Everyone dreams of having their wedding in an idyllic location. Years ago, a good friend of mine got married at Clos Pegase Winery. It was beautiful! The ceremony was held in the wine caves and the reception was held outside among the beautiful trees, vineyards and artwork for which the winery is famous. I will always remember that wedding as the nicest I've had the pleasure to attend.

Imagine my surprise when my beloved "Sully" (Robert Sullivan) of Michel's at the Colony Surf and now also at the new Azure restaurant at The Royal Hawaiian asked me to marry him last summer! It is only fitting that two people in the wine business would choose to have a ceremony at a winery. My mind went back to that beautiful wedding in Napa.

Unfortunately, weddings are no longer allowed at most wineries in Napa. Then I remembered seeing Testarossa Winery featured on the television show "In Wine Country" and thinking it looked so beautiful. Not only that, but its wines are spectacular and I carry them at Neiman Marcus where I work, so I was thrilled when a Web search brought it up as an option for nuptials.

A quick trip to Los Gatos confirmed what I had hoped: It was the perfect location. The winery is on the site of the fourth-oldest working winery in the state of California. Established in 1888, the winery was run by Jesuits until 1986 and was able to continue operating to produce altar wine throughout Prohibition, which lasted from 1919 to 1933.

Rob Jensen and his wife Diana were in nearby Sunnyvale making small batches of highly acclaimed wine out of their garage and needed more space. They discovered the Novitiate winery and soon started making their wine there. Eventually, they took over the winery for their Testarossa label and revived the Novitiate label as well.

Rob Jensen got the nickname Testarossa, or "redhead," while studying abroad in Italy, and it seemed to be a perfect fit for the wine. Diana Jensen was gracious enough to take time out of her busy day to meet me the day I visited. Rob also popped out for a bit and then the fun part — tasting the wines in the tasting room and choosing which ones to pour at the wedding.

Testarossa prides itself on featuring only chardonnay, pinot noir and syrah rather than trying to feature large numbers of varietals, so it can concentrate on the excellence of a few.

The friendly tasting room staff is there 11 a.m. until 5 p.m. every day of the week to pour a selection of wine. On the day I visited, I started with a taste of Diana's Reserve chardonnay then moved on to the Castello chardonnay. Both were of excellent quality, with the Castello being a little easier on the wedding budget.

On to my favorite varietal: pinot noir. I have always carried the Palazzio pinot noir on my shelf when available. It has a Burgundian quality that I look for in pinot: Bright red, ripe cherry, raspberry and vanilla sing on the palate — a well-rounded wine with a long finish.

Not in the wedding budget but a favorite of mine is the Cuvee Niclaire, named after Rob and Diane's two children. This wine just received 96 points in the Wine Enthusiast. It is always a nice vindication when a wine I carry in the store is validated by a wine magazine. (I do not buy wine based on magazine ratings, but on my own palate and judgment.)

Finally, I tasted the Subasio syrah. This is a great syrah with all the characteristics you would expect from this grape — meaty and juicy, dark fruits and spice envelop the tongue. Add a rose from the Novitiate lineup and my job was done. OK, admittedly that was the fun part of the wedding planning.

I wish every one of my customers could attend the wedding, but instead we thought we would bring Testarossa to Hawai'i. I am excited to announce that Barry Richter of Testarossa Winery will be here soon and we have put together a spectacular wine dinner in the Mariposa Restaurant featuring the cuisine of Marc Anthony Freiburg on May 21.

Information and reservations: 951-3420.