Why Salamanders on a Wine Bottle?

Tucked into a shaded redwood canyon two miles from
the beaches of Aptos, Salamandre Wine Cellars crafts wines
with old fashioned hand labor and grapes picked
in the cheerful spirit of friendship and respect.

Chardonnays were our passion when we opened our small family winery in 1985, and we remain intrigued by the differences between small vineyards in the Santa Cruz Mountains and Arroyo Seco. Red wines, however, provide a greater test of creativity in the cellar and versatility on the table. We also find that the wines we stash in our backpacks are invariably red.

Merlot and Pinot Noir have become consistently popular for us, but we have always enjoyed experimenting with new varieties and new styles. These explorations always teach us something we wouldn't have learned doing the same thing every year, and sometimes we celebrate with delicious results. We made the shameless original Cardinal Zin in 1987, uplifting "Temblor" in 1989, rare Carmine in 1990, and now offer ravishing Primitivo and swashbuckling Syrah (You bet Shiraz!) from a precocious vineyard in sunny Southern Monterey County. Winemaker Wells Shoemaker and partner Dave South use intensive traditional methods by choice - and, yes, by necessity - while striving to make elegant wines in the Mersault style.

Because of our small scale (in truth, lizards have scales but salamanders don't) our wines are hard to find East of the Santa Cruz Mountain ridge line. We do host periodic Open Houses, for which you'll need a mailing list invitation and a map.