
Windy Oaks vineyard
Well, Beth and I realize how lucky we are to live where we do. We went wine-tasting the past two weekends without driving more than 45 minutes each way, and without spending a fortune.
Two weekends ago we had $35 tickets for the Corralitos Wine Trial. The tickets let us taste at four different wineries around the Corralitos area. We met up with four friends at Windy Oaks Winery where Beth bought a bottle of Chardonnay. (I know, what is the world coming to?) It was a very tasty Chardonnay, but it should be for the nearly $40 price tag.
Next we all went to Alfaro Family Vineyards, where Ed and Laurie met up with us. This was my favorite stop. It was pretty crowded and lively, and had a fun atmosphere with Richard Alfaro running around nonstop, being a great host. We broke out the picnic lunch we had brought, and everyone ate and drank wine.
The last stop was Pleasent Valley Vineyards, which was my least favorite. We were beat after a long afternoon of wine-tasting, and the only places to sit were off limit to non-club members. Well, Ed & Laurie are members, but the other six of us weren’t . So, we were summarily kicked off the back porch and we watched some other people get kicked out of the pool area for sitting on the little wall surrounding the pool. Now, Ed & Laurie explained how the place was really just the home of the vineyard owners, not really a tasting room, so I can understand their strictness. However, with no place to sit, it didn’t really make me feel like sticking around to try their wines, join the wine club or buy any wine.
This past weekend, we met Paul & Lori and Ed & Laurie at Creekview Vineyards in San Martin. This was the weekend that many local wineries were open once a month. Paul met the owner of Creekview at the cigar bar a little while back, so we decided to taste some of his wines. The wines were good, the only problem was the weather which was 104 degrees in San Martin. Not exactly conducive to wine-tasting, but we tasted nonetheless and the wines were good. The delicious chocolate pairing definitely helped. All of us ended up buying two or three bottles.
Paul and Lori ended up heading home, but Ed & Laurie followed us to Fernwood Cellars in the north foothills of Gilroy. The wines were good and Beth and I picked up a bottle of Sangiovese. Ed and Laurie bought a few bottles and joined the wine club! I have to admit, the photos of past club events looked very enticing. (A lobster boil and a salmon fishing trip to Canada will do that.)
We finished off the day by stopping at Martin Ranch so Ed & Laurie could pick up their wine club shipment. (Martin Ranch is four tenths of a mile back down the road from Fernwood) Dan and Therese were as knowledgeable and friendly as they were when we ate dinner with them last summer. Laurie and Ed broke out some pasta salad, sandwiches, barbecued chicken and watermelon and Dan sat down to grab a bite with us. In fifteen minutes, I increased my wine-making knowledge by about 100%. What a pleasure!
So, we survived the 100 degree temperatures and brought home a couple bottles of wine. Not bad for an afternoon’s work.