The Summit to Sea Wine Trail

From Summit to Sea: Taste the Magic of The Santa Cruz Mountains

To experience a true slice of the Santa Cruz Mountains with a tour you can easily do in a weekend, and perhaps in a day, if you get an early start, try the Summit to Sea Wine Trail. It offers a range of views, venues and wines that captures the essence of the region without getting you lost: at least hopefully not. You’ll visit five boutique wineries, each with stunning vistas, world-class wines and charming settings.

From Los Gatos, drive south on Highway 17, taking the Summit Road exit to Burrell School Vineyards, then head to the top of the world at Loma Prieta, enjoy a scenic drive to Vine Hill and Poetic Cellars, both nestled in the mountains, then continue on towards the sea to Hunter Hill. Or, you can begin at the coast at Hunter Hill and wind your way up to the Summit. Make a day or a weekend of it as you experience the magic of the mountains.

At Burrell School Vineyards, you’ll be instantly captivated by the big red one-room Burrell Schoolhouse, built in 1890. Here you’re in for a wine education above the estate ridgetop vineyards, which produce rich, flavor-laden "Teachers Pet" Chardonnay, "Principal's Choice" Pinot Noir, "Honor Roll" Merlot, "Extra Credit" Cabernet Franc, "Dean's List" Cabernet Sauvignon and "Spring Break" Syrah. Your hosts, Anne, a former schoolteacher, and Dave Moulton, retired engineer and jazz lover, who plays a mean trumpet, have lived here since 1973. Dave makes bold, distinctively deep wines that embody the mountain spirit. The smooth head of the class “Valedictorian” Bordeaux blend is worth the lesson alone. You’ll often find jazz musicians playing on the deck above the vines when the weather gods are smiling and tapping their feet to the beat.

Loma Prieta Winery is a Mediterranean oasis set at 2500 feet overlooking the vast Pacific coastline, with stunning views of the entire Monterey Bay. You could very well see gray whales spouting in the distance while you are tasting award-winning Viognier, Gold medal Pinot Noirs, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and the region's sole (and soulful) Pinotage. Loma Prieta is the only mountaintop vineyard planted to both Pinot and Pinotage in North America. Enjoy a game of bocce ball on the edge of the earth or picnic by the fountain. Summer brings many musicians to Loma Prieta, and local flamenco sensation, Roderigo Teague, is a favorite, as is classic and contemporary guitarist Mark Abdilla, who frequently plays at Glide Memorial in San Francisco.

At the newly certified organic vineyards of Vine Hill Winery, you can wander in the beneficial gardens where fruit trees and flowers abound. Enjoy a glass of Pinot Noir or Chardonnay from legendary winemaker Sal Godinez of Saintsbury fame, while relaxing on the terrace above the organically farmed Pinot and Syrah vineyards, a sweeping view of Monterey Bay as your backdrop. Perfect for weddings and events, this winery is only open on the third weekend of each month. If you’re a fan of bluegrass and American style music, most of their events feature live music in these genres.

Soothe your soul at the romantic and tranquil Poetic Cellars, where Katy Lovell, one of three women winemakers in the Santa Cruz Mountains, puts poetry in and on each handcrafted bottle. Taste her charming sun-drenched Chardonnay, her fruity-spicy Pinot Noir from the cool ocean-influenced Regan Vineyard, her signature Mourvedre, her meaty Syrah and her richly dense blueberry pie Petite Sirah. Or get lost in one of her exquisite blends, like Ballad or Mantra. Write your own poetry here, where there’s always something musical in the air.

Hunter Hill Vineyard & Winery is a true country charmer, located just a few miles past Bargetto, the anchor winery in Soquel. Here, you can drink in the flower-flecked hillside vineyards, where charming duck-filled ponds delight with fanciful frog fountains, and turtles sun themselves on polished rocks. Enjoy fruity–sassy estate Pinot Noir, cool climate Syrah and Merlot, gregarious Grenache, lush Old Vine Zin, toe-tapping Rock’n Rhone GSM, plus Double Barrel, a Roussanne-Viognier blend. Adirondack chairs beckon on the grassy lawn, and there’s always something on the grill. These guys are hunters, and their Wild Game Feed in May is always sold out and delicious.

Although it’s feasible to visit all these wineries in one day, you might want to take your time and make a weekend out of it. An attempt to pack in more wineries on these mountain roads might be dizzying for first time visitors: leave that to the local professionals. Instead, sip and savor the sense of place at each of the Summit to Sea wineries. As Dave Brubeck suggested, Take Five.