Solis Winery wins prominent award in Los Angeles County Fair
Competition
Gilroy – Local vintner, Solis Winery, won the prestigious “Best of Class” award for its 2002 Syrah at the Los Angeles County Fair “Wines of the World Competition.”
The event was held from May 17 to 19 and showcased 3,785 wines from 982 wineries from across the globe. The Gilroy based Solis Winery won two gold medals, one for its 2001 Merlot Reserve and for its 2002 Santa Clara Valley Syrah. The Syrah went on to the next stage and beat out 62 other gold medal winners to be named “Best of Class.”
“We make great wine,” said Michael Vanni, son of David Vanni who along with his wife Valerie own the winery. “It’s nice to get the recognition for it.”
This is not the first time the Vanni’s wine has been noticed. In 2004, Solis won a gold medal at the Orange County Fair for its 2001 Syrah. However, Michael Vanni said the “Best of Class” award is something different.
“The best thing about the award is that they are from L.A. It’s almost like they’re from out of state. It means we can run with the big dogs,” said Vanni, who is the assistant wine maker and production manager of the winery.
Dave and Valerie Vanni were on vacation and unreachable as of press time. However, in a press release David Vanni seemed to agree with his sons sentiment when he stated, “This award … recognizes that our region and valley has become a solid player in world-class winemaking.”
Michael Vanni said it is not a surprise that they won the award stating he has never known anyone who has been disappointed by their wines.
“It’s not a cellar wine,” Vanni said. “Buy our wines and drink them. If you want a cellar wine go buy the Napa stuff.”
According to the Solis Winery Web site, the winery is located on the Rancho de Solis, which was an 1830s Mexican land grant that had once spread over 8,800 acres. The Vanni’s purchased the property in the mid-1980s, which at the time only grew varieties of Zinfandel and Carigne.
Barry Jackson, the vintner who oversees the production from the planting of the grapes to the bottling of the wine said that even though the awards are nice, they are not everything. He said that one person may love a certain type of one while another would say it “tasted like tepid pond scum.”
Jackson said that it is not about the awards and accolades as much as it is about making good wines. He said that what most people may not understand is that the wine process can be a two to two-and-a-half year effort that involves things that are controllable and some that are not. As long as there is no major rain or other environmental mishaps then he keeps his hands off it and tries to “just not mess it up.”
“We try to do the best we can. We don’t go out trying to win medals,” Jackson said. “We make wines that people can enjoy everyday.”
