Contact: Christina Glynn, Communications Director/Film Commissioner
Phone: 831.425.1234 ext.112, email: cglynn@santacruz.org
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, CA – The wine scene in Santa Cruz County is as diverse as the region’s sights and as inspired as its culture. And so, it’s no surprise that local wineries – along with the Santa Cruz County Conference & Visitors Council – are raising a glass to California Wine Month. Three new wine packages are celebrating crush in a variety of ways:
Farm to Table Wine Dinner Package at Chaminade Resort & Spa
Chaminade Resort & Spa in Santa Cruz is offering a Weekend Farm to Table package in honor of California Wine Month. The package, starting at $379++ for two, is available Friday, September 9 and Friday, September 30, 2011 and includes Luxury accommodations, Farm to Table Wine Dinner featuring local Santa Cruz Mountains wine and breakfast for two. Subject to availability. To book the package or learn more, call 800.283.6569 or visit www.chaminadepackages.com
Sip & Stay with the Inn at Pasatiempo and Surf City Vintners
Enjoy a one-night stay at the Inn at Pasatiempo, an elegant, boutique-style hotel situated near the Santa Cruz Mountains, a pass valid at 12 tasting rooms at Surf City Vintners and 10% off purchases at select wineries. Package starts at $89++ in September and October; starting at $75++ in November and December. Valid September 5, 2011 through December 30, 2011. Blackout dates: September 10, 16, 17, 23, 24, 2011. Advanced reservations are required. Subject to availability. Call 800.230.2892 for more information or to book this package.
Chaminade Resort & Spa Wine Package with Summit to the Sea Wineries
The Summit to Sea Wine Trail focuses on a unique collection of small wineries. Spend a relaxing day with wineries of your choosing, on this self-guided tour. This weekend wine package starts at $300++ and includes luxury overnight accommodations, complimentary tasting passes to five Summit to Sea wineries, including: Poetic Cellars, Loma Prieta, Burrell School, MJA Vineyards and Dancing Creek. Package also includes a winery map and brochures of featured wine trail wineries, a picnic lunch for two, with cheese platter and crackers, fresh fruit, turkey or veggie wrap, fruit tart and bottled water. Corkage fee is waived on wines purchased from the Summit to Sea wineries when dining in Chaminade’s on-site restaurants! Package available Friday and Saturday only. Winery hours subject to change, some blackout dates apply. Valid until December 31, 2011. To book the package or learn more, call 800.283.6569 or visit www.chaminadepackages.com
Hit the Corralitos Wine Trail with the Seascape Beach Resort
The Seascape Beach Resort is offering guests a wine tasting experience on Saturdays during the month of September. Guests already staying at the resort can purchase tickets at a 25% discount for wine tasting at all four wineries on the nearby Corralitos Wine Trail will receive a complimentary tasting glass. Additionally, guests who bring a bottle of wine from one of the Corralitos Wine Trail wineries to Sanderlings restaurant will receive free corkage and a complimentary dinner appetizer for two. Wine tasting tickets available for purchase through Resort Concierge Services. Valid on Saturdays during the month of September 2011 only. For more information, call 800.929.7727.
Private Vineyard Tours at Windy Oaks Estate Vineyards & Winery
Private walking tours of Windy Oaks Estate Vineyards & Winery’s 15-acre vineyard, winery and barrel room, where guests will taste the wines, learn about Windy Oaks’ barrel program, winemaking techniques, unique canopy management, organic/sustainable vineyard practices and more. By advance reservation only, $25/person for tour, tasting, and light snacks; $35/person for tour, tasting, and gourmet box lunch on the vineyard ridge overlooking the Monterey Bay. Tours offered daily, except Sundays. To book this tour, call the winery direct at 831.724.9562.
“Fall for Our Mountains” on the Summit to the Sea Wine Trail
The Fall for Our Mountains” promotion includes two-for-one tasting at each of the five wineries on the Summit to the Sea Wine Trail, custom fall-themed coasters and special fall discounts on wine. Start your self-guided wine tasting tour at any of the wineries and receive a card to have stamped at subsequent tasting rooms to receive a special tasting, discount or gift! Summit to the Sea Wine Trail Wineries include: Burrell School Winery, Dancing Creek Winery, Poetic Cellars, Loma Prieta Winery and MJA Vineyards. Valid until Friday, November 18, 2011. Visit www.summittoseawinetrail.com for more information.
For more wine-related fun, the 29th Annual Capitola Art & Wine Festival takes place September 10 – 11, 2011. Held in Capitola Village from 10am – 6pm, this yearly event showcases fine art, wine tasting, gourmet food, and eclectic music. Event details can be found at http://www.capitolachamber.com/artwine.html
At the Museum of Art & History at the McPherson Center in Santa Cruz, Creativity Under the Influence happens on Thursday, September 29, 2011! Beginning at 6:30 pm, learn proper pairings of pizza and wine or create under the influence and design your own. More information can be found at http://www.santacruzmah.org/future/2011/creativity-under-the-influence-september/
For a Do-it-Yourself way for visitors to slow down and enjoy the simple pleasures of the wine country lifestyle during California Wine Month, a spirited courtyard on the west side of Santa Cruz is a local favorite where wineries, shops and restaurants can be found. Always brimming with something new to see or taste, this lively spot is home to Bonny Doon Vineyards and a number of tasting rooms that make up Surf City Vintners. For a more rural experience, visitors can opt to taste wine along the Corralitos Wine Trail, an idyllic region in South County where four family-owned wineries are surrounded by redwood trees and apple orchards. And for world-class wines with unparalleled views, the five wineries on the Summit Wine Trail are all within easy reach of one another.
An array of local restaurants offer wine and food pairings. For the perfect blend of wine and cuisine, stop by Capitola’s Shadowbrook restaurant or Soif Wine Bar in Downtown Santa Cruz where sumptuous pairings of food and wine from around the world are presented in a hip, urban setting. And Casablanca restaurant boasts one of the most extensive wine cellars in Santa Cruz County. In Soquel Village, Bargetto Winery, one of the oldest family-run wineries of the Santa Cruz Mountains, has been producing hand-crafted wine for nearly a century, including delicious Santa Cruz Mountain varietals. And on the Santa Cruz Wharf, Vino Prima specializes in California wines, and offers twenty different wines to taste on a daily basis, paired with unparalleled views of the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk and the gleaming blue Monterey Bay.
California is the leading destination for wine and food travel in the U.S., producing 90 percent of American wine. According to the Wine Institute, nearly 21 million local and out-of-state travelers visit California wine regions each year. With the over 1,200 wineries throughout the state harvesting grapes in September, California is the fourth largest wine producer in the world and is responsible for $18.5 billion in retail sales in the U.S.
For more information on winetasting in Santa Cruz County, visit www.santacruz.org
More information:
Santa Cruz County Celebrates California Wine Month
http://www.santacruz.org/documents/wine-month-flyer2011.pdf
Winetasting in Santa Cruz County
http://www.santacruz.org/things/wine-tasting.php
California Travel & Tourism Commission – California Wine Month
http://www.visitcalifornia.com/winemonth#SAN_FRANCISCO_BAY_AREA__NAPA_VALLEY)
###
A private, non-profit corporation, the Santa Cruz County Conference and Visitors Council (CVC) exists to enhance tourism and the economy by positioning Santa Cruz County as a visitor, conference and film destination. For more information, contact the CVC at 831-425-1234 or 800-833-3494. Or visit CVC’s web site at www.santacruz.org.
