Santa Clara Valley wineries are getting a head start on the Super Bowl 50 celebration by hosting “Super Barrel Tasting Day” on Saturday, February 6, 2016. Wine lovers are invited to visit selected wineries along the Santa Clara Valley Wine Trail and be among the first to taste the newest vintages straight from the aging barrels.
Twelve different wineries in Gilroy, San Martin, and Morgan Hill will participate in the Super Barrel Tasting Day event on Saturday, February 6 from 12 to 4 p.m. Tickets are $25 and available at any participating wineries or at the Gilroy Welcome Center.
Red wines are usually put into barrels to age a few months after harvest, where they remain for anywhere from one to three years. On Barrel Tasting Days, vintners bring a barrel of young wine up from the cellars and tap into it using a special pipette called a “wine thief.” Guests have the unique opportunity to sample the wine several months—or even years—before it will be bottled.
Cindy Adams at Guglielmo Winery says, “Barrel tasting is fun because the wine still has the younger, fruity flavors that are very popular, especially with new wine drinkers.” Participating wineries are hopeful that the event will encourage visitors in town for the Super Bowl to explore the Santa Clara Valley Wine Trail and discover the South Bay’s own “wine country.”
Participating wineries include: Creekview Vineyards, Fortino Winery, Guglielmo Winery, J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines, Kirigin Cellars, Lightheart Cellars, Martin Ranch Winery, Medeiros Family Wines, Morgan Hill Cellars, Rapazzini Winery, Solis Winery, and Sunlit Oaks Winery.
The Wineries of Santa Clara Valley is a non-profit 501c3 Corporation made up of member wineries who grow and produce wines that are grown in the Santa Clara Valley. For more information about the award-winning wineries of Santa Clara Valley, visit SantaClaraWines.com. A map of the Santa Clara Valley Wine Trail can also be downloaded from the Gilroy Welcome Center website: www.VisitGilroy.com.
