October 11, 2016 – When Eric Kennedy first received a gift membership to the Wine Club of the Santa Cruz Mountains a few years back, he thought, “Oh cool! It’s going to be like a book club where I’ll get to meet and taste wines together with like-minded wine lovers and discuss them.” Well, it didn’t turn out quite as he envisioned, but he certainly did enjoy the wines, all of which are selections from local wineries, some with no tasting rooms.
Kennedy liked the wine club concept so much he recently purchased it from Shannon Torres, who had previously managed it after buying it from the Santa Cruz Mountains Winegrowers Association.
Kennedy—who grew up in Boulder Creek and went to San Lorenzo Valley High—studied finance in college, earning an MBA from Saint Mary’s College of California in the East Bay. Currently a Finance Manager at Plantronics, Kennedy previously worked at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory at Stanford University. He became interested in wine after a trip to France in 2011, ultimately taking classes at Cabrillo College and WSET, the Wine & Spirits Education Trust, founded in 2007.
Asked if he had an “aha!” wine moment to share, Kennedy admits he is still new enough to wine that he is lucky enough to be experiencing those moments fairly regularly. “The first experience that comes to mind wine was a post mud-bath glass of 2010 Switchback Ridge Petite Sirah at a little wine bar in Calistoga. It was one of those moments where your taste buds are so happy, you want to giggle. Silky texture, but bold intensity. Another would be slurping freshly shucked oysters, paired with a Sonoma Coast Vineyards Sparkling Chardonnay on the banks of Tomales Bay. That was the first time I really ‘got’ how wine and food can play together,” shares Kennedy.
Whether you consider yourself a “wine geek” or not, if you’re at all interested in wine, you might want to attend the first “Wine Geek Session” that Kennedy is holding at Cantine Wine Bar in Aptos this Saturday in Santa Cruz from 1 – 4pm. The event will feature a talk by Manresa’s renowned Master Sommelier Jim Rollston. Manresa, in Los Gatos, is headed by rockstar chef David Kinch. It is considered one of the world’s best restaurants and recently received its third Michelin star.
The event is free to attend, and will double as a pickup party for members of the Santa Cruz Mountains Wine Club. But, you don’t have to be club member to enjoy the talk.
Says Kennedy, “You have to marvel at the level of expertise that Jim has accomplished, being one of only three people in the world to pass the Master Sommelier exam this year. I think people will be interested in hearing what inspires one to that level of dedication. I personally want to hear about his path, including his current role as the Beverage Director at Manresa Restaurant. Jim resides in Santa Cruz County, so I think people will be interested in hearing his expert opinion on this wine region and its potential.”
Kennedy intends “The Wine Geek Sessions” to be a quarterly series, where wine club members get to mingle and learn something new. Next quarter, he hopes to host one of the local winemakers he admires, mentioning how much he enjoys wines from local favorites Windy Oaks, Ser, Loma Prieta, Beauregard and Soquel Vineyards, to name just a few.
Since taking over the club, Kennedy has featured wines from Silvertip, Bottle Jack, Byington, Caligra, Sonnet Cellars, Rexford, Equinox, Muccigrosso, Waxwing, Tessier and Comanche Cellars. Each quarterly shipment will likely contain something even local wine aficionados may not have yet encountered. For example, a recent shipment included the 2013 Sonnet Cellars Tondre Grapefields Pinot Noir, the wine that won Best Red of Show at the 2016 San Francisco Chronicle Competition for longtime winemaker Tony Craig. Craig—who makes wine for Muns, Savannah-Chanelle and Silver Mountain—has no tasting room for his brand, Sonnet Cellars.
Says Kennedy, “It’s been a lot of fun to seek out the best wines from our appellation and the Central Coast. Most wine lovers are also lifelong learners, so as our membership grows, we will be focusing on opportunities for our members to learn about the history, climate and people that make the Santa Cruz Mountains such a unique wine region. We will also be expanding our Library Wines Club, which will make wine that is currently not being sold in stores accessible to our members.”
Come meet Eric and fellow wine lovers, and enjoy the rare chance to meet and listen to Master Sommelier Jim Rollston on Saturday, October 15, at Cantine Wine Bar in Aptos. The event begins with wine and mingling from 1 to 2pm, followed by Jim’s talk, and wraps up with more wine and mingling afterwards until 4pm.
Go to the Wine Club of the Santa Cruz Mountains Facebook page or RSVP at Eventbrite.
About the author
Laura Ness is a longtime wine journalist, columnist and judge who contributes regularly to Edible Monterey Bay, Spirited, WineOh.Tv, Los Gatos Magazine and Wine Industry Network, and a variety of consumer publications. Her passion is telling stories about the intriguing characters who inhabit the fascinating world of wine and food.
