Three brothers have kept a family tradition of producing some of the best tasting wine around on the very same Morgan Hill property where they grew from impressionable young boys to savvy businessmen.
“We lived in that house right there,” pointed out the eldest brother, George, 66, now president and master winemaker at Guglielmo Winery, the city’s longest, continually run family operation that now produces 150,000 cases of wine per year.
George’s grandparents, Emilio and Emilia Guglielmo, purchased the original 15-acre property with a majestic view of the eastern foothills of the Santa Clara Valley in 1925. Shortly after returning from World War II, George’s father, by the same name, along with his future wife, Madeline, began helping with what is now Santa Clara Valley’s oldest, family-run wine operation.
“We were raised in paradise here,” added the middle sibling, Gene, 64 the director of sales who helps promote the Guglielmo label as the finest among the estimated 4,000 wineries in California today and nearly 7,000 across the country.
The baby of the trio, Gary, 57, has a general manager’s office in the front room of the same childhood cottage where he spent countless nights sitting at the dinner table, sharing the day’s events with his parents and grandparents.
“This property is so full of history,” he noted.
“Being born and raised here, there are a lot of sentimental things here,” he went on to say. “When I walk around, I see things that just remind me of being raised here with my parents and my grandparents.”
The property is lined with rows of vineyards that produce award-winning wines like the New York Yankees churn out world championships.
The surrounding area has also grown alongside the family over the years.
Once bordered on all sides by endless prune orchards and chicken farmers, the East Main Street locale remains as rural as its roots, but is now flanked by Live Oak High School to the north. All three Guglielmo boys are quick to point out, “we were here first.”
As the oldest boy, George was naturally the first to show interest in the family business. A Live Oak graduate who earned his degree in oenology and viticulture at Fresno State, the 66-year-old gray-haired gentleman – who sports a subtly sarcastic side and a well-groomed mustache – first worked with winemaker Michael Bo of San Martin Winery in an upstairs lab to learn the nuances of his trade.
Next was Gene, who, after graduating from Santa Clara University with a business and marketing degree (because “we didn’t need two winemakers”) was a bit reluctant to take the “easy road” into the family business. Still unsure as to what the world had in store for him, the new college grad headed to Europe, specifically to Italy’s Piedmont region to tour the small alpine village of Gravere.
“I went to the village where my grandfather was from,” he recalled.
Gene was so taken with the landscape and sense of family pride during his visit, he quickly knew “it would be a shame not to follow through” and be a part of the Guglielmo wine legacy.
Shortly thereafter, Gary joined the winery staff and became the general manager/frontman for all new inquiries. And the three brothers who, every Saturday of their childhood used to rake the property’s gravel clear of leaves and debris that fell from two big oak trees (which are no longer there), were home again.
This year, Guglielmo Winery is knee-deep in new projects on its burgeoning, 100-acre estate with 70 acres of vineyards planted with Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, Merlot, Carignane and Grignolino.
Trying not fall behind in what is the biggest wine market in the world – the U.S. – the third-generation winery will be planting estate Cabernet Sauvignon for the first time instead of purchasing the grapes elsewhere.
Marketing Director Richtarek can already visualize the new trellising that will be installed, along with a drip irrigation system, “because you’ve got to water new vines when they are starting out.”
It is still four to five years away from the first harvest of the Cabernet grapes, but “we’re very excited about it,” said Gary.
The winery is a second home for close to 2,000 club members and countless wine lovers gallivanting around Santa Clara Valley with friends and family. During the annual Passport Weekend, Guglielmo hosts between 1,500 and 2,000 oenophiles for tastings. On regular weekends, the local winery welcomes as many as 200 visitors – and that number keeps growing as word spreads.
“We’re continuing down the path of constantly making our wines better and providing the best service to our guests,” touted Gary. “Every one of our club members is a member of our family, and we want to make them feel welcome in every way possible.”
While most stop in at the tasting room, which recently expanded the tasting bar area so that pourers can move around more efficiently, there has been a growing demand for use of the outdoor events center. Guglielmo averages 40 weddings per year, and also plays host to several private and corporate parties.
“We’re very honored that they select our site for their special day,” Gary said. “And we do everything we can to go above and beyond in service and functionality of the facility, so they have a good time.”
Good times will only get better with the recent renovations to the winery’s events center, which includes replacing a removable tent with a permanent canopy that shades guests during festivities. Guglielmo is in the process of making major upgrades to the Villa Emile Event Center, which is located on the property and hosts weddings and special occasions. Also, a beautifully constructed patio of multi-colored paver blocks has replaced the sometimes treacherous grass area, which tends to get muddy when it rains.
In addition, a full electrical infrastructure is being installed to allow for lighting and heating, particularly during the winter months, which were rarely booked by guests. Gary says brides will no longer have to worry about the threat of rain.
The setting also includes a manicured grass trim, flowers, trees and grapevines.
Taking care of what his family built from the ground up “is a labor of love,” as Gary described it. “It’s just a way of life for us. We grew up in the winery, so it’s in our blood to carry on and get better and more efficient.”
He also points out, with a hint of pride: “Agriculture was here long before the computers. There’s still some of us who stuck around and survived.”
