We were recently tipped off on a boutique producer called La Honda Winery based in Redwood City, California (a half hour south of San Francisco) and it’s a good thing we were. Not only have they done a beautiful job transferring their warehouse space into a cozy Spanish-style tasting room, they are making red wines that should be on your list.

Given that it’s the eve of the World Series- and that La Honda makes two phenomenal wines- this is a “double header” edition of The Daily Sip™’s wine of the week.

Game 1:
Sourced from local vineyards in the Santa Cruz Mountains, the La Honda “Lone Hawk Vineyard” Cabernet Sauvignon - 2006 exemplifies the virtue of creating wines that demonstrate restraint yet contain depth and a wealth of character. This wine is lighter in body than its Napa counter parts, yet offers full, dark fruit flavors, chalky tannins, rustic earthiness, and layers of cocoa, vanilla, and tobacco.

Game 2:
Similarly, their “Villa Colina Vineyard” Merlot - 2006 (also from the Santa Cruz Mountains), is multi-dimensional display of pomegranate, blackberry, and plum with layers of spice and the same rustic character found in the Cabernet.

It’s not about where you play the game (make the wine), proverbially speaking, it’s about how you play (make it). Visit www.lahondawinery.com to see how it’s done in Redwood City.

(As for the World Series, let’s just say we’re not rooting for the Phillies.)

Buy La Honda wines at www.lahondawinery.com