Enjoy a relaxing evening with wine, music at Arbor Crest

There’s something about nature and music that makes a marvelous combination.

Add a glass of wine and you have a symphony the likes of which Beethoven aspired to.

And if the music and the scenery were free, so much the better.

For the fifth straight year Arbor Crest Winery hosts a free weekly concert at its Cliff House, the former Riblet Mansion.

“We have free music every Sunday,” said James van Loben Sels, who co-manages the winery with his wife, Kristina. “The music starts at 5:30 and it goes until whatever the published time of sunset is in the paper.

“We’re seeing 200 to 300 people here on a given night to listen to the music, which is fantastic. This is the fifth year with the music and our ninth year of being open at sunset. It’s kind of a mixed bag of musicians. We try to hit all different walks of life, I guess you could say, and we try to use as many local entertainers as possible. It’s a fun way to showcase local talent.”

The rules are simple. You can bring a picnic basket — some even bring tables and chairs for the evening. Because wine is served, both by the glass and by the bottle, no one under 21 is allowed.

“We also ask that people don’t bring other alcoholic beverages like beer or someone else’s wine,” van Loben Sels said.

Van Loben Sels sees plenty of familiar faces as locals make the Sunday night concerts a regular part of their week.

“I think people have found that it’s good to get away on a Sunday evening and relax,” he said.

There have been a number of special moments over the years. The scenery, the music and the wine have inspired proposals and celebrated any number of personal occasions.

But to the general managers, there is one ahh-moment guaranteed every Sunday.

“I have to say the ahh moment is when the sun sets,” he said. “It’s so lovely to see the sunset from up here.”

The venue has proven popular with local artists as well as with music lovers.

“This is a nice venue and the local artists like coming up here,” van Loben Sels said. “Not to sound cheap or anything, but we can’t afford to pay a whole lot if we’re going to keep this free.”

In the past, the winery has booked a number of pay concerts each season. This year it’s Al Stewart (“The Year of the Cat”), who plays his second annual concert Aug. 26.

“We had Al up here last year and he loved it so much that he asked if he could come back,” van Loben Sels said. “There aren’t that many venues where you have the scenery and the location that we have here and he really wanted to come back and play here.”

The winery’s calendar is listed on its Web site: www.arborcrest.com.