Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
West Coast U.S.
293
Bonny Doon
The Rhone Ranger
Santa Cruz Mountains, California
Where else can you sit in a room deco-
rated with Ralph Steadman-designed
posters and wine labels, where your
friendly guide pours you a drink of sweet
port in a molded chocolate cup that you
devour immediately afterwards? Welcome
to Bonny Doon, one of the world's most
unconventional wineries. It's one of the
few places in the United States where you
can taste such exotic grapes as Mourve-
dre and Nebbiolo in one place. And it's
great value—for $5 you get seven gener-
ous pours without a drop of condescen-
sion in sight.
Bonny Doon's tasting room is a quaint
and rickety log cabin flanked by redwoods
in a secluded part of the Santa Cruz valley.
The old screen door bangs shut behind
you as you enter a rustic tasting area with
eclectic decor and tabby cats snoozing in
the sun. “Welcome to the Dooniverse!” a
young, laid-back guide greets you.
Charismatic owner Randall Graham—
known as the “Rhone Ranger” for his love
of the French wine region—sold off his
share in the well-known Big House winery
and is now pouring his energy instead into
this alternative-style boutique operation,
where he can indulge his sense of humor
and an addiction to weird grapes. Gra-
ham's wine Cigar Volant, for example, is a
winking reference to the 1950s French
paranoia about UFOs landing and destroy-
ing their vineyards (flying saucers are
known as flying cigars in France).
Graham has now made biodynamic wine
his specialty. As organic farming becomes
the norm, many winemakers now accept,
for instance, that harvesting with the moon
cycle does mean better wines—but a visit
to Bonny Doon will expose you to some of
the more “out there” theories of sustain-
able farming, such as crystal readings and
ley energy lines. Graham also advocates
planting stone menhirs in certain parts of
the vineyards to “wake up the plant”—
something he describes as a sort of viticul-
tural acupuncture.
The winery makes for a great picnic
spot, with its sunny back patio overlooking
a dreamy mountain view. Despite its seclu-
sion, the winery gets busy on weekends—
many people flock here for its fun
atmosphere and relaxed, quirky approach.
It makes a fascinating contrast to the slick
operations of Napa Valley and even
Sonoma. The wine list is eclectic, to say
the least, including a rosé made from
Grenache Blanc. Sipping these wines just
may win you over to these wacky bio-
dynamic theories.
Bonny Doon Winery,
10 Pine Flat Rd.,
Santa Cruz (
&
831/425-4518;
www.bonny
doonvineyard.com).
(
San Francisco International (67 miles/
107km).
L
$$$
Hilton Santa Cruz,
6001 La
Madrona Dr., Scotts Valley (
&
831/440-
1000;
www1.hilton.com). $$
Ocean
Pacific Lodge,
301 Pacific Ave., Santa
Cruz (
&
831/457-1234;
www.theocean
pacificlodge.com).
