64 PUNCHMAGAZINE.COM {due west} DAY TRIP passport to pinot words by JOHANNA HARLOW and its sister winery Domaine Eden. They may sit on neighboring peaks of the mountain, but navigating the ridgeline between the two requires a 25-minute car ride. But the thrill of the journey just makes the destination more sweet. “Visitors like that sense of exploration and discovery and adventure,” Keiki adds. “That’s really what we’re all about.” Which is why SCMWA provides wine passports for those seeking to scout out the territory. Valid for a year after purchase, these passports grant one free tasting at each of the 30-plus participating wineries, giving holders a true lay of the land. It also The Santa Cruz Mountains wine region is a wonderfully wild one. Spirited vineyards rollick across its rugged slopes and scale its prodigious peaks as they chase the sun. You won’t stumble across this region’s wineries. Seek them out along steep, serpentining roads until you arrive at properties untouched and untamed by Silicon Valley city life. “It’s not Disneyland wine country where you’re just driving down the road and you see a winery, you pull over and then you go to the next one,” quips Keiki McKay, executive director of Santa Cruz Mountains Winegrowers Association (SCMWA). Take Mount Eden Vineyards unlocks access to several properties otherwise closed to the public and a chance to connect with the local winemaking community. Keiki notes that some participating wineries are only open on passport Celebration Days. Upcoming dates include October 17, February 20 and June 19. Still other wineries require reservations, so it’s important to reference the SCMWA booklet and map provided with each passport for more details. “I think it’s a great deal for our guests and, over time, we see them return with new friends,” says Robin Porter, owner of Lago Lomita Vineyards and longtime PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF: LAGO LOMITA
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