Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard

The seeds for Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard were planted when a young man by the name of Ken Burnap took a prom date out to one of the finest restaurants in San Antonio, Texas. Ken ordered a bottle of wine and mangled the pronunciation of the French variety. The very snobby and pretentious wine steward humiliated Ken with his reaction and in the manner of most of us when barely out of our teens, Ken vowed to learn as much as he could about wine and go back to show that wine steward a thing or two. 

Visit the Tasting Room in Aptos

Aptos Vineyard invites visitors to its tasting room located in Aptos Village, nestled between Akira and Starbucks. Guests can enjoy a selection of wines on the outdoor patio, which features a fire pit and umbrellas, or inside the cozy space. The tasting room proudly offers a variety of wines, including classic Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, as well as rare-to-Santa Cruz varietals like Merlot, sourced from multiple winemakers. Visitors are welcome to stop by during open hours or secure their spot with a reservation.

Fun, unassuming tasting room. The service was really friendly and I got the impression that the "$10 for 5" tasting is rarely a sticking point. Meaning, they poured my group additional samples and even asked me which one I wanted to try one last time as I was paying. Never with the feeling I was being pressured to buy anything, far from it. Ample picnic area in the back. BYO whatever and enjoy the scenery and play a game of bocce ball in one of their 2 courts. This is a perfect stop on your way to the beach or when heading back home.

Situated at 2,600 feet on Loma Prieta Way off the Summit Road exit of Highway 17, Loma Prieta Winery proudly holds the title of North America's largest producer of Pinotage. This boutique winery, producing fewer than 3,000 cases annually, is named after the flat-topped mountain that looms to the southeast, famous as the epicenter of the 1989 earthquake. In this picturesque setting within the Santa Cruz Mountains, you'll find breathtaking views in every direction, stretching to the Monterey Peninsula and the crashing waves of the Santa Cruz coastline. 

Founded in 2003 by attorneys Paul and Amy Kemp, Loma Prieta Winery initially gained acclaim for its Gold medal-winning Pinot Noirs sourced from both their Estate vineyard and the Saveria Vineyard in Corralitos. Every vintage of their Pinot Noir garnered accolades. However, Paul Kemp’s passion shifted after discovering Pinotage in a Lodi vineyard where he was sourcing Viognier. Enthralled by this unique grape, a hybrid developed in South Africa in the 1930s by crossing Pinot Noir with Cinsault, he began acquiring nearly every available acre of Pinotage in California. He even replaced his estate Merlot and Cabernet vines with Pinotage and grafted over his Estate Pinot Noir to this new varietal. Today, there are 52 acres of Pinotage in California—a stark contrast to the nearly 95,000 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon.

While Pinotage is the signature grape of South Africa, where it thrives more abundantly than anywhere else, very few wineries globally produce it. In California, Loma Prieta stands out, producing more Pinotage than any other single winery and offering single vineyard designates of this distinctive grape.