Enjoying Wine with Furry Friends

With the county's abundance of Santa Cruz Mountain Wineries, dog-friendly parks and frequent poetry readings, it was about time that someone threw an event that combined all three—and that someone is winemaker Katy Lovell of Poetic Cellars.

On August 6, people and animals alike are invited to the Soquel winery, to attend its  event, where attendees will vote for the cutest pet based off of 10 photos selected from a poll on Facebook.

Votes for cutest pet can be made on Facebook by clicking the “like” button, but those votes only decide the finalists.

“They're going to vote at the party, so basically you've got to bring all your friends and family and get them to vote, because [the winner will be] decided at the winery,” said Cheryl Warhol, who helped coordinate the event.

The winner with the cutest pet will receive a case of the winery's signature petite sirah, valued at nearly $30 a bottle. Additional prizes of wine will be awarded for second place and honorable mention.

The petite sirah being offered is what Laura Ness, a public relations consultant for the winery, describes as tasting like a baked blueberry pie with ginger crust.

“When people try that wine, they just flip over it, it's so fantastic,” Ness said.

As for the poetry part, Ness said each wine bottle includes a poem on its label, written by Lovell's partner Joseph Naegele.

Ness said the idea of cutest pet was conceptualized after taking pictures of Lovell's Miniature Schnauzer pups, which were positioned next to a bottle of petite sirah, and that the rest was history.

“Kate has a couple of Miniature Schnauzers, and at one point I said, 'Hey, everyone has pets and loves pets, so let’s do a contest and get other people to share their pets,' and then have the actual day on August 6, where people can bring their pets and have a pet party,” she said.

Despite the event taking place at Poetic Cellars, Ness said its real purpose is to give guests a chance to show off their furry friends, while establishing community with one another.

The event was initially created as a benefit party for the , but after many failed attempts of reaching the organization, Ness said they decided to move ahead and just make it a fun event for people to enjoy with animals. The proceeds received from the admission fees may be donated to another charity later on, but until then guests can simply expect a tasting of six to seven wines accompanied by hors d'oeuvres for $10.

Food and wine will be available for purchase along with jewelry from Elizabeth Moon Designs and Octavia Jewelry.

As for the contestants, there have been around 20 submissions on Facebook for cutest pet, ranging from a rabbit named Pirojok to a Llaso Apso pup named Princess, A.K.A. “Poops.”

To enter your pet or to view the rest of the contestants and vote for the cutest, visit the Poetic Cellars Facebook page.