Cabernet Franc 2008
A couple of weeks ago I was in the Surf City Vintners complex tasting wine at Vino Tabi. It was a fundraiser for the O’Neill Sea Odyssey program and winery owner Katie Fox was donating a percentage of sales that evening to this worthy cause. The turnout was great and everybody had a good time, especially listening to the beautiful guitar playing of Jay Alvarez.
Fox had her usual excellent wines lined up for customers to enjoy, but then she pulled out her latest Cabernet Franc and asked me to try it. So newly bottled it didn’t even have a label on it, I was completely bowled over with this dark beauty. Chock full of rich flavors and deliciously seductive, this 2008 Cab Franc, Mannstead Vineyard, Gilroy ($22), is a really impressive. It’s quite the best Cab Franc I have tasted in some time—full of ripe plums and rich cherries, and with a gorgeous aroma of peppery spice.
Although often used as a blending grape, it’s delightful to find a Cab Franc just on its own, with all its richness and fruity mouthfeel. In a nutshell, it’s simply fabulous.
Vino Tabi, 334 Ingalls St., Unit C, Santa Cruz, 426-1809. vino-tabi-wine.com.
Wine Events
On Saturday, June 25 from 5-8 p.m. Vino Tabi will be hosting a “Tabi Tasting” food and wine night. Join them for an evening of food featuring Whale City Bakery, Sushi by Akira and Snappy Hot Dogs – as well as award-winning wines and music. Close-by neighbor in the Surf City Vintners complex, Equinox, will be pouring their champagne.
El Jardin Restaurant will be hosting Skov Winery for its weekly Wine Down Wednesday on June 29 from 5-8 p.m. This is an opportunity to taste the wine of this very new winery – located in Scotts Valley. Discounted flights are offered as well as 50 percent off all wine bottles.
El Jardin Restaurant, 655 Capitola Road, Santa Cruz, 477-9384. Skov Winery, 2364 Bean Creek Road, Scotts Valley, 438-4374. SkovWinery.com.
Cava Wine Bar
Cava Wine Bar in Capitola Village has a fun Meet Your Maker event every Tuesday. They also have a Quiz Night on Tuesdays starting at 9 p.m., where a bottle of wine is to be won for answering the most questions correctly. Head to the Capitola Mercantile first – on San Jose Avenue where Cava is located. Shop owners suffered enormous damage in the floods a couple of months ago. Everything is now open and it’s good to support local businesses.
Cava Wine Bar, 115 San Jose Ave., Capitola, 476-2282. cavacapitola.com.
