Domenico Wines

On Friday I had the urge to go somewhere and do a wine tasting. I would have like to go to Ridge, but they're only open on Saturday and Sunday. I was half-tempted to drive down towards Santa Cruz to go to Bonny Doon, but decided that would be a better trip to take with someone. Using my handy Wines of the Santa Cruz Mountains, I decided on Domenico Wines right in San Carlos. I arrived at 12:30 and the door was locked. I called the main number and a woman let me in. She said it was a new door and didn't know how to unlock it from the inside. I then did a tasting which was $5 for 5 wines, which was a little annoying because the web site didn't say anything about a tasting fee. Most web sites will mention if they have a tasting fee, so when I don't see one I assume they're complimentary. But $5 for 5 is not a bad deal, and the tasting fee is waived if you purchase a bottle.

The wines were pretty decent, but I was not able to get much information other than what was written on the tasting sheet. The person who normally works the tasting room has Friday off because they work on the weekends, so the woman who poured was also Domenico's administrative assistant. Disappointing. She was nice enough, but couldn't tell me much and just giggled a lot during our light conversation. I sampled a wine, 3 reds, and a dessert wine, but none of the wines popped out at me and the experience did not seem worthy of a purchase. However, if you want to stay on the peninsula and spend $5 to try some new wines, Domenico is a great option. They're open everyday from noon-5.

On Sunday, Marc and I headed down to Los Altos for an art & wine festival. It was a beautiful day to be outside (although I keep forgetting how strong this CA sun is and I got burnt) and this was a fairly large event. To sum it up, the art was professional and beautiful, the food expensive, the wine underwhelming. It was $5 to secure a wine glass or beer mug and you paid by the glass. Granted it was a hot day, but everyone at this festival was drinking white wine. I opted first for a glass of Claret by Roudon-Smith Winery, which was a Merlot, Zinfandel, and Syrah blend. Nothing mind-blowing, but a pleasant red for a reasonable $4. I then chose a Syrah from Martin Ranch Winery. It was very good and put me over the edge with the combination of too much sun and not enough food. Martin Ranch was also kind enough to be giving out complimentary tasting cards for their tasting room. Unfortunately, it's all the way down in Gilroy, so I don't know if I'll be able to take advantage of it at the moment. For now, it's staying in my purse with my card for a complimentary tasting at Kendall Jackson.


Overall, and underwhelming wine weekend. Good news is that my first day back to work in the wine industry is tomorrow!