The annual wine harvest is party time

September 30, 10:26 PMSanta Cruz Wine ExaminerJune Smith & Jerry Starr

Wine harvest festivals are where it's at!

Fall is here, and with that the annual crush is in full swing, and Fall festivals are everywhere! A cornucopia of winery and wine related events are cascading onto our calendars. This is always a fabulous time of year for lovers of food and wine! Over the last few weeks many of these events were posted in this column, including: Gourmet Grazing on the Green; a grand tasting opportunity at the Santa Cruz County Fair; Sarah’s Vineyard Harvest Party; the Corralitos Wine Trail Harvest event; and many other fun and fabulous events.

Gourmet Grazing on the Green is an annual delight

Gourmet Grazing on the Green was once again an unbridled success. There were wineries aplenty sampling some of their finest wines. Most of the top restaurants in Santa Cruz County were on hand, with Executive Chefs showing off their amuse bouche du jour. These were tasty treats that paired excellently with the wines being poured, and delighted the attendees who celebrated our local heroic efforts in the fight against cancer.

A few top picks for food and wine pairings included:

·      2008 Quinta Curz Verdelho (from Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard) popped on the palette with the Café Rio Calamari Ceviche

·      2008 Storrs Sauvignon Blanc was refreshing with the Whole Enchilada’s tasty Halibut, Calamari, and Habanero Fish Eggs in a small cup taste treat

·      2007 Mun’s Vineyard Pinot Noir was perfect with the Hawgs Seafood Restaurant’s Salmon Crab Cake

Sarah's Vineyard tops the list of sold out events

Later that same day, Sarah’s Vineyard Harvest Party was an undisputed (by all accounts) over-the-top sold out annual event, featuring amazing food, wine, fabulous live music, and bocce ball in the background. Attendees of this exclusive event were treated with a walk through the vineyard and over the hill to the all new Tasting Room, patio deck with an awesome wood fired pizza oven (producing perfect personal size pizzas in minutes), and grassy picnic grounds.

Food Stations also included a wide variety of Italian-style delicacies, and a Mediterranean-style grill with Provencal beef kabobs and tapenade-stuffed pork loin. All paired with a selection of wines from the always lively tasting room.

For those who were enlivened by all of this, there were Swing Dancer instructors on site to assist with the basic steps.

Plan ahead, and watch for annual events

These are both annual events, and are a must-do for any food and wine person on the Central Coast! Remember, have fun, swirl, sniff, slurp, and spit! Or, have a designated driver! Enjoy, and be safe!

More slideshow photos to follow!

Written and submitted by Jerry Starr