2nd Semester, 2011-2012
Classes can be taken individually or as a series. All classes include wine tasting.Learn more about wine from the master winemakers of the Surf City Vintners.
This group of vintners has over 150 years of winemaking experience!
Take the opportunity to learn from their passion and knowledge.
And get your diploma in sip-ology!
All classes except the Harvest Tour are held Sundays, 12:00-2:00
at the instructor winemaker's tasting room/winery. Except the Harvest Tour, 11:00-4:00 (see details).
Classes can be taken individually or as a series. All classes include wine tasting.
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Registration
Individual classes, except the Harvest Tour, are $30 each; $25 for wine club members of any of the
Surf City wineries. The Harvest Tour is $45.
Those signing up for all five classes will receive a tasting card to all Surf City wineries valued at $60.
To Register:
Register at any of the Surf City tasting rooms, or call 408-353-2278,
or fax the Registration Form to 408-353-1898.
For more information and details:
Call 408-353-2278, or email info@silvermtn.com.
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Class Schedule
See full course descriptions and details below.
| Date | Class | Instructor | Location |
| Oct. 9, 2011 | Harvest Tour | Surf City Vintners tour guide; transportation by Santa Cruz Experience | Meet at Equinox / Copious parking lot |
| Nov. 13, 2011 | Wine Tasting 101 | Jimmie Moore | Bonny Doon Vineyard |
| Dec. 11, 2011 | Sparkling Wines | Barry Jackson | Equinox |
| Jan 15, 2012 | Bordeaux Varieties | Mikael Wargin | MJA Vineyards |
| Feb 26, 2012 | History of the SC Mts. | Jeff Emery, Jerold O'Brien, Michael Sones | Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard |
October 9: Harvest & Crush Tour
Vineyard Tour with Santa Cruz Experience, and Crush Tour at the Wineries
11:00 - 4:00
Location:
Meet the vans and your tour guide in the parking lot at
427 Swift St. (where Copious and
Equinox Champagne Cellar are located)
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
phone: For more information,
call 408-353-2278 (Silver Mountain) or
831-421-9883 (The Santa Cruz Experience)
www.surfcityvintners.com
Experience harvest in the vineyard and crush in the winery. You will board a van (provided by The Santa Cruz Experience tour company) and be whisked off to one of our vineyards (Vine Hill or Silver Mountain). You will meet the van and tour guide in the parking lot where Copious Winery and Equinox Champagne Cellar are located. Your tour guide will tell you all about harvest. Then, at the vineyard you will have the opportunity to see harvest in action, learn about this year's growing season – and maybe even get to harvest some grapes yourself.
Then, back at Surf City, we will give you a tour of some of the wineries that are crushing at the time. You will see crush in action at the wineries, get to talk with the winemakers about the harvest and crush, get to taste some fresh juice from just-harvested winegrapes – and do some wine tasting. Wineries will be determined based on who is crushing at the time. A box lunch will be provided for this tour.
$45, includes a box lunch, transportation to and from the vineyard, and wine tasting.
About The Santa Cruz Experience: The Santa Cruz Experience is a locally owned and operated provider of guided wine tours in Santa Cruz county (commercially insured, class B licensed, and registered with the Public Utilities Commision, TCP 27104B). Dave Solomon and Austin Twohig are two lifelong Santa Cruz locals, born and raised in the Santa Cruz Mountains. The two share a mutual appreciation of Santa Cruz County, and the amazing diversity of natural beauty and recreational opportunity that the area and its surroundings provide. Our goal is to share our extensive local knowledge of Santa Cruz and its unique range of activities, regional history and burgeoning viticulture scene with locals and tourists from all walks of life. See the website at thesantacruzexperience.com.
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November 13: Wine Tasting 101
with Jimmie Moore, Bonny Doon Vineyard
12:00-2:00, at Bonny Doon Vineyard
Location:
Bonny Doon Vineyard
328 Ingalls St., Santa Cruz, CA 95060
phone: 831-425-4518
www.bonnydoonvineyard.com
Jimmie Moore will be your guide through the adventure of wine tasting, with a special view from the Dooniverse. Learn the basics of tasting and evaluating wines. There will be a brief discussion of the five senses related to the appreciation of wine, as well as the human experience of flavor. Taste samples of acidity, bitterness and astringency. Learn how to identify tannins, oak, fruit and where all those funny wine terms come from. Begin to develop an appreciation of your own wine style. A number of different wines and styles will be sampled during the class.
$30, or $25 for wine club members of any of the Surf City wineries.
About Jimmie Moore: Jimmie has been Wine Ambassador at Bonny Doon Vineyard since 2001, responsible for wine education, informational tours, wine club events, private wine and food pairings.
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December 11: Sparkling Wine
Part I: Pinot Noir, Old & New Worlds
with Barry Jackson, Equinox Champagne Cellar/Bartolo
12:00-2:00, at Equinox Champagne Cellar
Location:
Equinox Champagne Cellar
427 Swift St.
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
Phone: 831.423.3000
Email: info@equinoxwines.com
www.equinoxwine.com
In time for the holidays and New Year's: Learn about the production of sparkling wine and taste different sparkling wine styles. This course will cover:
- A brief history of sparkling wine
- Production regions, including Europe and the United States
- Grape varieties used to make sparkling wine
- Sparkling wine production, including different processes; harvesting; bottling, aging; riddling; disgorging and corking.
- Sparkling wine styles, including Blanc de Blanc and Blanc de Noir; cremant; blends; as well as tirage and dosage.
$30, or $25 for wine club members of any of the Surf City wineries.
About Barry Jackson: Barry has been making wine since 1979, when he started with Paul Masson. He started his Equinox label for sparkling wine in 1989 with the first vintage harvested from Trout Gulch Vineyard. Five days later the Loma Prieta earthquake struck and more than half of the fermenting juice was lost. What remained was released in 1993, and we have enjoyed sparkling wines from Equinox ever since.
The tradition of champagne production in the Santa Cruz Mountains extends back in time to the last quarter of the 19th century with Paul Masson winning awards in Europe for his "Eye of the Partridge" (Oeil de Perdrix) champagne. That tradition was carried on by Martin Ray through the middle of the 20th century until his death in 1976. The flame of champagne was re-kindled in 1989 by EQUINOX and by Michael Martella at Thomas Fogarty Winery. Other wineries have followed suit as the tradition extends into the 21st century.
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January 15, 2012: Bordeaux Varieties
With Mikael Wargin, MJA Vineyards
12:00-2:00, at MJA Vineyards
Location:
MJA Vineyards
328-A Ingalls St.
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
Phone: 831.421.9380
Email:
cathyB@mjavineyards.com
www.mjavineyards.com
Taste and learn about the classic grape varietals of the Bordeaux region of France. Winemaker Mikael Wargin will host a class focused on the time honored wines made from Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Sauvignon Blanc. We will talk about the growing regions for Bordeaux varieties and taste examples from different regions in California (including the Santa Cruz Mountains and Napa) as well as from Bordeaux. MJA Vineyards will pour their Sauvignon Blanc, along with their 2006 DaVine and 2005 Serene Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon wines, and 2008 Napa Valley Merlot, as well as a selection from other wineries. Learn about the history, viticulture, and favored terroir of these titans of the winegrape world.
$30, or $25 for wine club members of any of the Surf City wineries.
About Mikael Wargin: Mikael started his wine career as a tasting room manager for Armida Winery in Capitola, CA beginning in 2004, and completed his first harvest season in 2006 as a cellar intern for Armida at their Healdsburg winery. In 2007 he started working in the Santa Cruz Mountains as assistant winemaker for Burrell School Vineyards, and after two seasons started his own label, Wargin Wines, while working as winemaker in 2009 for a Surf City Vintners winery. In 2010 he became winemaker for MJA Vineyards, and continues to expand the Wargin Wines label to include wine representation, wine classes, and winery/vineyard consulting.
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February 26, 2012: History of the Santa Cruz Mountains Wine Region
(with wine tasting including cellar selections)
With:
- Jeff Emery, Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard / Quinta Cruz
- Jerold O'Brien, Silver Mountain
- Michael Sones, Sones Cellars
Location:
Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard / Quinta Cruz
334–A Ingalls Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95060
phone: 831-426-6209
info@santacruzmountainvineyard.com
www.santacruzmountainvineyard.com
12:00-2:00, at Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard / Quinta Cruz
The Santa Cruz Mountains has played a pivotal role in the history of winemaking in California, with roots going back over 100 years. The appellation has seen significant growth and change since the start of the 21st century: in the space of a few years the number of wineries has grown from 40 to now over 80, and vineyards are proliferating. Our history includes well-known winemakers such as Paul Masson, Martin Ray, David Bennion (Ridge), David Bruce and others - including the trio of winemakers that you will have the privilege of tasting wine with during this class: Jeff Emery, Jerold O'Brien, and Michael Sones. Together they have 75+years of winemaking experience, and will be sharing with you some of their older vintages. Taste wine with these master winemakers, enjoy their stories, and they will take you on a journey from the early days of winemaking in our mountain region to today - and maybe even provide a glimpse into the future.
$30, or $25 for wine club members of any of the Surf City wineries.
About Jeff Emery: Jeff is Winemaker / Proprietor of Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard. Jeff has been making wine for Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard for 32 years. In 2006 he launched a sister brand, Quinta Cruz, dedicated exclusively to featuring grape varieties originating from Portugal and Spain that are now grown in California.
About Jerold O'Brien: Jerold has been making wine for over 30 years. As a military pilot he travelled the world and had the opportunity to learn about wine and terroir. He decided the Santa Cruz Mountains was the place to be, and upon acquiring an abandoned orchard he founded Silver Mountain in 1979. The vineyard has been certified organic by the CCOF since 1989, and grows Chardonnay (Mt. Eden clone), Pinot Noir (Swann clone), and Merlot. At 2100' elevation, the site produces distinctive mountain winegrapes and offers spectacular views over the forests to Monterey Bay. The Surf City tasting room in Santa Cruz was opened late in 2009. Silver Mountain is a leader in organic and sustainable vineyard and winery practices, with the largest solar array in the Santa Cruz Mountains, part of the 'Triple Green Canopy' at the winery.
About Michael Sones: Michael has over 15 years experience making wine in the Santa Cruz Mountains. He made a mid-life career change from cruise ship photography in 1993, attending UC Davis to follow his already-developed love of wine. His first job out of UC Davis was at Ridge Vineyards in Cupertino, followed by Bonny Doon Vineyards in Santa Cruz and David Bruce Winery in the Santa Cruz Mountains. He is currently the Winemaker at Bargetto Winery in Soquel, as well as the Owner/Winemaker, along with his wife, Lois, of Sones Cellars on the west side in Santa Cruz. He enjoys the seasonality of the winemaking year and working with the incredible grapes grown in our local area.
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