Looking for a frightfully good, blood-red wine to pour on Halloween?
A 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon from Silver Mountain Vineyards should do the trick. There’s nothing like a good Cab—and the ones made by owner/winemaker Jerold O’Brien are superb.
That certainly goes for his 2013 vintage. Full of dark fruit and bursting with flavor, you can’t go wrong with this powerful red wine with a ton of backbone. Grapes are harvested from Bates Ranch in the Santa Cruz Mountains—known for growing premium Cabernet grapes.
O’Brien says his 2013 Cab ($44) is a classic, cool-climate Santa Cruz Mountains wine, with sandalwood, lavender and vanilla on the nose. “The tannins are soft and well-integrated with flavors of wild blueberry, cedar, vanilla, forest floor,” he says. To sum it up, this mature Cab is a beautiful smoky, nutty, earthy wine with grippy tannic structure. Pair it with your Halloween dinner of pumpkin soup and meatballs in red sauce—or any other hearty fare.
O’Brien often runs specials and discounts. Right now, you can get a whole case of this terrific Cab at a 15% discount. It’s all treat—no trick!
Silver Mountain Vineyards has two locations—a tasting room on the Westside, and a winery in the Santa Cruz Mountains surrounded by O’Brien’s vineyards. Both are wonderful to visit.
Open noon to 5pm Saturday and Sunday at both locations. Silver Mountain tasting room: 328D Ingalls St., Santa Cruz. Silver Mountain Vineyards: 269 Silver Mountain Drive, Los Gatos. 408-353-2278, silvermtn.com.
Dinner with Armitage Wines and Chef Josh Hanoka
Brandon Armitage of Armitage Wines is teaming up with Chef Josh Hanoka of Braise in Willow Glen for a special five-course dinner. This delicious affair, called Ronin, is a pop-up event to be held in Chef Molly Bravo’s Wylder Space in Felton. There are two seatings of 25 people on Friday, Oct.30.
Full Moon on Halloween
There’s a full moon on Saturday, Oct. 31 (Halloween). It’s also a blue moon. The clocks go back on Sunday, Nov. 1, for daylight saving time.
