RAIN put a slight damper on attendance at Santa Clara County wineries during the region’s annual Passport Weekend wine tour on Nov. 7 and 8, but the region’s vintners see sunny skies ahead economically.
Attendance at Sarah’s vineyard dropped 50 percent Sunday from the day before, said Megan Orphanos, who works in the tasting room. Martin Ranch saw a slight drop in traffic, although they made good sales.
“If I could order the rain, I wouldn’t have ordered it at two in the afternoon on a Sunday,” Haynie said. On balance, though, he welcomed precipitation during a drought.
“Rain is awesome,” Martin said. “We’re ready for it.”
Vintners reported doing brisk business despite the rain. Martin Ranch sold about 30 percent more wine during this year’s Passport Weekend than in 2014, said co-owner Therese Martin.
Lightheart Cellars also did well, a reflection of the winery’s growing success over the past several years, Haynie said. His business took a hit during the recession, when consumers cut back on luxury purchases, but sales have increased steadily since then.
Santa Clara County is developing a reputation as a wine destination, Haynie said. People are realizing they can get good wine without going to Napa Valley or Sonoma, especially younger people and budget-conscious connoisseurs.
The region owes its success partly to local support, Haynie said. Last year the county established an official wine trail marked with signs to guide tourists, and in 2012 it relaxed regulations on events held at wineries.
Local vintners are more like a team than competitors, Haynie said.
“We see ourselves as competing with Napa Valley and Sonoma, not necessarily with the winery down the road,” Haynie said. If a customer asked him for a wine he did not carry, he would rather send them to a neighboring winery than let them leave empty-handed.
“We’re competitors, but we don’t see ourselves as in a struggle like two gas stations down the street.”
Santa Clara County vintners are distinguished by a personal touch lacking in California’s more famous wine regions. The proprietors in Santa Clara County are actively involved with the customer’s experience, Haynie said.
“It’s not some drone in a tasting room with a 401(k),” he said.
Therese and Dan Martin tended personally to their customers Saturday and Sunday, making Passport Weekend an “unusual and special” wine tasting experience, Martin said.
Santa Clara County may never reach the status of Napa Valley, but that could be a blessing in disguise. Haynie would prefer that the region’s vintners retain their distinctive intimacy and rustic charm.
“We are not a glossy—I hate to use the term disparagingly—Disneyland experience,” he said. “I don’t want to become famous. I don’t want people to see us as just another Napa Valley but closer.”
