Santa Cruz Good Times

Friday
Jul 30th
Text size
  • Increase font size
  • Default font size
  • Decrease font size
Good Times Home Calendar Posting Guide

Vine Hill Winery

Wednesday, 19 August 2009 13:13 Josie Cowden Dining - Wine Reviews
 E-mail
wine_vinehillVine Hill 2008 Chardonnay
Sharing food and wine with friends is one of life’s greatest pleasures. For all time, it has been the ultimate demonstration of giving – to empty one’s larder and to drain out one’s wine barrel in the name of hospitality. 

Every year when my husband and I go to Shakespeare Santa Cruz with a group of friends, we get together and share our spoils during a picnic before the performance. We also share what we have left during intermission. And because of the very nature of Shakespeare Santa Cruz – a wonderful laid-back way of seeing great plays and marvelous acting in the Sinsheimer-Stanley Glen – one can also partake of a little libation as the play unfolds.

And so, dear readers, I am the designated supplier of wine and dessert for my friends for this year’s performance of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” The wine I take to share, 2008 Clements Ridge Vineyard Chardonnay ($20), is made by Vine Hill Winery, which also supplies Shakespeare Santa Cruz theatergoers with wine for purchase. Vine Hill also makes wine under the labels of Gatos Locos and Cumbre Wines, both of which are available at Shakespeare Santa Cruz.

My friends bring out their delicious food—coconut prawns, cheeses, couscous salad, sausage rolls, fresh bread, fruit and more—as I crack open the Chardonnay. As honey-kissed as a Shakespeare love sonnet, this wine is as splendid is a midsummer night’s dream.

Vine Hill’s grapes are grown in a vineyard in the heart of California and caressed by gentle breezes coming from the Mokalumne River, creating a unique Mediterranean climate – with warm days and cool evenings. All this results in a slow ripening of the fruit – creating a more full-bodied and complex Chardonnay.

About a month ago, I visited Vine Hill Winery – on a high ridge in the Santa Cruz Mountains. The view of the Monterey Bay is absolutely breathtaking . . .
wine_vinehillscene

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

not to mention the superb wines awaiting us in the lovely tasting room. The property is on one of the oldest grape-growing regions in California – established in 1867 by John and George Jarvis, after whom Jarvis Road is named and where Vine Hill now sits.

“A Midsummer Night’s Dream” is excellent, and well worth going to see. Don’t forget your wine.


Call Vine Hill Winery (2300 Jarvis Road, Santa Cruz Mountains) at 427-0436 or visit winesofvinehill.com . Visit the winery at numerous Santa Cruz Mountains Winegrowers Association events.

Wine Competition Winners:
At the Santa Cruz Mountains Commercial Wine Competition held this month, at which event I was a judge, Vine Hill Winery won a silver medal for this 2008 Chardonnay. They also won a silver medal for their 2007 Zinfandel Gatos Locos, and two bronze medals for their 2007 Pinot Noir Santa Cruz Mountains and their 2008 Chardonnay Santa Cruz Mountains. The best of show winner was Hallcrest Vineyards with a 2005 Pinot Noir Santa Cruz Mountains.

At the recent San Francisco Wine Competition, Storrs Winery won Best of Show for their new 2007 Central Coast Grenache.

Comments (0)Add Comment
feedSubscribe to this comment's feed

Write comment

busy
< Prev   Next >
 

More Good Times

 

Santa Cruz Area Events

BLUE Ocean Film Festival      

 

Music Calendar

GT Weekly Club Grid PDF >

 

Memory Matters

Twenty years after the fact, a geologist and a historian say we must not forget “Loma Prieta was a humbling experience for most of us. a reminder of our diminutive stature in the grand scheme of things. I think that remembering events like that is a perfect antidote for our collective hubris; it keeps us honest.” —Sandy Lydon, ‘History Dude’  

 

Ocean Advocacy Goes Federal

You don’t need to tell a Santa Cruzan how important the ocean is. From our economy to our natural beauty to our hard-fought-formoniker as “Surf City,” Santa Cruz is defined by its relationship to the ocean as much as Colorado is to its Rockies. So when President Barack Obama signed an Executive Order on July 19 creating a national ocean policy for the first time in history, it was like hearing about a big break for an old friend who’s been going through a tough time lately.

 

Rearranging Rape

“As of next school year, Rape Prevention Education as you know it will no longer exist.” This is what UC Santa Cruz administrators told Rape Prevention educator Gillian Greensite last month, explaining a decision to “reorganize” the program. Greensite was told that, starting in the 2010/2011 school year, Rape Prevention Education would no longer be a separate effort, but would be absorbed into the Student Health Outreach and Promotion program (SHOP), and that she would no longer be a rape educator, but a sexual health educator through SHOP. She promptly retired.

 

Overall, how would you rank the local club scene? What could be improved?

I'd say it's average. I like a lot of dub step and electronic music. Most of the hip-hop and K-DON and stuff—I really get over those kind of songs. More DJ's and what not would be nice. Nesta LoniSanta Cruz | Prep Chef

 

Perfect Palm

The Glaum family is adored for their locally fresh cage-free eggs. For the past year, these eggs have been served in breakfast burritos and sandwiches at the Glaums’ new deli where Piggie Market has nurtured Redwood Village neighbors for 25 years. The central, thatched-roof, hexagonal open kitchen mimics the unusual shape of the extensively renovated building. Textured stone flooring winds around the kitchen, leading to an extensive wine selection. From the wall of refrigerators you can still pick up your milk and eggs, as well as beer, numerous brands of beverages, and locally made Massimo gelato.

 

From the Editor

Club much? Sometimes, it’s a good thing, and if you’ve moseyed to any of the local nightclubs in Santa Cruz County over the years, you more than likely have been greeted by a powerful presence—a bouncer. This week, writer J.D. Ramey takes readers behind the scenes and uncovers, well, let’s say the more embraceable side of some of our area’s favorite greeters and, at times, protectors. These guys are an enigmatic bunch.

 

Nordic Forge

“Man is wolf to man.” Not only is this a quote from the Roman playwright Plautus, one of the earliest known Latin authors, but it is also the title of the earliest known demo recording from local metal slayers Nordic Forge. “[The title track] is a song Jimi wrote almost all at once,” explains the vocalist, Rueben. “Then, I wrote the lyrics after listening to the hymn ‘O Rubor Sanguinis’ by Saint Hildegard Von Bingen.” Determined not to be just another scrawled name in the metal world, the guys in Nordic Forge draw their creativity from classics such as Shakespeare (“Throne of Blood”) and saintly hymns, to an array of bands from the early days of thrash metal and the extremes in Scandinavia. Mario, the act’s guitarist, cites atmospheric and melodic groups like Dissection, At the Gates, and Darkthrone as influences. “Always Darkthrone,” he emphasizes. Only known by their first names, the band of intellectual malcontents consists of Reuben on flesh-curling vocals, brothers Mario and Jimi decimating the guitar scales, Ben on thunderous bass, and Andrew manning the rapid-firing drums.

 

Place Your Vote

Author, musician, sometime-politician and all-around American raconteur, Kinky Friedman doesn’t mince words when it comes to pontificating on just about any subject near and dear to his heart. His takes on life are often delivered in a humorous, satirical manner, but the 65-year-old tackles a lot of serious issues and themes, much like the manner in which Mark Twain presented his opinions and views to readers. Still, Friedman is clearly on a level all his own today.

 

Storrs Winery Chardonnay 2008

One of the most popular wines round these parts is Storrs Chardonnay. It’s probably one of the most-requested wines at any given restaurant. And the reason is simple – it’s an excellent wine. It turns out that many judges at this year’s California State Fair think so, too. They named the Storrs 2008 Santa Cruz Mountains Chardonnay as the Best Wine of the Region. As the top wine of the greater Bay Area, this wine also garnered a Best Chardonnay of Region distinction, and a gold medal. When you think of all the wines submitted in this competition, this is truly an impressive achievement.

 

Meet the Bouncers

Wherever there’s a crowd of people drinking, there’s bound to be a jackass or two. Much as we might wish we could just hit the “Eject” button and send the rabble-rousers flying, it takes a living, breathing human to get rid of that unwanted guest who’s had one too many. Which, of course, is where bouncers come in. The doorman is a figure who appears throughout history and throughout nature: The Old Testament makes mention of “gatekeepers” whose duty was to keep things copasetic at the Levitical Temple, and even certain species of ants have their own peacekeepers whose duty is to chuck out unwelcome parties. Clearly, this is an essential service, but few people have the stones for it, let alone the physical power.

 

Bad Faith

Searing tragedy of intolerance reduced to melodrama in 'Agora' | There's a fascinating, heartbreaking, infuriating true story at the center of Agora, a sumptuous drama of ancient Alexandria from Spanish filmmaker Alejandro Amenábar. But even as the female scholar protagonist lectures her students that every system in the universe must revolve around a center or it will collapse, Amenábar clutters up his narrative with so much bombast and portent, it's own center finally cannot hold.
Sign up for our weekly events newsletter
you can unsubscribe any time.
  • Login
    Log in to post comments, add Community Calendar events & get access to web-exclusive content
  • Create an account
    Registration
    *
    *
    *
    *
    *
    REGISTER_REQUIRED

    • Advanced Search

    Most Read . . .

    GT This Week

    Santa Cruz

    SC Quick Links


    Bookmark and Share