.Sarah’s Vineyard Tasting Room Exclusives

Summer is winding down, and it’s time to appreciate the last of the summer wines, so to speak.

This pretty, pale pink Vin Gris Estate 2016 ($22) is all you could ever need for a picnic on a warm day, with its subtle aromas and flavors of tea-rose, sage, watermelon, strawberry and cranberry. Produced by Sarah’s Vineyard proprietor and winemaker Tim Slater, who calls himself a “mad scientist,” it’s made by using traditional techniques to craft handmade wines.

“Vin Gris is the traditional name for a Rosé of Pinot Noir,” says Slater. “This estate-grown-and-bottled wine is bone-dry with crisp acidity for hot-summer sipping.” Particularly elegant and well structured, this lovely dry wine immediately reveals its nuances of flavor and fruit-forward mouthfeel.

It says on Sarah’s website that this Vin Gris (pronounced “vahn gree”) is a “tasting room exclusive,” along with other varietals such as Charbono (which I love), Barbera and Gewurztraminer.

So, your best bet is to head to Sarah’s for a tasting. Slater makes top-notch wines and his Chardonnay is one of my all-time favorites.

Sarah’s Vineyard, 4005 Hecker Pass Highway, Gilroy. 408-842-4278, sarahsvineyard.com. Open daily.

Pizzeria La Bufala

A recent event at the Museum of Art and History showcased the newly opened Abbott Square, where I shared a La Bufala pizza with a couple of friends at Pizzeria La Bufala. And what a fantastic pizza!—one of the best I’ve had in some time. I put it all down to the dough, which is made from a blend of Italian and American flours and achieves just the right texture. Toppings are fresh and delicious, with many of them coming from local farms such as Route 1 and Happy Boy. Owner Sandro Costanza, who comes from the Calabria region of Italy, has perfected the craft of pizza making—and it shows. Pizzeria La Bufala, Abbott Square Market, 725 Front St., Santa Cruz. 999-0301, pizzerialabufala.com.

Website Correction for British Toffee Jacks

I wrote about British Toffee Jacks—crunchy oats and butter treats made by Rany Prambs—for the Good Times issue of Aug. 16, and gave the wrong website. The correct website is culinarybible.com.