When we arrive at Harley Farms, a beautiful goat farm and dairy farm in Pescadero, owner Dee Harley is busy in her store. We both grew up in Yorkshire and it’s lovely to share a few memories of our British homeland. Harley Farms makes fresh and delicious goat cheese and many other products with goat milk.
Sante Arcangeli Family Wines holds a glorious wine-tasting experience in a rustic 140-year-old barn on the Harley Farms property in Pescadero—a unique place to try the magnificent elixirs made by winery owner John Benedetti.
A tasting paired with Harley Farms goat cheese is the best way to go. My family and I sampled a platter filled with different goat cheeses, crackers, all kinds of nuts, dried fruit and more. It’s a plentiful spread to pair with a flight of four to six Sante Arcangeli wines.
My husband, daughter and son-in-law loved all the wines we tasted, but we fell hard for the 2023 Santa Cruz Mountains Rosé of Pinot Noir ($35). “Crisp, pale and bone dry, with wild strawberry and grapefruit notes,” says Benedetti, “it’s refreshing and fruit-driven, with an underlying earthiness that is unmistakenly pinot noir.”
This simply delectable rosé would be a delightful pairing with many a festive dish over the holidays, especially rich and highly seasoned food.
Wine tasting at Harley Farms is fun and fabulous, especially when getting to pet a few goats.
79 North St., Pescadero. 831-265-2713. Hours are noon–5pm Friday–Sunday. Reservations are encouraged. Sante Arcangeli also has a welcoming tasting room in Aptos Village next to the Sockshop and Shoe Company at 154 Aptos Village Way, Unit C-1. Visit santewinery.com for more info.
