Forget Napa and Sonoma
– some of the best wineries in California are right in our own
backyard
You can see it in their eyes. From the vineyards’ owners and winemakers to the staff members in the tasting rooms, it’s there.
It would be a stretch to call it a twinkle, because it’s really not. It’s just a different light they each get in their eyes when they talk about wine. Maybe it’s love.
Gilroy, Hollister and Morgan Hill have been home to first-rate wineries since the mid-1800s when clever winemakers discovered the area had the right soil and climate to produce beautiful grapes. And though South Valley wineries consistently bring home top awards for their bounty, they haven’t buckled to the pretentious commercialism monster in the way Napa and Sonoma valleys have. Rather, local wineries take great pride in the art of winemaking and creating the best product possible, whether it’s the 2,000 cases of wine a year produced by Gilroy’s Fernwood Cellars or the 150,000 cases produced by Morgan Hill’s Guglielmo Winery.
“We’re trying to use what we’ve got to make the best bottle of wine we can,” said Alphonse DeRose, an owner of DeRose Winery in Hollister, which produces about 3,000 cases annually. “That’s what works for us. People come here, they get better value for their time and their dollar, and they enjoy a much more casual atmosphere. They can often talk to the owner, the winemaker or both. That doesn’t happen in places like Napa where you can be waiting in line with 40 other people in a tasting room.”
DeRose’s noncompetitive outlook on the local wine industry isn’t unique. Most South Valley vintners not only take pride in other wineries’ success, their hopes and goals for the future include the entire area.
At a recent tasting at Kirigin Cellars in Gilroy, staff member Maria Ohlson not only gushed about the winery’s award-winning Vino de Mocca and pinot noir, she also told visitors about the almond champagne at nearby Fortino Winery. She recommended they swing by for a taste of the drink she described as a “fizzy marzipan.”
“It’s not cutthroat here like you might find in other places,” said Matt Oetinger, owner of Fernwood Cellars in Gilroy. “There’s much more camaraderie. If someone local does well, we’re all happy because it draws more attention to the area. We all want to be successful, but on another level, we all want this whole area to get the recognition it deserves.”
The porous soil in this region, full of limestone and granite deposits, is one of the main reasons the South Valley is an ideal location for vineyards, said Alessio Carli, winemaker at Pietra Santa Winery in Hollister. The other is climate.
The valley is largely protected from the influence of the Pacific Ocean by the Santa Cruz Mountains, although coastal breezes that enter a small opening at Hecker Pass in the west and the wider Pajaro Pass to the south help to moderate the climate. Although much of the Santa Clara Valley wine production is purchased locally, the quality of its wine deserves more wide-spread recognition, according to Appellation America, which runs a wine industry Web site. The Santa Clara Valley also encompasses the Pacheco Pass appellation.
Such unique regional characteristics give every winery’s product a unique flavor.
“You need enough heat during the day to ripen the variety of grape you’re growing, but you need the nighttime temperature to drop below 60 degrees to produce acid in the grapes,” said Dan Martin, owner of Martin Ranch Winery, located off Watsonville Road in Gilroy. “The combination of the sugar that’s made in the grapes during the day and the acid at night makes for well-balanced wines. Without that balance, you have flat wines.”
Therese Martin, Dan’s wife, said the winery’s location at the base of the Santa Cruz mountains also helped perfect the flavor of their wines because they use the microclimates on their property to full advantage.
“We have different elevations on the property, so we have about three different microclimates,” she explained. “That means we can plant different varietals in the microclimates that suit them best.”
South Valley wineries do their best to roll out the red carpet for visitors. Many facilities throw open the doors to their barrel rooms on request, giving visitors a chance to smell the wine as it ages in the barrels. Wine experts and novices alike get the royal treatment.
Fresno resident Alan Ouellette recently stopped by Guglielmo Winery while visiting his grandmother who lives nearby.
“It’s hard to find wine that tasty at such a great price, so I often visit Guglielmo when I’m in the area,” he said. “I’m also a wine lay person, if you will, and I’m not really familiar with all the jargon. But when you’re wine tasting in the Santa Clara valley, it doesn’t really seem to matter. I’ve been wine tasting other places, like Napa, and I feel like knowing all that jargon is almost a prerequisite. I like that places like Guglielmo make the experience so welcoming to everyone.”
Novices shouldn’t feel intimidated by the tasting room experience because most staff members are more than happy to impart their knowledge. Trying different kinds of wine from the safety of a winery tasting room can prevent costly mistakes when purchasing wine at the store.
“It’s like anything – how do you know you’ll like it if you don’t try it?” Ohlson said. “Plus, we like to show people they don’t have to spend a fortune to buy a really good wine.”
Every winery has a story behind it, and visitors are hard-pressed to find someone unwilling to share the history of the vines, the owners and the wines. Several wineries, such as Guglielmo and Kirigin, made it through prohibition in the 1920s by claiming to make wine for churches. Hearing these stories, tasting and smelling the wine, feeling it your mouth and seeing the care that goes into every bottle makes wine tasting a treat for all the senses.
“I go to Napa and Sonoma a lot, but I was really surprised by the quality of the wine (in the South Valley),” said Heinz Bartesch, a Sausalito resident who recently visited Kirigin Cellars at the request of his girlfriend. “I was impressed with the ambiance, which was very romantic, and the whole experience. I’d definitely go back.”
Kelly Savio is the Lifestyles reporter for South Valley Newspapers. Reach her at (408) 842-2205 or ks****@**********rs.com.
Winery: Kirigin Cellars, 11550 Watsonville Road in Gilroy
Coming Soon: It’s still a couple years away, but watch for the 2005 cabernet sauvignon. This will be a premium release.
Favorites: The winery’s patented Vino de Mocca. It’s a port with chocolate and coffee flavors with a hint of orange, which Nikola Kirigin said is the perfect combination for kissing.
History: Croatia-native Nikola Kirigin bought the winery property from the Benasio family in the late 1970s because it reminded him of his homeland. In 2000, Dhruv Khanna bought the winery from Kirigin, who was finally ready to retire at age 84. Dhruv has kept up the Kirigin tradition and brought new flair to the property by adding cricket and soccer fields because of his deep love for the games. The original house on the grounds dates back to the mid-1800s.
Atmosphere: The winery’s ivy-covered tasting room has a dark, rustic feel to it. On bright days, guests will want to wander off behind the tasting rooms to meander around the cricket and soccer fields on the property. The view of the surrounding hills is stunning.
Hours:10am to 5pm daily
Winery: Pietra Santa Winery, 10034 Cienega Road in Hollister
Coming Soon: The 2006 Vache Chardonnay, which will be released in about two months, and the 2006 Gewurztraminer, which should also be released in the next few months. The chardonnay is like mellow butterscotch in a glass and the Gewurztraminer is fruity, sweet and delightful.
Favorites: Winemaker Alessio Carli’s favorite is the dolcetto. Pietra’s zinfandel is a customer favorite.
History: The 455-acre winery was founded in the 1850s by a Frenchman. The grounds have changed multiple times since then, finally landing in the hands of the Blackburn family in 2005. The Blackburn family has farmed in the area for almost 50 years. Carli has been at the winery since 1991, bringing expertise he learned in his native Italy to Hollister.
Atmosphere: Just about everything at Pietra Santa is immaculate, manicured and well-thought out. It’s tasting room, housed in a building that resembles a Spanish-style mission, is no exception. Inside, opera plays softly in the background and the decor is all about Italian romance and allure.
Hours: Monday-Friday 11am to 4pm and weekends 11am to 5pm
Winery: Emilio Guglielmo Winery, 1480 E. Main Ave. in Morgan Hill
Coming Soon: The 2006 Grignolino rose, due out in April, took four years for assistant winemaker Alan DeWitt to perfect. The 2006 Carignane, due out in 18 months, is made from a grape usually used in a blended wine, but this harvest was so good it’s being released on its own.
Favorites: The estate zinfandel and petite sirah are two favorites.
History: Emilio Guglielmo came to America from Italy and worked his way across the country, finally arriving in San Francisco in 1910. He and his wife officially founded the winery in 1925 and it’s been in the family ever since. The third generation of American Guglielmos currently run the facility, using some vines that date back to the winery’s inception. The original wine cellar, complete with trap door to the homestead, is still in use.
Atmosphere: The tasting room offers Italian homeyness to all visitors. Pictures of Emilio Guglielmo, the winery’s founder, are hung in the tasting room, including his wedding picture, dating back to the early 1900s.
Hours: 10am to 5pm daily
Winery: Leal Vineyards, 300 Maranatha Drive in Hollister
Coming Soon: The 2004 Godsend Cabernet Sauvignon, to be released in May. The 2003 Godsend is sold out. This wine is from the estate’s best lots, is aged for an extended period of time and then only bottled in limited numbers.
Favorites: The Godsend Cabernet Sauvignon is considered the feather in the winery’s cap, but other favorites include the whimsically-named Threesome, a red made from a combination of three grapes, and the estate cabernet.
History: Vineyard owner Frank Leal decided not to wait until retirement to start his own winery. In 1998, at just 28 years old, Leal bought property in Hollister, planted the vines with the help of friend and winemaker Dave Griffith and began making his dream a reality.
Atmosphere: The winery is nestled in the rolling foothills of Hollister, and the indoor/outdoor tasting room makes the best of the view. The room seems to have been designed with total relaxation in mind. Inside, a fireplace adds a romantic touch to the tasting experience and inviting umbrella-shaded tables sit outside.
Hours: 11am to 5pm daily
Winery: Fernwood Cellars, 7137 Redwood Retreat Road in Gilroy
Coming Soon: The 2005 Il Cane Sangiovese, due out in June, is smooth, flavorful and, in general, lovely. The wine’s name is Italian for “the dog,” a teasing reference to some winemakers’ ideas that domestic vintners shouldn’t try to do classic Italian wines. But rest assured – this red is far from a dog.
Favorites: The estate zinfandel and cabernet have both won awards, but vineyard owner Matt Oetinger said he’s hard-pressed to pick a favorite.
History: Though the vines have been in the family for some time, Oetinger originally set out to be a veterinarian. While he was taking biology classes at UC Davis, his father retired and began making wine in his backyard as a hobby. Oetinger’s father had a few questions about the process, so he talked his son into taking a few viticulture courses at Davis so he could get second-hand help. After a few classes, Oetinger was hooked, and, after working for a few other local wineries, finally founded Fernwood Cellars in 2001.
Atmosphere: This tasting room is a treat for all the senses – it’s located in the barrel room, where all the production happens. Visitors will get to enjoy the unique aroma of wine aging in oak barrels, as well as the sites and sounds of a small operation’s hub. Then of course, there’s the taste of the wine. The tasting room may not have the polish of other local wineries’, but it’s unique charm can’t be beat.
Hours: Tasting by appointment only. Call (408) 848-0611.
Go tasting on your own
Go tasting on your own, or take advantage of VIP treatment on Passport Weekend, March 24 and 25. Participating Santa Clara Valley wineries will throw open their doors and have special activities planned. The passport fee is $25 and includes a souvenir wine glass, a wine map and your “passport.” For more information, call (408) 842-6436 or visit www.gilroyvisitor.org.
