Eggs Benedict and Red Wine
Do ham and eggs and red wine go together? Well, why not! On a recent Sunday, my husband and I decide to go out for brunch. It’s already 2 p.m. when we leave home, so we head to the Red Apple Café in Aptos—knowing they serve breakfast and brunch until 4 p.m. and I have a yearning for eggs Benedict. I take along a bottle of Poetic Cellars’ Mantra 2007—a wonderful blend of 45 percent Syrah, 45 percent Mourvedre and 10 percent Sangiovese—because in my book, it’s all right to drink wine any time after 11 a.m.—be it with breakfast, brunch or lunch.
Red Apple Café remains an ever-popular place because they always dish up abundant food and service is always friendly. Known for its excellent breakfasts, the café deserves its reputation—serving fresh local produce and good coffee from Santa Cruz Coffee Roasting.
Our server opens up the Mantra ($34) and we let it breathe awhile before taking a sip. Poetic Cellars winemaker Katy Lovell grows most of her grapes in Livermore, where the wild red fruit of the Mourvedre and the Tuscan grape of the Sangiovese ripen beautifully in the strong heat of the sun. Add to the mix some wonderful Syrah, and this very delicious Mantra is the result. And does it go with eggs, ham and my husband’s huevos rancheros—yes, indeed.
Poetic Cellars is the selected winery at Chaminade for the next Farm to Table dinner on Friday, July 23—a wonderful alfresco dining experience. Picture yourself with a full-bodied glass of Mantra, looking out over the Monterey Bay as the sun is setting. Doesn’t that sound like heaven!
Wine Events:
Passport Day: July 17. Passport Day comes around every three months, so don’t miss this opportunity to go wine tasting. This is the day when you can visit wineries belonging to the Santa Cruz Mountains Winegrowers Association (SCMWA), providing you have a Passport, which will cost you $40 and can be purchased at any winery. When you visit each winery, you get your Passport (which doesn’t expire) stamped,and with more than 70 wineries belonging to SCMWA, it will take you a long time to fill it up. Passport Day takes place four times a year on the third Saturday of January, April, July and November. Info: 685-8464, or scmwa.com or
in**@sc***.com
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Hunter Hill Vineyard & Winery in Soquel are doing their popular Dinners in the Vineyard series, with food catered by Michael’s on Main. Upcoming dates are: July 25, Aug. 22 and Sept. 19. Check the winery’s website for menus and more information: hunterhillwines.com.
