It’s well worth the drive to Loma Prieta’s mountain-top tasting room—if only to taste their award-winning Pinotage. There are very few wineries worldwide making Pinotage, a grape most people haven’t heard of, says Amy Kemp, proprietor of Loma Prieta Winery.
Her late husband Paul Kemp became obsessed with making it when he discovered it in a Lodi vineyard when he was sourcing Viognier. Pinotage lovers now flock to Loma Prieta’s tasting room in the Los Gatos hills because they know they will find gold … well, at least gold-medal-winning Pinotage!
The 2015 Pinotage ($45) is from Karma Vineyard in Lodi. Rich, ripe and robust, it possesses great texture. “It’s packed full of flavors of red plum, soy, smoked duck, prosciutto, brown-sugared ham, and even sarsaparilla,” say the winemakers. This luscious 2015 Pinotage won three silver medals from California to Florida.
“Most people have never heard of Pinotage,” says Kemp. So don’t fall into that category and head to the tasting room to try some.
Loma Prieta Winery, 26985 Loma Prieta Way, Los Gatos. 408-353-2950, lomaprietawinery.com.
Tasting of Sante Arcangeli Wines at Seascape Sports Club
One of the best winemakers in the area is John Benedetti, owner of Sante Arcangeli Family Wines. Don’t miss a tasting of his wines—complete with heavy hors d’oeuvres—from 6-7:30 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 20, at Seascape. Cost is $20, and event is open to non-members. Should you miss it, Benedetti has opened a tasting room in the new Aptos Village complex. Your cup runneth over!
Seascape Sports Club, 1505 Seascape Blvd., Aptos. 688-1993, seascapesportsclub.com and santewinery.com.
