Newly wed and back to the wine business. The wedding was perfect! Testarossa winery, where our nuptials were held, is a wonderful place to visit next time you are in the San Francisco area. Their tasting room is open 365 days a year and the staff are friendly and knowledgeable. The wine is excellent as well.

As foodies do, we went on a hunt for the great dining experience the day after the wedding. Recommended to us was Manresa, a Michelin two-star restaurant right in the heart of Los Gatos. The chef, David Kinch, is known for using local biodynamic produce from his own garden in collaboration with Love Apple Farm. It sounded perfect for us.

Manresa's name comes from a medieval town in the Catalonia region of northern Spain, as well as from a beautiful stretch of beach south of Santa Cruz, which the Jesuits of early California named Manresa.

Michael Kean, the general manager, cordially greeted us at the entrance, and as he seated us, we noticed an incredible cheese cart and made a mental note to save room for the gooey, smelly goodness.

I was so pleased to see a female wine captain, Dana Vela — something you don't see everyday. She was a delight and enthusiastic about the wine list, which was reasonably priced.

In true wine-geek fashion, while sipping on bubbles, we zeroed in on our wine first, a 2000 A Cappella Oregon pinot noir from Shea Vineyard, from Sine qua Non, a cult wine producer. Manfred Krankl, the winemaker, is based in Ventura County, and he consistently churns out wines rated in the high 90s. Robert Parker also bestows 100 points on his wines now and again. We were happy to get to taste this rare treat, as Krankl no longer produces any pinot noir, and people who want to order his wines can be on the wait list for a long, long time. I know, as a wine seller, I've been on the wait list for more than three years!

The dinner was sumptuous, one of the best we have ever had, and of course, we saved room for the cheese cart. Dana once again appeared and helped us choose some wines to go with the cheeses.

After discussing the usual suspects (port, banyuls, sauternes, more champagne) Dana came up with a great suggestion: a 2004 Mas de Gourgonnier Les Baux de Provence. A mouthful to say and a perfect match for my plate of chevre and triple-cream brie and my husband's plate of blue cheeses. The wine is a blend of 36 percent cabernet sauvignon, 27 percent grenache and 22 percent syrah, with a touch of carignane, cinsault and mourvEdre, with plenty of dark chocolate and spice notes and enough ripe fruit to complement the cheeses. In keeping with the theme of the restaurant, the wine is made from organic grapes.

Never fear sommeliers. They are your friends, and can possibly get you out of a wine rut. The Provence was a great value, and we would have not discovered this gem if not for Vela's recommendation.

The three of us were discussing my last article about the wine-geek, cork-dork quiz, and Dana had an admission of her own geekiness: She plays back TV shows and movies in slow motion to try to see what the characters are drinking. Oh, no, another thing I have to admit to doing too!

That article generated a great deal of buzz, and thank you for all the nice comments and kudos. One prominent celebrity e-mailed me about saving all the corks (I have boxes and bags full at home), but he has gone a step further and is covering the walls of a room with them! What a wonderful way to treasure the fond memories of that great bottle shared with friends and loved ones.

Find out more:

• Testarossa Winery, 300-A College Ave., Los Gatos, CA 95030. Tasting room open daily 11 a.m.-5 p.m.

• Manresa, 320 Village Lane, Los Gatos, CA 95030, 408-354-4330; dinner Wednesdays through Sundays.

• Love Apple Farm, www.growbetterveggies.com.