Outdoors experts reveal their favorite Peninsula hikes

With schools out for summer and the longest day of the year approaching with the official start of summer next week, it’s an ideal time to explore Peninsula parks and open spaces. Searching for new spots to check out? We asked local outdoors and environmental experts to tell us their all-time favorite hikes in the area. Here’s what they shared. 

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Short and sweet: our list of luscious (and local) dessert wines for the holiday

Silicon Valley wineries offer up some fantastic finishes to your feast By Carol Maskus Merry and bright: we found six local dessert wines to keep your holidays festive. (Photo by Charles Russo) Chocolate torte, Buche de Noel, rugelach, sweet potato pie: a big part of holiday feasting is the dessert. And while we often go all out for dessert over the holidays, we typically neglect to properly pair our sweets with appropriate drinks. This can leave ...

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Our guide to six of Silicon Valley’s most stellar vineyards

Here is what’s fermenting at the local wineries of the Santa Cruz Mountains by Laura Ness Mindego Ridge: 10 acres of sun-warmed Pinot vines off Alpine Road. They are fairly anonymous and the majority are not open to the public. Their acreage is often small and they don’t benefit from the name recognition of places like Napa and Sonoma. Even still, a notable array of Peninsula vineyards have quietly made a reputation for themselves in ...

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