Elegant nose, oak and berry body, strong earthy finish.
These and countless other seemingly nonsensical phrases were thrown around in great abundance this weekend at San Benito County's banner wine tasting event - the sixth annual Passport Weekend.
Those brave enough to bear the triple-digit temperatures were rewarded with plenty of food, music and, of course, wine.
Malbec, Chardonnay, Zinfandel and Shiraz were poured and swirled, sniffed and sipped by anyone who purchased the $30 "passport." And while the fruit of the vine is typically not recommended as a way to stay hydrated on hot days, the visitors at the event didn't seem to mind.
"Sure it's hot, but this food and wine is great, so it's definitely worthwhile," said Katherine Cabrales at Calera Winery on Sunday. "I thought this would be a nice present for my mom for Mother's Day."
Saturday was the busiest day of the weekend with around 100 people at each of the eight participating local wineries at any given time. The lamb at DeRose winery was a crowd favorite as was a merlot blend, which owner Alfonse DeRose marked down to $50 per case. The view from the top at Pietra Santa made the 100-degree sun, for a while, worth the sweat. And at Calera Winery, Jerry Simmons of Monterey was barbecuing pork, which was good enough to nearly outshine the vineyard's famed pinot noir - nearly.
Scott Flint, owner and winemaker at Flint Wine Cellars, set up tables and had a barbecue blazing under the shade of oak tree. A handful of people milled about, sampling cabernet sauvignon and nibbling on sausage.
"I do this festival because most of the people here have been my friends and my customers for years," Flint said. "We get a whole cross-section of people who may or may not know about wine. It's a good introduction, and a lot of people don't even know that these beautiful wineries were here."
Barbara Ament and Francene Markle of Hollister were relaxing Sunday under Flint's shade trees and sipping on pinot noir. The ladies said although they worried about the drive home after drinking wine most of the day, the splash of wine given at the sampling tables was enough to keep the buzz to a minimum.
"When you get off the trail it's like you walked into Tuscany," said Markle. "We've had quite the day."
Curtis Cartier Curtis Cartier covers the City of Hollister and public safety for the Free Lance. Reach him at (831) 637-5566 or email him.
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