Coaching Cooking

Today, I ventured out into the hills for a bit of research with Farley from Wine Outlook. We met in downtown Los Gatos for some winetasting at Backyard Wineries, a new tasting room at 45 West Main Street that pours wines from the Fleming Jenkins Winery and Clos La Chance. Claire, the tasting room diva, answered all of our questions plus she had a fantastic music selection. I love my Beastie Boys with some 2004 Fleming Jenkins Santa Cruz Mountains Syrah!

Then it was lunchtime and we headed over to Savannah-Chanelle Vineyards for a picnic lunch and some good ol’ winetasting with our snappy host whose witticisms and old-school personality added some great humor to our experience.

The picnic lunch included some great bread from La Brea Bakery in addition to delicious picnic fare from Whole Foods. I have always loved the curry chicken from Whole Foods because it combines generous chunks of chicken wtih raisins, whole almonds and just the right amount of curry and other spices. Farley made a great appetizer spread with green olives, fresh chopped garlic, cream cheese and a touch of mayonnaise. We ate our picnic near the winery with a fine mist sprinkling over us (not quite rain, but getting close).

Teeth chattering and arms wrapped around our freezing midsections, we sought refuge in the tasting room which is housed in a quaint, farm-like structure with a large, sloping room and gorgeous, exposed ceilings. We also drank a tasty Syrah port to a classic Nirvana tune. So far, my purchase of the day: 2003 Savannah-Chanelle Estate Zinfandel Santa Cruz Mountains.

On to Thomas Fogarty’s where Farley introduced me to Mort, the cat, and to some great wines. I bought two bottles at this lovely place including the 2005 Gewurtztraminer and the 2002 Sangiovese Santa Cruz Mountains. We chatted up the manager who had some great restaurant recommendations for the SF Bay Area. And we looked out over the mist which made me long for this song (just played once and combined with the Gerwurtztraminer).

Thanks, Farley! I had a wonderful time. The fog and mist parted into a brilliant blue as I sailed down the windy road to Highway 9 and then home on 85 with Ok Go playing quirky tunes on my stereo and the faintest traces of wine still clinging to the corners of my mouth.