Back in mid-March, on a dry day after a bout of Spring rains, I kidnapped my mom and drove her down into the southern part of my native Santa Clara County to a place she’d never been before. Tucked up into the eastern slopes of the southern Santa Cruz Mountain range, Uvas Canyon is a lovely yet seemingly remote 1,200-acre county park featuring well-maintained trails, picnic tables, four waterfalls and easy hiking that I knew mom could enjoy. As we wandered up the mild slopes of the Swanson Creek basin, I found myself wondering why I hadn’t brought mom here previously – she simply marveled at the lushness of the redwood and hardwood forests, not to mention the roar and tumult of the falls.

Though my little Minolta D’Image Xt is not designed for high-quality video, I find that, as a regular hiker, the camera is very easy to carry in my trouser pocket. I’d been meaning to experiment with video and video editing software, and while hiking at Uvas I felt the urge. What you’ll see in the 3-minute video below are three of the waterfalls at Uvas Canyon, namely Black Rock Falls, Upper Falls and Basin Falls. Believe it or not, it’s the first video I’ve ever published.

Would you take your mom here? I believe that if you could, you surely would.

~winehiker

I’m no country boy. But more often than not, I find myself escaping to the country – the wild country – that is Nature’s backyard. For it is true that I love my local mountains. Just seeing them ringing the valley where I live, much less walking their trails, is good for my soul.

Escaping to the city can be good, too. But if I ever visit New York again, I won’t go there as much for the attractions of New York City – gastronomic, cultural and otherwise – as I will to revel in the delights of the New York countryside. If I have the time (and I hope I will), I’ll taste the wines of the Finger Lakes region as well as walk the trails and scale the peaks of the Adirondack mountain range. Though it has no mountains, I would even visit the North Fork of Long Island. Why? Because its maritime climate, rich terroir and the steadily-improving management of its roughly 3,000 acres of grape vines is allowing the area to gain recognition as a prime wine-producing region. I think that’s reason enough to want to taste wine there.

Fortunately, when it comes to wine, the North Fork of Long Island can still come to me. And so it is that, on a warm early-May afternoon, I popped the cork from a bottle of Macari Vineyards 2007 Chardonnay, a steel-fermented chardonnay made from grapes that were grown and produced on the Macari Family Estate in Mattituck, New York, in the heart of Long Island’s North Fork wine country.

The wine pours clear and pale gold into the glass, unfurling aromas of lemon, green apples, some grass, and even tangerines. On the palate are fresh, complex citrus flavors plus pears, wet stones and peaches and a creamy mouthfeel that begs to be savored. The acidity of this wine is perfect: not too tart, not underguessed, but just right. Indeed, the balance between acid, tannin and sugars in this chard is ideal, not to mention its lingering finish which I can still taste minutes later…

…and make me want to pour another glass. Which I do.

As you can tell by the remaining volume of the bottle, I liked this wine.

Over the years, as I’ve tasted them, oak-fermented chardonnay wines have left me largely non-plussed. There have certainly been a few good ones, however – wines in which the use of oak has resulted in rich, round textures rather than sour or bitter aftertastes well after opening. But as my palate has matured, I’ve grown more fond of chardonnays fermented in stainless steel tanks – a process that allows the essence of the grape and its terroir to come through to the palate without undue tinkering by the winemaker; one that can result in an exquisite, refreshing wine.

I’m definitely fond of the exquisitely refreshing Macari 2007 Estate Chardonnay. I don’t believe I need to shout too loudly from the local mountaintop to recommend you enjoy it too.

19 Winehiker Points*
Heat: 13.2 % alcohol by volume
Closure: cork
Price: US$18-$19 per 750ml bottle; available from Macari Vineyards and at snooth.com
Disclosure: I received this bottle as a trade sample from Macari Vineyards

~winehiker

*Based on the Davis scale and scored using my 20-point Wine Scoring Sheet.