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Anywhere else, Richard Starks’ sculpture garden would be the talk of the town and far beyond. But in Gilroy, his metal wonderland is just a couple miles up Hecker Pass Road from Gilroy Gardens and that attraction’s famously sculpted trees.

In a small, converted 1930s house on Main Street in Morgan Hill, with just enough room for a few tables inside and an outdoor patio for al fresco dining, locals wait to be seated at Sicilia in Bocca. Once seated, I am greeted with a basket of sliced, crusty bread and complimentary bruschetta—fresh tomato, basil and garlic, gently tossed with olive oil, salt and pepper on a crisp ciabatta—a perfect start to a real Italian dinner.

You can’t judge a book by its cover, but with wine, it’s a different story. We often purchase a bottle of wine based on a colorful, eye-catching label. But reading what the label says will improve your chances of actually liking the wine inside. Here are 10 tips for better understanding what’s in the bottle.The largest words on a wine label are usually the name of the winery or company that made the wine.If the label lists the name of the varietal, it means there is at least 75 percent of that varietal in the bottle—the remaining 25 percent can be one or more different grapes. If you don’t see the name of a varietal, it means that the wine is a blend.Labels will tell you where the grapes are grown. If you see Santa Clara Valley, you know right away that the grapes are premium. Riper styled wines typically come from Lodi or Paso Robles where the growing season is quite warm. Monterey wines usually produce cooler climate grapes such as pinot noir and chardonnays, which tend to be a little crisp and drier.Next look for a vintage date—the date the grapes were picked. NV means non-vintage—the grapes used were from more than one year.Some wine labels use the word “reserve” for a wine has been aged a bit longer than usual or to connote a wine that is extra special.I like to see “estate” on the label—letting me know that the grapes were grown on the wineries’ property—giving the winery a lot of control over how the grapes were grown and nurtured.Most wines are somewhere between 12 to 18 percent alcohol by volume (ABV). Usually, the higher the alcohol, the bolder and richer the wine will taste.Don’t miss the back label where winemakers tell the world why their wine is so awesome. The Medeiros Family Wine label shown here says, “From vine to bottle. Our reputation is in every glass.”I also like to see “produced and bottled by” which again means that the winery held control over how the wine was fermented, aged and finished. If the label only says “bottled by” it means that someone else made the wine.Sulfites are naturally occurring in most wines. Dry red wines usually contain around 50 parts per million (ppm), which is quite low when compared to other foods. As a reference, french fries contain up to 1,850 ppm. Finally, while some wine labels are informational only, others will surprise you with a little trivia. For instance, the label on the back of Kirigin Cellars Malvasia Bianca says that it was Mrs. Kirigin’s favorite wine. Others may tell you about their location, like Sunlit Oaks Winery: “Our terrain is reminiscent of Tuscan hillsides with 180-degree views from San Martin to San Juan Bautista.”If you need a chuckle, Satori Cellars Estate Za-Zin’s label suggests that you “sit cross-legged, a glass of Zin in your left hand and a slice of Za in your right.”

It’s back to school time and you know what that means. Yes, it’s time to drop off the kids at school and do the happy dance. For the next several months, your mornings will be spent in the drop off line—a genuinely happy place.

For terrific summer fun, it’s hard to beat a concert at Fortino Winery in Gilroy. On a very warm evening, a group of us arrived just as the sun was setting and in time to snag the last table. We came stocked with picnic baskets full of submarine sandwiches, heirloom cherry tomatoes and summer salads.

Gilroy welterweight Robert Guerrero returns to action Aug. 27 in Anaheim, headlining a three-bout card airing on the cable network Spike.

Peeking through racks of clothes this week, I was on the lookout for someone looking fabulous and fashionable. The timeless Coco Chanel once said, “Simplicity is the keynote of all true elegance.”

Where should a first time homebuyer land, Gilroy, Morgan Hill or Hollister?

It’s mid-August, and for avid gardeners this means tiptoeing over tangled watermelon and winter squash vines and arms stained green up to the elbows from reaching into crowded tomato cages. As the temperature rises, it seems like there’s just no stopping the veggies. Even gardeners with ample growing space are starting to feel the squeeze around this time of year. If only I had one more garden plot…one more patio pot. So much food to grow, never enough space. Boo hoo. I think it’s time to grow up.

The amazing story of Carole King is an inspiring one, showing what talent and drive could do in the world of popular music back in the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s. She has won four Grammys, been inducted into the Songwriters Hall Of Fame and was the first woman to receive the Library Of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. Her list of achievements goes on and on.