Pinot Paradise

This 5th annual celebration of Pinot Noir in the Santa Cruz Mountains will be held Saturday and Sunday, March 28 and 29, 2009. On Saturday, the Pinot Pathways event consists of self-guided tours of Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot Noir producing wineries, many of which are open only for this event. Held from 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM, the cost is $25 and Pathway tickets may be obtained at any one of the participating wineries on the day of the event. Participating wineries include: Alfaro Family Vineyards, Bargetto Winery, Beauregard Vineyards, Big Basin Vineyards, Burrell School Vineyards, Byington Vineyards & Winery, Domenico Wines, Hallcrest Vineyards & Winery, Hunter Hill Vineyards & Winery, Loma Prieta Winery, Nicholson Vineyards, Pleasant Valley Vineyards, Roudon-Smith Winery, Santa Cruz Mountains Vineyard, Sarah’s Vineyard, Silver Mountain Vineyard, Sonnet Wines, Soquel Vineyards, Storrs Winery & Vineyards, Thomas Fogerty Winery, Windy Oaks Vineyards & Winery and Wines of Vine Hill. On Sunday, the Grand Cruz event in the Villa Ragusa ballroom in downtown Campbell will feature over 30 wineries pouring Pinot Noir accompanied by artisan gourmet foods from a dozen Santa Cruz area restaurants. The live auction features double magnums from each winery and a 5-liter blend of all the best Pinot Noirs being poured at the event. Tickets are $55 per person in advance or $75 per person for a VIP Grand Cruz Tasting which includes a preliminary sub-regional tour with the winemakers before the tasting. Additionally, Sunday morning technical sessions will include a seminar exploring the newly designated six sub-regions of the Santa Cruz Mountains. I will be attending this intimate event and hope to see members of the Crew there. For information, visit www.scma.com. Listen to Mary Lindsay, President of the Viticulture Association of the Santa Cruz Mountains, discuss this upcoming event: “Mary Lindsay Interview”