I left Sante Arcangeli’s tasting room in Pescadero with a splendid Rosé of Pinot Noir. We had out-of-town guests staying for a few days, and sharing a well-made local wine with them was such a joy. Undoubtedly one of the best and most respected area vintners, winery owner John Benedetti always produces top-notch wines.
The 2018 Rosé of Pinot Noir ($25) is made with grapes harvested from the Santa Cruz Mountains, Lester Family Estate being one of the premium vineyards. It is crisp, pale and bone dry, with notes of wild strawberry and grapefruit. Benedetti says it is “refreshing and fruit-driven, with an underlying earthiness that is unmistakably Pinot Noir.”
He recently opened another tasting room in the Aptos Village complex, alongside Cat & Cloud Coffee, New Leaf Market, Sockshop & Shoe Company, and more to come. If you haven’t yet visited the village, then you have a treat in store. Sante Arcangeli’s tasting room adjoins Sockshop, and you can walk around their store with a glass of wine while you check out the dazzling array of socks and shoes.
Sante Arcangeli Family Wines, 154 Aptos Village Way, Aptos. Open Thursday to Sunday, noon-6pm.
Fireside Fridays at Big Basin Vineyards
From 5:30-9:30pm every Friday until the end of October, Big Basin Vineyards puts on Fireside Fridays, complete with fine wines and fire pits. Toast the start of the weekend with a tasting flight or wines by the glass and bottle. Small artisan snacks available, but guests are also welcome to bring outside food to enjoy with their wine. Winemaker Bradley Brown’s property is beautiful. His glorious fields of grapes are a wonderful sight. Tours of the estate are now available, too.
Big Basin Vineyards, 830 Memory Lane, Boulder Creek. 621-8028, bigbasinvineyards.com.
Fruition Brewing Dinner at Persephone Restaurant
Persephone Restaurant in Aptos will partner with Fruition Brewing for a four-course beer-pairing dinner on Sunday, Oct. 20. Cost is $60. persephonerestaurant.com.
