‘Tis the season for wine tasting. We will be pouring at two fun and wine-filled events this weekend. Wine will be for sale at both events too.

Los Gatos Wine Walk
Find us at Title Nine, located at 218 N. Santa Cruz Avenue in Los Gatos
Saturday, May 19
1:30 to 5:30 pm
Tickets are $40 each with online purchase.  Includes crystal event glass.

Santa Cruz Mountains Wine Express
Find us on the train and in the barn at Roaring Camp in Felton
Sunday, May 20
1 to 5 pm
Tickets are $55 in advance.  Includes glass, appetizers, and a train ride.

Which wine goes better with Texas Smoked Brisket?  What about St. Louis Cut Ribs or Pulled Pork?  Find out by visiting the new Woodchuck BBQ in Redwood City, where you can enjoy Villa del Monte Syrah or Merlot with an assortment of slow cooked meats, homemade sauces, and side dishes. (This is real BBQ — Mike, in charge of the kitchen at Woodchuck, studied at Ole Hickory Pits in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, with  Pit Master Mike Mills, “The Legend”, and the only three time Grand World Champion.)

We like pairing the Syrah with the Burnt Ends and the Merlot with the Combo Platter.  Let us know your favorite combo!

Woodchuck BBQ
2397 Broadway
Redwood City, CA 94063
650 369 9000

Pinot, which accounts for about one quarter of the vineyard plantings in the Santa Cruz Mountains, is celebrated each Spring at the annual Pinot Paradise, sponsored by the Santa Cruz Mountains Winegrowers Association.  More than 70 wineries in the appellation participated in this year’s event, which was held in March in Campbell.  

John Overstreet, one of our two winemakers, poured the Villa del Monte 2010 Pinot Noir Santa Cruz Mountains Regan Vineyard at this year’s event.  We are pleased to have been recognized by Richard Jennings of Huffington Post as one of the “newcomers that greatly impressed.”    Jennings’ article also describes the challenges, and rewards, of planting Pinot in the Santa Cruz Mountains climate and elevation.

Interested in tasting this wine?  Check our events calendar to find out where we will be pouring in May and June.

Mark your calendar for May 5 and 6.  From noon to 5 pm on both days, we will be open for Wine Club pick ups, wine tastings, barrel tastings, and more! 

Wine Club members will have a chance to taste futures and place orders at a 40% discount off list price.  We’ll be barrel tasting these wines:

• 2010 Cabernet Santa Cruz Mountains
• 2010 Merlot Carneros Moon Vineyard 
• 2010 Syrah Santa Clara Valley Pasha Vineyard 
• 2011 Chardonnay Santa Cruz Mountains Regan Vineyard 
• 2011 Pinot Santa Cruz Mountains Regan Vineyard
• 2011 Zinfandel Santa Clara Valley

And, if you have not yet joined our Wine Club, there is still time to do!  This Wine Club shipment will include four bottles of wine and a surprise gift from The True Olive Connection, one of our favorite Santa Cruz retailers.

We will also be featuring some great sale prices during our Cellar Clean Out Sale so that we can make room for our next bottling.

Free for Wine Club members plus one guest.  Additional guests and non-Wine Club members are $5 per person.

Mark your calendar for May 5 and 6.  From noon to 5 pm on both days, we will be open for wine club pick ups, wine tastings, barrel tastings, and more!  Stay tuned for more details…

Looking for a wine for Easter dinner, a Spring afternoon, or a gathering with friends?  If so, give our 2010 Villa del Monte Chardonnay a try!  Written up in Good Times Food & Wine as one of the top five white wines for the Spring quarter, this wine is available now at the winery, on our web site, at Redwood Estates store, and at Rootstock in Los Gatos.

If you are ordering wine on our web site, be sure to take advantage of our Spring special.  From now through April 30, place your order online and enter the discount code “Spring” to get 10% off all wine purchases.  If you order a case or half case, you will get the 10% discount on top of the existing case and half-case discounts.

If you want to save on shipping too, be sure to select “Hold for pickup at the winery.”

And, if you would like an even more significant discount, consider  joining our Wine Club to get a 30% discount on Wine Club shipments as well as discounts on additional purchases.

Recently, at both the Santa Cruz Area Business Fair and the Coastal Home and Garden Show, we had hundreds of people asking, “Where can I buy your wine?”  But, as a small family-owned winery with limited production, we can only place our wine in so many places. 

So, Santa Cruz area winelovers, we are answering your question with our own question. Where, in the Santa Cruz area, would you be most likely to buy our wine?  Go to our Facebook page now and let us know.  Be sure to Like us too!

Your vote will help us to place our wine along the coast, ideally in a place with a strong clientele, knowledgeable servers, reasonable prices, and a good selection of wines and serving sizes. 

We are proud to be members of the Santa Cruz Mountains Winegrowers Association and the Santa Cruz Area Chamber of Commerce, and we want to be sure we are serving this community in the best way possible.

Meanwhile, keep in mind that you can always buy wines on our web sites or at our winery.

If you like Pinot, you’ll like this coming weekend!

We will be participating in the Pinot Paradise Grand Cruz Tasting  on Sunday, April 1 at Villa Ragusa in downtown Campbell. We will be featuring our 2010 Pinot Noir Reserve Santa Cruz Mountains Regan Vineyard – the same wine that was just featured in Santa Cruz Good Times.  A limited number of bottles will be on sale at the event.

Sponsored by the Santa Cruz Mountains Winegrowers Association, the Pinot Paradise Grand Cruz Tasting is a great chance to try different styles of Pinots from 30+ local wineries.  A silent auction and raffle will feature double magnums from each winery and a 5-liter blend of all the best Pinots being poured at the event.

Can’t make it to Pinot Paradise?  From now through April 30, place your order online and enter the discount code “Spring” to get 10% off all wine purchases.  If you order a case or half case, you will get the 10% discount on top of the existing case and half-case discounts.  If you want to save on shipping too, be sure to select “Hold for pickup at the winery.”

Spring is officially here.  We’re celebrating the Spring Equinox with a special discount for you, our favorite wine drinkers! 

From now through April 30, place your order online and enter the discount code “Spring” to get 10% off all wine purchases.  If you order a case or half case, you will get the 10% discount on top of the existing case and half-case discounts.

If you want to save on shipping too, be sure to select “Hold for pickup at the winery.”

And, if you would like an even more significant discount, consider joining our Wine Club to get a 30% discount on Wine Club shipments as well as discounts on additional purchases throughout the year.  The next shipment will be in late April.

We will be pouring wine on Saturday, March 24 at the 2012 Central Coast Home, Garden, Culinary & Wine Expo at the Cocoanut Grove in Santa Cruz, Ca.  The Central Coast Home, Garden, Culinary & Wine Expo will feature exhibits and demonstrations focused on sustainable living, home improvement, interior design, gardening, landscaping, and culinary arts.  And, there will be wine tasting from noon to 4 pm! 

It sounds like a fun day, and we hope to see you there!