Loam Baby: A Wine Culture Journal, issue 2

Now out: the second issue of “Loam Baby: A Wine Culture Journal,” a wine zine that focuses on the Santa Cruz Mountains for this issue.

The author is a mystery, going by the nom de plume R.H. Drexel. Loam Baby is a very personal read, something different from the usual run of wine mags. You won’t find points or articles on trends. You will find profiles and visits of two great Santa Cruz Mountain vintners, Paul Draper of Ridge Vineyards and Jeffrey Patterson of Mount Eden, plus a quirky itinerary for visitors to Santa Cruz and environs, and a wonderfully silly “Horoscope Elevage” with each sign matched to a grape.

Our author also pays a visit to Bob Varner of Varner Wine in Portola Valley, and to Richard Alfaro of Alfaro Family Vineyards and drops in on Bradley Brown of Big Basin Vineyards to taste his Grenache.

I just wish he’d had the time and space to create a playlist for this itinerary the way he did for his inaugural Central Coast issue.

The Santa Cruz Mountains edition is dedicated to Robert M. Parker Jr., 2013 inductee, the Vintners Hall of Fame, and ends with a photo of poet Adrienne Rich, American poet, essayist, feminist and Santa Cruz resident who died last year.

Shhh! The latest issue is also up on the website and can be downloaded at www.loambaby.com as a PDF for free. Still, there’s nothing like tucking a small zine in your purse or bag to read on an off moment.

Loam Baby (hard copy), $11.

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