Passport weekend: wine tasting in the Santa Cruz Mountains

The wine passport program put on by the Santa Cruz Mountain Winegrowers Association is a great way to discover local wineries and, above all, sample delicious local wine. Every third Saturday in January, April, July and November, passport holders are invited to explore dozens of wineries, indulge in free wine tastings and enjoy the majestic scenery that rivals any locale in the Napa Valley.

On this particular weekend in April, we visited Ridge Winery in Cupertino for some fabulous Zinfandel; the beautiful Cupertino home of the Naumann's for some exquisite Chardonnay and Merlot; the peacock farm of Picchetti Winery in Cupertino for some Red Pavone; and finally the horse ranch and stables of Cooper-Garrod in Saratoga for some unforgettable Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon.

Passports are a reasonable $40 and last until every winery in the book is stamped. You can purchase one at any of the participating wineries, or here.

For now, a few pictures of what you can expect:

The picnic area overlooking Downtown San Jose (pictured up top) at Ridge Vineyards.

Some highly sought-after Ridge Zinfandel in the sunshine...

Some old vines at Ridge Vineyards. At this height, looking to the left, you can see all the way to Oakland.

The spectacular home of the Naumann's, who kindly open their domicile up for wine tasting. They specialize in Merlot, with the vineyard resting just below their house.

A view from the Naumann's porch.

At the Picchetti Winery, there are roaming peacock's everywhere! What a site!

This one was either protecting it's property or was trying to hit on me. I'm not sure.

The tasting room at Picchetti is warmly lit and inviting. I recommend the Pavone, which means peacock in Italian.

An old Ford rests sluggishly at the Cooper-Garrod winery. Why are there so many abandoned cars in Silicon Valley?

The winery is also a working ranch, with dozens of horses! Look for our feature on horseback riding lessons in the new issue out April 27.