Wine-tasting in Napa and Sonoma is old hat. In the spring and summer, traffic is snarled, parking is tight, and tasting rooms are packed. Worst of all, dogs are not always welcome. In the Santa Cruz Mountains, just six miles from Los Gatos and less than an 1½-hour drive from San Francisco, dogs reign.
Past the Lexington Reservoir, through the redwoods standing sentinel along Highway 17, you’ll find Summit Road where a cluster of wineries, most with large, welcoming outdoor spaces, have been quietly producing since the 1970s.
It would be trite to say that the wineries at the Summit are the best kept secret of this wine-guzzling region, but it’s true. Several boast prestigious awards from reviewers such as the San Francisco Chronicle and Wine Enthusiast. The incredibly close proximity between wineries makes this one of the easiest wine trails in the state.
Start at the Villa del Monte Winery, (open noon-5 p.m. on selected weekends or by appointment; 23076 Summit Road, 408-353-2186, VillaDelMonteWinery.com), which serves as a hub for local growers, offering a broad picture of Santa Cruz area grapes. Sip your wine and wander the villa’s grounds with your fur ball.
Burrell School Vineyards & Winery next door (open 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Thursday-Sunday, 24060 Summit Rd, 408-353-6290, BurrellSchool.com) was founded in 1973 on the site of a school built in 1854. Enjoy Burrell’s Chardonnay, Merlot, and Pinot Noir on the deck of the original Teacher’s Carriage House.
Stop in at the Summit Store (24197 Summit Road) for provisions before heading up the hill to your next destination. The Summit Store, a small grocery and the only place to buy food at the Summit, has excellent prepared sandwiches, a salad bar, and plenty of dog treats to sustain your loved ones through your journey.
The tasting room at Wright’s Station Vineyard & Winery (open 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday-Sunday, 24250 Loma Prieta Ave., 408-560-9343, WrightsStation.com) back down Summit Road a few hundred feet, is the only remaining intact building of the town of Wrights. Next to the Summit Tunnel (completed in 1880), freight and travelers through the Santa Cruz Mountains passed along this route until its abandonment in the late 1930s. You and your dog can enjoy Wright’s wine inside the tasting room or on the patio or grassy lawn. Picnic here or continue to the Loma Prieta Winery (open noon-5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, 26985 Loma Prieta Way, 408-353-2950, LomaPrietaWinery.com), known for its Pinotage and views.
The one-lane road with no signage that, at one point, devolves into dirt, is worth the drive (return to Summit Road and take Mt. Bache Drive for an easier route). Along with its wine, the Loma Prieta Winery offers a life-size chess board, a bocce ball court, and the sight of the Pacific Ocean from its patio 2,600 feet up. If you’re lucky, Bill the Oyster Man will be hocking oysters paired with incredible sauces to compliment your visit (check the website to find his schedule).
End your tour with a stop at MJA Vineyards (open noon-5 p.m. Monday-Thursday and noon-6 p.m. Friday-Sunday, 24900 Highland Way, 408-353-6000, MJAVineyards.com). Cozy up to a crackling fire and listen to the live music on Saturday afternoons. Before hitting the road, grab a cup of coffee, roasted weekly on site, and head back to the world below, dreaming of the cool mountain air and the grapes that made the day for both you and your dog.
Shoshi Parks, Ph.D., is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT-ka) and writer. She founded Modern Hound Dog Training and Care in San Francisco in 2011, which works to improve the lives of dogs and their relationships with their guardians using science-based, positive methods.
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