It’s not too early to start thinking about Valentine’s Day, and most importantly, which special wine you’re going to share with your sweetie.
If you’re lusting after some downright sexy wines for the most passionate day of the year, then head to Poetic Cellars—not just because their wines are delightful, but because every bottle comes with a romantic poem on the back label, and all of them are written by Joseph Naegele, who runs the winery. Situated on 33 beautiful redwood-studded acres in the Santa Cruz Mountains, with views of the Pacific Ocean, Poetic Cellars is a romantic place to visit, where Naegele promises that “every bottle offers a sensuous pleasure for the mind, body and soul.” Poetic Cellars’ Mirage 2010 (Livermore Valley, $22) is a soft-pink Rosé made from Mourvedre and Syrah grapes. It comes with gentle floral notes and flavors of cherries, red plums and herbs, and its full body makes it bolder than many Rosés. The Mirage’s seductive label depicts two lovers embracing, and this wine’s poem is called “Touch of Grace.” The last verse reads: “I love you so much/I cannot speak/Or tell you how I feel/Tame me in your erotic arms/My passion I cannot conceal.”
Poetic Cellars, 5000 N. Rodeo Gulch Road, Soquel, 462-3478. poeticcellars.com.
Wine Wednesdays
Seascape Beach Resort’s fun Wine Wednesdays run through May. From 5:30-7 p.m. each Wednesday, you get ample wine tastings from a featured winery, plus a small plate of tapas-style food for $20—with live background music. Feb. 1 will feature Soquel Vineyards; Feb. 8 features Beauregard; Feb. 15, J. Lohr; and Feb. 22, Ferrari-Carano. Also, Mario Garcia, executive chef at the resort restaurant Sanderlings, has partnered with Del Monte Meats in Marina and is now offering a new prime dry-aged beef program. Sanderlings is one of the only restaurants in Santa Cruz County offering this program. Seascape Beach Resort, 1 Seascape Resort Drive, Aptos, 688-6800. seascaperesort.com
Persephone Restaurant
I was glad to see that the lovely new Mediterranean restaurant in Aptos, Persephone, (formerly Aptos Pizza) carries an abundance of local wines, as well as several local beers and a locally made cider. Wines from Italy, France, Germany, Austria, and Portugal are also featured on the menu, as well as an assortment of dessert wines. Persephone is open 4:30-9 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday, 7945 Soquel Drive, Aptos, 612-6511. persephonerestaurant.com.
