A San Francisco Favorite: William Cross Wine Merchant

When I lived in New York, having a local wine store was key—for recommendations, of course, but most importantly because you can't buy wine at the grocery store. I'm finding that even though you can do so here (and even big chains like Safeway have a pretty well curated assortment), there's still reason to shop at a specialized store. My favorite wine shop in San Francisco is William Cross Wine Merchant, on Polk Street in Russian Hill (which happens to be the neighborhood that most reminds me of NYC—coincidence or not?). Not only do they have a great selection of wines from all over the world (with a particularly impressive Italian section), but they have a tasting bar in the back that takes that neighborhood-wine-store concept to the next level. 

A recent fundraiser for Planned Parenthood

While you can pop in anytime the bar is open for a glass, my favorite night of the week is Wednesday, when you can try a flight for $15. Sign up for the newsletter on William Cross' website to see what wines are on deck each week. There's usually a theme, say Loire Valley or Pinots from around the world, and not only is it a cozy little neighborhood gathering, it's also a great way to learn about wine. I've discovered many gems this way—William Cross' prices are fantastic, I should also mention—especially from regions that I'm not always familiar with. 

Move over, Nebbiolo! 

For example, this 2013 Foradori Terodego Rotaliano that I completely fell in love with at a recent special Friday-night fundraiser for Planned Parenthood, featuring all-female vintners. The winemaker, Elisabetta Foradori, biodynamically farms her Terlodego grapes, an ancient vareital native to northern Italy (and one I'd never had before!), in Trentino. The grape is related to pinot noir and syrah, and Foradori's wine alludes to the best parts of each in its delicate tannins and dark berries. It's light and rich at the same time, without being too acid or too syrupy. And at $22 a bottle, it's a straight-up bargain. I drank mine with a pea-and-parmesan soup from Julia Turshen's excellent Small Victories cookbook, and I wish I had bought two bottles. Sounds like an excuse to go back, doesn't it? 

Off the beaten path: Sonoma Coast Vineyards

When you think of California, you probably think of movie stars, palm trees, and beaches, and maybe redwoods and mountains too. You probably don't think about farms, but that's one of the things that has struck me most about living here--California is a very agricultural state, and we grow almost all of the walnuts, peaches, broccoli, lemons, garlic, and, yes, grapes (plus lots more) in the U.S. There are also cows everywhere in California, but especially in Petaluma, a town an hour north of SF where I spent last weekend. Petaluma is in Sonoma County, so you'd almost expect wine everywhere, but while there are a few tasting rooms in town, dairy is the main event here. Which is fine with me--I love cheese and ice cream too, so I was not expecting to do a lot of tasting on this trip.

This is the view from Sonoma Coast Vineyards' parking lot. Not too bad. 

Happily, we stumbled upon Sonoma Coast Vineyards on our way to Bodega Bay, an adorable town along the coast. SCV's tasting room is bright and airy, with couches outside and a private room if you' d rather go VIP style, and flights are a reasonable $20 for 4 wines (we had very generous pours), which is waived if you buy 3 or more bottles. 

This is a terrible image of a very good wine. 

We started with an off-menu sauvignon blanc, which was bright and tropical and didn't have any of the puckery tang that can sometimes creep into that varietal. At $24, it's a no-brainer, so one bottle down, two to go. The second was a 2015 chardonnay, which we were told was in the traditional Burgundian style but was still a bit too oaky for my taste. Next came a series of pinot noirs, each richer than the last. SCV's vineyards begin five miles from the coast, and the cooler climate translates into grapes that are lower in alcohol, higher in acid, and incredibly tasty as a result—these were seriously some of the best pinots I've had in awhile. I took home a bottle of the first, a 2011 from their Salmon Creek block, which had mellowed into a very light, delicate, and, yep, almost salmon-hued wine. I will be drinking it almost immediately, and it will be a challenge for me not to down the entire bottle by myself in one sitting. (I hesitate to use the word "drinkable" for a wine, because duh, but, really, it's very, very drinkable.) Next was a 2013 Freestone Hills pinot, which retails for a very reasonable (for this quality) $40. This might also be a good time to point out that SCV is mostly pouring 2013 vintages at the moment, and that's something I completely respect—I find wineries here often release their wines too early, and instead of giving them proper time to age in the bottle, most people drink them right away (and I don't blame them—I don't want to wait to drink delicious wine either) and never get to experience the wine at its peak. Granted, most of these could stand to lay down for a few more years anyway, but another benefit is that the grapes have already mellowed out a little, and thus none of them have that too-young sourness that had put me off pinots for awhile. Anyway, our final wine was a 2013 Koos Family pinot, and that was my group's favorite—a darker hue and more berry than you'd expect from a pinot, but still with a delicate cherry flavor that will most certainly get better with time. Win, win, win.

I love the backs of SCV's labels and their beautiful presentation of very useful information.

Our lovely wine-pourer recommended River's End restaurant a few miles north in Jennerto watch the sunset, so that we did, glasses of SCV sauvignon blanc in hand. Not bad, eh? 

Fun fact: the end of The Goonies was filmed here in Jenner! 

Ridge Vineyards: a Healdsburg Must

Healdsburg is one of my favorite areas in wine country, and one that I don't make it to quite often enough (Sonoma is a mere 45 minutes away from the city, so I frequently—and lazily—end up there), but going there is such a treat, I should really do it more often. Unlike the Carneros region in lower Sonoma County (e.g. the town of Sonoma), which specializes in Burgundy-style wines like pinot noir and chardonnay, Healdsburg sits between Alexander Valley, Dry Creek, and Russian River Valley, thus exposing its wineries to a wider variety of micro-climates and thus a wider variety of grapes that thrive in each. Dry Creek tends to have great zinfandel, Alexander Valley goes Bordeaux (cabernet sauvignon and my favorite, merlot), and for the Burgundy lovers, Russian River is more pinot and chardonnay, although all dabble in sauvignon blanc, rhone grapes (grenache, syrah, and mouverdre), and even sangiovese. Long story short, you can hit several wineries in a short radius and taste a lot of different varietals. 

The one tasting room I almost always hit while I'm in Healdsburg is Ridge Vineyards, which has been around since 1962 and also has its original location in Cupertino (yes, really), which started way back in the 1800s as Monte Bello. That happens to be the name of Ridge's flagship wine, a Bordeaux-style blend that has a big taste (and a big price tag to match). Ridge's zinfandels are top-notch—they grow grapes on their own land but also buy from other regions and blend in petit verdot, carignane, and other varietals to balance out zinfandel's super-sweet tendencies.

Speaking of carignane, I bought three bottles of their 2011 vintage the first time I visited Ridge; I drank the last one a few months ago, and it was even more divine than the first time I had tasted it: dark berries with just a hint of soft spice, smooth and dry and just about perfect. Every time I've been there since, they've been sold out of carignane, and the 2013 vintage was so small, it was released only to the wine club. I've been told the next release is in June, so guess who'll be going back to Ridge this summer!

As for this trip, I went home with the reasonable Carmichael zinfandel, which tastes like a subtle cherry cola, and to me, that's as perfect as a zin can be. I also took a bottle of the 2013 Perrone Merlot, which already tastes amazing—dark cherries, velvety tannins, a little earthiness—but needs to lay down for a bit and mellow out. Ridge gets extra points for noting on the back of its labels when the wine will be at its peak; as someone who is slowly learning the merits of aging one's wine, this is especially helpful. Speaking of labels, I love how simple and iconic they are. I mean...

My purchases

Of course, it would be silly to hit just one winery after making an hour-plus-long drive, but thankfully there are lots of great options in Healdsburg. Also on my list of faves: Medlock Ames (which we also visited on this trip), Unti (which we sadly did not), A. Rafanelli (ditto), and Preston (ditto again). Ah well, until next time...

New Year's Resolutions: In Vino Veritas

Once upon a time, I wrote a fashion blog. I started it in 2003, when blogs were a new thing, and for awhile, it was small but influential. I went to fashion shows, I went to press previews and parties, and I got a lot of swag. I was young and ambitious and willing to work at all hours—it often felt like a second full-time job, but I loved all of it. And then I didn't. Writing it became more about traffic and clicks and social media, and less about doing what I loved. It became a burden, and the joy was gone. The fashion-blogging landscape had changed, and I needed a better work-life balance. I moved to San Francisco, and Cheryl Shops died a slow death, which was fine with me.  

The thing is, I missed writing for me. (I am paid to write for other people, and I am eternally grateful for this, but I also need a place where I can just do my own thing.) So here I am, in the blog section of my website, a blank canvas. I don't want to write about fashion again—been there, done that—so I started thinking about what I enjoy now and I kept coming back to wine. Since moving to California, it's been something that I've gotten into hobby-wise, and while I'm by no means an expert, I have learned quite a bit by going to wine country, listening to the winemakers, and, well, drinking quite a bit. (Which counts for something, right?)

So wine it is. My resolution is to blog once a week, following my belief that resolutions  should be pleasurable, otherwise you won't stick to them. There will be wine, winemakers, wineries, and possibly some random stuff too (after all, this is my space). But, rest assured, there won't be the word mouthfeel. Except for just now, which I promise is the only time I'll ever use it..

Cheers to new beginnings in 2017!

Enjoying a proper glass of champagne at Chateau Haut-Bailly in Bordeaux, July 2016.