flavors of Spring in the French Countryside. They are yours for lunch now at Au Midi in Aptos. Michel and Muriel Loubiére emailed to tell me that their charming bistro is now open from Wednesday to...
Vintage of Note
That would be 2007,(at least in the Corralitos region of the Santa Cruz Mountains AVA) and proof was offered of this last week at the Alfaro tasting room. Richard poured tastes of two (of his ten!) pinot noirs, for me and viticultural consultant Prudy Foxx, made from...
Pizza with that Cigare?
You bet! And that's just what we had last Friday at the biodynamic cafe attached to the Bonny Doon Vineyard tasting room. Fresh from the oven came the pizza du jour, a feisty creation of roasted cauliflower, wild nettles, mozzarella, ricotta and sea salt. Thin crust,...
Inside the Flame
A book of sensory adventure: The rituals, passions and discoveries of an engaged life.