When touring South Valley’s long trail of picturesque wineries
and vineyards, there are only a few simple rules to follow: Don’t
be intimidated or afraid to ask questions; do relax, have fun and
enjoy the day.
When touring South Valley’s long trail of picturesque wineries and vineyards, there are only a few simple rules to follow: Don’t be intimidated or afraid to ask questions; do relax, have fun and enjoy the day.
“I always tell people there are two types of wines,” says Steve Beck, general manager of Solis Winery west of Gilroy on Hecker Pass Highway, “Yum and yuck.”
While the majority of the nearly 25 wineries and vineyards gracing South Valley’s envied soils attract wine connoisseurs from across the globe to their posh tasting rooms, history-rich tours and first-hand glances into the wine-making process, the family-oriented atmosphere of the relatively small vineyards makes even a wine novice feel welcome.
“At a good winery the person behind the bar will tell you anything you need to know about wine,” said Linda Welch, a self-proclaimed wine novice from Modesto who was enjoying Solis Winery’s tasting room on a recent Saturday. “When I first came here I was a little passive, but I learned really soon that there are a lot of people like me who don’t know too much about wine. We just know we like it.”
Indeed, when it comes to wine, terms like “viticulture” and “enology” can easily be replaced with a healthy dose of common sense, said George Guglielmo, who owns Morgan Hill’s Guglielmo Winery with brothers Gene and Gary and holds a degree in viticulture and enology from Fresno State University.
Viticulture is the science – many would argue art – of growing grapes; enology is the study of making wine.
“Wine is an individual preference – drink what you enjoy,” George Guglielmo said. “When you’re in the tasting room, don’t pay attention to awards or prices. Listen to your palate – it’s the best way to stay open-minded.”
To understand wine, it is to natural to first become educated on the basic wine-making process.
Like many other fruits, grapes are first planted on “root stocks” in the springtime and, several years later, harvested in autumn.
Once harvested, grape clusters are taken from their vines and transported to large crushers.
After being crushed, the wine juice is then placed in stainless steel tanks where the alcohol fermentation process begins. During fermentation, yeast added to the grapes feeds on the sugar and creates alcohol.
“Temperature is the key to fermentation,” George Guglielmo said. “You want a cooler temperature for white wine, warmer for red.”
Following the average three- to six-week fermentation process, the wine is then pumped into barrels made of French or American oak, where it sits for nine to 24 months.
Of course the process for white and red wines varies, as well as the multitude of different tastes winemakers are hoping to achieve.
“It takes a vine seven years to accomplish full production,” George Guglielmo said. “At that time you can get maybe 15 pounds of grapes off one vine.”
When tasting wine at any of the wineries, the most important thing to do is ask questions and make friends with the bartender or the person next to you, Beck said.
Ceramic spittoons usually accompany most local wine tasting rooms, playing homage to the swirl and spit technique Beck personally recommends this method to enhance the taste.
But just like with all the other aspects of wine tasting, if spitting into a ceramic vase is something that seems a bit unnerving, don’t do it.
“Just be honest,” said Solis’ Beck. “Nobody is going to get upset if you say you don’t like their wine. The important thing is to find something you do like.”
