Tucker and Piper

If you are thinking of a good way to beat the heat and have an outing with your best friend, I have a suggestion. Wine tasting at wineries in Santa Cruz that are dog friendly.

On June 30th it was 103 degrees in my town. So Hill and I decided to take my best friend, and his evil little sister, to the beach and met up with Troya and Doc. Doc suggested we do some wine tasting while we were there and he informed me that the wineries were dog friendly so bring the kids. What a great way to spend a beautiful Sunday. So off we went to Swift Street Wineries to enjoy some great local wines and spend time with friends and family.  Our first stop was MJA Vineyards.  They had a water bowl and treats for the kids.  Most of their grapes came from the Napa Area.  My favorite was the 2011 Sangiovese.  Our next stop was Sones Cellars.  Plenty of room for the dogs to lay down while mommy and daddy tasted some wines.  They also had plenty of dog treats and water bowls.   They had a nice selection but the 2010 Cancion del Mar got my attention. I’m not a big white wine drinking so when I come across one that gets my attention, I have to buy it.  It was cool, fruity (but not sweet) and crisp.  Perfect for a hot day.  Our last stop was Bartolo wines and Equinox Methode Champenoise.  Barry was totally cool.  He gave the dogs the run of the place but they were too tired to get into trouble.  I enjoyed his Sparkling wines and I left with a bottle of his 2008 Cioppino Rosso, which is an interesting blend of Syrah, Chardonnay and Mourvedre.  I also took home a bottle of his 2008 Syrah, a GSM blend.

I know there are more dog friendly wineries, restaurants and hotels out there.  Keep following the blog for more reviews.  Also, send me a list of your favorite places to take your 4 legged best friends.   I would love to visit them.