COMMUNITY NEWS
Bringing ‘Isness’ to Aptos
New Wine Tasting Showroom ‘Ser’ Holds Grand Opening
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By Erin Kelly-Allshouse
er, a new artisanal wine tasting room in Aptos Village, held its Grand Opening from 12-6 p.m. Saturday, January 25. Community members enjoyed live solo gypsy jazz of Samuel Nicolier, and Evelyn Salguero, lots of wine, Indonesian appetizers from Efi’s Dutch-Indo and local artwork on display. Owner and winemaker of Ser, Nicole Walsh, welcomed a full house after the long
anticipated opening and is dedicated to her own brand. On the back wall is a colorful mural of Monterey Bay that shows the underground canyon that impacts our local microclimates. There is plenty of seating at the wine bar made of redwood tanks and old barrels from the former Bonny Doon winery. Walsh specializes in Nicole Walsh varietal, old world style wines, and was mingling among locals while helping her staff pour a 2016 sparkling Riesling. She prides herself on producing wines in a natural way to allow the expression of their character and the vineyards from where they are sourced. “I’ve been following her wines for years on the Westside,” said Joanna Goodman, resident of Soquel. “With the opening of Ser, Aptos has become a wine tasting destination for me,” she said. “We can park and walk and make a whole afternoon of it,” added Goodman’s friend, Theresa Sullivan of Capitola. Chris Baker of Soquel said he has been coming to Aptos more and more because of what’s developing. “We love the addition of another wine tasting room,” said Baker, whose daughter works under Walsh in the tasting room. “We come to see who we see and good wine certainly helps.” “Ser” is Spanish meaning: to express identity or origin. The label is inspired by an ocean wave and Walsh’s love of surfing, and reflects the unifying thread between the differences of place from where Walsh sources. “I was inspired for the name after reading an article by Andrew Jefford, ‘Wine and Astonishment’. It was in that writing that the notion of the ‘being’ of wine truly resonated with me,” Walsh said. “Being is different than existing. It is true, wine exists; you can touch it, smell it, and drink it.” “To quote Jefford, ‘Being, by contrast, is the “isness” inside’— in other words, the natural essence of the grapes unique to each specific growing area. I am dedicated to preserving the ‘isness’ of wine, to allow its true varietal expression and
18 / February 1st 2020 / Aptos Times www.tpgonlinedaily.com
the place and time of its origins,” said Walsh. Walsh is originally from Saginaw, Michigan where she graduated with honors from Michigan State University in 1998. She studied Viticulture and Enology, which provided her an extraordinary opportunity to receive an education in Horticulture with a focus on growing grapes and making wine. During her last semester at MSU, she attended a sustainable agriculture University, EARTH, in Costa Rica. It was there Walsh was able to become proficient in the Spanish language as well as to solidify her commitment to sustainable agriculture. Upon graduation, Walsh worked in the Michigan wine industry on the Leelanau peninsula where she managed vineyards and made wine for four years. In 2001, she married the love of her life, Kevin Walsh, and together they moved to Santa Cruz to put roots down, where they now live at the ocean’s edge with their two sons. In February of 2001 she started working with Randall Grahm at Bonny Doon Vineyard. For the past 19 years, Walsh has held every position in wine production including associate winemaker, vineyard manager, and grower relations’ manager. There was a brief interruption in her tenure at Bonny Doon in 2008 when she moved with her husband and young son to Marlborough, New Zealand. After a year there, she was brought back to Santa Cruz to develop Bonny Doon’s property in San Juan Bautista. In 2012, Walsh was inspired from her New Zealand experience, especially with Pinot Noir, to start her own wine brand, Ser. It was then the first vintage of Ser was born. She began working with local Santa Cruz Mountain growers to purchase fruit from distinct microclimates in the appellation to gain the valuable knowledge of the area. With her grower contacts in California, she was able to start experimenting with several varieties such as Riesling, Chardonnay, Syrah, Mourvedre, and a more unknown variety, Cabernet Pfeffer. Selecting interesting vineyards with
special soils and microclimates, she is committed to preserving the unique character of varieties and sources in her wine. “I like to focus on varietal, vineyard designate wines from the Central Coast, primarily sourcing from the Santa Cruz Mountains, Monterey and San Benito County,” Walsh said. Throughout her time at Bonny Doon, Walsh continued her schooling, and in 2013, received her level 4 diploma from WSET (Wine and Spirit Education Trust), considered the stepping stone to earning the Master of Wine qualification. Walsh said her winemaking philosophy is centered on a minimalist approach to allow the natural varietal character and place where it was grown to express itself in the wine. “I have a wide selection of varieties and styles available including some rare old vine vineyards,” she said. “I want this wine tasting room to be a community building space where wine lovers can explore new wines while connecting and creating something great together.” Walsh will be rotating flights on a monthly basis. The debut flight will includes: 2016 Wirz Sparkling Riesling, 2017 Wirz Dry Riesling, 2018 Nelson Dry Orange Muscat, 2016 Tondre Grapefield Pinot Noir and 2017 Wirz Vineyard Cabernet Pfeffer. Other wines available for purchase include 2018 Wirz Rosé of Cabernet Pfeffer, 2015 John Smith Graciano, 2016 Cabernet Pfeffer and 2015 Coastview Syrah. Current hours for the Ser wine tasting room are 12 – 6 p.m. Thursdays through Sunday until further additional hours are added. Walsh plans to host regular catered events and use the wide open space for private parties. n ••• Ser: 10 Parade St., Suite B, Aptos Village. For more information, e-mail to nicole@serwinery. com or call 831-901-7806 Photos Credit: April Burkhart