My brother is one of those enviable souls who lives in Napa and pours wine on the weekend for one of the wineries there. So when I visit, he likes to take me around to any one of the 400 or so wineries in the area. I enjoy the great wines and beautiful scenery of Napa, but I believe that our wine region has so much more to offer. Here are my top 10 reasons why our wineries are superior:
10.We don’t need a reservation to go wine tasting.
9.Wine tasting fees here are nominal. In Napa, it is common to pay $20 to $50—or more—per person. In contrast, our wineries charge between $5 and $10.
8.Our wineries encourage you to bring a picnic. Not so in Napa—bringing in your own food is usually not permitted at Napa wineries.
7.You can get married at your favorite winery. Not in Napa. Only three Napa wineries have been “grandfathered” in to host weddings.
6.There isn’t a snootiness factor. Our wineries are far more down-to-earth and friendly.
5. You can talk to the winemaker. In Napa, winemakers leave their employees to run their tasting rooms.
4.We have bocce ball. I haven’t found one Napa winery with a bocce ball court.
3.We have history. The Santa Clara Valley was the very first premier wine-producing region in California.
2.They are right here in our own backyard.
1.Our best wines rival those of Napa. Year after year, Santa Clara Valley wines take home top awards from all the major wine competitions—and they are much more affordable.
