Syrah 2006—A Well-versed
Wine and Poetry Lover’s Dream
Poetic Cellars makes the most romantic wines. With a verse or two of beautiful poetry on every label, mostly poems of love and romance, this is the perfect wine to open up over dinner with your sweetheart. I particularly love winemaker Katy Lovell’s Syrah ($28) with its voluptuous velvety textures and dark fruit flavors.
Estate grown from Poetic’s Stanza Vineyard in Livermore Valley, it boasts wonderful plum, cherry and bright fruit flavors. A sip or two of this dark purple liquid will reveal plum tart, spicy sausage, ham and baked Brie—all rolled into this delicious nectar.
After a day spent moseying around Pacific Grove, my husband and I headed to Point Pinos Grill—a wonderful restaurant with ocean views and superb food that is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. We took along a bottle of Poetic Cellars’ Syrah to open up, and it paired really well with our shared Brussels sprout salad—complete with warm goat cheese, frosted cranberries and toasted hazelnuts. Our main courses of succulent rabbit (one of the day’s specials) and a well-prepared pork chop were just perfect with the wine—Syrah always being a good companion to meat-driven dishes.
Poetic Cellars, 5000 N. Rodeo Gulch Road, Soquel, 462-3478. Poeticcellars.com. Point Pinos Grill, 79 Asilomar Blvd., Pacific Grove, 831-648-5774. Pointpinosgrill.com.
Wine Events
Vintners’ Festival—“Roots That Rock”
Mark your calendars for the 24th annual Santa Cruz Mountains Winegrowers Association Vintners’ Festival, entitled “Roots That Rock.” This wonderful event of tasting wines of the Santa Cruz Mountains takes place over two weekends—June 2 & 3 (eastside of the mountains) and June 8 & 9 (westside of the mountains), and this year features the addition of a Street Faire in Downtown Santa Cruz on June 9. Tickets are $40 online and $50 at wineries and include four days of wine tasting at participating wineries, 10 tasting tickets and one wine glass. The Street Faire will take place on Pacific Avenue between Locust Street and Walnut Avenue from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday, June 9. A wine glass is $8 and tasting tickets are $1 each. Come sip, sample and enjoy wine, food, art, and live entertainment. Visit scmwa.com/events or call 685-8463 for information and tickets.
Chardonnay II—The Winemaker Sailings
If you have never experienced a Winemaker sail on the Chardonnay II, then take my advice and head out to sea on this beautiful sailing vessel. The Chardonnay continues with its Winemaker events every Friday in the summer months from 6:30-8:30 p.m. and tickets are $53.50 for adults and $29.50 for children.
Visit chardonnay.com for more information.
